Wisdom of Ayurveda in perceiving diabetes: enigma of therapeutic recognition.

摘要

Diabetes mellitus is described as 'Madhumeha' in ancient Indian Sanskrit literature dealing with health care systems, and is duly acknowledged in modern medical texts. However, detailed descriptions of the disease process and therapeutics prescribed in these classics could not get proper recognition, because of the fact that modern medical science those days was at its budding stage. Nevertheless, recent advances in modern science in understanding pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus, its complications and therapeutic requirements, are providing a better platform to interpret and understand centuries-old Ayurvedic knowledge. Furthermore, scientific analyses of medicines prescribed therein, reveal that they possess enormous therapeutic capabilities that modern medicine is searching for. This article provides a general account of these understandings, and an analysis that may provide insights for future study and development of Ayurvedic medicines in modern scientific perspective.