Abstract

AYURVEDA & ETHICS IN MEDICAL RESEARCH

Dr. Narind Khajuria* and Dr. Kavita Chambyal

ABSTRACT

Objective: Scientific misconduct is not rare. Since times immemorial,human beings have looked forward to the set of rules which can guidetheir behavior towards other life forms as well as towards their Family,Society & Nation. Shruti, Smriti, Veda, Purana are the repositories ofsuch moral & ethical conduct. In Purana, the moral & ethical code wastaught in the form of stories related to various conundrums the lifethrows at an individual. Research done in Medical field can be seen toincorporate such ethics so as to safeguard the interests of Subjects & toguide the duties of a Researcher in a humane way. Western societyputs forth four basic principles of Bioethics. Helsinki Declaration alsoprovides guiding principles for a Researcher. Ayurveda incorporates adeep sense of ethical & moral conduct for the Vaidya. It is high timeAyurveda is given its due for contributing first ever guideline of ethicsfor Vaidya & individuals alike. Data Source: Books and articles ofmodern ethics & research, Online & Offline Classical texts ofAyurveda and their commentaries mainly from Brihattrayee. Review methods: Informationregarding the ethics in modern science & Ayurveda and other relevant information indifferent Samhita was collected. References from both streams of knowledge were comparedand analyzed. Conclusion: Ayurveda places great emphasis on ethics. Concepts similar toBioethics are also found in Ayurvedic texts. This article puts forth a small step inunderstanding the contribution of Ayurveda towards Bioethics.

Keywords: Ayurveda, Bioethics, Research, Principlism, Dharma.