How to Check an Ayurvedic Practitioner: A Practical Checklist

Before you start

This page is a checklist, not a directory. We do not list or recommend practitioners, clinics or schools, and nothing here means a person is licensed. Searching "Ayurveda near me" gives you sellers and clinics of every quality, so the checks below matter. For the wider picture see choosing an Ayurvedic practitioner.

Step 1: Find out which kind of credential they claim

There are three different things: a degree, a professional certification, and a government license or registration. In the US, government agencies grant licenses and professional organizations certify practitioners. [1] NCCIH adds that being licensed or certified is not always a guarantee of being qualified. [2] Ask which of the three they hold, from which body, and in what year.

Step 2: Check it with the body that issued it

Do not rely on a certificate on the wall or a website badge. Contact the issuing body.

• US certification. NAMACB has a published process for forwarding certification verification to an outside party. [3] It says not all schools meet its education requirements. [4]
• UK voluntary register. The APA says members are bound by its code of ethics and carry insurance, and must show continuing professional development. [5] It is a professional association, not an accrediting body for courses. [6] It also cannot recommend treatment or suggest members. [7]
• India. NCISM says it maintains a national register of Indian medicine, and its site has a registration and national register section. [8] [9] The law restricts practice to people with a recognized qualification who are enrolled on a State or Central register, with listed exceptions. [10] See training in India.

Step 4: Ask about scope and your doctor

• What conditions will they treat, and what will they refer out?
• Will they work with, or at least write to, your doctor?
• Will they ask for every medicine and supplement you take? Tell all your providers what you use. [13]

Step 5: Ask about products

• Which products do they sell or recommend, and who makes them?
• Is there a list of ingredients and batch testing for lead, mercury and arsenic? Some Ayurvedic preparations may contain these in toxic amounts. [14]

See heavy metals and product quality.

Step 6: Ask about practicalities

Fees, how many visits are expected, and what is billed separately. See what Ayurvedic care costs. For online visits see telehealth and online consultations.

Stop and walk away if

• They promise cures or tell you to stop prescribed medicine.
• They will not name ingredients or credentials.
• They push expensive packages or "cleanses".

NCCIH advises not using Ayurvedic medicine to postpone seeing a conventional health care provider about a medical problem. [15] For urgent symptoms get emergency care first (US: 911).