Ayurveda research centre to come up at CSIR-NIIST

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CSIR-NIIST is planning to set up a centre dedicated to Ayurveda research. It will be named ‘Centre for Phytochemicals for Ayurveda’. The centre will help in the scientific validation of Ayurvedic medicines, said CSIR-NIIST Director A. Ajayaghosh. “Ayurveda relies on evidence-based validation. However the common man should be convinced about the credentials of a medicine, especially when it is taken abroad,” he told the media at the institute’s Foundation Day.

It is envisioned as an interdisciplinary centre in which Chemical Sciences & Technology Division, Natural Products Division and Biotechnology Division will work together. The Natural Products Division, now working as a part of Agro-Processing and Technology Division, will be made into a separate division. Life Sciences researchers will also be able to contribute to the Centre’s projects.

To set up the centre, the institute needs a fund of Rs  20-25 crore. It has submitted proposals to CSIR. “We are also planning to submit proposals to DST, DBT and Ayush. Even before we get approvals, we can raise funds from other activities of the institute,” said CSIR-NIIST Director A Ajayaghosh. Earlier in the day, inaugurating the Foundation Day celebrations, Governor P. Sathasivam congratulated NIIST researchers for utilizing the biodiversity of Kerala effectively for developing technologies for Ayurveda and natural products sectors.

Recently the institute has signed MoUs with various Ayurveda companies, to standardise the process of making Ayurveda products. The institute also works towards standardising and improving agriculture processes. In this context, the Governor also talked about why research should benefit farmers. He said that while everyone harped about the high price of vegetables, there was no one around to sympathise with farmers when the prices dropped. Addressing the young researchers, he said, “You must work not only for the interests of consumers, but also of the producers.”