India to register traditional knowledge database at patent offices

New Delhi, Sep 19 (UNI) India is planning to register its data base of traditional knowledge digital library of Ayurveda, Siddha, Yoga and Unani systems of medicine with major patent offices worldwide.

Stating this, Ms Anita Das, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Ministry, Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), said this was aimed at protecting Indian traditional knowledge from bio-piracy.

Making these remarks in her inaugural address at a seminar on Geriatrics in Unani Medicine here, Ms Das said separate databases for Ayurveda, Siddha, Yoga and Unani systems of medicine have been developed in collaboration with NISCAIR towards this end.

She said that standardisation was the need of the hour for all Indian systems of medicine including the Unani medicine, proper documentation and scientific validation of the knowledge embedded in the classics such as of Unani medicine.

Unani medicine, Ms Das said, offered great potential for providing care of the elderly due to its holistic approach.

Although it originated in Greece, India today is considered as the world leader in this system of medicine.

Besides this, documentation of more than 10,000 folklore claims was another achievement of the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine, she noted.

Today's seminar was organised by the Council, an autonomous organisation of the Union Ministry under the AYUSH Department.

Council Director Mohammed Khalid Siddiqui, welcoming the delegates said the Council was working on age-related problems like Parkinsions Alzheimers disease and mobility disorders and getting encouraging results.

He said the Council was the first organisation to take up standardisation of Unani drugs, both single and compounds. So far it has completed standardisation of 277 single drugs and 385 compound drugs.

Dr Anis A Ansari, advisor Unani to the Union Government and Prof Hakim S Khaleefathullah, Vice-President, Governing Council, of the Council also spoke on the occasion.

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