Letters to The Editor — August 3, 2026

The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), Government of India, recently issued a circular stating that those who denigrate ayurvedic degree holders as quacks or fake doctors would invite statutory action. It is certainly uncouth to hurl vile insults at people who undergo a five-year course fully recognised and endorsed by the same universities that grant MBBS degrees. As such, the NCISM is justified in issuing the statement. However, more fundamentally, the NCISM should introspect on why the professionals it creates and endorses are being called quacks. There are serious problems in the way ayurveda is approached, taught, and studied. A lack of timely, evidence-informed revisions has fossilised ayurvedic theories, which in turn has impeded a straightforward appraisal of its practices. Together, these factors have made a significant portion of the ayurveda degree syllabus pseudoscientific. The NCISM’s recent mistakes, such as treating Indian philosophy as being close to quantum mechanics or introducing medical astrology as an elective subject, have worsened the situation. The NCISM must understand the ayurvedic dictum that “eliminating the cause of a disease is the sum and substance of all treatment”. Unless there is serious introspection and a radical overhaul of the approach to ayurvedic studies, the NCISM will spend its time on futile statutory manoeuvres.