- "Ayurveda is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent." - "The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific." - "Ayurveda therapies have varied and evolved over more than two millennia."
Understand the fundamental principles of Ayurveda, including doshas (vata, pitta, kapha), gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas), and the concept of agni (digestive fire).
Doshas: The three fundamental energies that govern the human body and mind; Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
Agni: The digestive fire that governs the transformation of food into nutrients and energy in the body.
Dhatus: The seven tissue layers that form the human body, including blood, bone, and muscle.
Srotas: The channels through which nutrients and wastes pass in the human body.
Ama: The toxic byproduct of incomplete digestion that can accumulate in the body and cause disease.
Prakriti: One's unique constitution and inherent balance of the doshas, determined at birth and influenced by genetics and lifestyle.
Vikriti: The current state of balance or imbalance of the doshas in an individual's body, determined by factors such as diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors.
Tridosha Theory: The theory that the three doshas are responsible for all physiological and psychological processes in the body.
Five Elements: The five elemental energies that make up the universe and the human body: ether, air, fire, water, and earth.
Triphala: An Ayurvedic herbal formula consisting of three fruits that is often used for cleansing and detoxification.
Yoga: The practice of physical postures and breathing exercises to improve physical and mental health.
Pranayama: Yogic breathing exercises that can help to balance the doshas and improve overall health.
Meditation: The practice of focusing the mind to achieve greater awareness, relaxation, and overall well-being.
Ayurvedic Diet: A unique diet tailored to an individual's dosha and health needs, that emphasizes fresh, whole foods and avoids processed foods and additives.
Ayurvedic Massage: A therapeutic massage technique that uses oils and specific massage techniques to balance the doshas and improve overall health.
Ayurvedic Herbs: A wide array of herbs and plants used in Ayurvedic medicine to promote healing and balance in the body and mind.
Ayurvedic Oils: A range of oils used in Ayurvedic medicine for massage and healing purposes, often including herbs and medicinal plants.
Ayurvedic Lifestyle: Various lifestyle practices recommended in Ayurvedic medicine to promote health and balance, including proper sleep, exercise, and stress management.
Panchamahabhuta Theory: According to this theory, everything in the universe, including the human body, is made up of five basic elements: Air, water, fire, earth, and space.
Tridosha Theory: This theory states that there are three fundamental energies or doshas: Vata, pitta, and kapha - that control all bodily functions and are responsible for individual differences.
Sapta Dhatu Theory: According to Ayurveda, the human body is made up of seven tissues or dhatus: Plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, marrow, and reproductive tissue.
Agni Theory: The concept of Agni (digestive fire) is key to Ayurveda, as it is responsible for digestion, assimilation, and elimination. Ayurveda focuses on preserving and promoting digestive Agni for optimal health.
Prakruti Theory: Prakruti refers to an individual's unique constitution, which is determined at birth and remains constant throughout life. Understanding one's Prakruti can help tailor health recommendations.
Vikruti Theory: Vikruti is the imbalance of one's Prakruti, leading to disease. Ayurvedic remedies focus on restoring balance and treating the root cause of illness.
Nadi Vigyan: Nadi Vigyan refers to a diagnostic technique used in Ayurveda to detect imbalances through pulse diagnosis.
Ritucharya: This principle refers to adjusting one's diet and lifestyle according to the seasons for optimal health.
Dinacharya: This principle involves daily routines and rituals, including waking up early, meditation, and exercise, to maintain physical and mental health.
Sadvritta: This principle emphasizes ethical behavior, including honesty, cleanliness, and compassion, for overall well-being.
- "It is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population report using Ayurveda."
- "Therapies include herbal medicines, special diets, meditation, yoga, massage, laxatives, enemas, and medical oils."
- "Ayurvedic preparations are typically based on complex herbal compounds, minerals, and metal substances."
- "Ancient Ayurveda texts also taught surgical techniques, including rhinoplasty, kidney stone extractions, sutures, and the extraction of foreign objects."
- "The main classical Ayurveda texts begin with accounts of the transmission of medical knowledge from the gods to sages, and then to human physicians." - "The Sushruta Samhita (Sushruta's Compendium) frames the work as the teachings of Dhanvantari, Hindu god of Ayurveda, incarnated as King Divodāsa of Varanasi, to a group of physicians, including Sushruta."
- "Through well-understood processes of modernization and globalization, Ayurveda has been adapted for Western consumption, notably by Baba Hari Dass in the 1970s and Maharishi Ayurveda in the 1980s."
- "Historical evidence for Ayurvedic texts, terminology and concepts appears from the middle of the first millennium BCE onwards."
- "In Ayurveda texts, Dosha balance is emphasized, and suppressing natural urges is considered unhealthy and claimed to lead to illness." - "Ayurveda treatises describe three elemental doshas viz. vāta, pitta and kapha, and state that balance of the doshas results in health, while imbalance results in disease."
- "Ayurveda treatises divide medicine into eight canonical components."
- "Some Ayurvedic preparations have been found to contain lead, mercury, and arsenic, substances known to be harmful to humans."
- "A 2008 study found the three substances [lead, mercury, and arsenic] in close to 21% of U.S. and Indian-manufactured patent Ayurvedic medicines sold through the Internet."
- "The public health implications of such metallic contaminants in India are unknown."