Ayurveda has not achieved the global success of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) because of limited practitioner licensure frameworks, fragmented global research leadership, low availability of harmonised pharmacopeial standards, and insufficient integration of modern scientific validation pathways, according to a NITI Aayog report titled 'Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global'.
Key Findings of the Report
The report notes that TCM's international success is underpinned by mission-scale state support, substantial research and development funding, and proactive global standards diplomacy. In contrast, Ayurveda's international expansion remains uneven, with its services largely confined to wellness, spa and complementary therapy settings in most countries.
“Global uptake is constrained by the lack of standardised practitioner licensure, the absence of internationally recognised micro-credential programmes for healthcare workers in host countries, and the relatively low export of finished Ayurvedic pharmaceuticals due to regulatory barriers—especially in the United States and the European Union,” the report states.
Recommendations for Global Expansion
Among its recommendations, the report suggests that India should further leverage its diplomatic capital through Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) with friendly nations and multilateral groupings such as the G20, BRICS, and ASEAN. It also advocates expanding Ayurveda's global academic footprint through elective courses in international medical schools, strategically integrated with the Ayush Chair initiative.
As a long-term measure to establish Ayurveda as a full-fledged global system of medicine, the report recommends the creation of a World Federation of Ayurveda and Yoga—an international, non-profit umbrella organisation dedicated to advancing standardisation and health system integration.
WHO Collaborating Centres
India currently has three WHO Collaborating Centres for traditional medicine. Of these, one is dedicated to Ayurveda at the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar; another to Yoga at the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, New Delhi; and the third, at the CCRAS-National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage, Hyderabad, focuses on formal and literary research in traditional medicine.
The report further suggests that India should aim to establish at least five additional WHO Collaborating Centres, including three dedicated to Ayurveda and one each for the Siddha and Unani systems of medicine.
