In India, families dream of their children becoming doctors, an MBBS or similar credentials in medicine. Tradition and culture bestow a certain reverence on Ayurveda indeed, India’s ancient system of healing, but modern students should pause and ask whether choosing BAMS is wise1. Our advisory was meant to make the students aware of what they are getting themselves into instead of going into things blindly. At the end it’s always the decision of the student. We are not anti-Ayurveda per se, but we are anti-quackery: medicine today demands evidence. As one journal of medical ethics warned, attempts to graft untestable mystical concepts (even quantum physics) onto the BAMS syllabus have turned Ayurveda into “dangerous pseudoscience… fossilizing outdated medical conjectures”. In short, without rigorous science and proof, ancient rituals remain relics, not cures2. If Ayurvedic herbs truly hold undiscovered value, let modern methods find that truth , the same way researchers isolated reserpine from the Indian snakeroot or artemisinin from Chinese sweet wormwood, instead of clinging to dogma that any “cure” must come by faith. Indian high-school students deserve better guidance: don’t trade scientific training for superstition.
Ayurvedic medicine is officially recognized in India, but it is also officially mostly pseudoscience3. As a review notes, Ayurveda’s theoretical premises “are not based on science” and their scientific soundness has been widely criticized4. Ayurvedic concepts like the three doœas or mystical “gunas” have no grounding in biology or chemistry. Worse, some traditional preparations even include toxic heavy metals , an analysis of hundreds of products found nearly 64% contained lead or mercury5. In practice, this means that a BAMS education too often teaches ritual and dogma, not testable medical knowledge. A 2010 survey of Ayurvedic colleges reported “poor quality of Ayurveda graduates produced as a result of a poorly structured and poorly regulated education system”, and urged a complete curriculum overhaul with modern science, research training and quality control6. In other words, BAMS today is a moribund relic , an old-fashioned apprenticeship in ancient lore , not a rigorous medical degree.
Parents should know that many pursue BAMS only as a fallback: when MBBS seats are out of reach, BAMS or BHMS becomes “making do with substitutes”7. In fact, India now has nearly 500 Ayurvedic colleges churning out thousands of BAMS doctors, yet most of their practices and treatments have never passed even a single modern clinical trial. The Indian government’s own research agency published a “Evidence-Based Ayurvedic Practice” guide in 2014 with treatments for dozens of diseases, only to cite almost no randomized trials , essentially a collection of unverified claims8. Notably, it contained no evidence for anything like one of the world’s top killers, cancer9. In short: centuries of textual tradition do not equal scientific proof. A vaccine against smallpox arose from the folk practice of inoculation, not from Vedic hymns, and the malaria drug artemisinin was distilled from Chinese Artemisia only after painstaking lab work. By those standards, Ayurveda’s theory and untested therapies are weak medicine10. As Dr. Harriet Hall,a physician and skeptic, bluntly puts it, “Ayurveda is basically superstition…mixed with a soupçon of practical health advice. And it can be dangerous”. Students deserve to hear that honesty before committing to a career in “substitute medicine.”
The official BAMS syllabus itself illustrates the problem. For example, the “Padârtha Vijnâna” subject in some Ayurvedic schools wildly incorporated quantum mechanics without justification, presupposing that ancient Sanskrit verses secretly contain cutting-edge science. Experts have called this a “fad” that “leads to dangerous pseudoscience”. In plain terms, today’s BAMS courses still teach concepts from medieval manuscripts as if they were facts about the body. Such an approach “produces bad science, badly trained professionals, and bad healthcare”. Another ethical doctor even quipped that BAMS might as well stand for “Bachelor of Ayurveda and Medical Superstitions”. These are not empty insults but reasoned critiques: Ayurveda’s foundational texts were written in a pre-scientific age, and without the rigorous testing demanded today, their “wisdom” is essentially folklore11. If students enroll in BAMS expecting proven cures, they are likely to graduate with antiquated models of the body and little exposure to antibiotics, anesthesia, or any of modern medicine’s lifelines12.
Reality is catching up: hospitals and regulators are starting to sideline BAMS doctors in modern clinical roles. Until recently, some state laws in India allowed Ayurvedic graduates to work as duty doctors or resident medical officers in place of MBBS physicians13. But even this practice is increasingly seen as unsafe. In 2020 the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare (NABH) issued a strict notice: allopathic hospitals must not let AYUSH (mostly BAMS) doctors “write independent orders and perform clinical duties” unsupervised14. NABH bluntly deemed such deployment “very much against patient safety norms” and a compromise of quality clinical care. In practice, dozens of private ICUs and emergency rooms that once staffed BAMS graduates are now having to relabel them or find MBBS substitutes. This regulatory warning underscores that in serious hospitals, only evidence-based doctors are trusted. A student graduating with a BAMS may find limited legitimate practice opportunities: academic jobs, selling herbal tonics, or running a clinic branded “Ayurveda,” but not emergency medicine or surgery. In other words, the lifetime career prospects after BAMS are uncertain at best. Several analyses have noted intense competition for the few government or research posts available to Ayurvedic graduates, leading many to unemployment or underemployment. Any aspiring scientist-innovator should be wary of that dead end.
So what would you say is the way forward? Is there any value in Herbs etc?
Ayurveda definitely does have some good things in it. No one denies it. Scientifically people are against quackery. So to put it in other words, far from dismissing traditional knowledge outright, we should channel it properly. Historically, many great modern medicines did come from ancient remedies , but only after rigorous chemistry and trials. Take aspirin: willow bark was used for millennia as a pain remedy, but it took Felix Hoffmann’s 1897 lab synthesis to give us aspirin, a drug “that has gone on to improve, and save, the lives of millions”. Or consider childhood cancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine, derived from the Madagascar periwinkle plant long used in Ayurveda and elsewhere15. Or consider childhood cancer drugs vinblastine and vincristine, derived from the Madagascar periwinkle plant long used in Ayurveda and elsewhere. As Northeastern’s there is a lot to learn from our traditional medicine, but please remember Northeastern traditional medicine is not the same as Ayurveda. Ayurveda has a religious component to it which is not present in Northeastern traditional medicine. However still, Ayurveda too can have value, if work is done properly in promoting science.
The prime example is Nobel laureate Tu Youyou. In the 1970s China faced chloroquine-resistant malaria and turned to its herbal lore. Tu Youyou didn’t just rebrand a folk cure; she systematically screened hundreds of traditional formulas, isolated the potent compound artemisinin from sweet wormwood, and verified its antimalarial effects in clinical trials. Her work was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize for Medicine, having “led to the survival and improved health of millions”. Crucially, Tu merged respect for tradition with the demands of evidence: she discarded any unproven bits, perfected extraction methods, and proved efficacy scientifically. This is the model we should emulate in India, not the model of untested rituals. An Ayurvedic herb might hold a cure for diabetes or dementia someday, but the only way to find out is through chemistry and trials , not through studying BAMs and practising quackery.
Instead of minor “revalidation” studies, aspiring students could train as pharmacologists, biochemists, or ethnobotanists. If one is fascinated by herbs, study biology and chemistry deeply. Earn a B.Sc. in Biotechnology or Pharmacognosy, and then a Ph.D. in phytomedicine or ethnobotany. Work in a lab to isolate active molecules from Ashwagandha or Turmeric and test them against cancer cells. In fact, India already has institutes (CCRAS, NMPB, etc.) for medicinal plant research, though historically underfunded , and international collaborations are growing. With even a fraction of the AYUSH budget, scientists could make systematic libraries of Ayurvedic plants and test each component. That’s how we turn “herbal wisdom” into proven drugs: screen molecules, validate effects, and publish in scientific journals. If a plant compound works, it can become the next blockbuster medicine; if not, we move on.
This is not theoretical. One success was reserpine, the first widely used antihypertensive: it was isolated in 1952 from Rauwolfia serpentina (Sarpagandha), a plant long used by Ayurvedic healers for high blood pressure16. Modern studies confirmed reserpine lowers blood pressure effectively. But notice the key: only after isolation and rigorous clinical testing was it accepted by doctors worldwide. Similarly, modern cancer therapies use paclitaxel from the Pacific yew, artemisinin from Chinese medicine, metformin from French lilac, and more. None of these came from doing BAMS, they came from training in science and pharmacology. So if you want to advance traditional knowledge, your best move is not to memorize Sanskrit verses, but to master science so you can harness that knowledge.
Our Advice to High School Students who are interested in studying nature inspired medicine
Indian students passionate about plants and medicine have a wealth of modern pathways. The World Health Organization notes that 40% of today’s drugs trace back to natural sources, including traditional lore. Think of aspirin (from willow bark) or the malaria cures mentioned above. The key is evidence-based study , not blind faith. Entering a BAMS program traps you in an antiquated framework, with a fixed 5½-year degree that teaches mostly principles from millennia ago and limited modern biology. By contrast, a B.Sc. in Biotech, Biochemistry, or Pharmacology followed by research opportunities (M.Sc. or Ph.D.) opens labs and careers in biotech, pharmaceuticals, and cutting-edge medicine. You could help develop vaccines, gene therapies, or new antibiotics , fields where India desperately needs talent , instead of learning recipes from dusty manuscripts.
Even if one’s heart is with Ayurveda, the better role is to be the lab scientist advancing its legacy. Many universities now offer herbal pharmacology programs; you could work on high-tech spectrometers and chromatography machines, not merely crush powders with a mortar and pestle. Graduates who know molecular biology can collaborate internationally, publish in journals, and compete for grants (perhaps on drugs originating in Ayurvedic plants). They can earn a solid living as medical scientists or professors, rather than scraping by in niche clinics.
In the end, evolution in science is non-negotiable. An unchanging faith cannot treat emerging diseases, and a degree anchored in dogma will leave you behind. This is not to insult India’s past: Ayurvedic tradition is a heritage to explore , but only with modern tools. No religion of medicine should override facts. If Ayurveda truly has hidden treasures, the way forward is clear: invest in pharmaceutical research on its herbs, isolate active compounds, and subject them to the same trials and scrutiny as any chemical drug. Don’t waste your youth memorizing unverifiable concepts.
Instead, learn chemistry and biology, do experiments, and maybe discover tomorrow’s breakthrough.
We are not anti-tradition, but we reject any practice that evades reality. The best gift students can give India is a future where traditional knowledge is respected only when backed by evidence. So don’t enroll in a BAMS expecting a guaranteed future , it is widely regarded by medical experts as “quackery” in disguise. If you truly care about healing and your country, choose the path of science. Pursue medicine through MBBS, or allied medical fields like nursing, paramedicine, physiotherapy, public health, dentistry, veterinary sciences or biomedical research, or even a Ph.D. in phytomedicine or ethnobotany, and use that knowledge to empower Ayurveda’s valuable remedies, not to perpetuate its myths. The next Tu Youyou could be from Ayurveda or other traditional nature based medicine. Let India’s youth lead this shift: honor our roots by applying rigorous science, not by clinging to anachronisms.
References
1. Krishna GL. Does BAMS stand for Bachelor of Ayurveda and Medical Superstitions? Indian J Med Ethics. 2022 Oct-Dec;7(4 NS):341. DOI: 10.20529/IJME.2022.019.
2. Hiriyanna M. Age of the systems. In: Outlines of Indian philosophy. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass; 2009. p. 184.
3. Bausell RB. Snake oil science: the truth about complementary and alternative medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2007. p. 259.
4. Manohar PR. Uniform standards and quality control of research publications in the field of Ayurveda. Ancient Sci Life. 2013 Apr;32(4):185-6. doi:10.4103/0257-7941.131968. PMID: 24991064; PMCID: PMC4078466.
5. Saper RB, Phillips RS, Sehgal A, Khouri N, Davis RB, Paquin J, Thuppil V, Kales SN. Lead, mercury, and arsenic in US- and Indian-manufactured medicines sold via the Internet. JAMA. 2008 Aug 27;300(8):915-23. doi:10.1001/jama.300.8.915. PMID: 18728265; PMCID: PMC2755247. 6. Patwardhan K, Gehlot S, Singh G, Rathore HC. Global challenges of graduate level Ayurvedic education: A survey. Int J Ayurveda Res. 2010 Jan;1(1):49-54. doi: 10.4103/0974-7788.59945. PMID: 20532099; PMCID: PMC2876920.
7. Ambulgekar R. The electropathy scandal. Indian J Med Ethics. 1996 Jul;4(3):88. 8. Ayurveda should sell its cures on faith, not false claims of scientific validity. Newslaundry. 2020 Nov 11;. Available from: Newslaundry website.
9. Cancer Research UK. Ayurvedic medicine. Cancer Research UK; [cited 2025 Aug 21]. Archived from the original on 2020 Nov 24. Available from: Cancer Research UK website. https://web.archive.org/web/20201124090704/https://about-cancer.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/ca ncer-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative-therapies/individual-therapies/ayurvedic-medicine 10. Nobel Media AB. Tu Youyou – Facts. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015; [cited 2025 Aug 21]. Available from: Nobel Prize website.
11. Hiriyanna M. Age of the systems. In: Outlines of Indian philosophy. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass; 2009. p. 184.
12. Krishna GL. Does BAMS stand for Bachelor of Ayurveda and Medical Superstitions? Indian J Med Ethics. 2022 Oct 28;7(4 NS):341. doi:10.20529/IJME.2022.019.
13. National Commission for Indian System of Medicine. Notification No. CG-DL-E-17022022-233547. Gazette of India. 2022 Feb 17 [cited 2022 Feb 27]. Available from: https://egazette.nic.in/ 14. Times of India. NABH hosps cannot appoint Ayush doctors to perform clinical duties. Times of India (Nagpur edition). [cited 2025 Aug 21]. Available from: Times of India website.
15. World Health Organization. Traditional medicine has a long history of contributing to conventional medicine and continues to hold promise. WHO Newsroom. 2023 Aug 10 [cited 2025 Aug 21]. Available from: WHO website.
16. DrugBank. Rauwolfia serpentina root. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. 2018 Nov 2 [cited 2018 Nov 25]. Available from: DrugBank website.
~ The Northeast Centre for High School Research (NECHR)
