Origin of Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a form alternative medicine followed primarily in India. This medicinal practice has been predominant ever since the Vedic period, which dates back to the mid-second millennium BCE.
What are the foundations of Ayurveda?
The Susruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita are the encyclopedias of Ayurveda. These were compiled from different sources during the mid-first millennium BCE to about 500 CE. The two Samhitas are the basis of the Ayurveda.
According to Ayuvedic literature available now, Ayurveda concentrates on healthy lifestyle throughout one’s life span. Vayu Vata (air and space – wind), Pitta (fire and water – bile) and kapha (water and earth – phlegm) are the three elemental energies stressed in Ayurveda. All three combined together are known as doṣas.
These three elements must be present in equal quantities for the body to remain hale and hearty.
Further, excellent metabolic system, proper digestion, and correct excretion are important for the vigor of an individual.
What is the process of diagnosis?
According to Ayurveda, there is a ten-fold examination of the patient postulated in the Charaka Samhita.
They are: constitution, abnormality, age, body measurements, diet suitability, digestive capacity, essence, psychic strength, physical fitness and stability.
Five other criteria followed in the recent times are:
Cause of the disease, distinctive signs of the fully developed disease, premonitory symptoms, scrutinizing the consequence of therapeutic procedures, and pathological process.
Furthermore, all the five senses – vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch – are also used to diagnose a disease.
What are the methods of treatment?
The medicines used by Ayurveda practitioners are plant-based. Herbs, some of them very rare, are used to treat certain diseases. Apart from herbs, animal products like milk, fat, gallstones and bones are also used in treating patients.
It is also interesting to note that minerals like gold, mercury, copper sulfate, arsenic, lead, and sulfur are prescribed as well for certain ailments.
What is Rasa Shastra in Ayurveda?
The mixing of minerals to herbs is known as Rasa Shastra. The methods of Rasa Shastra have been spelt out in Charaka Samhita and Susruta Samhita.
Is Ayurveda an approved form of alternative medicine?
The Indian Medical Central Council Act standardized the qualifications for Ayurveda by allowing accredited institutions where one can study Ayurveda. At present, there are a number of colleges offering professional courses on Ayurveda across India. The Government of India also supports extensive research in Ayurveda.
The Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), established in 1971, under Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, supervises the higher education in Ayurveda.
Where does Vedic Folks come in?
At Vedic Folks we offer the right scientific solution to individuals bothered by ailments through the time tested method of medicine – Ayurveda.
