Ayush has always been sidelined and its integration into mainstream systems will give wider acceptance to traditional systems of the country.
What is the scope for herbal medicine worldwide?
AYUSH refers to Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy systems of medicine.
The global market for herbal medicine was valued at 657.5 billion dollar in 2020 and is expected to grow to 746.9 billion dollars in 2022.
The Indian herbal medicine market is worth 18.1 billion dollars and the Indian Ayush sector has grown by 17% between 2014 and 2020.
In China, the value of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) market was 37.41 billion dollars in 2018.
In 1982, the Constitution of China gave full recognition to TCM.
Since 2009, there has been continuous support for TCM in health policies.
China has focused upon developing quality infrastructure for TCM to co-exist with modern medicine under the same roof.
What is the NAM Scheme about?
The National Ayush Mission (NAM) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme that was launched in 2014 by the Ministry of AYUSH.
The basic objective of NAM is to
promote AYUSH medical systems through cost effective AYUSH services
strengthening of educational systems
facilitate the enforcement of quality control of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani & Homoeopathy (ASU &H) drugs
sustainable availability of ASU & H raw-materials
Components of the Mission
Mandatory Components
AYUSH Services
AYUSH Educational Institutions
Quality Control of ASU &H Drugs
Medicinal Plants
Flexible Components
Under the ‘Medicinal Plants’ component of the NAM scheme, the cultivation of prioritised medicinal plants in identified clusters/zones is being supported.
For the cultivation of plants, subsidies at 30%, 50% and 75% of the cultivation cost for 140 medicinal plants are being provided.
The National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB) implements the medicinal plant component of Ayush through state bodies—State Medicinal Plant Boards (SMPBs).
What efforts have been taken to promote Ayush industry?
WHO-Global Centre for Traditional Medicine- The foundation of the WHO-Global Centre for Traditional Medicine was laid in Jamnagar. This will be the first and only global outpost centre for traditional medicine across the world.
Committees- NITI Aayog has constituted a committee and four working groups on integrative medicine to provide deeper insights and recommendations in the areas of education, research, clinical practice and public health and administration.
Financial assistance- The Ministry of Finance has announced a Rs. 4000-crore package under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan for the promotion of herbal cultivation.
Medicinal plant production- In 2021, Union Ayush Minister had announced that medicinal plants will be cultivated on 75,000 hectares of land.
Yoga Certification Board (YCB) – YCB has been established to bring synergy, quality and uniformity in knowledge and skills of Yoga professionals across the world through certification programs.
What is the need of the hour?
Need for a thrust- The Ayush sector requires a multi-dimensional thrust, ranging from initiatives at the institutional level, massive awareness and promotion of cultivation of medicinal plants by farmers, to trade-related interventions and quality focus measures.
Strengthening of SMPBs- The organisational structure of SMPBs should have experts for conservation, cultivation, R&D, herbal garden and nurseries, IEC and marketing and trade of medicinal plants.
Comprehensive databases on Ayush trade, products and raw materials is needed.
Expansion of HS (Harmonised system) codes to accommodate various features of traditional medicine and medicinal plant products based on existing requirements is required.
Integration of Ayush- Integration of Ayush systems into mainstream systems will certainly give wider acceptance for traditional systems of the country.
