A Modern Incarnation of Ayurveda: Hybrid Practice at Naradevi Hospital (Research Note) (Report‪)‬

Introduction Ayurveda, the venerable South Asian medical tradition, takes on a stunning variety of forms in contemporary Kathmandu. From tantric jharpuke vaidyas blowing mantras to rasa sastra alchemists concocting potent rejuvenating formulas, to pharmacists dispensing Indian commercial products and even to white-coated, stethoscope-wearing doctors ordering blood tests and prescribing herbs in the form of capsules and syrups, the myriad forms of Ayurveda resemble the half-cultivated, half-wild tangle of growth at the Godawari botanical gardens. And, like such a forest-garden, some of the members are heirloom varieties, established in their soil for generations, and some newer cultivars, including hybrids that have crossed with foreign varieties.