Ayurveda and Modern Science

Can the great divide between Ayurveda and modern science ever be bridged? We revisit a favorite episode in which we talk with Annamma Spudich, a cell and molecular biologist who has also studied Indian medical systems for years. This blend informs her unique perspectives, from the efficacy of black pepper at the molecular level to a folk practitioner whose prescription includes a medicinal plant collected by a naked man.

Time Markers (mins: sec)

• 0:44 Benefits of daily spices decoction
  1:48 Annamma’s unique background
  2:57 Childhood surrounded by traditional practices
  3:42 “Pepper water” for a minor cold
  4:46 Black pepper at the molecular level
  5:35 Oil bath for aches and pains
  6:39 50 medicines derived from plants
  7:04 Outcome-based studies of natural remedies
  7:25 Traditional remedies for chronic conditions
  8:16 Factions of medical systems
  9:48 Outcome is wellness
  10:35 Molecular methods of measuring wellness
  11:27 Plant extract has many compounds
  12:22 Traditional medicine very different from classical methods
  13:44 Visiting Kerala ashtavaidya
  15:34 Visiting folk medical practitioner
  16:28 The plant to be collected by a naked man