Need to develop inter-cultural standards for quality, safety and efficacy of traditional Indian systems of medicine

Abstract

Traditional health sciences (THS) of various countries have evolved within different epistemologies and perspectives on disease, cause and cure. The epistemic framework, principles, concepts and practice are quite different from those of Western biomedicine. The traditional Indian sciences or shastras as they are called, possess qualitative standards that are derived by a subjective but impersonal approach to standardization. While there is a contemporary value in applying modern science and technology tools for creating objective and verifiable standards for traditional knowledge products and concepts, currently the approach to creating standards is one-sided. This is because it does not adequately consult the available qualitative THS standards and parameters. Furthermore, most therapies in THS involve both drug as well as non-drug interventions. Thus they also require a novel ‘management trial’ approach and compatible statistical designs in place of the conventional single- and double-blind drug trials to establish efficacy of treatment. This article cites constructive examples that illustrate the imperative for collaboration between scientists and traditional knowledge experts so as to promote mutual understanding and create relevant quality standards. It is such a collaborative approach involving in-depth consultation between traditional and modern health sciences that we refer to in this article as inter-cultural approach.