Integrating Gastrointestinal Biomarkers into Ayurvedic Diagnosis, Practice and Research: An Ayurveda Biology and Systems Medicine Framework for Agni, Ama, Grahani, Srotas and Gastrointestinal Regulation

The gastrointestinal tract is increasingly recognized as an integrated regulatory system in which digestion, epithelial barrier integrity, host-microbial interactions, immune surveillance, neuroenteric coordination, and metabolic regulation are closely interconnected. Classical Ayurveda has long conceptualized gastrointestinal regulation through the interrelated principles of Agni, Ama, Grahani, Koshtha, Srotas, Dosha, and Nidana Panchaka, providing a systems-oriented framework for understanding digestive physiology and disease. However, contemporary clinical practice and translational research require objective physiological tools capable of complementing classical Ayurvedic assessment without compromising its conceptual or epistemological foundations. This review proposes an Ayurveda Biology and systems medicine framework for integrating representative gastrointestinal biomarkers into Ayurvedic diagnosis, practice, and research. Rather than treating biomarkers as direct biological equivalents of Ayurvedic concepts, the proposed framework interprets them as objective indicators of physiological domains underlying gastric function, digestive transformation, epithelial barrier integrity, host-microbial homeostasis, mucosal immunity, neuroenteric regulation, & energy homeostasis. It further illustrates how these biomarkers may complement Nidana Panchaka and Shatkriyakala, facilitating physiological characterization, clinical stratification, therapeutic monitoring, mechanistic investigation, and translational research while preserving the primacy of classical Ayurvedic reasoning. By bridging classical Ayurvedic physiology with contemporary systems biology and gastroenterology, this framework provides a scientifically rigorous yet conceptually authentic foundation for biomarker-assisted Ayurveda. The proposed Ayurveda Biology model offers a practical translational pathway for strengthening diagnosis, advancing research, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and restoring gut health through the convergence of holistic Ayurvedic principles and modern physiological science.