The term Ayurveda, meaning "The Science of Life," is considered by most of the civilized world to be the oldest recorded system of medicine known to man. This is a system that, if followed and practiced in its purest form, would be extremely challenging for a society such as ours to incorporate, because it is actually a culture, a way of life.

A fundamental principle in Ayurveda is that illness and/or disease is caused by an imbalance of doshas or humors. Over many generations of experimentation and observation, a number of plant-based remedies were discovered that had a positive impact in restoring some or all of the balance lost in various adverse health conditions. A list of a few is provided below.

Gugulipid®
A product originating from the Commiphora mukul tree, the therapeutically active compounds called guggulsterones are found in the sticky gum resin. An incision is made in the bark of the tree and the gummy exudate that oozes from this wound is allowed to crystallize and then fall to the ground where it is collected, separated by grade and then processed to remove the toxins and impurities naturally present in the gum to yield a standardized extract containing guggulsterones Z&E specifically.

Work was originally done on these compounds as a doctoral thesis by a Ph.D. candidate in India to determine their impact on various types of cholesterol. Further research and clinical evaluation at India's Central Drug Research Institute in Lucknow showed the compounds to have a positive health benefit in cholesterol management. One particular study compared Gugulipid to the well known cholesterol drug Clofibrate. The results were almost identical with both products reporting a significant percentage drop in serum cholesterol and triglycerides while at the same time exhibiting a nearly 20% increase in HDL (good) cholesterol levels. One major point of difference, however, was in the category of side effects. Clofibrate patients experienced flu-like symptoms, while the Gugulipid group reported no side effects.

The first major clinical study involving Gugulipid in the U.S. is currently underway. This study will consist of 90 subjects in a double blind design with one group acting as the control and the two remaining active groups receiving different Gugulipid dosage regimens. What makes this study interesting and noteworthy is that the proposed study design and scope was reviewed by the FDA prior to the study beginning and approved on the merits that Gugulipid was safe and non-toxic to patients at the dosages outlined in the protocol. Results from this groundbreaking clinical are expected later this year.

Curcumin
Much has been written about this versatile spice. Roots obtained from the Curcuma longa plant (also called turmeric roots) have been shown to have health benefits in a variety of indications ranging from anti-inflammatory to reduction in various free radicals (antioxidant/bioprotectant) to tumor and cancer prevention, to name a few. What is remarkable about this spice is that it is found in many of the Indian curries that are a part of everyday Indian cuisine. True followers of the Ayurvedic philosophy believed that food was your medicine. It is unlikely that hundreds of years ago it was known that turmeric roots contain beneficial compounds for health, collectively termed curcuminoids. (For more information on curcuminoids, see accompanying sidebar.)

All one has to do is browse through Medline to find hundreds of articles citing the use of curcumin's compounds that have been studied in a variety of disease conditions. Work is ongoing at some of this countries' leading cancer research institutions to try and identify just how far-reaching the effects of these curcuminoids really are in cancer prevention and their impact in possible methods of treatment. Perhaps we would all do well to think twice before cursing the ingredient responsible for turning our industries' manufacturing rooms and equipment a bright yellow, given the volumes of documentation we have available to us showing its diverse health benefits.

Boswellia serrata
Also derived from a gum resin like its counterpart Gugulipid, this product is typically standardized for active compounds called boswellic acids and is used primarily in anti-inflammatory applications. It is frequently seen in combination with a standardized turmeric root extract for this application.

Recently, significant developments have been made in being able to separate, analyze and quantify specific boswellic acids from other similarly structured, but typically incorrectly accounted for, organic acids found in Boswellia serrata extracts. Using an HPLC method of analysis it is possible to determine, by percentage, at least four different beta boswellic acids. Upon further review, each of these boswellic acids has been ranked in order of effectiveness on their individual ability to mitigate the cause of inflammation. So specific is their respective mechanisms of action that new research is being done to determine these compounds' possible use in treating asthma, which is a known inflammatory condition.

Ashwagandha
A well respected industry colleague made a trip to India about two years ago. Upon his return, and after considering all the plants he had researched, he made the determination that Ashwagandha ranked near or at the top. In fact, he was so impressed with the properties attributed to this plant that he called it the "King of Herbs." What was it about this plant that caused such praise and stature?

Ashwagandha is what is termed in Ayurveda as a rayasana, or what we would call today an adaptogen. Products included in this category were recognized as vitalizers or rejuvenators and exhibit a wide range of regulatory activity, but manifest their action only against the actual challenge to the system. Ashwagandha has been shown to normalize bodily functions and to be especially useful in conditions characterized by mental exhaustion, stress, anxiety, mental depression and chronic disease. The active constituents in an ashwagandha extract include steroidal lactones called withanolides along with other various alkaloids.

Gymnema sylvestre
This vine-like climbing plant was given the Hindi name of Gurmar, which means destroyer of sugar. In modern India, this plant is used either singly or in combination with other Ayurvedic compounds as a successful remedy against diabetes mellitus. As early as 1930, researchers were reporting this botanical's blood glucose-lowering actions.

The incidence of diabetes in our society has now reached a level that Newsweek magazine reported in its Sept 4, 2000 issue that "during the 90s the prevalence of type-2 diabetes increased by 33% overall and by 70% among people in their 40's. Diabetes now affects 16 million Americans." Two oft-cited clinical studies published in 1990 report that a water soluble extract of Gymnema sylvestre leaves can be an effective means of reducing excessive excretion of glucose in the urine of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus patients as well as decreasing the insulin therapy requirements of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients. This may be why the industry is currently seeing an increase in demand for Gymnema extracts.

The botanicals mentioned above are just a small sampling of the wealth of health-promoting compounds available from the ancient system of medicine called Ayurveda. With technological and medical advances on the rise throughout the world, we are already seeing the blurring of lines that in the past were used to define a product, or group of products, by history or country of origin. Increasingly, compounds are being categorized based on a proven medical application or documented health benefit.

With this ongoing evolution of product positioning and redefining of terminology, the term Ayurveda may someday become a footnote in the history of our industry. The hope of many of us is that with the well intended, successful commercialization of such products, that their sometimes humble origins and simple purpose of use will not be completely forgotten.

About the author:
Todd Norton is president of Ayurvedic herb supplier Sabinsa, Payson, UT. He can be reached at 801-465-8400 or by e-mail at todd@sabinsa.com.