Ayurveda

“Everything can be a drug”

A deeply rooted ideology in India.

(Pan, S.-Y., Litscher, G., Gao, S.-H., Zhou, S.-F., Yu, Z.-L., Chen, H.-Q., Zhang, S.-F., Tang, M.-K., Sun, J.-N., & Ko, K.-M. 2014:3).



Definition:

The name Ayurveda is broken up into two parts; “ayur meaning life” and “veda meaning science and knowledge”(Hopkins 2019).

The name is derived from the Sanskrit language, an ancient language dating back to “the 2nd millennium BCE”, which has major significant ties to the languages in India (Joshi 2016). All together Ayurveda means “knowledge of life”.


Ayurveda is the oldest recorded system of medicine that is still practiced today in some parts of the world. Ayurvedic treatments are predominantly practiced in India and Nepal but have diffused around the world via globalization and commercialization. The practice is said to have originated over 3,000 years ago, during the period of buddhism, in India (Pan, S.-Y., Litscher, G., Gao, S.-H., Zhou, S.-F., Yu, Z.-L., Chen, H.-Q., Zhang, S.-F., Tang, M.-K., Sun, J.-N., & Ko, K.-M. 2014 :3.1).



Principles:

Ayurveda takes a holistic approach to medicine; some treatments include herbal therapy, yoga, meditation, and fasting (NCCIH, 2019). The basic principles of Ayurveda are the TriGunas, the PancaMahabhutas, the TriDoshas, the SaptaDhatus, the TrayodasAngi, and the TriMalas.


The TriGunas are the three fundamental energies of the universe.

TriGunas:

  • Satva (light, pleasure, clarity, and purities)

  • Rajas (action and passion)

  • Tamas (disrupts the mind and body; laziness, sleep, delusions)


The stability of the five natural elements, PancaMahabhutas, is at the heart of ayurvedic practices. An imbalance of these elements lead to a decline in health and wellness and an increase in disease (Kalla 2021).

PancaMahabhutas:

  • Vayu (air)

  • Jala (water)

  • Aakash (space)

  • Prithvi (earth)

  • Teja (fire)


These elements combined to form one of the basic principles of Ayurveda, Tridoshas. They are also known or can be recognized as the three body humors (Kalla 2021).

Tridoshas:

  • Vata Dosha (space and air)

  • Pitta Dosha (fire and water)

  • Kapha Dosha (water and earth)


Body tissues are known as SaptaDhatus. There are seven body issues; they are...(Traditional Knowledge Digital Library)

SaptaDhatus:

  • Rasa (fluid)

  • Rakta (blood)

  • Mamsa (muscle)

  • Meda (fat)

  • Asthi (bone)

  • Majja (yellow and red bone marrow)

  • Sukra (reproductive tissue)


The types of digestive fires are known as TrayodosaAgni. There are thirteen types; the main ones are... (Traditional Knowledge Digital Library)

TrayodosaAgni:

  • Jatharagni (gastric fire)

  • SaptaDhatvagni (Metabolic functions at tissue and cellular level)

  • PancaBhutagni (Metabolic functions at tissue and cellular level)


The types of body wastes are known as TriMalas. The three types are…(Traditional Knowledge Digital Library)

TriMalas:


  • Purisa (feces)

  • Mutra (urine)

  • Sveda (sweat)




Origin:

Ayurveda’s origin story is rooted in divinity; it is believed that the practice of Ayurveda was formed through Brahma, the Hindu God and then passed down (Jaiswal & Williams, 2017). The saints and sages of India received this knowledge through deep meditation. Once received, Sages practiced and spread knowledge verbally and through written transcriptions. Poems, called “Shlokas” were like ancient prescriptions; they were a running list of the uses of different medicinal plants used by the sages (Jaiswal & Williams, 2017). Over the centuries multiple texts and scripts have been produced and adapted into multiple languages.


Cultural Significance:

During the findings of Ayurveda, diseases plagued the earth creating a sense of disparity. After long periods of meditation, saints and sages found peace and knowledge in what is now known as Ayurveda. Through a spiritual connection as well as a knowledgeable one, early civilization in India was able to treat/prevent diseases. This started to positively impact the way they thought about health. Through this practice the importance of health and wellbeing became integrated in their modern day culture (Gesundkraft, 2008). A big contribution to the successfulness of Ayurveda in India was the high percentage in plant biodiversity. About eight percent of the world's biodiversity is in India (Pan, S.-Y., Litscher, G., Gao, S.-H., Zhou, S.-F., Yu, Z.-L., Chen, H.-Q., Zhang, S.-F., Tang, M.-K., Sun, J.-N., & Ko, K.-M. 2014:3).



Diffusion and Commercialization:

Ayurveda was the primary use for healthcare back in India but, more recently it has been seen as a profitable practice as well. The popularity of Ayurveda and its associated practices like yoga have diffused into western culture. With Ayurveda still a main practice for healthcare in India the domestic market is surging with the potential to expand more across-seas. Precautionarily, the Indian government has banned the export of certain medicinal plants and herbs. With that being said, the possible extinction of many medicinal plants used in practice of Ayurveda could be under threat. Concluding that the exploitation of common practices could lead to a catastrophic collapse in India's biodiversity and in important cultural and health aspects of the citizens' everyday life (Pan, S.-Y., Litscher, G., Gao, S.-H., Zhou, S.-F., Yu, Z.-L., Chen, H.-Q., Zhang, S.-F., Tang, M.-K., Sun, J.-N., & Ko, K.-M. 2014:3).



Some Significant People:

Sushruta- Known as the “father of surgery” (Kalla 2021), for developing surgical practices some of which still have reminiscences in medicine today.

Maharishi Bharadwaj- Known as the “father of Ayurveda medicine” (Kalla 2021).

Atreya Punarvasu- Known for writing “Charaka Samhita” (Kalla 2021), a book based on Ayurveda of knowledge from Maharishi Bharadwaj.



Statue of Sushruta, "Father of Surgery"

Work Cited:

Gesundkraft. (2008). Ayurveda - the History. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2Zw-vYn270


Hopkins, J. (2019). Ayurveda. Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/ayurveda


Jaiswal, Y. S., & Williams, L. L. (2017). A glimpse of Ayurveda – The forgotten history and principles of Indian traditional medicine. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 7(1), 50–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.02.002


Joshi, N. (2016, August 22). Sanskrit. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Sanskrit/


Kalla, K. (2021). History of medicine in ancient India - Hektoen International. Hekint.org. https://hekint.org/2021/08/27/history-of-medicine-in-ancient-india/


NCCIH. (2019). Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth. NCCIH. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/ayurvedic-medicine-in-depth


Pan, S.-Y., Litscher, G., Gao, S.-H., Zhou, S.-F., Yu, Z.-L., Chen, H.-Q., Zhang, S.-F., Tang, M.-K., Sun, J.-N., & Ko, K.-M. (2014). Historical Perspective of Traditional Indigenous Medical Practices: The Current Renaissance and Conservation of Herbal Resources. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2014, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/525340


Traditional Knowledge Digital Library. Principles of Ayurveda. Principles of Ayurveda (tkdl.res.in).