Ayurvedic medicines have a really bad reputation when it comes to the quality of their products. This bad reputation has been built primarily due to the quality issues Ayurvedic manufacturers are facing. In this post, we will take a look at the quality issues plaguing the Ayurvedic industry and how can they be solved.
Unregulated market
The main reason for persistent quality issues in the case of Ayurveda is that there is no regulation on the production of Ayurvedic products. There is no central authority in India to regulate the quality of our Ayurvedic products. This poses a problem as many unscrupulous actors produce sub-standard products. This doesn’t just reflect badly on the manufacturer but Ayurveda as a whole is painted black.
The solution is just as straightforward. The government of India should focus on constituting a regulatory authority that controls the quality of Ayurvedic products entering the market. This will not only help in eliminating many quality issues but increase the trust of Indian consumers. The US and EU markets have even more stringent regulations governing them. So it will also help bring transparency and trust toward Ayurveda in those markets.
Supply Chain Problems
The supply of quality herbs is definitely an issue. Ayurvedic herbs have to be cultivated, unlike Pharmaceutical products which are lab-made. This poses a problem with the consistency of quality. But then all agricultural sourced products like tea, coffee, cereals, etc should also show variation in quality. This is not the case this means we need to perfect or learn methods used by the food industry to make Ayurvedic products perform optimally.
Ayurvedic herbs should be promoted among the agricultural community. It will not only help in increasing farmers’ income but also act as a good source of raw materials for the Ayurvedic industry. Contract farming can be a game changer. Even wild herbs can be cultivated.
To start with, common plants that can be harvested quickly and sold as teas can be grown but the focus should be on trees. Some trees even require 30-40 years to grow. So there should be a focus on their plantations.
In fact, with our kind of lifestyle, we should promote natural herbal medicines. Chemicals can be used to treat diseases but are not good for lifelong uses. It’s difficult to promote traditional medicines because nowadays we have less and less time and traditional healing takes time.
Contamination issues
Since 1978 more than 80 cases of lead poisoning associated with ayurvedic medicine use have been reported worldwide [Source: Here]. There were 3 Ayurvedic products from well-known companies that were banned in 2005. After banning by the US government, Canada banned all Ayurvedic medicines the same year. EU followed suit.
In addition, the Ayurvedic medicine system is not recognized as a medical system in either the US, EU, or Canada. These issues arise because there is no central authority in India to regulate the quality of Ayurvedic products. Due to this many sub-standard products are prepared that do not comply with western standards of quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do we promote Ayurveda despite adverse reports on quality?
The Pharma industry needs a Boogey to scare people off and keep them from buying what they are selling. They need to paint someone bad so that people do not get to know about the dangerous side effects of drugs. Take the case of ephedra, which is just about twice as harmful as coffee. On the other hand, drugs like Tylenol are around 100-200 times more harmful.