Ayurveda Now In Digitised Format


NEW DELHI: In a bid to protect traditional knowledge in Ayurveda, scientists have prepared a traditional knowledge digital library (TKDL) that documents information from existing literature in the area.


In the first phase, information has been documented in a digitalised format in five international languages — English, German, French, Spanish and Japanese — according to Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) director general, RA Mashelkar.

About 36,000 Ayurvedic formulations have been transcribed in a patent application format for the benefit of those eager for existing information before applying for a patent, he said. The project involved collaboration between the National Institute of Science Communication and Inform-ation Resources (Niscair), office of controller general of patent designs and trade marks, department of industrial policy and promotion, and the department of Indian systems of medicine and homoeopathy. In the next phase, policies would be worked out depending on the access of the data, Dr Mashelkar said.

Initially, data on around 500 formulations will be made available to those applying for patents as a showcase of the project. The rest is likely to be released in January.

— PTI