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American woman says she is ayurveda ambassador: American woman says she is ayurveda ambassador

By Mohammed Shafeeq, Hyderabad

A Caucasian American who calls herself a "blue-eyed Hindu" says her life's mission is to take ayurveda to global masses.

The US-born Marielle Holman Barnes, who was here at the fourth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, told IANS: "This is the third diaspora meet I am attending as a freelance ambassador of ayurveda.

"I am working to make ayurveda recognised all over the world as a system of medicine. I have met the minister for overseas Indian affairs and other senior officials here with a request to work for the globalisation of ayurveda."

Working at the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions near Bangalore for the last five years, she said: "Ayurveda is India's asset, and if this country fails to make use of it, China and the US might do it."

A native of San Francisco, Barnes toured Europe last year to spread her message that ayurveda could be a serious and credible alternative to allopathic medicines.

She also believes that ayurveda alone could take a lead in research for cure of HIV/AIDS.

She said: "With over 5,000 years of history and more than 100,000 medical manuscripts, ayurveda is a system of healthcare with answers to a number of issues that conventional allopathic medicine can't address."

Barnes, a graduate in international economics from Georgetown University, who worked for a law firm for eight years, was attracted towards ayurveda after her personal experience with the therapy, which worked wonders for her.

Barnes said: "I had health problems after a car accident and after trying all allopathic medicines and procedures I came to India in 1999 and underwent ayurvedic treatment in Coimbatore."

Barnes, who is also chief advisor (ayurveda initiatives) at Mumbai's Somaiya Trust, feels that the allegation that yoga guru Swami Remdev's pharmacy produced ayurvedic drugs lacked with human and animal remains would not hit ayurveda.