About Ayurveda

Ayurveda is an ancient system of natural & medical healing originated in India. Ayur means life and Veda means Science. Thus Ayurveda means science of life. It gives a total approach to health, healing and Longevity. The holistic system of medicine is supposed to be the oldest form of health care system available on planet today. It is believed that other healing systems were influenced by the knowledge of Ayurveda.

The unique system of healing believes is not only treating the ailments of body alone but also the mind and spirit. The most amazing part of ayurveda is that it uses almost all methods of healing like yoga, meditation, purification, regime, astrology, and incorporates herbs, gems, colour, massages, diet, exercise etc, which can be individually used to heal a number of ailments in a suffering person.

According to Ayurveda everything in nature -the body, foods, season etc are all composed of five elements originally called panchmahabhuts. These are Earth, water, Fire, Air & Space. Practioners or Vaidyas group these five elements into three categories called Doshas. These are Vata, Pitta and Kapha. They believe that an imbalance in these doshas causes illness. Ayurveda believes is treating the sick and restoring the health of a healthy person.

The ancient wisdom of healing system was a part of spiritual tradition of Vedic religion. Dhanwanthari moorthy is considered as the god of Ayurveda. Originally four main books of spirituality, which covers a vast number of subjects from astrology, health, business etc are written in Sanskrit and are known as Vedas. These Vedas belongs to approximately 2500 B.C or earlier and known as oldest writing in the world. They are 1] Rigveda 2] Yajurveda 3] Samaveda and 4] Atharva Veda.

During 3000 to 2000 B.C Atharva Veda was written of which Ayurveda is upaveda [Sub-section]. This was first time the traditionally practiced oral form of ayvrveda was written in a text form as an independent service.

Atharva veda lists eight divisions of ayurveda. These are Kayachikitsa (Internal medicine), Shalakyachikitsa(surgery of head, neck ophthalmology (ornithology), Shalayachikista(Surgery), Agadtantra (toxicology), Bhootvidya(psychiatry),Kaumaryabhrityatantra(paediatrics), Rasayan(Gerontology or science of rejuvenation) and Vajikaran(science of fertility). The oldest treastise available on this version is Atreya Samhita.

Around 1500 B.C two school of thoughts existed and those made Ayurveda a scientifically verifiable and classified medical system.

Ancient Ayurvedic School of Thoughts

1] Atreya-: The School of Physicians.

2] Dhanwantari-: The School of Surgery.

Both school thoughts had their own philosophy, diagnostic patterns, treatments and medicine. They had different followers and the texts were written by the school accordingly.

The texts are divided into two major categories namely 1] Brihat trayi 2] Laghu trayi.
Brihattrayi includes Charaka Samhita, Sushrut Samhita and Ashtanga Hridayam.

Laghutrayi includes Sharangdhar Samhita, Bhavpakash and Madharnidam.

These text describes the basic principles and theories from which ayurveda has evolved. They also include vast clinical information of many diseases and their management.

Charaka is one of the most well known physician of ancient times. Charaka Samhita followed the Atreya School of thought and explains the logics and philosophy on which the system of medicine is based. Most of Charaka Samhita is in the form of meeting where Scholars taken into consideration before comes to conclusion. Thus ayurveda is a result of constant verification and authentication by a group of learned physicians.

Pinda Bramhanda Nyay:     

                                          According to the law of microcosm and macrocosm every thing that exist in the vast external universe or the macrocosm, also appears in the internal cosmos of the human body or the micro cosm. This in Sanskrit is known as the ' Pinda Bramhanda Nyay'. It is believed that the microcosmic body when healthy is self-perpetuating and self-correcting.

Pancha Mahabhuta(The five elements)

                                                                     All the matters in the universe is made up of five elements such as Earth, Water, Fire, wind and space or void or ether. Earth represents the solid heavy state; water represents the free flowing liquid state. Fire represents a substance's ability to undergo change, wind represents the gaseous state, void or ether is space, which encompassed the matter.  

Samaan Viparita Nyay.          

                              Since body is also an object, it is also made up of five elements. The health is preserved only when these five elements comprising our body are in homogeneous state and equilibrium. Our food and life style has impact on this delicate balance of five elements. However these foodstuffs and lifestyles have three types of effects on the body.

1] It can act as food and nourish the body.
2] It can act as medicine and bring about balance in the elements.
3] or it can act as poison and disturb on the body functions.

Guna(Qualities)

                            Any substance ranging from fruits, vegetables, meat, grains, herbs, minerals etc are carriers of number of qualities. Some of the qualities of substance are very innate and cannot be segregated where as in others it can be changed by processing the substance.
Ayurveda lists ten pairs of qualities which are opposite to each other in nature. They are heavy&light, Slow acting and fast acting, cold and hot, Greasy and moist and dry, smooth and rough, viscous and clean, soft and hard, stable and mobile, subtle and gross, Sticky and non sticky. 

  Tridosha [Three functional Elements]

                                                                    Three dosha activates all five elements in the human body. Five elements in the cosmic universe have their counterparts encompassed in tridoshas in the body. The work dosha is derived from the Sanskrit root 'dosh' meaning to corrupt. This dosha corrupts the tissue and the waste products in the body, which leads to diseases. However disease occurs only when there is an unibalance in those three doshas , where as in equilibrium they help to bring about all physical activities and chemical changes taking place in the body via digestion, assimilation, circulation, metabolism etc. These three dosha are vata, pitta and Kapha.

Vata is predominantly made up of air and ether elements, where as pitta is made mainly of fire while the Kapha has earth and water as its primary elements.

Dhatus: The three doshas displays their activity by acting through the tissues and the waste products that makes up the body. The food and water that we consume undergo chemical changes and produce seven tissues that are known as dhatus.

Ayurveda is the world’s oldest known medical science, which originated in India over 5,000 years ago. The main source of this ancient knowledge is the Vedas or the divine books of knowledge propounded by spiritual rishis (sages) in India.

Ayurveda is not simply a healthcare system, but a form of lifestyle adopted to maintain perfect balance and harmony within the human existence. According to Ayurveda, life represents a combination of the Atma (soul), Mana (mind), Indriyan (senses) and Sharira (body). It revolves around the five elements (Panchamahabhutas) that constitute an individual's nature or Prakriti. This nature is determined by the vital balance of the three physical energies - Vata, Pitta and Kapha - and the three mental energies - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.

Ayurveda - An Introduction


According to Ayurveda, living in harmony with nature and according to natural principles ensures complete physical health and peace of mind. However, modern life often violates the principles of natural living. We work long hours in offices with artificial light and air conditioning systems. We don’t have time to prepare breakfast, eat a fast food lunch at our desk and a pre-prepared dinner in front of the television. We rush from one mundane task to the next while being bombarded with advertising and constant noise, and absorbing pollution through the air and water. No wonder we are inviting disease rather than confronting it. Living naturally according to some simple principles can prevent the need for expensive medical treatment or needless suffering from debilitating conditions. Learn to listen to your body and read the signals of distress to maintain health, and lead a more productive life.

Ayurveda thus offers a unique blend of science and philosophy that balances the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components necessary for holistic health. Browse through this section to pick some handy Ayurvedic home remedies, access our online Ayurvedic dictionary or scan through a wealth of information on topics ranging from daily health solutions to profound Ayurvedic philosophies.

The importance of Ayurveda can be acknowledged by the mere fact that a whole Veda has been dedicated to it. ‘Ayurveda’ is a combination of two words, where ‘Ayush’ denotes life and ‘Veda’ depicts the science. Thus Ayurveda is ‘The science of life’ which provides us with a life full of health, vigor and vitality.

I would say that the ancient Ayurveda practice actually redeems a holistic approach towards well-being. Also, as this therapy deals with preparations only from herbs and natural resources, it may be regarded as a non-detrimental mode of treatment with few or no side effects. Ayurveda, being a therapeutic discipline, has full potential to help a patient overcome the ailment from which he or she is suffering exclusively using natural means of healing. The prime focus of Ayurveda is on the preventive aspect and therefore curing of the disease in Ayurveda is considered as secondary to harbouring of natural wellness.

 
  How is Ayurveda different from modern medicine?

I would focus on three basic points which distinguishes Ayurveda from the modern age medicine. .

• First, In Ayurveda the very first principle in treating a disease is to do away with the basic cause of the disease, and also no new ailment should emerge as a consequence. A disease is eradicated from its roots.

• Secondly, Ayurveda insists that medicine be centered at the patient, rather on the disease. The mind, body and soul are considered as a tripod and the entire word is sustained by their combination.

• Thirdly, as Ayurveda deals with the preparations only from herbs and natural resources, it is basically harmless therapy with least or no side effects. And precisely, this is the demand of our times.

  What is a Dosha and what are the three principles used in Ayurveda?

Dosha is the Sanskrit term for “that what vitiates.” Thus, doshas are the humors that imminently make up the body and yet they are very easy to be vitiated. Ayurveda believes that as and when the three doshas are in the state of natural equilibrium, these tend to sustain natural wellbeing. And on the contrary, when the doshas fall out of balance, then these are reason enough to make the body ailing. Ayurveda doshas or the three principles (body humors) are Vata or the air, Pitta or the fire and Kapha or the phlegm. The three doshas are highly significant and essential for our natural health and well-being, are thoroughly described in Ayurveda science of Dosha Healing

Does one have to adopt a complete ayurvedic lifestyle in order to become healthier, or is it possible to incorporate a few methods into our daily routine?

I would say that although Ayurveda largely counsels about adapting the right everyday lifestyle, with the aim of staying clear of lifestyle ailments, as well as enjoying the fruit of natural wellbeing and longevity; yet even if we are able to include the basic methods, it would be much healing. I would vouch for taking into conscious consideration the balanced diet, daily exercise and proper rest in everyday living, which are also considered as the three pillars which support the ‘building’ of our health.

 So many Americans lead an incredibly stressful life.  Are there any herbs you would recommend to combat stress?


There are some Ayurveda herbs that are expressed more rightly as ‘Brain tonics’. These not only help to combat stress, but can also prove quite beneficial to sharpen intellect and increase the mental powers. Ayurveda herbs like Brahmi (Centella asiatica), Shankpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis) and Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) are great support for combating stress.

   What are your top 10 tips for living a balanced and healthy life?

 Rise and Shine

Waking up early saves us from a number of maladies like lethargy, depression and diminished digestion. Therefore, make it a point to wake up early in the morning, actually with the first morning sun rays. The juvenile ultraviolet rays emitted during dawn tend to work as mind stimulators and mood dilators!

 Exercise and Keep Yourself Charged

Any form of daily exercise or brisk walks in the fresh air is highly important for the fitness of both your body as well as mind. Not only this, Yoga poses like Shavasana and Yoga Nidra and deep breathing techniques called Pranayama are going to help you greatly to relieve the depressive mental state, especially the Anulom – Vilom ( Alternate breathing) and Bhramari Pranayamas.

 Eat Right

What to eat and when to eat are some of everyday eating habits that you need to keep in mind so as to enjoy the fruit of Natural health lifelong. While taking food, you need to be mentally in the state of happiness and tranquillity. Physical hygiene and mental (spiritual) purity enhance the nourishing property of the meal. Ayurveda advocates taking of the meal to be analogous to performing a sacred act. Therefore enchanting of mantras and offering of prayers before commencing eating the meal is considered auspicious as well as mandatory. The everyday food that is warm, unctuous, and light is believed to be well digested and nourishing for the body as well as mind. This kind of food tends to invigorate your gastric fire—which is essential in proper digestion of the meal—is nicely digested and assimilated within the body, and helps to settle down the gas formation in the abdomen. Not to forget drinking of warm water often, which tend to keep your system working,

 Detoxify Occasionally

Ayurveda detoxification needs to be pursued occasionally, especially during seasonal transition. There is a noticeable gain in vigor and vitality, improved skin conditions, regular bowel movements, and better digestion physically and mental gains include increased levels of clarity and a feeling of cheerfulness.

 Meditate Daily for Inner Peace and Balance

Meditation needs to be a part and parcel of your everyday living. This may be brought about by many wonderful means of self-discipline, yet is has proved adherently comforting and enlightening so as to follow what ancient wisdom has preached.

 Connect with Nature often

Do not miss on your bond with Nature. Connection with all five natural elements – Ether, air, sun, water and earth is actually needed. This needs to be understood that like other forms of nature, we too are made from the same five basic natural elements. So we are one hundred percent natural. And thus it feels good as and when we are in proximity to the five natural elements.

 Yoga and Pranayama – A Necessity for keeping Fit

Yoga poses and deep-breathing techniques of Pranayama are virtual gain for all those who find themselves growing conscious about the progressing years. Yoga aids in slowing down the process of aging in a number of ways. When practiced regularly, body cell degeneration decreases considerably and this in turn imparts vitality and vigor to mind, body and soul. Practicing deep breathing techniques provide you with inner peace, helps reduce debility and limitations and even slows down the aging process.

 Everyday Massage

Massage of soles of the feet with some warming oil like Sesame seed oil will benefit. Also, you need to use some cooling ( not warm in property) oil for everyday massage of your scalp, although these oils can be slightly warmed before massage. Elaadi tailam or coconut oil are good.

Sound Sleep is Must

Sound sleep for seven to eight hours is the best form of rest. This helps the body and mind relax completely and also helps regain the daily loss of energy. This is also a necessary ingredient for retaining – as well as reviving – natural wellness, vigor and vitality.

Recreation is Needed

Keeping mentally occupied during the day in any creative activity that makes you feel happy and positive is mandatory. At the same time, do not by any means succumb to the world of television. Rather, you need to keep your mind as much positively stimulated as possible.