Preliminary studies based on the convergence of modern
molecular biology with Ayurveda have thrown up results that promise to
revolutionise the treatment of ageing disorders and give scientists a
better insight into the influence of genetic variations on individual
response to drugs, M.S. Valiathan, cardiac surgeon and one of the
pioneers of medical technology in India, has said.
Delivering
the Prof. A. Abraham birth centenary lecture organised by the
Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute
(JNTBGRI) here on Saturday, Dr. Valiathan said a number of recent
studies taken up under the Science Initiatives in Ayurveda, a programme
launched by the Government of India, had demonstrated the immense
potential of Ayurvedic Biology, an emerging discipline that uses modern
biological tools to understand the concepts, procedures, and therapeutic
effects of plant-based treatment methods in Ayurveda.
He
said a study on the effects of dietary supplements of Amalaki Rasayana
and Rasa Sindoor on fruit flies had proved their efficacy in enhancing
life span, fecundity, tolerance to heat and starvation, and suppressing
neuro-degeneration in fruit fly models of Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s
disease. Another study on the effect of Amalaki Rasayana showed that it
enhanced genomic stability in rat brain cells. Citing yet another
research work on the immunological and metabolic effects of Panchakarma,
he said it had revealed that the cytokines (cell-signalling molecules)
responsible for insulin resistance in obese people were significantly
reduced after Basti procedure.
Dr. Valiathan said the
pre-occupation with herbal drugs in the 20th century had led to the
absence of scientific tools to study events at the cellular and
molecular level. The Science Initiatives in Ayurveda programme, he said,
was the first step towards Ayurvedic Biology. He said the impact of
Ayurvedic Biology was likely to transcend human medical science and
involve veterinary studies also. “In the 21st century, Ayurveda will be
viewed through the window of molecular biology,” he said.
Sathish
Mundayoor, scientist, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, presided
over the function. P.G. Latha, Director, JNTBGRI, spoke. The lecture was
organised to perpetuate the memory of Prof. A. Abraham, founder
director, JNTBGRI.
Earlier, Dr. Valiathan was presented with a vase of
Paphiopedilum M.S. Valiathan
, an orchid hybrid developed by scientists at JNTBGRI to honour him on the occasion.
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