‘Great synergy’: Australia’s NICM and India’s AYUSH ministry to advance Ayurveda use in healthcare

As part of the collaboration, Western Sydney University – which NICM is a part of – had signed a MoU with India’s Ministry of AYUSH earlier this month to appoint an academic chair in ayurvedic medicine.

“Recruitment and selection will soon be underway, with the successful candidate selected by a Selection Committee from The Ministry of AYUSH and Western Sydney University. The successful candidate is anticipated to start early next year – subjected to COVID-19 restrictions,”​ NICM Health Research Institute director, Professor Dennis Chang told NutraIngredients-Asia.​

Based in Australia on a three-year tenure, the academic chair’s research focus will include ayurvedic herbal medicine, yoga, and meditation.

The chair will also lead in the teaching, research, and policy development related to Ayurveda – such as the translation and integration of well-evidenced Ayurveda medicine into conventional healthcare.

“Through the AYUSH Academic Chair program, we will work closely with our partners in India to undertake scientific research, scholar exchange and joint education and training programs in the years to come,”​ Prof Chang said.

Scientists and researchers from both NICM and All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) under AYUSH will also take part in research projects – with details to be determined in the coming months.

This is not the first time the two have collaborated. Both signed its first MoU in November 2019 to promote research and training in Ayurveda medicine for managing chronic disease.

Last year, both also conducted a joint webinar on the use of yoga and Ayurveda medicine for mental wellness.

Prof Chang said that the greater demand for integrating conventional medicine and evidence-based complementary medicine meant a need to conduct independent research into the benefits and limitations of Ayurveda medicine to educate consumers, medical practitioners, and governments.

“There is great synergy between All India Institute of Ayurveda and NICM Health Research Institute in preclinical, clinical and translational research of traditional medicine,”​ he said.

“​The effect and power of Ayurveda and conventional medicine are tremendous, from the plants to your plate, from physical strength to mental wellbeing. Through such international research initiatives, we aim to demonstrate how,”​ Professor Tanuja Nesari, director at AIIA, said during the MoU virtual ceremony.

Aside from Ayurveda, NICM also specialises in the research of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM),​ acupuncture, and herbal medicines.