The Modern Ayurveda

The Indian population has used Ayurvedic herbs for centuries, but now modern scientific work has led to recognition and acceptance at a global level. The major cause of the increased popularity of Ayurvedic medicine stems from recent scientific validation and its potential in lifestyle management. This growth in research in India and worldwide has created the need for a resource covering the scientific development of Ayurvedic herbs for practice during the postclassical period. The Modern Ayurveda: Milestones Beyond the Classical Age explores a host of topics essential to understanding the surge of scientific work now being conducted on this ancient practice. A one-point source for the modern explorer attempting to appreciate the transformation of Ayurveda from an empirical to a rationalist understanding, the book enumerates more than 400 Ayurvedic herbs with compiled information including their botanical name, common Ayurvedic name and family, their attributes, chemical constituents, phytochemical markers, pharmacological actions, and their interactions and toxicity. It explores current research methodologies for the evaluation of efficacy and safety of herbal medicine and discusses the contemporary international regulatory status of herbal drugs. Ayurvedic medicine can be better understood and utilized through the application of modern scientific analytical tools for standardization, modern pharmacological tools for safety and efficacy evaluation, and the application of biotechnology to elicit the mechanism of drug actions. Bringing Ayurveda into the 21st century, this volume will inform further progress and open new doors to treatment.