Palampur: CSIR experts attend conference on Asian medicine in Taiwan

Palampur: Dr Sudesh Kumar Yadav, Director, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, (CSIR-IHBT) Palampur, and Dr Rakesh Kumar, Senior Principal Scientist at CSIR-IHBT, recently participated in the double 10th joint conference of International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicines (IASTAM) and Asian Society for the History of Medicine (ASHM) in Taipei, Taiwan. IASTAM and ASHM are the world’s foremost community devoted to advancing the study of Asian medicine.

Over 300 scientists, practitioners, historians, experts from 29 countries participated in the conference. Dr Sudesh chaired one of the sessions, while Dr Rakesh delivered an invited panel speech. He highlighted the advancements and potential of CSIR-IHBT’s research in the field of medicinal plants from Himalayas. He discussed the traditional system of Indian medicine and briefed the audience about the institute’s activities, including bio prospection of Himalayan medicinal plants, preparations of standard extracts, in vitro analysis of phyto molecules and bioactivity assays of promising plant fractions though in silico/in vivo/ ex vivo.

In addition to their active participation at the conference, the CSIR-IHBT delegation visited the National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine (NRICM) in Taipei. This visit provided an opportunity for scientific exchange and collaborative discussions with their Taiwanese counterparts.

They interacted with Mr Manharsinh Laxmanbhai Yadav, Director General (Ambassador) of the India Taipei Association (ITA) and his staff. The discussion focused on exploring collaborations between CSIR-IHBT and Taiwanese institutions. Reflecting on the experience, Dr Sudesh expressed optimism about the outcomes of the conference and the potential for future collaborations, stating, “The double tenth conference has been a remarkable platform for sharing our research and exploring synergies with international partners, especially in the realm of Traditional medicines/products. The interaction with the Director General of ITA has proven to be a fruitful endeavour.”