Indian and Malaysian officials held a discussion in New Delhi on Wednesday to enhance cooperation in the traditional medicine sector with a focus on the sharing of knowledge.

India's Ayush Ministry hosted a delegation from the Malaysian Health Ministry. Ayush stands for ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy.

The Malaysian officials expressed interest in capacity building programmes for their experts "to understand analytical parameters" with regard to Indian medicine and for panchakarma courses in India, the Indian ministry said.

Panchakarma, a set of five therapies that supposedly cleanse the body of toxins, is considered a key part of the Indian traditional medicine system ayurveda.

The two sides discussed the establishment of an ayurveda chair at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar), professional training in panchakarma therapy for Malaysian experts in India, the evaluation of safety and efficacy of the combination of ayurvedic and traditional products for clinical trials, and registration of homeopathic practitioners and their capacity building module in Malaysia.

An agreement between the National Medicinal Plants Board under the Ayush Ministry and Malaysia for cooperation in the field of medicinal plants was also discussed.

- Bernama