India becomes first nation to digitise traditional medicine with AI-powered library
The World Health Organisation (WHO), in a recent report, acknowledged the move as an important development in the global push to integrate traditional and modern medicine.PRESERVING KNOWLEDGE, PREVENTING EXPLOITATIONThe roots of India's traditional medicine lie in oral traditions, palm-leaf manuscripts, and classical texts that go back hundreds, if not thousands, of years.In the absence of documentation, there have been many instances in the past where foreign companies patented herbal formulations and treatments that had long existed in Indian households.The TKDL was conceived as a solution to that problem.By translating and digitising these traditional formulations in multiple languages and coding them into formats understandable to patent offices, the library provides evidence that such knowledge already exists in the public domain.What sets the new version of TKDL apart is its use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The database now uses machine learning tools to organise complex information, track patterns, and find possible links between traditional remedies and modern illnesses.NEW DIRECTIONS WITH AI AND AYURVEDAAmong the newer developments highlighted by WHO is Ayurgenomics, an emerging field that merges genetic science with Ayurvedic principles of body types, or prakriti.Scientists in India are working to personalise treatment methods by combining DNA data with ancient health categories.AI models are also being used in pulse reading and tongue analysis, both long-standing diagnostic methods in Ayurveda, to assist in making clinical decisions.The Government of India, through the Ministry of Ayush, has said the aim is not only to preserve heritage but to push forward into areas where tradition and technology can meet.Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav, speaking on the occasion, noted that this is part of a larger vision to make Indian systems more accessible while contributing to global health solutions.India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often spoken of using 'AI for all,' and healthcare is one of the key areas where that promise is beginning to take shape.India's TKDL offers a framework that other countries with strong traditional medicine cultures, such as China, South Korea, or Indonesia, may find useful.- Ends
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