About IAIM

Genesis of I-AIM

I-AIM is a multi-disciplinary research, education and outreach arm of a public trust called Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT). FRLHT was founded in 1993 by Mr. Sam Pitroda and Mr.Darshan Shankar. Sam Pitroda continues to be the chairperson of the governing council of FRLHT.

In 2008, the FRLHT governing council resolved to subsume FRLHT initiatives developed during 1993-2008 into an Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine (IAIM) in order to execute a bold strategy for upscaling and diversifing FRLHT's education, research and outreach programs & to demonstrate an innovative institutional model for the promotion of Ayurveda in the new millennium.

Track record of FRLHT – I-AIM (1993 – 2010)

The multi-disciplinary track record of FRLHT – I-AIM over the period 1993- 2010, demonstrates out of the box thinking. Its growth in the last 17 years is evidence of dedication, hard work, perseverance and efficiency.

In 1993, FRLHT embarked on an ambitious program for Insitu Conservation of wild populations of medicinal plants. Today this program has grown into the largest medicinal plants conservation network of 108 forest parks in the entire tropical world. FRLHT is also a pioneer in Threat assessments of wild populations.

Conservation of medicinal plants

It expanded its scope in 1995, bringing in information technology, to start a unit on traditional medicine informatics, that has built up the most comprehensive databases on botany, geographical distribution, graphic images and traditional knowledge about medicinal plants of the country.

Informatics

In 1996, work on the creation of a bio-cultural herbarium of the medicinal plants of India was initiated. This herbarium has gathered records of 80% of the medicinal plants used by the codified systems of medicine. It has been recognized by the Ministry of Environment and Forest and the National Biodiversity Authority as the National Herbarium for Medicinal Plants of India

Botanical Repository

In 1998 FRLHT launched a green health program of primary healthcare and public health in collaboration with 35 grass-root NGOs and a multi state network of around 260 taluka level folk healers associations, focused on health security needs of rural house holds.

Rural health security

In 2001, FRLHT established laboratories for phyto-chemistry and expanded in subsequent years to micro-biology, molecular biology, product development and recently to a bio-assays lab. These labs are engaged in pioneering work related to a development of quality standards, microbial purification of drinking water and nutraceuticals.

Scientific Research In 2003 it established a community owned medicinal plants rural enterprise called Gram Mooligai Company Ltd (GMCL) that is owned by farmers and rural women.

Rural livelihoods

In 2004 it started clinical services via a 20 bed Ayurveda hospital which today has expanded into a modern Ayurvedic 100 bed hospital with perhaps the best hospital infrastructure for an Ayurvedic facility, in the city of Bangalore.

Clinical services

In 2007 literary research was initiated with focus on cataloguing, and translating medical manuscripts.

Literary Research

In 2008-09 and 2009-10, FRLHT initiated doctoral programs in collaboration with Manipal and SASTRA Universities and developed a joint program on endogenous knowledge in collaboration with University of Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana and Universidad Mayor de San Simón (UMSS), Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Educational Innovation

Throughout the 17 years of its existence (1993 – 2010) FRLHT has generated publications like, books, a popular magazine called Heritage Amruth, scientific articles, and “knowledge CD’s” on various aspects of India’s medical heritage. In 2010 it has launched a peer reviewed Journal on Ayurveda & integrative medicine. In 1998 & 2009, it organized two landmark international conferences and numerous workshops & seminars during 1993 – 2010.

Milestones of I-AIMs achivements:

Conservation Related:

1993 - 2010 Designed & Coordinated the country’s first program for In-situ Conservation of Medicinal Plants in forest habitats. The program has established by 2007 across 9 States, a network of 84 Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCAs) which act as banks of wild gene pools. This program has made India a world leader in the field of medicinal plants insitu conservation. This program was supported during 1993-2004 by the Ministry of Environment of Forests, Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India and the Govt. of Denmark. From 2004-2008 it has been supported by the Govt. of India and UNDP, New Delhi.

1995 – 2010 Established one of the country’s most comprehensive and referenced multi-disciplinary databases on the botanicals used by the Indian systems of medicine including a comprehensive bibliographic (1500 BC – 1900 AD) Traditional Knowledge database, on plant materia - medica of Ayurveda, Siddha & Unani systems of medicine.

1996 – 2010 Established a unique bio-cultural herbarium and raw drug repository of medicinal plants of India which is recognized by the Govt. of India as the National Herbarium for the Medicinal Plants of India.

2003 – 2010 Designed and developed an innovative, field-tested methodology for sustainable harvesting of wild medicinal Plants through community participation. This was developed under a DFID UK funded project in collaboration with Environmental Change Institute of Oxford University, UK.

Outreach Related:

1995 – 2010 I-AIM was the first institute in India to initiate a program to revitalize the rich & diverse folk healing traditions in rural India. This program has established a network of over 108 Taluka level folk healer associations across 7 Indian States and developed a unique participatory methodology for documenting and assessment of the eco-system specific plants for health security needs of rural & urban households. It also includes the promotion of over 170,000 home & institutional herbal gardens in Peninsular and central India.

In 2002, I-AIM succeeded in getting “Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions” included as one of the thrust areas, in the latest National Policy document (Clause 9), 2002, on Indian Systems of Medicine of the Govt. of India.

2001 – 2010 Established an innovative community owned public limited company for cultivation and processing of medicinal plants.

2003 –2010 Established one of the country’s finest ethno-botanical gardens and nursery on the I-AIM campus. The garden hosts over 800 species of tropical Indian medicinal plants. It has helped thousands of homes and dozens of institutions in Bangalore city to establish herbal gardens.

2007 – 2010 The Director, I-AIM was appointed as an Honorary Advisor (ISM) to the Planning Commission and this provided I-AIM an opportunity to make substantial contributions to the preparation of the 11th 5-Year Plan for the AYUSH Sector including introducing innovative schemes related to public health, informatics, medicinal plants conservation, digitization of medical manuscripts, local health traditions, creation of centers of excellence and international cooperation.

Fundamental and Trans-disciplinary research on Traditional Health Knowledge systems:

2001 – 2010 Established a basic pharmacognosy & product development lab which is building an epistemologically sound bridge between Science & Traditional Knowledge. This is an accredited lab of the Ministry of Health for certification of quality standards of herbal drugs.

2004 – 2010 Established a 20-bed Ayurvedic Research Nursing Home, on I-AIM campus to engage in systematic treatment & clinical research on 12 specialty areas of Ayurveda.

2005 – 2010 Initiated a program to document India’s medical manuscripts under the auspices of the National Manuscript Mission, Govt. of India. In 2007, I-AIM created a unit for research into the theoretical foundations of Ayurveda.