WHO Reports and Clinical Guidelines That Mention Ayurveda
What World Health Organization documents and one clinical guideline say about Ayurveda, and why a training standard or policy paper is not the same as proof that a treatment works.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
Read this first
When a website says "recognized by the WHO," it can mean very different things. A WHO document may set a training standard, describe national policies, add a coding system for records, or review evidence. Only the last of these speaks to whether a treatment works. This page sorts the main documents by what they actually are. For the wider story of recognition, see WHO, ICD-11 and International Recognition of Ayurveda.The documents at a glance
| Document | What it is | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| WHO Benchmarks for Training in Ayurveda (2010; updated 2022) | Training standards for national authorities | Does not judge whether treatments are effective |
| WHO Global Report on Traditional and Complementary Medicine (2019) | A survey of how countries use and regulate traditional medicine | Is not a treatment review |
| Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025-2034 | A policy plan adopted by member states | Does not endorse specific therapies |
| ICD-11 traditional medicine module (2025 update) | A way to record traditional medicine conditions in health data | Is not a statement that the diagnoses are valid biomedical diseases |
| Clinical guideline for Ayurvedic practitioners on type 2 diabetes (2023) | An evidence-graded guideline built from a systematic review | Applies only to that condition and to practitioners |
WHO training benchmarks
The 2010 WHO publication is titled "Benchmarks for training in traditional / complementary and alternative medicine: benchmarks for training in Ayurveda." [1] A 2022 update, published 11 February 2022, "defines the minimum requirement/criteria for establishing training of Ayurveda in WHO Member States" and is meant as a reference for national authorities setting regulatory standards. It also sets out core knowledge for practitioners, including safety in clinical use and medicine preparation. [2]This is about education and safety standards. It does not say that Ayurvedic treatments work for any condition. Training is covered further in Ayurvedic Training in India.
WHO global report, 2019
WHO's 2019 report on traditional and complementary medicine says it "reviews global progress" over two decades, is based on contributions from 179 member states, and shows that more countries are recognizing a role for such medicine in national health systems. [3] It describes policy and use. It is not a verdict on effectiveness.Global strategy, 2025-2034
The World Health Assembly adopted the Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025-2034 in 2025. WHO describes a vision of "universal access to safe, effective and people-centred" traditional, complementary and integrative medicine, with four objectives: build the evidence base, ensure safety and regulation, integrate it into health systems, and maximize its value across sectors. [4] Notice the first objective: it says evidence needs building. That is a policy aim, not a finding that the evidence is already strong.ICD-11 module
WHO's 2025 update to the International Classification of Diseases added a module covering traditional medicine conditions of Ayurveda and related systems, including Siddha and Unani, to "enable systematic tracking of traditional medicine services" and support research and policy. [5] A classification code lets a visit be recorded. It does not prove that a traditional diagnosis corresponds to a biomedical disease. For the concepts themselves, see Doshas, Prakriti, Agni and Ama as Traditional Concepts.A clinical guideline that does grade the evidence
One example of an evidence-graded guideline is a type 2 diabetes guideline for Ayurvedic practitioners, developed by a team including researchers at the University of Nottingham. Its published development process describes a systematic review of 199 randomized trials (21,191 participants), the GRADE approach for rating certainty, and a 17-member international guideline group. [6]The authors report limits that matter for readers: a weak recommendation was given where overall quality of evidence was low or very low, 65 Ayurvedic medicines could not be included in any meta-analysis, few trials reported adverse events, and interactions with conventional medicines are uncertain. [6] Label: insufficient evidence for most individual medicines, with a transparent process. See Ayurveda for Type 2 Diabetes and Weight for more.
Other guidelines
I looked for national guidelines (for example from NICE in the UK) that recommend Ayurvedic treatment and did not find any in a web search of NICE and NHS pages. Proper evidence not found means only that my search did not locate one. Absence from guidelines is not proof that nothing works; it reflects the evidence base discussed in Does Ayurveda Work?.How to use this page
If you see "WHO-approved Ayurveda," ask: approved for what, and by which document? A training benchmark, a policy strategy and a coding system are not clinical endorsements. Always check products and practitioners separately, tell your doctor about herbs you use, and seek medical care for serious or worsening symptoms.Frequently asked questions
Does the WHO endorse Ayurveda treatments?
Not in the documents read here. WHO has published training benchmarks, a global report and a strategy, none of which approves specific treatments. [2][4]
What are the WHO Benchmarks for Training in Ayurveda?
They are WHO standards for training practitioners, first published in 2010 and updated in 2022 as a reference for national authorities. [1][2]
What does the ICD-11 module for Ayurveda do?
It lets traditional medicine conditions be recorded and tracked in health data, to support research and policy. [5] It is not an evidence review.
Is there a clinical guideline for Ayurveda?
Yes, at least one: a 2023 type 2 diabetes guideline for Ayurvedic practitioners, built from a review of 199 trials and rated with GRADE. [6] It gave weak recommendations where evidence quality was low or very low.
How many countries are in WHO's traditional medicine report?
The 2019 report draws on contributions from 179 member states. [3]
References
- WHO, Benchmarks for training in traditional / complementary and alternative medicine: benchmarks for training in Ayurveda (2010). Read 2026-10-22.
- WHO, WHO benchmarks for the training of ayurveda (2022). Read 2026-10-22.
- WHO, WHO global report on traditional and complementary medicine 2019. Read 2026-10-22.
- WHO, Global traditional medicine strategy 2025-2034. Read 2026-10-22.
- WHO, WHO releases 2025 update to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), 14 February 2025). Read 2026-10-22.
- Chattopadhyay et al., Development process of a clinical guideline to manage type 2 diabetes in adults by Ayurvedic practitioners. Front Med 2023. Read 2026-10-22.