Abstract

DETAILED STUDY OF PRATINIDHI DRAVYA (SUBSTITUTE DRUGS) IN AYURVEDA: A REVIEW

Hemant Bhardwaj*, Pratibha and Omprakash Sharma

ABSTRACT

In herbal drug industry, the concept of substitution has long been practiced. Not only in the contemporary period but also in Vedic texts the original drug is at times replaced by some inferior herb. But, the major problem was lack of proper authentication, standardization and processing of substitute drugs in the manufacturing process of Ayurvedic proprietary medicine. Even now, it’s widely seen that people consider the substitution of herbs owing to several purposes. The most popular one is for the production of Ayurvedic proprietary medicine in which unavailability of the intended herb leads them opt for substitutes. This is because with the growing trend of deforestation many herbs are at the brink of extinction and that has triggered herbalists to look for substitutes. In manufacturing proprietary Ayurvedic medicine while considering substitution of a drug, the main ingredient should not be interfered. Similarly, some other reasons to look for substitute could be economical consideration and geographical inaccessibility This review article might be a reference in selecting appropriate substitutes wherever essential. It embodies the practice of substitutes all the way from Vedic period till the 21st century.

Keywords: Ayurveda, Substitution, Proprietary medicine, Deforestation.