India, Aug. 8 -- Padma Shri Vaidya Balendu Prakash, who died of cardiac arrest on August 7, 2026, at 67, was a pioneering Ayurvedic physician known for evidence-based practice and global reach.

From promoting medicinal plant cultivation in Dehradun to treating chronic and complex diseases, he advanced Rasa Shastra, published internationally, held patents, and served as honorary physician to President K R Narayanan.

Padma Shri Vaidya Balendu Prakash passed away on August 7, 2026, after suffering from cardiac arrest. He was 67.

I first met Vaidya ji in 2002, when he persuaded farmers in the Raipur division of Dehradun to cultivate medicinal plants on their rocky land instead of paddy. The farmers grew konch (Mucuna pruriens), a medicinal...