Ayurveda and Its Intrinsic Commitment to Climate Change and Sustainability by Sudarshan Devendra Febrary 15, 2024

Sustainability is a rapidly growing movement in our global community, and we all play our part to the best of our ability and with the level of consciousness we acquire. Some examples include getting into the habit of bringing our own bags when shopping, knowing someone who cycles to work or school a few days a week to reduce fuel dependence, or even owning an electric car. But have you ever thought about what lies behind the pill you take to manage a common symptom? Do you know that often, repeatedly attacking the symptom with synthetic medication can have effects on the root cause of the disease due to resistance generated by the medicine?

Many times, we perceive the impact on the environment regarding the most perceptible and visualized events covered by the media, such as the new "more sustainable" clean energy companies that, in their development, still involve high consumption of non-renewable fossil fuels. Even if the final product doesn't seem to have a significant impact, the development process does. For example, many solar panel manufacturing plants, despite their green energy goal, have raised concerns about their use of non-renewable energy sources. Not to mention the large industries directly using fossil fuels, with their finished products still contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

However, there are other, less perceptible factors with a significant long-term impact, such as the irresponsible use of synthetic chemical pharmacology. Both production and the symptom-focused treatment model contribute to exponential consumption. Ayurvedic pharmacology aims to address the root cause of the problem and, therefore, symptoms gradually decrease as health improves. This is in stark contrast to the modern pharmaceutical industry, which, to some extent and in certain cases, has diverted the integral health purpose. Many pharmaceutical companies have developed more and more drugs to manage symptoms, resulting in a consumption cycle that incurs expenses related to the unsustainable use of chemicals, exploitation of natural plants for synthesis, and animal testing.

In this sense, awareness is crucial when it comes to managing your health, both in your internal and external environment.

However, in recent times, we have noticed that due to the benefits of Ayurvedic pharmacology, there has been overexploitation of natural resources in plantations, especially in India, where many plants are becoming increasingly scarce due to high demand. There are even proposals to manipulate plants to maximize their components by altering their biochemistry.

This, far from being regulated by Ayurvedic principles, distorts its initial purpose of understanding human beings in a harmonious relationship with the environment. Just because Ayurvedic plants provide us with well-being does not mean we should remain silent about indiscriminate cultivation and scientific modification attempts aimed at purportedly enhancing their effects.

At Sattva Herbs, we prioritize our customers' health. In line with this, we offer not only a range of Ayurvedic plants and ancient formulations like Chyawanprash but also ongoing training through seminars and courses that empower students with knowledge. This follows the Vedic principle that guides us: "Self-realization." Our goal is the well-being of patients, which implies a phase in which even beneficial Ayurvedic plants should be periodically suspended to allow the organs involved in the treatment to self-regulate.

At Sattva Herbs, we use two types of Ayurvedic plants, some derived from pulverized fruits and others from roots and leaves. The latter must be consumed in specific periods according to the prior recommendation of an Ayurvedic professional or a doctor with knowledge of these processes. As for those derived from fruits, they can be consumed regularly without interruption.