Public Perceptions of Ayurveda, Yoga, and Homeopathy in Modern Healthcare

Abstract

Public perceptions strongly influence the use and acceptance of traditional, complementary, and alternative healthcare practices. Ayurveda, yoga, and homeopathy occupy distinctive positions within India's contemporary healthcare landscape, with perceptions shaped by cultural familiarity, perceived usefulness, accessibility, personal experience, trust, and expectations about integration with conventional medicine. A national Indian survey found that strong faith in AYUSH was a major reason for its use, while lack of need and lack of awareness were prominent reasons for non-use. A large nationwide survey of yoga found that 11.8% of respondents practiced yoga, while many participants believed that yoga improved lifestyle and could prevent diabetes, indicating strong public acceptance but also a knowledge-practice gap. Research on homeopathy shows high patient interest in integration with conventional healthcare, including 88.6% favorable attitudes in one West Bengal sample and 82.4% preference for integration in a later multi-city study. Recent research also reports high satisfaction with Ayurvedic care but identifies gaps in public understanding of risks and herb-drug interactions. paper compares public perceptions of Ayurveda, yoga, and homeopathy and examines their implications for modern healthcare, while distinguishing popularity and patient preference from scientific evidence of clinical effectiveness.