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Modern Science Backs Up Ancient Knowledge Of Ayurveda

Behind the Bench - January 18, 2016

Author : Swati Kadam, PhD

Approximately 38% of Americans use alternative medicine. Are the experienced effects truly theherbs at play, individual genetics or is it a placebo-effect, where the mind cures the body out ofanticipation of cure?

In ancient cultures, knowledge of traditional medicine, such as Ayurveda, was passed down forgenerations either through oral tradition or written texts. Ayurveda studies the human body in itsentirety and recommends natural herbs as medicine for a specific ailment. Ayurvedic medicinehas been practiced in India for over 5000 years. Ancient texts that describe this medicine dateback to 1500 BCE1.

Besides its historical use, traditional medicine is still practiced to this day in some parts of theworld, and in recent years has made its way into the doctor's office. Even though there isskepticism about the use of traditional medicine, it isn’t uncommon for doctors to practice orcombine western medicine with Naturopathy, Complementary and Alternative medicine,

Holistic medicine, or other types of traditional medicines. Over the years, scientists have beencurious to understand the mechanistics behind Ayurveda and how these herbs interact with thebody and exhibit a particular effect. But what if, there was some validity for the science behindthis ancient knowledge? What if we can unravel the mysteries behind why and how traditionalmedicine works? With the technology at hand today, we may be closer than we think…

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In recent years, scientists have studied herbs like Turmeric and Ashwagandharishta for theirmedicinal properties suggested in the ancient texts. Ashwagandharishta is primarily known forapplications in neurological disorders such as depression, epilepsy, and anxiety2. Bhondave etal. (2014), studied if Ashwagandharishta could help protect rat livers against CCl4 inducedtoxicity3. With the the StepOne™ real-time qPCR system and the TaqMan™ gene expressionassays and master mixes, the team observed upregulation of antioxidant enzymes, such ascatalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and downregulation of IL-6, a pro-inflammatory cytokine. Their results show a possible mechanism of how Ashwagandharishtamay provide hepatoprotection by preventing oxidative damage.

Turmeric (or Curcumin) has also been extensively studied for its anti-inflammatory properties4,5. McCann et al. (2014) highlight the in vitro effects of turmeric extract against two gene variantsassociated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in HEK293 cells4. Their results suggest thatTurmeric, may beneficially affect two gene variants linked to IBD severity. Klawitter et al. (2012)studied if Turmeric may have an anti-inflammatory and anti-catabolic activity in inflammationrelated to Discogenic back pain5. Their RT-PCR data suggest downregulation ofproinflammatory cytokines. Although Turmeric shows anti-inflammatory properties in vitro,further in vivo and clinical studies are required to fully understand and validate the effects ofTurmeric as alternative treatment for people suffering from IBD or Discogenic back pain.

Many studies focus on the herbs suggested in Ayurvedic medicine, but Govindaraj et al. (2015)study a different aspect of Ayurveda; Prakriti1. Prakriti is broken up into doshas (Vata, Pitta,Kapha) and focuses on the natural makeup of the body, which determines how individuals reactto their environment, lifestyle and display susceptibility to different diseases. Govindaraj et al.(2015) study if genetics may play a role in Prakriti1. The team determines Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) associated with a particular Prakriti classification in 262 males. Theyobserve that PGM1, which plays a role in many metabolic pathways, is associated with thecharacteristics described in the Pitta dosha. They use the Ion PGM™ Sequencer and IonAmpliSeq™ technology to perform targeted sequencing of the PGM1 genes to identifyfunctional variants in the gene in 78 samples.

We often hear on our evening news of how resveratrol, fish oil, turmeric or the next studiedcompound may be beneficial for our health. We head off to our local grocery store and buy a

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bottle of that supposedly natural compound and after months of disappointment, we questionthe validity of the science behind this research. It is possible that the research conducted wasonly in vitro or early in vivo models and only showed valuable results upon using enormousquantities of that compound. Such results

are preliminary and need further support with more in vivo studies and maybe even clinical trials–popular media may forgo these details. Although uncommon, what’s also possible is that thequality and potency of herbal supplements may be sub par. DNA barcoding was recently usedto test the authenticity of herbal products, showed that most of the tested herbal products wereof poor quality, had product substitution, contamination, and fillers. Without quality products, wemay not experience the desired long-term effects.

To this day, we try to understand the complexities of chemical compounds found in herbs, howthey interact with our bodies, and how we, in turn, are genetically predisposed to react to them.What makes us different from one another is our genetics and just as we’ve come tounderstand that not all western medicine is created equal, we enter the realm of precision orpersonalized medicine. Interestingly, Ayurveda with its knowledge about herbs and Prakriti mayhave some valid science backing it up. What's amazing is that we’ve had this knowledge allalong, and now we are just starting to align modern science with ancient traditional medicine.

*For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures

References:

1] Govindaraj P, Nizamuddin S, Sharath A, Jyothi V, Rotti H, Raval R, Nayak J, Bhat BK,Prasanna BV, Shintre P et al: Genome-wide analysis correlates Ayurveda Prakriti. SciRep 2015, 5:15786.

2] Tanna IR, Aghera HB, Ashok BK, Chandola HM: Protective role of Ashwagandharishtaand flax seed oil against maximal electroshock induced seizures in albino rats. Ayu 2012,

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33(1):114-118.

3] Bhondave PD, Devarshi PP, Mahadik KR, Harsulkar AM: 'Ashvagandharishta' preparedusing yeast consortium from Woodfordia fruticosa flowers exhibit hepatoprotectiveeffect on CCl4 induced liver damage in Wistar rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2014, 151(1):183-190.

4] McCann MJ, Johnston S, Reilly K, Men X, Burgess EJ, Perry NB, Roy NC: The effect ofturmeric (Curcuma longa) extract on the functionality of the solute carrier protein 22 A4(SLC22A4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) variants associated with inflammatory boweldisease. Nutrients 2014, 6(10):4178-4190.

5] Klawitter M, Quero L, Klasen J, Gloess AN, Klopprogge B, Hausmann O, Boos N, Wuertz K: Curcuma DMSO extracts and curcumin exhibit an anti-inflammatory and anti-cataboliceffect on human intervertebral disc cells, possibly by influencing TLR2 expression andJNK activity. J Inflamm (Lond) 2012, 9(1):29.

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