This article provides global and Indian scenario with strengths and limitations of present health care system. Affordability, accessibility and availability of health care coupled with disproportionate growth and double burden of diseases have become major concerns in India. This article emphasizes need for mindset change from illness-disease-drug centric curative to person-health-wellness centric preventive and promotive approaches. It highlights innovation deficit faced pharmaceutical industry and drugs being withdrawn from market for safety reasons. Medical pluralism is a growing trend and people are exploring various options including modern, traditional, complementary and alternative medicine. In such a situation, knowledge from Ayurveda, yoga, Chinese medicine and acupuncture may play an important role. We can evolve a suitable model by integrating modern and traditional systems of medicine for affordable health care. In the larger interest of global community, Indian and Chinese systems should share knowledge and experiences for mutual intellectual enrichments and work together to evolve a novel model of integrative medicine.
China ; Delivery of Health Care ; Drug Discovery ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Medicine, Ayurvedic ; Models, Theoretical ; Pharmacogenetics

Rasayana tantra is one of the eight specialties of Ayurveda. It is a specialized practice in the form of rejuvenative recipes, dietary regimen, special health promoting behaviour and drugs. Properly administered Rasayana can bestow the human being with several benefits like longevity, memory, intelligence, freedom from diseases, youthful age, excellence of luster, complexion and voice, optimum strength of physique and sense organs, respectability and brilliance. Various types of plant based Rasayana recipes are mentioned in Ayurveda. Review of the current literature available on Rasayanas indicates that anti-oxidant and immunomodulation are the most studied activities of the Rasayana drugs. Querying in Pubmed database on Rasayanas reveals that single plants as well as poly herbal formulations have been researched on. This article reviews the basics of Rasayana therapy and the published research on different Rasayana drugs for specific health conditions. It also provides the possible directions for future research.
Animals ; Anti-Ulcer Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Antiparasitic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Aphrodisiacs ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Free Radical Scavengers ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Giardiasis ; drug therapy ; Herbal Medicine ; classification ; methods ; trends ; Humans ; Immunologic Factors ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Medicine, Ayurvedic ; Models, Biological ; Neuroprotective Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Plant Preparations ; classification ; therapeutic use ; Radiation-Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use