Ayurveda is not an alternative medicine — it is the world’s oldest continuously practised medical system, with a 5,000-year unbroken clinical record that modern biochemistry is only now beginning to decode.
Dr. Sindhu Sreejith, speaking at an international conference at IIT Delhi, presents a systematic introduction to Ayurveda’s theoretical framework — from its roots in the Vedas (the Rig Veda documents 67 medicinal herbs; the Atharva Veda, 81) through the philosophical foundations of Vaisheshika, Nyaya, and Sankhya that provide Ayurveda’s logical structure, to the clinical application of Tridosha theory and Panchabhautika concepts.
The scientific centrepiece is a four-year laboratory study of Vilwadi Kulige — a traditional Ayurvedic compound preparation — which revealed that its antimicrobial properties emerge only on day 27 of processing, produced through aerobic microbial fermentation and pH-mediated bioactive transformation. The compound was highly effective during COVID-19 treatment. The closing argument is direct: in a world where every year brings new viral variants and unknown infirmities, a system built on preventive care, constitutional medicine, and 5,000 years of clinical refinement is not a heritage curiosity — it is the most rational healthcare choice available.

About The Speaker:
Dr Sindhu Sreejith, is the Vice-President R&D, The Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, Coimbatore. She is an alumni of University of Calicut, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit with a B A M S .M P Sc degree in Ayurvedic Medicine/Ayurveda(Ay).