What is Ayurvedic medicine?
Ayurvedic medicine is a medical system that originated in India and evolved over thousands of years. It integrates the body, mind, and spirit to prevent and treat disease. Therapies used include herbs, massage, and yoga.
Ayurvedic medicine is also called Ayurveda. The term Ayurveda combines two Sanskrit words--ayur, which means life, and vedawhich means science or knowledge. Ayurveda means "the science of life."
Ayurveda is based on ideas from Hinduism, one of the world's oldest and largest religions. Some Ayurvedic ideas also evolved from ancient Persian thoughts about health and healing.
Many Ayurvedic practices were handed down by word of mouth and were used before there were written records. Two ancient books written in Sanskrit on palm leaves more than 2,000 years ago, are thought to be the first texts on Ayurveda. These are called Caraka Samhitaand Susruta Samhita. They covered many topics, including:
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Surgery (this is no longer part of standard Ayurvedic practice)
- How to care for children
- Lifestyle
- Advice for practitioners, including medical ethics
- Philosophy
Ayurveda has long been the main system of health care in India, although conventional (Western) medicine is becoming more widespread now especially in urban areas. About 70 percent of India's population lives in rural areas and about two-thirds of rural people still use Ayurveda and medicinal plants to meet their primary health care needs.
Ideas about the relationships among people, their health, and the universe form the basis for how Ayurvedic practitioners think about problems that affect health. Ayurveda holds that all things in the universe (both living and nonliving) are joined together. Every human being contains elements that can be found in the universe. All people are born in a state of balance within themselves and in relation to the universe. This state of balance is disrupted by the processes of life. Disruptions can be physical, emotional, spiritual, or a combination. Imbalances weaken the body and make the person susceptible to disease. Health will be good if one's interaction with the immediate environment is effective and wholesome. Disease arises when a person is out of harmony with the universe.
The main points of Ayurvedic medicine are – - Ayurveda integrates and balances the body, mind, and spirit. This is believed to help prevent illness and promote wellness.
- In Ayurvedic philosophy, people, their health, and the universe are all thought to be related. It is believed that health problems can result when these relationships are out of balance.
- In Ayurveda, herbs, metals, massage, and other products and techniques are used with the intent of cleansing the body and restoring balance. Some of these products may be harmful when used on their own or when used with conventional medicines
