Franz Rutz, Member of the International Maharishi AyurVeda community and President of the Swiss Ayurveda Umbrella Organization, helped draft the final version of this set of formal criteria for establishing the practice in Ayurveda in the WHO Member States.

Among other detailed technical guidelines, the document establishes requirements for quality assurance and regulation of Ayurveda practice, including the levels of training in Ayurveda, the different categories of Ayurveda health service providers, relevant requirements and considerations on the practice of the Ayurveda health interventions, health products and medical devices used in Ayurveda practice and the key elements for the safe practice of Ayurveda.

This represents a significant step in establishing recognised standards for Ayurveda and helps strengthen the evidence-based reputation of Ayurveda.

Beginning in 2019, Mr Rutz participated with a team of 49 experts from 22 countries to draft and finalise these guidelines by contributing the perspective from Maharishi AyurVeda of Consciousness-Based Medicine. He was instrumental in ensuring that the concept of consciousness was included as an essential aspect of effective holistic Ayurvedic assessments and treatments.

The final text included such language: “Clinical practice of Ayurveda is aimed at promotion and maintenance of health, prevention of diseases and treatment of diseases, with the eventual objective to sustain or restore the natural harmonious balance in the body-senses mind-consciousness system.”

The complete document is available for download at:
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240042674