A Visionary—Aryavaidya Mayaram Sundarji (1856-1928): Initiatives for <em>Ayurvidya</em>

Abstract

Aryavaidya Mayaram Sundarji (1856-1928) was a visionary who took early initiatives for <em>Ayurvidya-</em> integrative approaches to incorporate modern scientific advances in <em>Ayurveda</em>. He shared his profound scholarship, astute clinical experience and leads for research through books, reviews, articles and letters in <em>Ayurvedic</em> journals like <em>Vaidya Kalpataru, </em>a century back. His experiential data on antimalarial, anti-rabies and hepatoprotective remedies offer a vast potential for discovery of new natural drugs through the paths of <em>Ayurvedic</em> Pharmacoepidemiology, Observational Therapeutics and Reverse Pharmacology. <em>Nyctanthes arbor-tristis</em> L. for malaria, <em>Calatropis procera </em>Alton for rabies-prevention and<em> Picrorhiza kurroa</em> Royale ex Benth. for hepatitis have been followed up as leads by research. But organized new drug development with state-of-the art transdisciplinary research is awaited.His vision and views for scientific research and documentation in <em>Ayurveda</em> was much before his time. The recommendations he published in <em>Ayurvedic</em> journals for the advancement of <em>Ayurveda </em>are relevant even now. The emphasis he laid, in early twentieth century, on clinical studies of safety and efficacy and statistical considerations vis-à-vis the natural history of a disease were prophetic for evidence-based <em>Ayurveda</em>. There is a need to study and review the documented experience of eminent <em>vaidyas </em>of the past to identify innovative trails left unattended.