The state-of-the-art innovative research lab will become functional at the end of this year. The lab would witness installation of highly sophisticated machines, including the atomic absorption spectro photometer (for detection of heavy metals in herbal preparations) and HPLC (for establishing authenticity of ayurvedic drugs and herbal preparations).
The innovative research lab would not only make the department self-reliant in terms of detection of heavy metals and establishing authenticity of heavy metals, it would also reduce its dependency on other departments including department of Medicinal Chemistry (faculty of Ayurveda) and Pharmaceutics (Institute of Technology) in the university. The museum is open to visitors and students, including foreign nationalsfrom 8 am to 5 pm.
The lab would be a boon for research scholars. It will also help in identifying newer indications in older ayurvedic drugs or herbal preparations besides acting as guidance and reference tool for the research scholars and faculty members.
Ayurvedic museum is the only ayurvedic museum at faculty or departmental-level at an ayurvedic institute in the country with rich collection of around 450 medicinal plants and rare herbs. The museum also witnesses rich collection of herbarium sheets containing parts of plants like flowers and leaves that are preserved under anti-fungal preparations. Parts of traditional medicinal plants, including bulb of garlic and rhizome of turmeric, are also preserved here.It has a wide range collection of rare medicinal plants with anti-viral properties, including kalmegh and ashwagandha.
Archive for the ‘Education Buzz’ category
August 2nd, 2010
CERS alleges fat free remedies ads of ayurveda firm misleading, plans to move consumer court
July 26th, 2010Ayurveda Medical College to come up in Mahe
February 7th, 2010A medical college offering Ayurveda courses would be started next year in Mahe as there was good response to it in the region, home and health minister E Valsaraj said here today. Mahe in Kerala is an enclave of the Union Territory of Puducherry.
Speaking after inaugurating the two-day ninth annual conference of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Associations of Plastic Surgeons here, Valsaraj said the first Puducherry government run medical college would go on stream in the 2010-11 academic year, offering 150 MBBS seats.
Stating that Puducherry was now becoming a hub of medical education in the country, he pointed out that there are already seven medical colleges in the private sector.
Asserting that there was a need to restructure courses in government arts colleges here, he said Mahe region had an artscollege started some 40 years ago. Although the 10 courses offered in this college could have a student strength of 240, around 160 seats went abegging.
Outdated arts and science courses would have no relevance in the changing context. Hence collegiate education required to be revamped he said.
Vice Chancellor of Pondicherry University JAK Tareen who presided and released a souvenir of the conference, said the university was keen on having collaborative programmes and academic activities with medical colleges in Union Territory. New non-clinical courses were also finalised for introduction in the university, he said.
Baba Ramdev’s Ayurveda College in Hardwar
January 5th, 2010Nod to B-Pharma courses at Paprola college
June 1st, 2009Shimila: The Government of India has given its approval to the state government to start B-Pharmacy courses at Rajiv Gandhi Government Ayurvedic College, Paprola, from the coming academic session.
Ayurveda adviser to the Government of India Dr SK Sharma stated this here today. He said the government had already released Rs 2 crore to Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, for running the classes. Besides, the government had also allowed this college to start BSc and MSc nursing courses. It had also sanctioned Rs 3 crore for this programme and out of this amount first instalment of Rs 2 crore had already been sent to the state government. He said if the state government provides necessary infrastructure then these courses could also start from this academic session.
He said if the government filled the vacant posts of teaching staff in Paprola college then postgraduate programme for panchkarma, rog nidan, bal rog, swasth brit and dravya gun could be introduced.
250 ayurveda-related manuscripts digitised
May 19th, 2009PUNE: A Hyderabad-based ayurveda institute has digitised about 250 manuscripts on ayurveda which are currently archived at the city-based Bharat Itihaas Sanshodhak Mandal. For this purpose, the Indian Institute of History of Medicine (IIHM) in Hyderabad had sent a team of five research scholars to digitise the manuscripts. The work which began on April 24 winded up on May 13.
The manuscripts date back to the 15th century right through to the 19th century, and are written in Marathi, Modi, Sanskrit, Bengali, Kannada, Urdu, Persian and Hindi. “The manuscripts are very informative regarding various issues related to health, for instance, proper eating habits, effective herbal medicines and concoctions and the like. The digitised versions of these documents will be used for further study by the Hyderabad-based institute,” said research scholar Bhujan Bobade, who is coordinating the digitisation process for the five-member team. He is currently associated with Hyderabad-based Andhra Pradesh Manuscript Library and Research Institute (APMLRI).
Read the complete article at source – TOI.
New Medical Varsity to come up in Kerala by next year
February 6th, 2009Thrissur, Kerala: The proposed Kerala University of Medical and Allied Sciences will start functioning from next year, Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy has said. She was speaking after inaugurating the project office of the proposed university on the Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital campus.
She hoped the project would achieve considerable progress in the next few months. Health Secretary Usha Titus said that courses would begin in the university from the 2010-2011 academic year.
“The proposed university will have departments of various medical disciplines like Modern Medicine, Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Unani and allied subjects. The departments will be developed as centres of excellence with modern research facilities,” she said. The university will be set up on about 75 acres on the Thrissur Government Medical College campus.
Banaras University scientists claim chickpeas can cure Leukoderma
January 31st, 2009Varanasi, Jan.30 : Scientists at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Uttar Pradesh have claimed that chickpeas or, Choley as they are known in local parlance here can cure Leukoderma, a chronic skin disease that causes loss of pigmentation, resulting in white patches on the skin.
So far there has been no knowledge of any kind of permanent and certain treatment for curing Leukoderma. Moreover, the allopathic medicines and ointments are not only expensive but also fail to cure the disease permanently.
Scientists have found that application of a poly-herbal ointment with chickpeas as its base can effectively treat Leukoderma. “We used lot of things to cure Leukoderma, but never been successful in curing this disease. This time we are curing patients by putting chickpea ointment on their affected areas. We also recommend the patients to consume lot of chickpeas in their regular diet too,” said S.N. Ojha, one of the doctors.
Amino acids found in chickpeas promote synthesis of melanin (skin pigment) formation cells, regenerate the pigment cells and help treat the chronic skin disorder. “When we took up this project, we followed the Ayurvedic methodology to prepare an ointment to cure this disease. In Ayurveda, it is mentioned that chickpea can cure the problem of Leukoderma. The ointment made out of chickpea protein is very effective on patients suffering from Leukoderma,” said Yamini Bhushan Tripathi, a scientist at the Medicinal Chemistry Department of BHU.
Although Leukoderma is not a contagious disease, it is viewed as leprosy, an object of social stigma. It is an autoimmune disease in which the body starts producing antibodies that destroy cells known as melanocytes giving the skin its normal colour.
Ayurvedic Students press for re-evaluation
January 16th, 2009Patna, India: Students of an Ayurveda College under the Baba Saheb Bihar University, demanded re-evaluation of their test papers, by nearly stripping, to attract the attention of the passers-by and the powers that be, chanted anti-Vice Chancellor and anti-examination controller slogans. They said because of massive irregularities in the evaluation of the test papers, students who had earned over 80% in one paper were given zero in others.
They found it impossible to believe that while in the state colleges, 95% of the Ayurvedic students were able to pass, in the private institutions the success rate was a meager 5 to 7% only. The protesters demanded re-evaluation of their test papers saying they would continue to protest until action was taken to address their grievance.
Manipal University launching courses in alternative medicines
December 30th, 2008Manipal: Alternative medicines such as Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy will soon be part of the curriculum of Manipal University.
This was announced by H.S. Ballal, Pro-Chancellor of the varsity on Monday during the inaugural session of a two-day national workshop “Ayurvision – 2008″ focusing on “Recent advances in Amavata” (rheumatologic diseases). The workshop was organized by the Kasturba Medical College and Hospital.
Prof. Ballal said, “Manipal University has yet to get approval from the regulatory body to start courses in alternative medicines.”
Ayurveda has bright prospects. The biggest factor that favours Ayurvedic medicines is that they do not have toxic effects. But, a lot of work needs to be done to bring in standardization of Ayurvedic medicines.
Some herbs were being used in Allopathic medicines also. Ayurveda was popular in the western countries and a lot of research on it was being done there.
“An agreement has been signed between the Himalaya Drug Company and the Manipal Life Science Centre, a constituent of Manipal University. The varsity wants to develop Ayurvedic medicines on a scientific basis,” added Prof. Ballal.
