The Current Acceptance,Accessibility and Recognition of Chinese and Ayurvedic Medicine in the United States in the Public,Governmental,and Industrial Sectors

To assess the current level of acceptance in the United States of complementary and alternative medicine, recent research into the prevalence, acceptance, accessibility, and recognition of complementary and alternative therapies were reviewed. Several signs point to an increasing acceptance of complementary and alternative medicine in the United States; the use of complementary and alternative medicine is significantly increasing, many aspects of Chinese medicine and Ayurveda are becoming mainstream, practitioners in the United States are beginning to be licensed, and insurance companies are beginning to cover some complementary and alternative therapies. Remaining challenges to true acceptance include the restrictive Western mindset, the absence of published studies, a lack of consistent manufacturing processes and quality standards, and a fear of adulteration. Although the field still faces many challenges, alternative and complementarymedicine, including Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine, is becoming more accepted and accessible in the United States.

Chyawanprash,a formulation of traditional Ayurvedic medicine,shows a protective effect on skin photoaging in hairless mice

OBJECTIVE： Chronic exposure to ultraviolet （UV） radiation induces skin photoaging （premature skin aging）. UV irradiation generates reactive oxygen species （ROS）, which are shown to play a pivotal role in skin photoaging. Ayurveda is a holistic traditional medical system, and Chyawanprash is one of the most popular formulations in Ayurveda. Since maintenance of the function and appearance of skin is important, we examined whether Chyawanprash has a protective effect on skin photoaging. METHODS： To examine the effect of Chyawanprash on skin photoaging, hairless mice were administered with Chyawanprash in drinking water for 3 weeks, and then repeatedly exposed to ultraviolet light B （UVB） irradiation （225 or 450 mJ/cm2） to induce skin photoaging. To further examine the function of Chyawanprash, its effects were examined in cells cultured in vitro. Chyawanprash was added in culture medium, and examined for the effect on the growth of human keratinocytes, and for the ability to eliminate ROS which generated by paraquat （50 μmol/L） in HeLa cells. RESULTS： UVB irradiation caused symptoms such as rough skin, erythema, and edema on the skin in hairless mice, but administration of Chyawanprash relieved these symptoms. Further, Chyawanprash significantly suppressed epidermal thickening, a typical marker of skin photoaging, in mice. We then analyzed the effect of Chyawanprash in human cells in culture, and found that Chyawanprash enhanced the growth of human keratinocytes, and efficiently eliminated ROS, which are causally involved in skin photoaging, in HeLa cells. CONCLUSION： These findings suggested that Chyawanprash may have beneficial effects on slowing skin photoaging.

Medicinal values of aquatic plant genus Nymphoides grown in Asia: A review

Nymphoides is an aquatic genus consisting about 50 species, of which few were accepted as traditional medicinal plants in Asia. The literature review revealed that Nymphoides species are widely used in Ayurvedic medicine as a popular drug, i.e. Tagara. They are also utilized by the traditional local healers of different Asian countries to treat various diseases, like convulsion, jaundice, fever, headache, etc. According to the in vivo and in vitro pharmacological studies, Nymphoides species have been claimed to possess major biological activities like anticonvulsant, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, cytotoxic, antitumor, etc. Biochemical profiling of different aquatic plants of this genus revealed the presence of some important phytochemicals as polyphenolic component, flavonoids, triterpenes, carbohydrates, glycosides, etc. Several valuable bioactive compounds including ephedrine, coumarin, secoiridoid glucosides, methyl quercetin, ferulic acid, foliamenthoic acid, etc. were also known to be isolated and identified from different Nymphoides species. The aim of this review is to analyze the published report based on the medicinal values of different Asian Nymphoides species, to provide the updated information about the ethnomedicinal, pharmacological as well as the phytochemical properties for the first time.

A Strategy to Employ Clitoria ternatea as a Prospective Brain Drug Confronting Monoamine Oxidase (MAO) Against Neurodegenerative Diseases and Depression

Ayurveda is a renowned traditional medicine practiced in India from ancient times and Clitoria ternatea is one such prospective medicinal herb incorporated as an essential constituent in a brain tonic called as medhya rasayan for treating neurological disorders.This work emphasises the significance of the plant as a brain drug there by upholding Indian medicine.The phytochemicals from the root extract were extricated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry assay and molecular docking against the protein Monoamine oxidase was performed with four potential compounds along with four reference compounds of the plant.This persuades the prospect of C.ternatea as a remedy for neurodegenerative diseases and depression.The in silico assay enumerates that a major compound(Z)-9,17-octadecadienal obtained from the chromatogram with a elevated retention time of 32.99 furnished a minimum binding affinity energy value of-6.5 kcal/mol against monoamine oxidase(MAO-A).The interactions with the amino acid residues ALA 68,TYR 60 and TYR 69 were analogous to the reference compound kaempferol-3-monoglucoside with a least score of-13.90/-12.95 kcal/mol against the isoforms(MAO)A and B.This study fortifies the phytocompounds of C.ternatea as MAO-inhibitors and to acquire a pharmaceutical approach in rejuvenating Ayurvedic medicine.

Development of Commonsense Knowledge Modeling System for Psychological Assessment in Clinical Psycho

According to the Buddhist philosophy, hatred （dosa） is considered as one of the three unwholesome roots which determine the actual immoral quality of volitional states and a conscious thought with its mental factors. Hatred, then, comprises all degrees of repulsion from the faintest trace of ill-humour up to the highest pitch of hate and wrath. Thus, ill-will, evil intention, wickedness, corruption and malice are various expressions and degrees ofdosa. A hateful temperament is said to be due to a predominance of the type of dosa, apo, vayu and semha. Vedic psychology forms the clinical core of mental health counseling in the Ayurvedic medical tradition. According to Ayurvedic medical practises, a person is dominated on one of constitutes type （type ofdosa） namely vata （vayu）, pita （apo） or kapha （semha）. This is known as prakurthi pariksha. Important aspect of identification of constitute type is for diagnosis of mental diseases, because each of constituent type has a list of probable mental diseases. An important area of expertise for many clinical psychologists is psychological assessment. Constructions of information systems using psychological assessment in clinical psychology have a problem of effective communication because of implicit knowledge. This complicates the effective communication of clinical data to the psychologist. In this paper, it presents an approach to modeling commonsense knowledge in clinical psychology in Ayurvedic medicine. It gives three-phase an approach for modeling commonsense knowledge in psychological assessment which enables holistic approach for clinical psychology. Evaluation of the system has shown 77% accuracy.

Ayurvedic concept of Shatkriyakala:a traditional knowledge of cancer pathogenesis and therapy

The term Kriyakala refers to the recognition of the stage of a disease＇s progress, which helps to determine appropriate measure to correct the imbalance in Doshas （biological factors）. It is a compound expression, comprised of Kriya and Kala, where Kriya means the choice to treatment （medicine, food and daily-routine） used to improve the disturbance in Doshas, and Kala refers to the stage of progress of a disease. Sushruta, an ancient Indian surgeon, has described the concept of Kriyakala in Vamaprashnadhyaya, an ancient Vedic Sanskrit text, which seeks to explain the incidence of Vamas in terms of Doshic disturbances. Vama, in modern parlance, may be described as an inflammatory process that may lead ulceration and chronic inflammation, promoting all stages of carcinogenesis. Abnormal interactions between Prakriti （genotype） and environmental factors vitiate the Doshas and impair immunity, which can lead to aberrant cell growth and cancer. Moreover, the interaction between vitiated Doshas and weak Dhatus （body tissues） manifests as cancers of a specific organ. Shatkriyakala （six stages of progress of a disease）, on the other hand, provides a framework to assess the cancer and its pathogenesis in different stages. According to Ayurvedic concepts, all cancer therapies treat the affected tissues indirectly by eliminating vitiated Doshas, rejuvenating Dhatus and restoring immunity in cancer patients. The present review describes the six stages of Shatkriyakala in detail, with an emphasis on research areas to validate the concept of Shatkriyakala. This traditional knowledge can be utilized with modern technologies to detect predisposition for cancer or diagnose cancer in its early stages.

Protective Roles of Shilajit in Modulating Resistin,Adiponectin,and Cytokines in Rats with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Objective:To evaluate the effect of Shilajit,a medicine of Ayurveda,on the serum changes in cytokines and adipokines caused by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).Methods:After establishing fatty liver models by feeding a high-fat diet(HFD)for 12 weeks,35 Wistar male rats were randomly divided into5 groups,including control(standard diet),Veh(HFD+vehicle),high-dose Shilajit[H-Sh,HFD+250 mg/(kg·d)Shilajit],low-dose Shilajit[L-Sh,HFD+150 mg/(kg·d)Shilajit],and pioglitazone[HFD+10 mg/(kg·d)pioglitazone]groups,7 rats in each group.After 2-week of gavage administration,serum levels of glucose,insulin,interleukin1 beta(IL-1β),IL-6,IL-10,tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α),adiponectin,and resistin were measured,and insulin resistance index(HOMA-IR)was calculated.Results:After NAFLD induction,the serum level of IL-10 significantly increased and serum IL-1β,TNF-αlevels significantly decreased by injection of both doses of Shilajit and pioglitazone(P<0.05).Increases in serum glucose level and homeostasis model of HOMA-IR were reduced by L-Sh and H-Sh treatment in NAFLD rats(P<0.05).Both doses of Shilajit increased adiponectin and decreased serum resistin levels(P<0.05).Conclusion:The probable protective role of Shilajit in NAFLD model rats may be via modulating the serum levels of IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-10,adipokine and resistin,and reducing of HOMA-IR.

Awareness,practice and views about integrating AYUSH in allopathic curriculum of allopathic doctors and interns in a tertiary care teaching hospital in New Delhi,India

Objective： To assess the knowledge, attitude, perception and practice of Ayurveda, yoga, Unani, Siddha, homeopathy and naturopathy （AYUSH） among allopathic doctors and interns and determine their opin- ion regarding integration of AYUSH education within the allopathic curriculum. Methods： This prospective, cross sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching Hospital, New Delhi, India, from March 2016 to March 2017. A survey of 500 aUopathic doctors and 150 interns was performed using a structured questionnaire. Results： A majority of doctors （95.2%） were aware of the term AYUSH and had knowledge of yoga （70.6%）, homeopathy （55.6%）, Ayurveda （50.3%）, Siddha （47.8%）, naturopathy （32.9%） and Unani （28.9%）. Most of the participants （63.0%） felt that therapies under AYUSH are effective. A majority （84.0%） of the doctors were of the view that more research is required in the field of AYUSH. While homeopathy （44.0%） was the most common system used by doctors for themselves, yoga was the therapy most commonly （60.0%） recommended to patients. Nearly half of the doctors （46.7%） recommended AYUSH to their patients, mainly for chronic illness （74.0%）. A majority （77.5%） of the respondents agreed that students of allopathic med- icine should be familiarized with AYUSH. The modes of incorporation of AYUSH into the medical curriculum most commonly suggested by respondents were optional courses （54.5%） and introductory lectures （42.3%）. Conclusion： Doctors and interns ofallopathic medicine are aware of AYUSH systems. They use it for them- selves and recommend it to patients. They believe that familiarization of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery students with AYUSH therapies and their integration with allopathic medicine may help in improving patient care.