European Union ban on Ayurvedic Medicines

and the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration. The conference was attended by scientists, regulators and academicians from the US, European Union (EU) and Asia. I particularly noted that EU Pharmacopoeia experts are working closely with Chinese counterparts, and that many new monographs on Traditional Chinese Medicine are being added. During one of the panel discussions, an interesting question concerning discrimination against Ayurveda was directed to the EU panel. The policy imposed a ban on all herbal medicines, which had been used for less than 15 years within the EU, and less than 30 years outside the EU, with effect from 1 st May 2011. The EU's Traditional Herbal Medical Products Directive was passed in 2004, and the experts said that it seemed strange that there was no formal response from the Indian government as to the safety and efficacy of Ayurveda products. I also noticed that, in western mind, especially in the EU, Ayurveda tends to be perceived as a system of wellness rather than a system of treatment. There is also a great concern that India still does not have formal 'Observer status' at the EU, without which Indian government and industry representatives will not be allowed in EU meetings relating to these controversial directives. The EU experts expressed their opinion that India must take this up as a priority. Although they appear to be keen to work on Ayurveda, they did not receive the appropriate authoritative information. In the opinion of many experts, documentation still remains weak because India has not adopted the correct methodologies to study and evaluate Ayurveda, and create an appropriate evidence base in its support as a system of medicine. Indeed, Ayurveda has been practiced in European countries with close connections to India for over a century. The EU directive limited the sale of herbal medicines throughout Europe and has severely curtailed the practice of Ayurveda throughout the continent. This situation is certainly of concern for India, from both scientific and commercial viewpoints. However, there seems to be inadequate recognition of the real problems. As a reaction to this situation, there is a huge emotional outcry by Ayurveda professionals. However, a systematic and strategic response to deal with the situation is clearly lacking. Is such a ban well justified? Should the EU include Ayurveda among other complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices? Is this more of a trade barrier than a scientifically …