Ayurvedic Medicine 2000 BC – The Indian Science of Life

Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine from the Indian subcontinent. Some of its earliest components may have emerged as long as 3,000 years ago during India's Vedic Period. Although Ayurveda evolved over time, the compilations Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita and a later treatise by the physician Bhela contain much of the early knowledge about diagnosis, treatment and health advice. The Sanskrit word Ayurveda is roughly translated as "the science of life", and the system uses plants (including spices), oils, massage, yoga and meditation.

According to Ayurvedic medicine, three life forces called doshas control the health of the body, and an imbalance in them can lead to disease.

• Vata dosha is said to control cell division, the heart and the mind;
• pitta dosha controls hormones and digestion; and
• kapha dosha is concerned with immunity and growth.

Patients are classified according to body types that can influence treatment plans, which may include breathing exercises, rubbing the skin with herbal oil, bowel movements and even vomiting.

Today, many universities in India offer training in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, and a large part of the population uses this medical discipline alone or alongside modern medicine. Certain Ayurvedic exercises, such as yoga and meditation, help reduce stress. Although there is some evidence of beneficial uses of certain plants as fungicides, for wound healing and for other purposes, the presence of toxic metals (such as lead, mercury and arsenic) and toxic plants in some Ayurvedic treatments can sometimes raise safety concerns. More research is needed to determine the effectiveness of many Ayurvedic practices.

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Historian Lois N. Magner writes about Ayurvedic treatments: “Diseases caused by improper nutrition required remedies that provided internal cleansing, but doctors generally began treatment with a seven-day fast. Some patients recovered during this period and needed no further remedies; some died and likewise needed no further remedies.”

Description of the article image: Ayurvedic herbal and oil purification equipment. Shirodhara is an Ayurvedic treatment involving liquids such as sesame oil with lavender oil poured slowly onto the patient's forehead.

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