SHOULD AYURVEDA DOCTORS PREPARE THEIR OWN MEDICINES?

Hello,

Greetings from ayusampada and Digital Ayurveda Solutions (DAS)!!

As we enter into the second month of 2018, a new set of skills and practices to be adopted awaits us. The topic I am going to discuss is regarding preparation of medicines for our own practice. The question is – should ayurveda doctors prepare their own medicines or not?

The big difference for ayurveda and modern physicians is availability of potent, standardized and effective medicines. As medicines (Aushadha, Bheshaj) are one of the four pillars of successful therapeutic regime, it many times becomes a topic of concern. Physicians of modern medical science were preparing the dosage forms for a particular patient 30 to 40 years back. But, as phamaceutical industry has evolved with the help of advances in allied sciences, availability of medicines has increased. The modern physicians prescribe the desired medicines which are catered to the patients by pharmacies. There are many ayurvedic medicines manufacturers who prepare quality drugs. But, the ayurveda physicians prefer medicines which are sourced by authentic and trusted vaidyas, who prepare the medicines from the knowledge they have acquired from some learned and experienced teachers.

There are enough apprehensions among vaidyas for blindly prescribing medicines from any pharmacy. There are lots and lots of medicines with many ingredients, which requires meticulous processing and preparation methods. It is a tough job for even a trained pharmacist to prepare potent and standardized formulations. Many senior vaidyas egg on preparing medicines for personal use.

As there are many forms of medicines namely, swarasa, kwatha, hima, phanta, choorna, ghana, yoga, ghrita and taila kalpana,  asav, arishta, guggulu, khalva rasayana, pottali rasayana, kupipakwa rasayana etc., it is not easy for an individual vaidya to prepare them all. But, it is advisable to prepare as many medicines as one can for many reasons.

The main reasons for preparing your own medicines include –

1. The quality and quantity of the ingredients is assured.
2. There are various processing methods to prepare medicines. They can be followed thoroughly and scientifically.
3. The additions and deletions in certain formulations according to availability of the ingredients and types of patients you see in certain areas can be matched.
4. The cost of medicines can be kept under check which will be profitable for a vaidya and affordable to the patient.

As the winter and summer is the best season for preparation of medicines, one should prepare them keeping in mind their expected consumption in the coming year. I suggest to start preparing the simple medicines first and then complex ones with proper training and guidance.

Thanks!

• Vaidya Aniruddha Kulkarni