Ayurveda is Sanskrit for the "knowledge of life," defining the trinity of life as body, mind and spiritual awareness. This concept is often neglected in modern medicine where thoughts and feelings are often separated from illnesses of the body. Developed in India more than 5,000 years ago, Ayurveda is thought to be the oldest medical system known. It is a complete and holistic science of healthy balanced living that views each person as an individual, with a unique mind-body constitution and set of life circumstances. All these factors are considered in determining whether natural healing approaches should be taken, or if changes in daily living should be made to aid in healing and to promote longevity.
The aim of Ayurveda is to simply achieve and maintain health by reaching a state of balance or equilibrium among the three doshas, which govern all bodily functions. All physical manifestations of disease result from imbalances in the doshas, and various foods and emotions either stabilize or disturb this balance

As we stepped into the 20th Century, modern medicine was progressing in leaps and bounds. Older medical systems like Ayurveda were relegated to the position of 'pre-scientific' or 'proto-scientific' medicine. In the 1970s, WHO noted that traditional medicine continued to serve people in the developing countries and accordingly, policies were formulated to encourage its application. As we step into the 21st Century, traditional medical systems like Ayurveda stand well poised for a historical resurgence. It is becoming a global name and could also become a frontline health care approach. Ayurveda has great potential in preventive, curative and promotive aspects of health care.

In Ayurveda, research means something different from what it means in the context of allopathic medicine. Research is literally re - searching in the context of Ayurveda. Searching and discovering what has been forgotten. Research is very much linked with Ayurvedic practice and cannot be a separate activity. A physician has to be a researcher because every patient that comes to him is an opportunity for research and discovery of a new approach to treatment.
Combining the strengths of the knowledge base of traditional systems such as Ayurveda with the dramatic power of combinatorial sciences and high throughput screening will help in the generation of structure-activity libraries. Ayurvedic knowledge and experiential database can provide new functional leads to reduce time, money and toxicity - the three main hurdles in the drug development.
Any other kind of research is restricted to documentation and an attempt to understand what happens in the course of Ayurvedic treatment. One has to become really convinced that the treatment made the difference. One must not be misled by the fallacy that any cure that follows a treatment can be attributed to the treatment.

This is what research and documentation can achieve. It is hoped that this activity will give a scientific footing to Ayurvedic practice and develop the interface for interactions with the scientific community

A review of some exemplary evidence-based researches and approaches has now resulted in wider acceptance of Ayurvedic medicines. In the new era of drug development based on natural products, there can be two paths. One the traditional methods of drug discovery based on active principles and hit and trial method, and the another is intentional based on sound understanding of the paradigm of natural products action in the body based on Ayurvedic principles. The latter one has got greater chances of success and also has lesser time bar for development as it is based on the clinical activity.

Look at the comment on Ayurveda in ‘bbc.co.uk by Dr Rob Hicks in September 2005’ “Ayurveda is growing rapidly in popularity in the West, but most Ayurvedic research has been carried out in India. Studies have shown it to be effective for many disorders including digestive, skin and gynaecological problems. Panchakarma techniques are said to be particularly effective for nasal congestion, sluggish digestion and stress.”