Running an AYUSH clinic in India means clearing two layers of compliance: registering yourself as a practitioner with the correct national commission for your system, and then holding the same clinic-level licences any establishment needs. Which commission you fall under depends entirely on your system. Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa come under the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine. Homoeopathy comes under the National Commission for Homoeopathy.
That split is the single most important thing to get right, and it is where a lot of confusion starts. "AYUSH" is one umbrella term, but it is not one regulator. This guide walks through what is genuinely specific to AYUSH practice, and points you to our existing guides for the general clinic licences that apply to every clinic regardless of system. AYUSH is one of several second-layer regimes that sit on top of the basics, covered in our specialty clinic compliance guide.
What AYUSH actually covers
AYUSH is the acronym used by the Ministry of AYUSH for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homoeopathy. The Ministry was created in 2014 to develop education, research and standards across these traditional systems. It sets policy direction, but it is not the body you personally register with as a practitioner.
For day-to-day practice, two things matter more than the Ministry itself: the statutory commission that registers you, and your own state's AYUSH department, which handles drug licensing and often the first step of practitioner registration.
Practitioner registration: NCISM or NCH
This is the part that has no equivalent for an MBBS doctor, who registers with a state medical council under the National Medical Commission. AYUSH practitioners follow a parallel structure.
If you practise Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha or Sowa-Rigpa, you come under the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM). NCISM replaced the older Central Council of Indian Medicine and maintains a national register of practitioners across these systems. It works through a Board of Ethics and Registration, and through state boards and state register acts. In practice that means you typically register with your state board or council first, and your name then flows onto the national register.
If you practise Homoeopathy, you come under the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH), which has its own Board of Ethics and Registration and its own national register. The same state-first pattern usually applies, and NCH has issued guidance for states where a state homoeopathy council is not yet established.
A few things to confirm rather than assume, because they vary:
- The exact registration route in your state. Whether you apply to a state board, a state council, or directly, and what proof of qualification is needed, depends on your state's act.
- Renewal and re-registration cycles. These are set by your council and state and change over time.
- Scope of practice. What you are permitted to prescribe and perform is tied to your system. Rights to practise modern medicine are state-variable and legally contested, so never assume a national rule. Check your state's position.
Your degree must come from a recognised college, and your registration must be valid and current. A lapsed registration is a serious problem if a question is ever raised about your right to practise.
Where AYUSH drug rules diverge: ASU medicines
This is the second area that is genuinely AYUSH-specific. Many AYUSH clinics, especially Ayurveda and Unani practices, prepare or dispense their own classical and proprietary formulations. That brings drug law into the picture, but not through the same office an allopathic clinic deals with.
Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani medicines, often shortened to ASU drugs, are regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, through a separate AYUSH drug stream administered by your state. The licensing authority is usually a designated AYUSH drug controller or assistant drug controller, distinct from the allopathic state drugs control office. The Drug Control Cell of a state Directorate of AYUSH gives a sense of how this is structured: separate notified licensing authorities, separate forms, and a focus on manufacturing units.
Where you sit depends on what you actually do:
| What you do | Typical position |
|---|---|
| Dispense medicines to your own patients during treatment | May fall under a dispensing exemption, similar to other doctors |
| Stock and sell medicines like a shop | Crosses into licensed sale, like a retail drug counter |
| Manufacture your own formulations | Needs an ASU manufacturing licence from the state AYUSH drug authority |
For manufacturing, states reference forms such as Form 24-D for a manufacturing licence and a separate Good Manufacturing Practices certification, processed through state AYUSH drug systems. The exact forms, fees, GMP requirements and renewal cycles are state-administered and change, so treat the specifics as something to confirm with your state AYUSH drug authority, not as settled national detail.
The honest summary: if you are only handing patients medicines as part of their treatment, you are likely in the same exemption territory we cover in our drug licence guide. The moment you start making formulations or selling them across the counter, you are in licensed ASU drug territory, and it runs through the AYUSH side, not the allopathic side. Get this checked before you prepare or sell anything, because the penalties for unlicensed manufacture are not minor.
The general clinic licences still apply
A common and costly assumption is that AYUSH registration is a complete licence to run a clinic. It is not. It registers you as a practitioner. The establishment still needs the same general compliance any clinic does. None of the following is replaced by your NCISM or NCH registration:
- Clinical establishment registration, where your state operates a registration regime. Read our clinical establishment registration guide for how the central act and state acts differ.
- Municipal trade or health-trade licence from your local body.
- Biomedical waste authorisation if you generate clinical waste. Even AYUSH clinics produce sharps, dressings and contaminated material if they do procedures, so do not skip this.
- GST registration once you cross the turnover threshold, with the healthcare exemption applied correctly to your services.
- Fire safety, building and signage approvals depending on your premises and state.
For the full establishment checklist that applies to any clinic, see our licences required to open a clinic in India, and run your situation through our clinic licence checker to see which apply to you. AYUSH compliance is best thought of as: everything a normal clinic needs, plus your system's practitioner registration, plus ASU drug licensing if you touch medicines.
A practical sequence
There is no single order mandated nationally, but most owner-practitioners find this sequence sensible:
- Confirm your own registration is valid and current with your state board or council and the right commission, NCISM or NCH for your system.
- Decide your medicine model. Dispense only, sell, or manufacture. This determines whether you need an ASU sale or manufacturing licence and changes your premises and staffing needs.
- Register the establishment. Clinical establishment registration where applicable, plus the trade licence.
- Cover waste, GST and premises approvals as the establishment-level layer.
- Keep clean records. Your registration numbers, drug licence details if any, and patient records should be organised from day one, not reconstructed during an inspection.
That last point is where good record-keeping earns its place. Inspections, renewals and any future audit are far less stressful when your registrations, consents and clinical notes are organised and retrievable.
Where software fits, honestly
Avinya Plus is a generic, configurable clinic platform, not an AYUSH-specific product, and it is worth being precise about that. There is no dedicated "AYUSH module." What it does have is configurable clinical templates across 40+ specialties, built in a block editor you can edit yourself. That means you can build an Ayurveda or Unani case sheet, a constitution or dosha assessment layout, or a list of the classical formulations you commonly prescribe, and print to A4 or thermal. Those are templates you configure, not a regulated AYUSH feature we are claiming.
On the operational side, the same things that help any clinic apply here: structured, exportable patient records, GST-aware billing where each catalogue item carries its own rate, and a role-based audit trail that logs who created, viewed or changed a record. None of that makes you compliant on its own. It makes the compliance you have already organised easier to evidence.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or medical advice. AYUSH registration, drug licensing and clinic rules are heavily state-administered and change over time, so confirm the current requirements with your state AYUSH department, the relevant commission, and where money or medicines are involved, a qualified professional.
Frequently asked questions
- Which council registers an AYUSH practitioner?
- It depends on your system. Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa practitioners come under the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), which replaced the old Central Council of Indian Medicine. Homoeopathy comes under the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH). Both keep a national register, and you usually register through your state board or council first. Confirm the exact route with your state authority.
- Can a BAMS or BHMS doctor open a clinic the same way an MBBS doctor does?
- The clinic-opening steps are similar, but the practitioner registration is different. A BAMS doctor registers under NCISM and a BHMS doctor under NCH, not under the National Medical Commission. Your degree must be from a recognised college and you must hold a valid registration in your system. Scope of practice is tied to your system, and modern-medicine practice rights vary by state and are contested, so confirm locally.
- Do I need a drug licence to prepare or sell my own Ayurvedic medicines?
- If you only dispense classical or proprietary medicines to your own patients during treatment, you may fall under a dispensing exemption, like other doctors. But if you manufacture your own formulations, or stock and sell them like a shop, you cross into Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani drug licensing under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. That is handled by the AYUSH drug authority in your state, not the allopathic drug office. Confirm before you make or sell anything.
- Do general clinic licences still apply to an AYUSH clinic?
- Yes. Practitioner registration with NCISM or NCH does not replace clinic-level compliance. Depending on your state you may still need clinical establishment registration, a municipal trade licence, biomedical waste authorisation if you generate clinical waste, GST registration above the threshold, and fire or building approvals. AYUSH registration sits on top of these, not instead of them.
- Is there one central AYUSH licence that covers everything?
- No. There is no single licence. Your obligations split across the practitioner council for your system, your state AYUSH drug authority if you handle medicines, and the same general clinic licences any establishment needs. Most of these are state-administered, so the forms, fees and timelines vary. Treat each as a separate track.