Ayurvedic pharmacology and herbal medicine

Abstract

Ayurveda, a science of well-being with its unique approaches of social and spiritual life is in practice since centuries in the Indian sub-continent. Approximately, five decades have been passed when it is getting global attention for health benefits of community with its basic principles of healing. New terminology like herbal medicines appeared in contemporary era with a little bit difference at the level of pharmaceutics, but therapeutics is almost same. In this review paper, we have tried to understand the effective mechanism of herbal medicines with ancient Ayurvedic terminology and its correlation with the contemporary researches. Therefore, we have selected some commonly used herbal drugs such as Emblica officinalis Gaertn. (Phyllanthus emblica Linn.) (Amalaki), Commiphora wightii (Arn.), Bhand (Commiphora mukul) (Guggulu), and one herbo-mineral drug Black Bitumen, or Mineral Pitch (Shilajit) for explanations of thrust and theme of the title. Our methodology to get data is just by referring relevant literature from the ancient Samhita (Charaka Samhita onward) period to contemporary peer-reviewed published papers in journals of repute. Experimental and clinical studies and practices of Amalaki, Guggulu, and Shilajit validated classical claims of the therapeutic effect of these drugs. There is the probability that ancient Ayurvedic pharmacology is at par to express genuineness of herbal medicines.