In lieu of World Diabetes Day on November 14, various government departments including Ayush Ministry, Health Ministry and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), have pledged to keep the disease in check. In order to spread the awareness for Ayurvedic drugs, as the country is on the verge of becoming a diabetic capital of the world, CSIR and Ayush Ministry are planning to launch a campaign to encourage diabetic patients to use Ayurvedic drugs citing examples confirming that efficacy of herbal medicines is better than allopathic drugs.
In his recent speech, Narendra Modi had shown concern over children getting diagnosed with Diabetes. Coinciding with Children’s day in India, Modi had also mentioned that old age diseases are now becoming common in the younger generation and thus calls for strict lifestyle changes, where children should be made to do physical activities. According to a 2015 study by Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, India had 97,700 children suffering from Type 1 Diabetes.
Keeping this in mind and as part of spreading the awareness on alternative medicine, according to CSIR officials, BGR-34, anti-diabetic drug, which is jointly developed by National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) is proving to be a game-changer in controlling the disease as the herbal drug is matching the efficacy level of any branded modern medicine in controlling sugar level and has no side-effects.
In a recent report by All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), the CSIR-developed anti-diabetes drug has been adjudged as 20th best medicine out of 6,414 drugs of different brands. The drug is a combination of natural plant extracts and is meant to treat Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus. As per NBRI Senior Scientist, AKS Rawat, the BGR-34 is made from the extracts of four plants mentioned in Ayurveda after an extensive research by NBRI and CIMAP scientists.
