Ayurveda Goes Global—but Can Evidence Keep Up? Consumer's Guide from the WHO Summit

Herb-drug interactions: A growing body of research shows herbs can interact with pharmaceuticals.

- TDG NETWORK

When the Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine convened in Gandhinagar, India, its Day2 agenda focused squarely on translating the research roadmap for traditional medicines into action.

With health ministers and scientists discussing regulation, integration and evidence translation, urban Indians who already combine allopathy with Ayurveda, yoga or naturopathy were watching closely. A national survey shows awareness of AYUSH systems exceeds 94% and more than half the population uses them - 52.9% in cities and 46.3% in rural areas. Yet as Ayurveda goes global, there are practical questions consumers and doctors must ask before mixing modalities.

1. Quality control: Both India’s AYUSH ministry and international regulators warn of contamination in unlicensed Ayurvedic products. A Victorian Department of Health advisory found cases of lead poisoning linked to imported Ayurvedic medicines; some products contained heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic, and the advisory told consumers to use only medicines with regulatory numbers like AUST R or AUST L. The US FDA echoes this warning, noting there are no FDAapproved Ayurvedic products and that some unregistered formulations have caused kidney injury and neurological symptoms. Consumers should check for standardisation (e.g., AYUSH manufacturing licences) and avoid unknown brands or powders.