Trend analysis of Ayurveda studies in Korea

Abstract

This study analyzes the trends of studies on Ayurveda in Korea. Ayurveda is a natural healing system that heals the body, mind, and soul as a traditional medicine in India. The importance of natural healing is being emphasized more domestically and internationally, and various methods and healing theories that increase an individual's immunity are being re-evaluated. Against this background of the times, it is urgently necessary to analyze the trends of Ayurveda studies. This study used domestic journals and degree theses of the Research Information Sharing Service (RISS) from January 1997 to June. The data were searched through the keywords ‘Ayurveda (Korean)’ or “Ayurveda.” For data analysis, descriptive statistical analysis was performed. As a result of the research, a total of 193 theses were published, including 57 master's theses, 28 doctoral theses, and 108 academic theses. Among the results, Mee-Sook Cheong (23 articles, 11.94%) wrote the most research papers. In terms of gender, there was a difference in the number of female researchers nearly three times that of male researchers. By the year, 2020 had the highest number of publications. In terms of study methods, there were many literature studies, followed by quantitative studies. By study institute, Changwon University produced the most master's theses and Dong-Bang Culture University had the most doctoral. In conclusion, what learned through this study was that the natural healing system of Ayurveda, a classical medicine, moved with the flow of time. The results can be concluded based on the trends of the condition of well-being and the trends within the condition of COVID-19. The results will also provide basic data for future researchers on trends in Ayurvedic studies.