Revitalizing Ayurveda

Abstract Modern Ayurveda, a product of the colonial period, is marked by scientization, Sanskritization, and professionalization. In the last four decades of the twentieth century, Ayurvedic research by Indian government bodies mainly consisted of studies on the binomial botanical identity of Ayurvedic material medica, their physicochemical constituents, and the forced reconciliation of Ayurvedic notions with biomedical concepts. Research seldom found its way to international medical journals. India’s growing global importance, the proliferation of lifestyle diseases, and the rise of complementary and alternative medicine prompted Indian government bodies and universities to initiate laboratory studies under the banner of “Ayurveda Biology” to experimentally prove the validity of Ayurvedic notions, materials, and treatment procedures. Linking Ayurvedic notions to genomics and testing them through meticulously designed bioassays is intended to undercut the view that Ayurveda is outdated and that treatments only work because of their placebo effects. The objective is to develop Ayurvedic studies that will find their way to internationally acclaimed medical and biological journals. This paper critically examines two of these research projects and argues that the nascent Ayurveda Biology research community should also seek inspiration from the medical humanities and the philosophy of science. Otherwise, Ayurveda’s mindful and ecological body will be cut to size on the Procrustean bed of structural biology.