Ayurvedic is the adjective form of the word Ayurveda. In Sanskrit, the word Ayurveda consists of the words āyus, meaning "longevity", and veda, meaning "related to knowledge" or "science". Nowadays Ayurveda is still an influential system of medicine in South Asia.
Concepts of Ayurverda
Ayurveda is a vast medicinal science. It is said to have been originated in India about 5000 years back. Unlike other medicinal systems, Ayurveda focuses more on healthy living than treatment of diseases. The main concept of Ayurveda is that it personalizes the healing process. According to Ayurveda, the human body is composed of four basics-the dosha, dhatu, mala and agni. There is immense significance of all these basics of the body in Ayurveda. These are also called the Mool Siddhant or the basic fundamentals of Ayurvedic treatment.
Basic Concepts Of Ayurveda
Dosha
The three vital principles of doshas are vata, pitta and kapha, which together regulate and control the catabolic and anabolic metabolism. The main function of the three doshas is to carry the by-product of digested foods throughout the body, which helps in building up the body tissues. Any malfunction in these doshas causes disease.
Dhatu
Dhatu can be defined, as one, which supports the body. There are seven tissue systems in the body. They are as Rasa, Rakta, Mamsa, Meda, Asthi, Mjja and Shukra which represent the plama, blood, muscle, fat tissue, bone, bone marrow and semen respectively. Dhatus only provide the basic nutrition to the body. And it helps in the growth and structure of mind.
Mala
Mala means waste products or dirty. It is third in the trinity of the body i.e. doshas and dhatu. There are three main types of malas, e.g. stool, urine and sweat. Malas are mainly the waste products of the body so their proper excretion from the body is essential to maintain the proper health of the individual. There are mainly two aspect of mala i.e. mala and kitta. Mala is about waste products of the body whereas kitta is all about the waste products of dhatus.
Agni
All kinds of metabolic and digestive activity of the body takes place with the help of the biological fire of the body called Agni. Agni can be termed as the various enzymes present in the elementary canal, liver and the tissue cells.
Diseases
Disease is defined as the state of mind wherein a person experiences discomfort, pain and injury. Fundamentally, a disease is caused by the imbalance of the three doshas - Vata, Pitta and Kapha. However, the diseases are also categorized into those that can be cured and the one that cannot be cured by Ayurvedic treatment. Moreover, the texts of Ayurveda suggest that diseases are also classified according to the underlying cause - whether it is psychological, physiological or an external factor.
Ayurveda Basics
Ayurveda is an ancient medicine system of the Indian subcontinent. The word Ayurveda has been a conjugation of two Sanskrit words ayus, meaning 'life' and veda, meaning 'science', thus ayurveda literally means the 'science of life'. Unlike other traditional medicinal systems, Ayurveda is more focused on simple and logical therapies. It is in fact a set of practical and simple guidelines for long life and good health.
Dhatu
Dhatu are basically the body tissues which are responsible for the functioning of the systems and organs and the structure of the body. Each of the Dhatus is built out of a previous one and they develop on the nourishment that comes from the digestive system.
Doshas
Doshas play a vital role in the basic foundation of Ayurveda. They are responsible for coordinating and directing all the substances and structures of the body. According to Ayurveda there are three vital principles, which regulate and control the biological functions of the body. They are known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
Mala
Mala are the substances or waste matter to be thrown out of the body. They are actually by products formed as a result of various physiological activities going on in the body. Purish (stool), Mutra (urine) and Sweda (sweat) are considered as main excretory product of the body. These are also known as Dushya as these tend to be influenced to cause pathology or disease by imbalanced doshas.
The Elements of Ayurveda
Ayurveda is the most ancient and traditional science, whose basic principles deal with the natural way of living a healthy life. It basically revolves the five basic elements (pancha bhutam) of existence - earth, water, fire, air and ether. It is believed that the pancha bhutams should be balanced, which when disrupted, a number of natural calamities such as flood, cyclone and earthquakes occur. Ayurveda believes that every living creature in the universe is made up of the five elements, which serve as the building blocks of life. Life doesn't exist without these five elements. This reveals that the ancient medicinal form of Ayurveda is closely related to Mother Nature. The pancha bhutams are also called the five basic elements in Ayurveda.
Basic Elements Of Ayurveda
Earth
Earth represents the solid state of matter in the planet. It symbolizes stability, permanence and rigidity. The human body consists of bones, teeth, cells and tissues, as the manifestations of the earth. Earth is regarded as a stable substance. Talking about human being, stability is the prerequisite for leading a healthy life, which is focused by Ayurveda.
Water
The liquid state is represented by water, another element of Ayurveda. Water is the prerequisite for the survival of living creatures, including humankind. About 70% of human body is made up of water, the very important liquid that is required for smooth functioning. In addition to water, fluids including our blood and lymph move between our cells and through our vessels, thereby providing us the energy required. The body temperature is also regulated. Water is a form without stability.
Fire
In order to convert solids into liquids, to gas and back again to the original state, a certain amount of power is required, which is provided by fire. Fire has the power to change the state of any substance. In human body, fire is present in the form of energy that binds atoms together, converts food to fat and muscle. In addition, fire creates impulses of nervous reactions and even our thought process.
Air
One of the forms of the pancha bhutam - air - is mobile and dynamic. Within the human body, air is present in the form of oxygen, which is the basis for all energy transfer reactions. Existent without form, air is the prerequisite for fire to burn. Talking about the human body, air is indirectly required to produce energy, which is the basic requisite for one's survival. Air is also the basic element of Ayurveda.
Ether
Ether is described as the space, in which, everything happens. All matter exists in space. Ether is the distance that separates matter. Space is everywhere and touches everything. It is the receptivity and non-resistance to what is true. Talking about the human body, space is the considered as the vessel that receives all impressions. In the heart, it is believed that space accepts love.
Principles of Ayurveda Ayurveda represents the ancient Indian art of healing. In it, the human body is not considered just as a mass of organs, systems and tissues; but the complex mechanism' of myriad functions taking place, both at physical and mental level, are evaluated and described. In existence for thousands of years now, the basic principle of Ayurveda has managed to remain the same. The human body is more complex than any other form of life as on date. Purusha - the human body is the aggregate of 25 elements, together with Atma - the spirit or soul. In order to explain the functional complexity of human body, Ayurveda has propounded a few basic doctrines. These doctrines visualize the functional units of the body to be formed by three Dosha (humours), seven Dhatu (tissues) and Mala (metabolic end products) which are in equilibrium.
All ayurvedic studies conducted on herbal and holistic medicine, in ancient India, were followed from the fountainhead of the two principle Ayurvedic schools. The School of Physicians (Atreya) and the School of Surgeons (Dhanvantari) epitomized the eight main areas of Ayurvedic studies and specialization, during ancient times. The details of these eight branches of this natural alternative medicine are present in the three ancient Ayurvedic texts - Charaka Samhita, Susruta Samhita and Astanga Hridaya. One of the most important principles of Ayurveda treatment is that the treatment given is not only to the ailments or the affected parts, but to the person as a whole. This creates an environment for purifying your body naturally, which eliminates all toxic imbalances from your body, enabling you to regain natural resistance from diseases and attain good health. In this section, we deal with the different principles of Ayurveda.
Bhaijasya Kalpana
Bhaisajya Kalpana is one of the most important branches in ayurveda, which deals with awareness of drugs, including identification, procurement, processing, preparation and application. The term Bhaisajya Kalpana consist of two words -Bhaishajya stands for 'medicine' and Kalpana means 'forms'.
Ayurvedic Prakruti
Ayurveda, states that the basic constitution of a human being is determined at the time of conception. This constitution is called Prakruti. The term Prakruti is derived from Sanskrit word that means, 'nature', 'creativity' or the first creation'. Prakruti is the physical and psychological constitution of the individual, which is determined on the basis of three doshas.
Rasa Shastra
Historically, Rasa Shastra or 'Vedic Chemistry' is an offshoot of Ayurveda that was developed around the period, when Buddha existed, i.e. more than 2500 years ago. Derived from Sanskrit, RASA has several meaning attached to it - "Rasyate aaswadyate iti rasa" which stands for taste, "Rasati shariire aasu prsarati it Rasa" meaning juice, "Rasati aharahargachhati iti Rasa" that stands for the first material formed after digestion or liquids, under the transportation system of the body like plasma, chyle or lymph
Shalakya Tantra
A special branch of the Ashtang Ayurvedic tree, Shalakya tantra encompasses the treatment for the diseases affecting the body parts located that are above the neck. This reveals that the branch of the science of life deals with the causes, diagnosis and curative procedures of the diseases pertaining to the head, ear, nose, eye, lips and throat. A number of methods are formulated for the treatment of the organs of the body, according to the shalakya tantra.
Ayurveda also focuses on exercise, yoga, meditation, and massage. Thus, the body, mind, and spirit/consciousness need to be dealt with both individually and in harmony for mankind to have good health.
Robert Svoboda said, “Because every embodied individual is composed of a body, a mind and a spirit, the ancient Rishis of India who developed the Science of Life organized their wisdom into three bodies of knowledge: Ayurveda, which deals mainly with the physical body; Yoga, which deals mainly with spirit; and Tantra, which is mainly concerned with the mind. The philosophy of all three is identical; their manifestations differ because of their differing emphases. Ayurveda is most concerned with the physical basis of life, concentrating on its harmony of mind and spirit. Yoga controls body and mind to enable them to harmonize with spirit, and Tantra seeks to use the mind to balance the demands of body and spirit.”
Thailand has become a popular destination for Ayurvedic healing. Now a good selection of Ayurvedic treatments are available; and these include treatments for the following:
• Headache / Migraine
• Stress
• Insomnia (Sleeplessness)
• Indigestion
• Backache
• Cramps / Numbness in Legs
• Water-Retention (Edema)
• Diabetes
• Rheumatisms / Arthritis