More than a digital archive, DRAVYA is living embodiment of India's knowledge tradition: Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav

New Delhi, [India], October 9 (ANI): Marking a significant stride toward evidence-based integration and digital transformation in traditional medicine, the Ministry of Ayush unveiled the Digitised Retrieval Application for Versatile Yardstick of Ayush (DRAVYA) portal during the recently held 10th Ayurveda Day event at Goa on September 23.
According to an official release, the DRAVYA portal serves as a comprehensive, open-access database that dynamically consolidates data from classical Ayurvedic texts and standard online research platforms. Designed with an intuitive user interface, it enables users to search for medicinal substances used across Ayush systems and access detailed profiles spanning Ayurvedic pharmacotherapeutics, botany, chemistry, pharmacy, pharmacology, and safety information.
In its first phase, the DRAVYA portal aims to catalogue information on 100 key medicinal substances, with data continuously updated through a dedicated entry software to ensure precision and authenticity. The ambitious initiative of the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), the Digitised Retrieval Application for Versatile Yardstick of Ayush (DRAVYA), is an innovative online knowledge repository.
Notably, DRAVYA is AI-ready and will eventually interlink with the Ayush Grid and other Ministry initiatives on medicinal substances and drug policy. The platform also features QR code integration, enabling standardised information display in medicinal plant gardens and drug repositories nationwide.
Speaking about the initiative, Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav said, "DRAVYA is more than a digital archive -- it is the living embodiment of India's knowledge tradition in a contemporary form. By combining traditional knowledge with cutting-edge technology, we are strengthening the scientific foundation of Ayurveda and other Ayush systems for global collaboration and innovation."
Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, emphasised, "DRAVYA exemplifies the government's vision of bringing the Ayush knowledge into the digital era with scientific rigour and global accessibility. By integrating classical references with contemporary research, this platform will not only empower the scientific community but also serve as a credible, technology-driven resource for policymakers and innovators worldwide."
Prof. Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS, informed, "This platform will be a cornerstone for researchers, practitioners, and students. It will enable cross-disciplinary research, foster pharmacopoeial harmonisation, and enhance evidence-based validation of Ayush drugs."
With its modular design and capacity for expansion, DRAVYA represents a transformative step toward unifying the vast corpus of traditional medicine with modern scientific understanding -- a milestone in making authentic Ayush knowledge accessible, searchable, and globally relevant. (ANI)