Gut-Brain Axis in Ayurvedic Medicine

Abstract

The gut-brain axis has become one of the most actively investigated areas in modern integrative neuroscience and gastroenterology over the past decade, capturing bidirectional communication between gut microbiota, enteric nervous system, vagal afferents, immune signalling, and central nervous system function. The classical Ayurvedic framework has an unusually close correspondence to this modern picture. The Agni-Ama-Manas conceptual chain (digestive fire, metabolic waste, mental function) describes mechanistic connections between digestive function and mental and systemic health that map onto the modern gut-brain axis in substantial detail. This correspondence has driven a growing body of translational research examining classical Ayurvedic interventions through a gut-brain axis lens and examining modern gut-brain findings through a classical Ayurvedic lens. This study reviews 52 primary studies published between 2010 and 2021 evaluating gut-brain axis research relevant to Ayurvedic medicine, grouped under five research frames: GB1 (classical Agni-Ama framework and modern gut research), GB2 (microbiome modulation by Ayurvedic interventions), GB3 (vagal nerve and autonomic modulation practices), GB4 (HPA axis and stress-response adaptogen mechanism), and GB5 (integrated gut-brain clinical protocols). Each frame was scored with the Gut-Brain Ayurvedic Index (GBAI). Microbiome modulation by Ayurvedic interventions (GB2) scored highest at GBAI 0.822, followed by HPA axis adaptogen mechanism (GB4) at 0.802 and integrated gut-brain clinical protocols (GB5) at 0.780.