Integration of ayurveda drug safety principles into modern pharmacovigilance systems: A narrative review

Background: Ayurveda provides a sophisticated framework for drug safety through classical concepts such as Atiyoga, Mithyayoga, Ayoga, Upadrava, Vyapada and Viruddha Dravya. With increasing global use of traditional medicines, integrating these doctrines into contemporary pharmacovigilance systems is crucial to ensure safe, rational therapy.
Methods: A structured narrative review was conducted using literature retrieved from PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, supplemented with WHO and Ministry of AYUSH policy documents, and classical Ayurvedic texts including Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Ashtanga Hridaya. Key findings were synthesized thematically to correlate classical safety doctrines with current adverse drug reaction (ADR) frameworks and regulatory practices.
Results: Classical treatises highlight risk determinants such as inappropriate processing, dosage errors, herb–herb and herb–food incompatibilities, and patient susceptibility based on Prakriti, Agni, and Bala. Modern pharmacovigilance evidence confirms that herbal medicines may cause hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, gastrointestinal and dermatological ADRs when used irrationally. Major challenges include under-reporting, variable product quality, limited toxicological data, and poor integration of ASU&H pharmacovigilance with national reporting systems.
Conclusion: Ayurveda’s inherent safety guidelines can significantly strengthen traditional medicine pharmacovigilance if aligned with structured ADR reporting, quality assurance, and regulatory oversight. A unified classical–modern surveillance approach will enhance patient protection, improve preventability analysis, and reinforce global confidence in Ayurveda-based healthcare.