Shriram Sharma, president of the Central Council of Indian Medicine, told The Indian Express that work on both drugs is well underway spurred by the success of `Ayush-64,', an ayurvedic wonder drug for various strains of malaria.

Both drugs are being pioneered by the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddhi, which has been applauded for the success of Ayush-64. The latter has already been patented and some pharmaceutical companies have already commenced mass production, Sharma says.

The Central Council of Indian Medicine, headquartered in Delhi, is the apex body on ayurveda in the country. It was constituted by Parliament in 1970 to monitor education and application of the ayurveda, unani and siddhi faculties ofmedicine. Sharma, who was in Nashik to release `Ayurved Sampada', written by Swanand Pandit, claims an ayurvedic contraceptive would be much more effective than its allopathic counterpart as it would have no side-effects and does not have to be taken daily. The intake period would be short, probably a few weeks, he says.Moreover, its effect would be permanent, with the woman unable to conceive again. He declined to reveal any more as the trials are on.

Sharma says an `Ayurvedic Pharmacopia' is still being compiled. While its first part, containing individual elements (like haldi, neem), has been released, part-II, on compounds (like chyawanprash, sanjeevani), is ready ready. Two more sections will be released in due course.

He said the council is concerned over the patents issue and will meet in Delhi on July 1 to discuss the matter. Prime Minister A B Vajpayee will inaugurate the deliberations. Sharma also expressed concern over felling of trees and the decreasing forest cover and advocated planting oftrees like neem and other medicinal plants all over the country. He says schools, panchayats and Zilla Parishads should pitch in.He says ayurveda has lost its importance in India thanks to the country's colonial history, whose influence lingers even today when allopathic remedies are preferred over ayurvedic ones.

To wean people away from this obsession, efforts are being made to formulate drugs like Ayush-64, whose effects are as prompt as allopathic remedies. Ironically, while Indians are crazy about quick-fix, allopathic remedies, ayurveda has evoked the interest of foreigners. There are over 60 Panchakarma institutes in the United States, Germany and Holland, Sharma points out, adding that India's foreign missions could be roped in to popularise ancient streams of medicine.