Excelsior Correspondent
HARIDWAR, Apr 9: Patanjali Ayurved Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna today claimed that Google approached Patanjali seeking evidence-based data regarding traditional Ayurvedic knowledge for use in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The achievement was formally highlighted at the Doon Book Festival, where Acharya Balkrishna shared insights into the journey behind the project, describing it as not just a publication but a historic effort to preserve global medicinal knowledge.
“Google is asking for Patanjali’s collected data, specifically the “World Herbal Encyclopedia” (Vishva Bheshaj Samhita), to strengthen its AI systems,” he said.
This encyclopedia, compiled by Patanjali over two decades, reportedly includes information on 50,000 medicinal plants, 964 healing practices and nine different medical systems.
“The project, once deemed “impossible” by the World Health Organization has been successfully completed in India, marking a historic achievement in the field of traditional medicine and research,” he said.
The ambitious practices were first launched by the WHO in 1999. However, after nearly 11 years of effort, the organization discontinued the project in 2010, citing its vast scope, complexity and practical challenges. The effort ultimately resulted in only three limited volumes.
Meanwhile, working quietly and independently, Patanjali Yogpeeth began a similar initiative around 2003-04, without prior knowledge of WHO’s attempt. What followed was nearly two decades of dedicated research, documentation and compilation.
By 2022, Patanjali completed what is now being described as a monumental work-‘Vishva Bheshaj Samhita’, a comprehensive global compendium of medicinal plants and traditional healing knowledge.
Balkrishna emphasized that the project represents the power of determination and vision.
“This is not just the story of a book, but of a mindset that challenges the impossible,” he said, adding that when commitment is unwavering, even unfinished efforts can be transformed into history.
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