Government of India established Central Council for Research in Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy (CCRIMH) in 1969 to carry out researches in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani medicine, Yoga and Homoeopathy. The Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), one of the successor organizations to the erstwhile CCRIMH was established as an autonomous organization, at New Delhi in 1978. Ever since, the CCRH remains a unique organization engaged in organized researches in Homoeopathy in the world. Prof. Dr. Chaturbhuja Nayak is currently the Director of Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy.

Management of the Council-Governing Body

    Management of the affairs of the Council is vested in a Governing Body appointed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Governing Body is headed by Hon'ble Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and has two Vice-Presidents (Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare and an eminent Researcher/Teacher/Professional), Secretary, Department of AYUSH, the Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser/JS(FA) or his nominee, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Joint Secretary Dept. of AYUSH, five experts in Homoeopathy, two scientists (one each in Pharmacology and Botany), one expert in modern medicine and Director, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Kolkatta as members. The Director of the Council acts as the Member Secretary of the Governing Body.

Standing Finance Committee.

    The Council has a Standing Finance Committee that is headed by the Joint Secretary (AYUSH), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and has Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Director of the Council and two non-official members of the Governing Body, as members. All matters concerning budget, proposals for grant-in-aid, new research schemes, proposals for creation of new posts and annual accounts of the Council are considered by the Finance Committee.

Scientific Advisory Committee

    All research proposals and scientific activities are considered by a Scientific Advisory Committee appointed by the Governing Body of the Council. This Committee comprises of experts drawn from amongst the researchers, teachers and clinicians in the field of Homoeopathy. Presently, Dr. Diwan Harishchand is the chairman of the Committee and other members are Dr. S.P. Singh, Advisor (Homoeopathy), Dr. V.K.Gupta, Dr. M.P.Arya, Dr. V.V. Nagaraja Rao, Dr. Rathin Chakravarthy, Dr. Satya Narayan Singh, Dr.Pa U Lenin, Prof. L.K.Nanda and Dr. Aditya Kaushik. The Union Government has also constituted the Special Committees for Drug Standardization , Clinical Research and Drug proving. Director, CCRH is the member Secretary of all the Committees.

    Dr. K. P. Muzumdar is the chairman of the Special Committee for Drug Standardization Committee with Dr. V. K. Lal, Dr. Rajesh S. Sharma, Dr. G. Nirmal, Dr. Veerabramhachary, Dr. P. V. Venkatraman, Dr. Probir Kumar Moitra, Director, Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Director and Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeial Laboratory as members.

    Dr. Diwan Harish Chand is the chairman of the Special Committee on Clinical Research and Dr. Jayesh V.Sanghavi, Dr. P. N. Varma, Dr. V. T. Augustine, Dr. Sadananda Sahoo, Dr.S.K.Tiwari, Dr. V. K. Khanna, Dr. A. U. Ramakrishnan, Dr. S. M. Singh and Director of National Institute of Homoeopathy, Kolkata, as members.

    Dr. D. P. Rastogi is the chairman of the Special Committee on Drug Proving and the members include Dr. Girish Gupta, Dr. R. K. Saxena, Dr. Ravi M. Nair, Prof. Dr. L. M. Khan, Dr. R. K. Manchanda, Dr. Alok Kumar and Dr. D. K. Gupta.

Brief Activities and Achievements of the Council are:

1. Drug Proving - Proved 76 drugs used in Homoeopathy, on healthy human volunteers. Proving data of 53 drugs have been published in the Quarterly Bulletin of the Council. Two volumes on Homoeopathic Drugs proved by the Council (49 drugs) are also published. Most of these drugs are of indigenous origin viz. Abroma augusta, Aegle folia, Aegle marmelos, Azadirachta indica, Mangifera indica, Tylophora indica etc.
2. Clinical Research - Completed 97 studies (52 Disease related and 45 Drug related) clinical studies till date in general and tribal areas. The salient achievements in disease related clinical studies have been in HIV disease ( Pilot study, Double- Blind , Multi-centric and Drug Related), Sickle Cell Anaemia, Filaria, Problems in mentally retarded children, Cervicitis & Cervical Erosion, Bronchial asthma, Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI), Drug De-addiction, Filariasis, Iron Deficiency Anaemia, Sinusitis, Skin Disorder (Psoriasis, Allergic dermatitis and Vitiligo) and Menorrhagia.
   Currently 17 Disease related and 01 Drug related studies ( on redesigned protocols) are in progress at both general and tribal areas which include Depressive Episode, Schizophrenia, Chronic Bronchitis, Chronic sinusitis, Benign prostate hyperplasia, Distress during climacteric (Menopausal) years, Furunculosis, Gastroenteritis, Acute Tracheo-Bronchitis, Renal calculi, Acute Rhinitis in children, Vitiligo, HIV/AIDS (open trial), HIV/AIDS (Drug related), Diabetic Distal Symmetric Polyneuropathy, Malaria, Diabetic foot ulcer, Acute Diarrhoeal Disease in Children, Drug De-addiction.
3. Clinical Verification - Since inception clinical verification studies on 52 drugs used in Homoeopathy are completed, most of which have been proved by the Council. Data of 22 drugs have also been published. Studies on 35 drugs proved by the Council are currently in progress.
4. Drug Standardization - Council has also concluded Pharmacognostic, Physio-chemical and Pharmacological studies on 106 drugs used in Homoeopathy. Pharmacognostic studies on 233 drugs, Physio-chemical studies on 214 drugs and Pharmacological studies on 124 drugs have also been completed.
5. Survey and Cultivation of Medicinal Plants - The Council has also procured 12.70 acres of land in Ooty on lease from the Govt. of Tamilnadu. After survey of medicinal plants in and around Udagamandalam (Ooty), Council has collected 8145 medicinal plants. Its research unit has cultivated some exotic medicinal plants widely used in Homoeopathy, including Cineraria maritima, Digitalis purpurea etc. at its Herb Garden in Ooty. Germ plasms of 59 homoeopathic medicinal plants are being maintained.
6. Collaborative Research Studies - The Council has also decided to take up tie up/collaborative programmes with other reputed Institutes, in order to avail their infrastructure, to validate the efficacy of our system. Some of these Institutes with whom Council has taken Collaborative Studies are:
   i. Department of Medical Elementology and Toxicology, Jamia Hamdard.
   ii. Jawahar Lal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) Pondicherry.
   iii. Department of Zoology, Osmania University, Hyderabad.
   iv. International Collaboration with University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) -
   v. School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata
   vi. Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi
   vii. Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow
   viii. Homoeopathic Research Foundation, Lucknow
   ix. High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal
   x. National Institute of Communicable Diseases and Safdar-jung Hospital, Delhi Council has also taken projects with scientists of following organizations.
   i) Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS)
   ii) Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay.
7. Extra Mural Research Scheme of Dept. of AYUSH Council is also monitoring research proposals received under Extra Mural research scheme of Dept. of AYUSH. Under the scheme grant-in-aid is provided to the Institute/organization for carrying out scientific research in Homoeopathy. Council is monitoring, presently, the 32 research projects relating to Homoeopathy under this scheme.
8. International Recognition - After the successful presentation of the Research activities of CCRH in the International Conference at London in January, 2006, the International Bodies like International Federation of Classical Homoeopath, Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital, European Committee of Homoeopathy & American Institute of Homoeopathy have included CCRH to form International Scientific Committee on Homoeopathy & Influenza (ISCHI) which will promote research programmes in Homoeopathy, particularly in the management of Influenza including Avian Flu.
   
   For further details please visit Council's website at : www.ccrhindia.org

Growth and Development Over the years CCRH had branched into 51 subordinate Institutes and Units functioning in different parts of the country. As a result of re-organization of the Council, a number of Units have been merged with other Institute or Units making it a total of 33 Institutes and Units as follows: Drug Proving Research Units - 02 Central Research Institutes - 02 Homoeopathic Drug Research Institute - 01 Regional Research Institutes - 07 Homoeopathic Treatment Centre - 01 Clinical Research Units - 16 Clinical Verification - 02 Drug Standardization - 02 Survey, collection and Cultivation of Medicinal Plants - 01 These Institutes and Units are carrying out researches in various aspects of Homoeopathy.