- "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."
Learn about the origins, evolution and development of Ayurvedic medicine over time.
Origins of Ayurveda: The origins of ayurveda can be traced back to ancient India, with roots in Brahmanism and Vedic traditions.
Philosophical foundations of Ayurveda: Ayurveda is based on a deep understanding of the nature of the self and the universe, and incorporates philosophical principles from Samkhya, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, and Advaita Vedanta.
Basic principles of Ayurveda: Ayurveda is based on the concept of the three doshas (vata, pitta, kapha), a balance between the five elements of nature (earth, water, fire, air, and ether), and the importance of the digestive system.
Ayurvedic diagnosis: Ayurvedic practitioners use various methods to diagnose imbalances in the body, including pulse diagnosis, visual observation, and questioning the patient.
Ayurvedic treatments: Ayurveda offers a range of treatments, including herbal remedies, massage, yoga, and dietary changes.
Historical development of Ayurveda: Ayurveda has undergone significant changes over time, including the influence of Buddhist and Jain traditions, as well as modern innovations in diagnosis and treatment.
Key figures in Ayurvedic history: Throughout its history, Ayurveda has been shaped by the teachings and practices of numerous key figures, including Charaka, Sushruta, and Vagbhata.
The transmission of Ayurveda: Ayurvedic knowledge has been transmitted over the centuries through texts, oral traditions, and embodied practices.
Ayurveda and contemporary healthcare: Ayurveda is increasingly being integrated into contemporary healthcare in India and around the world, with both promise and challenges.
Criticisms and controversies: Ayurveda has been criticized for its lack of scientific rigor, potential for harmful treatments, and cultural appropriation.
Classical Ayurvedic Texts History: This type of history refers to the development of Ayurvedic medicine through ancient Sanskrit texts like Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Vagbhata's Ashtanga Hridaya.
Regional History: This type of history focuses on the development of Ayurvedic medicine in specific regions of India, such as Kerala, where Ayurveda has been practiced for centuries.
Colonial History: This type of history examines the impact of colonialism on the practice and development of Ayurvedic medicine, including how Ayurvedic medicine was adapted and incorporated into Western medicine.
Contemporary History: This type of history looks at the recent developments and changes in Ayurvedic medicine, including modern scientific research on Ayurvedic principles and the globalization of Ayurvedic practices.
Religious History: This type of history considers the religious and philosophical roots of Ayurvedic medicine in Hinduism, including its connection to the concept of dharma, karma, and the three doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha).
Social History: This type of history examines the social and cultural context in which Ayurvedic medicine has been practiced and developed, including its role in traditional Indian medicine and society.
Personal History: This type of history investigates the personal experiences of Ayurvedic practitioners and patients, including their motivations, expectations, and outcomes.
- "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."