In the villages of India, Ayurveda has never disappeared. Herbal remedies, dietary regimens, and ritual therapies have for centuries existed alongside modern medicine. But now, the government is making a more deliberate push: weaving Ayurveda into the fabric of the nation’s public health system as part of a broader effort to bridge tradition and modern care.
A Parallel System Comes of Age
For decades, Ayurveda was practiced largely in private clinics or through household traditions. Its role in formal healthcare was limited. That is changing. Through the National AYUSH Mission, the state has been expanding Ayurveda’s reach by integrating it into Health and Wellness Centres under Ayushman Bharat, the flagship universal health program.
The policy shift is not new — the National Health Policy of 2017 had already envisioned traditional systems playing a greater role. But today, with lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension rising sharply, Ayurveda’s preventive and holistic focus has become more relevant than ever.
What Ayurveda Brings to the Table
Ayurveda’s contribution is not meant to replace allopathic medicine, but to complement it.
- Prevention as Priority: Daily and seasonal regimens — diet, sleep, stress control — align closely with modern preventive health models.
- Maternal and Child Care: Traditional therapies and prenatal tonics are being used in pilot programs to support women’s health.
- Community Reach: In areas with limited access to modern clinics, Ayurveda is often the first point of care, making it a natural tool for health awareness and outreach.
Officials argue that these strengths can help extend public health coverage in culturally familiar ways, especially in underserved regions.
Institutions and Scale
India already has a vast Ayurvedic infrastructure: more than 2,400 hospitals, nearly 14,000 dispensaries, and over 460,000 registered practitioners. The education system trains thousands of graduates each year, while an industry of more than 7,900 manufacturing units supplies herbal and Ayurvedic formulations nationwide.
Between 1993 and 2022, more than 11,000 scientific studies were published on Ayurveda, a sign that the system is increasingly being subjected to empirical scrutiny.
The Roadblocks Ahead
Yet the path to integration is fraught with challenges. Quality control and standardization remain serious concerns, as do the uneven standards of clinical trials. Critics argue that without stronger evidence and regulatory oversight, mainstreaming Ayurveda risks diluting trust in public health.
Equally difficult is bridging the divide between Ayurvedic and allopathic practitioners, who often operate in silos. Coordinated referral systems and shared training programs are still rare.
A Pluralistic Future
For India, the project is as much about identity as it is about medicine. In embracing Ayurveda within the health system, the country is asserting that modernity and tradition need not be in conflict.
If successful, the integration could create a pluralistic model of care: one that preserves cultural roots, expands access, and balances the strengths of modern science with the wisdom of tradition.
“It is not about replacing one with the other,” said a senior health official. “It is about creating an ecosystem where both work together for the patient.”
“India is weaving Ayurveda into its public health framework, seeking to blend preventive traditions with modern medicine in a pluralistic model of care.”
