Ayurvedic Knowledge Inspired Approach to Modern Drug Discovery

Abstract

Ayurvedic medicines have been tested over centuries and were developed based on the extensive knowledge on pharmacognosy, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and clinical case studies that are continuing to be proven useful for modern drug discovery. In recent years, drugs have been developed through the identification of targets and their validation, screening of these hit compounds, and optimizing these leads. High throughput screening (HTS) methods, molecular docking in silico methods, understanding of signal transduction pathways and their interconnection with various disorders, and advanced tools in molecular biological techniques paved a new way in drug discovery and these methodologies open huge opportunities for drug development from Ayurvedic knowledge. Interest in lead drugs from botanical products is being revitalized and, in this chapter, we suggest sequential steps that could lead to success in Ayurvedic approach-based drug discovery. Furthermore, we discuss the advantages, concerns, and challenges of integrating Ayurvedic principles into modern drug discovery. A list of new drugs developed from natural products and in particular from Ayurvedic medicine is also included. An interdisciplinary research approach involving traditional knowledge and evidence, history of use, ethnopharmacology, molecular biology, pharmacoepidemiology, reverse pharmacology, and other advanced research areas for a scientific basis are the essential steps to integrate Ayurveda into modern drug discovery.