With the commissioning of its Centre for Medicinal Plant Research & Development, an advanced herbal R&D and standardization facility, the renowned Kottackal Arya Vaidya Sala at Malappuram in Kerala has made a significant stride in its more than a century old illustrious tradition of herbal drug research and development. The President of India, Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam inaugurated the Centre at Kottackal on Thursday.
Talking to Pharmabiz.com, Balachandran Unni, the manager in charge of the centre and a top level source at Kottackal Arya Vaidyasala, said the Centre for Medicinal Plant Research would conduct extensive research into areas like taxonomy, anatomy, genetic research, tissue culture, phytochemistry and extension of rare herbs and herbal compounds. The centre would work to identify, codify, standardize and patent endangered herbs, besides developing life saving drugs of global standards.
The centre has been set up as a joint venture between the Mumbai based Sir Sorabji Tata Trust, Kottackal Arya Vaidyasala and the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. Of this, the Tata Trust has contributed ‘a major share’ of the investment, the initial phase consisting of Rs. Six crore. According to the plan, the first phase of the project would be for a term of five years. The Tata Trust may earmark a corpus fund, and fund flow for the project could be taken care by the interest accrual from the corpus. However, those details are yet to be finalised by the agencies involved, said Balachandran Unni.
He said about 20 technical scientists have been engaged at the facility, besides numerous extension workers. A high level official of the R&D lab at Kottackal has been given the charge of Project Coordinator. He indicated initial research initiatives of the centre could be an extension or continuation of the just concluded IDRC Canada aided project to study cultivation and preservation of certain endangered species of medicinal plants. About 20 rare herbs have been identified by the study. Its report has been submitted to the Government and concerned agencies. Kottackal Arya Vaidya Sala has an eight-acre herbal garden at Kottackal with over 750 species of rare herbs.
Currently, Arya Vaidyasala is undertaking a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) funded research programme to develop bioactive molecules, establish standardization procedures and improve the processing and preservation techniques for Ayurvedic medicines. Research initiatives of the new centre could be an extension of the outcome these studies, said Balachandran Unni.
Inaugurating the centre yesterday, A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, President of India, said Kottackal should take the initiative in blending modern day science and traditional knowledge to face the challenges before modern day healthcare. Ayurveda and its drugs have acquired importance worldwide. We have herbs of rare medicinal properties. Research and development of these herbs could lead to development of rare drugs for diseases like AIDS. Our herbal research and standardization methods desire a lot. India should be able to preserve and patent our rich herbal tradition, and evolve a strategy of large-scale production, marketing and exports to create numerous employment opportunities in the field of medicinal herb cultivation and Ayurveda. Firms like Kottackal should take the initiative to lead from the front, said Dr.Kalam. Renowned scientist Dr.M.S.Swaminathan and A.K.Antony, Chief Minister of Kerala also attended the function.