Ayurvedic Anti-Aging Principles Extend Animals' Lives Too

The field of antiaging and longevity may have gained recognition in recent years, with new techniques and concepts such as stem cell therapy and epigenetics. However, life extension has its roots in ancient times, including in the South Asian tradition of natural medicine known as Ayurveda. Considering that worldwide life expectancy was under 30 until the beginning of the 20th century, do these traditional practices actually work? They may, as poor life expectancy was tied to high poverty and low literacy rates, not the use of herbal medicine.

In a 2010 preclinical study, researchers set out to find whether or not this was the case, by comparing Drosophila flies on a standard yeast diet versus the addition of a rasayana supplement. The Shushruta Samhita, Ayurveda's second great text, describes rasayanas as designed to "retard ageing as much as possible, even to zero”. The Sushruta also describes rasayanas as “reversing naturally occurring senility” (swabhava vyadhi nivarana) and so “preventing death” (marana nivarana).  The study of longevity is said to be "only achievable at the most refined levels attained during intense meditation". The species Drosophila melanogaster is commonly used to study human aging and longevity, as we share many of the same genes that affect these issues.

In the control group of the first experiment, lifespan ranged from 40 days at minimum to a maximum lifespan of 53 days. In the group given the rasayana supplement, lifespan ranged from a minimum of 81 to a maximum of 91 days. The second experiment used more flies, in order to see if there were any sex-specific effects. Male flies given the supplement lived just over 80 days, compared to 52 days in the control group. Female flies in the control group lived only 53 days, but if they were given the supplement, their average lifespan increased to 80 days too. This was an average increase in lifespan by 51-55%, which was even longer than the 35% increase attributed to the breeding of "Methuselah" flies.

If this were to be successful in (very long-term) trials, this could have profound benefits to our health and the costs of healthcare. Traditional herbal formulas, along with diet and lifestyle changes, may be less expensive than pharmaceutical medicine, carry far fewer side effects, and are more focused on prevention. Improved length and quality of life by several decades would mean so much to so many people, as you cannot replace an individual or lost time.