Kolkata, Jan 3 (PTI): Herbal medicines will now be tested for quality and safety at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, where eastern India's first Centre for Evaluation of Traditional Medicine (TradMed-CoE) was inaugurated on Saturday.

The TradMed-CoE was set up at a cost of Rs 9.66 crore, sanctioned by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) under the Ministry of AYUSH.

The centre was inaugurated in the presence of Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya, Director General of CCRAS Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya and Ministry of AYUSH advisor Kousthubha Upadhyaya.

Bhattacharya said the centre will undertake quality control standardisation, toxicological studies, safety evaluation and metabolomic profiling of herbal medicines.

Describing it as the first such centre in eastern India, he said TradMed-CoE would strengthen evidence-based research on traditional medicine by integrating classical knowledge with modern scientific methods.

"With the widespread use of Ayurvedic medicines in India and abroad, along with increasing regulatory scrutiny in global markets, the research undertaken at TradMed-CoE is expected to play a crucial role in generating systematic safety, toxicological, and metabolomics data for multiple formulations," he said.

"This will help validate traditional claims and support global harmonisation of Ayurvedic products with WHO benchmarks," he added.

The centre will be led by Pulok Kumar Mukherjee, with a multidisciplinary team from Jadavpur University working in collaboration with CCRAS scientists, a statement said.

The centre has been envisioned as a self-sustaining academic and research hub, contributing through academic programmes, collaborative research, consultancy, and translational initiatives, it added.