Ayurvedic medicine (INDIAN HERBO-MINERAL SYSTEM) is an ancient most system of medicine. In Sanskrit language "AYU" means LIFE and "VEDA" means KNOWLEDGE or SCIENCE. So, whole word "AYU:VEDA" means- "THE SCIENCE or KNOWLEDGE OF LIFE". This contains a comprehensive and complete natural Herbo-mineral health care system. Ayurveda combines holistic assessment and diagnosis with diet, exercise and Herbo-mineral medication.

Ayurveda is a system about right living and right eating. Ayurveda is concerned with achieving balance in body and mind by restoring the balance of three elements. Or factors...VATA, PITTA and KAPHA (Air, Fire and Water) of which the body is made. Lightness is considered a state of normalcy. The unique principle in Ayurveda is this: Each and every person has his/her own individual body constitution according to three elements Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Vata person has known as VATIC (controls movement).

Pitta person has known as PAITIC (controls metabolism).

Kapha person has known as KAPHIC (controls structure).

Same principle applies to each and every food or drink item that we take. So, food also can be Vatic, Paitic and Kaphic. By the same principle, if a "Vatic person" eats or drinks a "Vatic item" more and more: that could be the cause of a "Vatic disease" because each and every disease is also classified by the same principle. You will be surprised to know that in AYURVEDA it is already established that each and every Herbo-minaral medicine has also the same characteristics based on the same principle and that is why by using a "Paitic medicine" you can cure a "Vatic disease" and so on. 

Ayurvedic Medicine works to restore the balance of the three factors on the same principle. There are 16000 plus beneficial herbs, only available in India that contribute to Natural Healthcare Divine Science called Ayurveda. AYURVEDA is not an invasive system of medicine. In short, in these value-conscious days ' AYURVEDA's time has come.

  Note: Below information is just a guidance, it could be individually (person to person) different.

VATA PRINCIPLE

It is considered as the prime among the three as it governs the functions of all other doshas/

Out of these, Large Intestine is the main site of Vata.

Vata Dosha's tissue is Ashthi(Bone). Vata's waste is Breath.

Ratio: out of 100 people 90 - 95 will be Vata imbalanced.

PITA PRINCIPLE

Navel is the main site of Pita.

Pita dosha's tissue are Rasa (plasma / food juice) & Rakta (blood).

Pita's wastes are Sweat & Urine.

Ratio: out of 100 people 30 - 40 will be Pitta imbalanced.

KAPHA PRINCIPLE

This is phlegmatic Principle

Out of these, Chest is the most important site.

Kapha's tissues are Rasa (plasma / food juice) & Medas (fat).

Kapha waste is feces.

Ratio: out of 100 people 5-10 will be Kapha imbalanced.

The Dosha Clock

The Functions of Balanced Doshas

Basic Principles of Ayurveda 

Everything in this universe is composed of five elements. The human body is also made up of the five elements and the soul. These five elements are: 

1.       Prithvi or earth

2.       Apa or water

3.       Tejas or fire

4.       Vayu or air

5.       Akash or space

What does it mean? The body is a muddy pond with a fire in the middle, with clouds on top and a wind blowing across! No, it doesn’t mean that. It means that these five elements are the basic constituents and everything can be explained in terms of these five elements. For example, the bulky and solid part is earth, the digestive enzymes which are responsible for cooking or digesting is fire, the hollow, empty parts and the big beer belly is space.

These five elements in their biological form in the living body are of three different kinds. These are three primary life forces or three biological humors. The Ayurvedic term for these forces is Dosha. As they are three in number they are called as Tridosha (Tri means Three). In Sanskrit they are known as : Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

As these are specific terms or names of the three types of humors in the body it is not possible to translate them into English. They can be understood, experienced or felt only from their qualities, behavior and actions in the body. The nearest translation, meaning or comparative of these terms depending upon their qualities, actions and behavior are:

Vata is compared to air, Pitta is compared to fire and Kapha is compared to mucus and water.

This was amazing! You never knew the construction of the body is so natural. The next part will make you friendlier with your body.

Other important basic principles of Ayurveda which are briefly mentioned here are:

• Dhatus – These are the basic tissues which maintain and nourish the body. They are seven in number, namely – chyle, blood, muscles, fatty tissues, bone, marrow and semen. Proper amount of each dhatu and its balanced function is very important for good health.

• Mala – These are the waste materials produced as a result of various metabolic activities in the body. They are mainly urine, feces, sweat, etc. Proper elimination of the malas is equally important for good health. Accumulation of malas cause many diseases in the body.

• Srotas – These are different types of channels which are responsible for transportation of food, dhatus, malas and doshas. Proper function of srotas cause many diseases.

• Agni – These are different types of enzymes responsible for digestion and transforming one material to other.

 All these factors need to function in a proper balance for good health. They are inter-related and are directly or indirectly responsible for maintaining equilibrium of the TRIDOSHA.

Ayurveda: The Traditional Indian Medical Science 

Ayurveda is the ancient Indian medical science, the origin of which can be traced back to the Vedas, which are the oldest available classics of the world. Vedas are the ancient books of knowledge, or science, from India.. They contain practical and scientific information on various subjects beneficial to the humanity like health, philosophy, engineering, astrology, etc.

Ayurveda is the only ancient independent scientific system of medicines. In the medieval period however, the system faced utter neglect at the hands of foreign rulers. Some authentic literature was destroyed in these turbulent times. Even then Ayurveda contributed to public health system due to its safest and the most effective herbal formulations and easy availability. The seers who initiated Ayurveda inducted in it sufficiency, soundness and sustenance, that is why it survived.

 The literal meaning of Ayurveda:

Ayurveda is a holistic healing science which comprises of two words, Ayu and Veda. Ayu means life and Veda means knowledge or science. So the literal meaning of the word Ayurveda is the science of life. Ayurveda is a science dealing not only with treatments of some diseases but is a complete way of life. This becomes clear when we see the meaning of life. As mentioned above Ayurveda is a science of life so to know more about it, we must know what is life? Life according to Ayurveda is a combination of senses, mind, body and soul. So it is clear from this definition of life that Ayurveda is not only limited to body or physical symptoms but also gives a comprehensive knowledge about spiritual, mental and social health.

The words like soul and spirituality might sound outdated or create a negative thinking in some of you as they have no place in the modern science. As soon as we hear about these topics, we become uncomfortable. Actually, I don’t feel that it is our fault. No one has ever spoken about these things to us. To become happy and peaceful, we are always trapped I the attractions of outer material world. The modern society, education, culture and the television everything speaks about materialism. If this was everything why is it so that most of us are not happy? There is unrest, anxiety, mental tension, fighting and terror everywhere despite best efforts being made to stop it. That is because some part of our body is not being nourished properly. And that is our inner self or the soul. There has to be a proper balance between materialism and spiritualism. Ayurveda practices the theory of balance. According to Ayurveda, health is the state of balance and imbalance is disease. The multi-faced application of Ayurveda becomes more confirmed when we go more deep into it.

EIGHT FOLD classification of Ayurveda

What is Ayurveda? 

Ayurveda originated in India some 6500 years ago, and is considered to be the mother doctrine of today’s holistic health care. The word is combination of Ayur, meaning “life” and Veda, meaning “science”. Literally translated from Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “the science of prolonging life”.

I western terms, Ayurveda is a combination of preventive health care, healing and philosophy of living. However, Ayurveda can be carefully tailored to individual requirements. This makes sense, since humans are so diverse.

The Importance of Knowing One’s Self

Ayurveda teaches self-knowledge and self-discovery, encouraging a person to learn who they really are and why they get sick. That person may then change his or her life patterns and routines to maximize health and enjoyment. Ayurvedic medicine is the science of creating good health by developing balance in your life.

The Three Doshas

Ayurveda has identified three predominant constitutional categories, or dosha, which control the mind and body. These are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. All three doshas form an individual’s makeup, but a certain one will predominate at any given time.

A Kapha tends to be physically and psychologically heavy, and may have trouble getting motivated. The Pitta person is strong willed, fiery, impulsive and easily burned out. A Vata type is likely very creative and impulsively drawn to spiritual matters. He or she frequently anxious and given to over-exertion.

Churning of the Ocean & Birth of Lord Dhanvantari

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Last modified: 12/06/11

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