Ayurveda

Ayurveda is the traditional Indian system of medicine. In the recent years, it has seen widespread popularity across all countries of the world. People are exploring alternative medicine systems like Ayurveda in their efforts to live healthy and happy lives.

The term “Ayurveda” means the science of life. In Sanskrit “Ayus” means “life” and “veda” means “science” or “knowledge”. According to Charaka—a famous Ayurvedic scholar of antiquity, the mind, physical body, senses and the soul combine to form “ayus” i.e. life.

Ayurveda is as old as the Indian civilization. According to legend, Ayurveda was given by Brahma-the creator himself in the Brahma Samhita. Another version says that sage Bharadwaja learnt Ayurveda from Indra-the king of the gods and taught it to several sages who then propagated the knowledge further.

Several treatises were composed on Ayurveda during the ancient period. Some of these, such as the Charaka Samhita, are widely known. Over the years, Ayurvedic practioners called "vaidyas" or "vaids" preserved Ayurveda passing it from one generation to another. Ayurveda flourished on a wide scale in India until the Moslem and British rule suppressed it.

Today, thanks to growing awareness, many people in the West are showing interest in this ancient system of medicine. In fact, many tourists who come to India visit the well-known Ayurvedic resorts located in Kerala for rejuvenation.

Ayurveda uses a different system when compared to conventional Western medicine. While Western medicine attributes diseases to the activity of germs, Ayurveda says that diseases are caused due to imbalances in the “doshas” or the energy manifested from the five universal elements i.e. air, fire, water, earth and ether. However, it does not deny the role of germs as the causative agents of diseases.

One of the main advantages of Ayurvedic medicines are the lack of side effects. All the medicines are made from age old herbs. In addition, Ayurveda also placed emphasis on proper food habits, sleep, mental relaxation and overall cleanliness.

Ayurvedic treatment involves the following:

>> Changes to the diet to balance the doshas.
>> Cleansing and detoxification of the body through fasting, diet changes and body treatments.
>> Use of herbal extracts. Examples of herbs used in Ayurvedic preparations include triphala, ashwagandha, amla, kesari, etc.
>> Mind relaxation techniques such yoga and meditation.
>> Body massages using medicated/perfumed oils.

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