Ayurveda should not be considered an alternative: Experts

Thiruvananthapuram, May 22: People should not consider traditional Ayurveda merely as an alternative healthcare, said experts at seminar along the sidelines of the ongoing National Arogya Expo 2015 here.

Inaugurating the seminar on Entrepreneurship in AYUSH Sector, Chairman and Managing Director of HLL Life Care Limited Dr M Ayyappan said Ayurveda, which has been practiced for centuries, provide cures and relief for chronic ailments that allopathy has not been able to successfully treat. Steps should be initiated to promote Ayurveda outside India.

He said the government needs to take the initiative to do evidence-based clinical trials. "Herbal health care products have a 20 billion-dollar stake in the global market, which is estimated to increase to five trillion dollars in the near future," he said.

Globalisation and post modernisation are creating new opportunities for ayurveda in the Middle East. The UAE offers huge opportunities for Ayurveda as there are only about 70 ayurvedic experts based there. Opportunities for quality therapists are also tremendous, said Dr Syam VL, a panelist at the seminar.

PTI