AKIPRESS.COM - India and the United States will undertake collaborative research on traditional medicines to fight cancer, which could pave way for potential breakthroughs. The decision was taken at the first meeting of the first US-India Workshop on Traditional Medicine held on March 3-4 in New Delhi.

Such collaborate research and development of traditional medicines for preventive and palliative cancer care, is move aimed at bringing in more global acceptability and credibility for AYUSH medicines. The collaboration between the two countries is also expected to open a huge market for AYUSH practitioners globally.

"Globalisation of AYUSH is one of the major policy thrusts of our government. The constructive collaboration between India and US in this field is important for incorporating more scientific inputs from both sides in traditional medicines which can help mainstreaming of AYUSH systems in patient health care across the globe," AYUSH minister Shripad Yesso Naik said.

As part of the partnership, researchers from India and the US will start discussions to review and cooperate on methods to reduce morbidity due to cancer using AYUSH interventions.

Representatives from the US department of health and human services, Office of Global Affairs, National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI) and US academic institutions will interact with their counterparts from the ministry of ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy (AYUSH) and Indian research institutes and universities during and after the workshop.

India has already partnered the World Health Organisation (WHO) to spread use of alternative medicines, including ayurveda and homoeopathy.
The US delegation also visited several Indian institutes – Benares Hindu University, Jamia Hamdard University, All India Institute of Ayurveda and Medanta – The Medicity, to learn first-hand how traditional and modern medicine co-exist for patient-care.

Nearly 175 participants, including experts related to both traditional systems and modern medicine, biologists, and researchers from India and the US are taking part in the two-day workshop. These discussions will be strengthened at the next US-India health dialogue this year in India.