Ayurveda, evidence-base and scientific rigor

169 Ayurveda describes five ways to acquire knowledge and create an evidence base. It's concept of Apta means an unbiased and intuitive acquisition of knowledge from the masters; Pratyaksha refers to observational data acquired through the senses or their extensions in the form of actual experimentation; Anumana is evidence derived from logical analysis leading to a deduction; Upamana concerns evidence generated by analogy (or similar association between variables); while Yukti treats facts ascertained from a planned intervention to test an idea or evaluate an observation. Together, these reflect the epistemology of Ayurveda and its robust approach to ensure evidence based rigor.[1] Today, a primary need of Ayurveda is for transdisciplinary research designed to study its fundamental concepts, medicines and treatments. An earlier thought leadership article by J-AIM Editorial Board Chairman R. H. Singh rightly states, “Research is the prime need of contemporary Ayurveda, but modern research on Ayurveda has not been very rewarding for Ayurveda itself. Much of it uses Ayurveda to extend modern bioscience.”[2] It is important to develop intercultural standards for research in traditional medicine, with the right approach leading to appropriate methodology and study protocols.[3] The epistemological approaches to knowledge discovered by Ayurveda are systemic and holistic, whereas in the biomedical sciences they are more structural and reductionist. It is important to understand and respect both these realities. J-AIM is not a specialty journal concerned with a single discipline, but is devoted to quality transdisciplinary and translational research conducted without compromising the core concepts of any discipline, particularly applying this principle to Ayurveda. There is a growing realization that in the past, research on Ayurveda was often conducted wearing the spectacles of modern science, making assumptions that may not actually apply to Ayurveda itself. Design of preclinical or clinical research protocols should aim to conduct studies on Ayurveda, as it is actually practiced in a pragmatic or whole systems approach. Only then can the system be genuinely evaluated. Anything else is a compromise.