Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) for Medical Sciences, Healthcare, and Public Health

In India, healing is not about curing illness, but much more. Indian scholars, physicians and communities developed novel systems of medicine more than two millennia before the emergence of modern hospitals, systems of medicine that were based in observation, philosophy and experience. From this common inheritance, some distinct system of Medicine developed, namely, Ayurveda, Yoga, Siddha, Unani and Naturopathy, which collectively came to be known as Indian Knowledge Systems. Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) for Medical Sciences, Healthcare and the Public Health is written with the conviction that this inheritance is not left behind or a relic of the past, but a living resource for the present and future. It is presented as a no-nonsense academic resource for students, instructors, scholars, and health professionals who are interested in the potential for real integration of ancient knowledge with modern science.

The order of chapters progresses in an orderly manner across the field. Early chapters lay the groundwork by presenting the evidence-based testing of Ayurveda as well as the system as a complete system of traditional medicine. Next, Yoga, Naturopathy and Tridosha theory are discussed as a means to address the rising tide of NCD in India. The middle chapters shift the focus to technology, including the use of artificial intelligence in traditional medicine, machine learning and the Prakriti theory in Ayurvedic diagnosis, and the emerging science of Ayurgenomics, which is the merger of Prakriti theory with modern-day genomics and precision medicine. The next chapters discuss the concept of traditional knowledge based drug discovery, Chinese medicine and phytopharmaceuticals, and the urgent need for the digital preservation of Indian medical knowledge in the knowledge graphs, FAIR principles and platforms such as NAMASTE and Traditional Knowledge Digital Library. Community health and public health India are addressed in the final chapters, along with a detailed analysis of the safety, Quality control and pharmacovigilance of Ayurvedic medicines.

These chapters have one common thought. Traditional knowledge is not to be taken on faith, nor is it fit for flippant dismissal. Both respect and rigor are attempted in every chapter; the hallowed status of classical texts is there respected; the hard questions of any modern medical science are there sought. This balance needs to be emphasized particularly in the context of the new-found importance of traditional systems of medicine in India's context because of ongoing efforts of collaboration with the WHO on traditional medicine and international classification. With this rising interest all over the world, it is India's duty and opportunity to showcase its knowledge systems, accurately, with evidence and care.

This book is intended for everyone. Structured and easily readable explanation for complex topics will be found for those students who are preparing for the NEP-2020, IKS syllabus. Scientists will get the latest advancements in digital health, AI-powered diagnostics and drug discovery. The community health delivery, pharmacovigilance, and quality control are discussed in a very practical way that will appeal to public health professionals. Readers with a passing interest in Indian medical history will discover a book that treats Indian medical history in its due manner. We only hope that this book is also a small step towards a future in which Indian Knowledge Systems and modern medical science cannot be regarded as disjointed and divergent ways of healing, but as allies in the same endeavor.