• Dr. Namita Dinesh Kalgutkar

Medicinal substances (Dravya) constitute an essential component of Ayurvedic therapeutics. The availability, authenticity and sustainable procurement of medicinal drugs are important for maintaining the quality and continuity of treatment. Ayurveda addresses the practical problem of non-availability of a desired drug through the concept of Abhava-Pratinidhi Dravya, wherein an unavailable drug may be replaced by a suitable substitute possessing comparable therapeutic attributes. Classical and later Ayurvedic literature document numerous examples of such substitution, particularly in Bhavaprakasha Nighantu, Purvakhanda, Mishraka Prakarana. The classical approach indicates that substitution is not necessarily restricted to botanical similarity; relevant attributes such as Rasa, Guna, Virya, Vipaka and Karma may contribute to the selection of an appropriate substitute. In the contemporary context, medicinal plant scarcity, habitat loss, seasonal and geographical variation, difficulty in authentication and increasing demand have renewed interest in rational drug substitution. Modern pharmacognostic, physicochemical, phytochemical, chromatographic, molecular and pharmacological approaches can provide objective methods for evaluating the suitability of classical substitutes. However, substitution should be distinguished from adulteration and should not be regarded as an unrestricted replacement of one medicinal substance by another. This review reappraises the classical foundation of Abhava-Pratinidhi Dravya, summarizes selected examples and discusses its relevance to contemporary drug authentication, quality control, conservation and evidence-based Ayurveda. [2,8]

Abhava-Pratinidhi Dravya, Pratinidhi Dravya, Ayurveda, Drug Substitution, Dravyaguna, Medicinal Plants, Drug Authentication, Adulteration.

"Reappraising Abhava-Pratinidhi Dravya: Classical Foundations and Contemporary Perspectives", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 10, page no.c536-c543, October-2026, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2610257.pdf

"Reappraising Abhava-Pratinidhi Dravya: Classical Foundations and Contemporary Perspectives", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 10, page no. ppc536-c543, October-2026, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2610257.pdf