Ayurveda is at a crossroads of sorts. In taking the bridge to modernity, the Ayurvedic community has gifted itself a thorny dilemma. How exactly to make the transition? One of the conceptual struggles relates to pharmacology: the actual medical substances to be used, and their form and dosage. ‘New’ Ayurvedic medicines fill our shop shelves, but how are they to be accounted for? Are they research-backed? What are the terms of such research? Are they truly ‘Ayurvedic’ in the sense of following the essential tenets? It’s not a black-and-white question, one that should provoke instant judgement on either side; the dilemmas run deep.