“Research in Ayurveda at a place like Oxford University is the first of its kind in the world of medicine and healthcare. This is an opportunity to study the right evidence-based methods that can be applied to Ayurveda while maintaining its originality and authenticity as a science,” says 25-year-old Eeshani Bendale, an Ayurveda physician and the first from Pune to get selected for a MSc in evidence-based healthcare at Oxford University in the UK.
Ayurveda deserves to be communicated in a language that can be comprehended by the scientific world today and hence she has chosen this path, says Bendale who completed her bachelor’s degree in Ayurvedic medicine and surgery (BAMS) from Pune’s Tilak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya and MSc in nanomedicine from Swansea University Medical School, Wales.
Bendale hopes to complete her MSc from Oxford in 2024 and is keen on driving research in Ayurveda on scientifically strong platforms. The MSc in evidence-based healthcare at Oxford is designed to help health professionals base clinical and health management decisions on valid, reliable and relevant evidence, she said.
In her MSc in nano medicine, Bendale researched Ayurvedic nanomedicines originating from the subject of Rasashastra, which is a field of high scrutiny and controversy today. This work is aimed at drawing more clarity towards the development and use of Ayurvedic formulations, she said.
“I understand that there are a lot of factors that contribute to the stigma that exists around Ayurveda and my work is focused on dispelling the myths and misconceptions about it and presenting the science for what it truly is. In the past few years, research has been initiated in Ayurveda to some extent with the motive of providing an evidence-based approach. However, a very minuscule amount of this research can be deemed valid on the global scientific map. Very few people have actually been able to address Ayurveda from gold-standard platforms that are globally respected. The chasm between Ayurveda and modern medical science, as it exists today, needs to be bridged with an open-minded, interdisciplinary approach,” Bendale said.
Recently, Bendale gave talks on Ayurveda in association with the Oxford South Asian Arts Society, Ayurveda Conference Australasia 2021 and others. She also presented her research on Ayurvedic nano medicines in the Kellogg College seminar series at University of Oxford.
