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Ayurvedic Medicine

The name Ayurveda derives from two Sanskrit words: ayur meaning life, and veda meaning knowledge or science. Ayurveda is the knowledge or science of life. More than just a system of medicine, Ayurveda is a way of life encompassing science, religion and philosophy that enhances well being, increases longevity and ultimately enables self realisation. It aims to bring about a union of physical, emotional and spiritual health or swasthya, which is a prerequisite for attaining moksha or liberation.

The lotus flower, with its far reaching roots, symbolises the Ayurvedic approach to deep individual healing.

Ayurveda is a unique holistic system of healing based on the interaction of body, mind and spirit. It is thought to be the oldest health care system in the world with its roots going back over 5000 years into the Vedic Age. It evolved on the far reaches of the Himalayas from the deep wisdom of spiritually enlightened prophets or rishis. Their wisdom was transmitted orally from teacher to disciple and eventually set down in Sanskrit poetry known as the Vedas. These writings, dating approximately 1500 BC, distilled the prevailing historical, religious, philosophical and medical knowledge and form the basis of Indian culture. The most important of these texts are the Rig Veda and the Atharva Veda. Ayurveda has survived largely as an oral tradition until the present day, one of its greatest values being its timelessness and its application to every facet of daily living, now, as it was all those centuries ago.

Ayurveda has had a strong influence on many systems of medicine, from ancient Greek medicine in the West, to traditional Chinese medicine in the East. The Chinese, Tibetan, and Islamic (Unani Tibb) systems of medicines are thought to have their roots in Ayurveda. The Buddha, who was born around 550 BC, was a follower of Ayurveda and the spread of Buddhism into Tibet during the following centuries was accompanied by increased practice of Ayurveda. The ancient civilisations were linked to one another by trade routes, campaigns and wars. Arab traders spread knowledge of Indian plants in their Materia Medicas and this knowledge was passed on to the ancient Greeks and Romans, whose practices were eventually to form the basis of European medicine.

The first Ayurvedic medical school was founded around 800 BCE by Punarvasu Atreya. He and his pupils recorded medical knowledge in treatises that would in turn influence Charaka, a scholar who lived and taught around 700 BC. His writings, the Charaka Samhita, describe 1500 plants, identifying 350 as valuable medicines. This major text is still considered the main authority today of Ayurveda and referred to constantly in both teaching and practice of Ayurveda. The second major work was the Susruta Samhita, written a century later, which forms the basis of modern surgery and is still consulted today. It describes the medicinal properties of 700 healing plants.

The Five Elements

According to Ayurveda, the origin of all aspects of existence is the field of pure intellect or consciousness, known as purusha, and this appeals to those influenced by the theories of modern quantum physics that locate the basis of the physical universe in a single unified field that directs and orchestrates the continuous flow of matter. Energy and matter are one. Ayurveda does not separate the external from the inner world. Everything that exists in the macrocosm has its counterpart in the microcosm of the inner universe of a human being.

Ayurvedic doctors use pulse diagnosis to assess a patient's constitution and their present state of health.

Cosmic energy manifests in the five elements that are the basis of all matter – ether, air, fire, water and earth. In the body ether is present in the spaces such as the mouth, the abdomen, the thorax, the capillaries and cells; movement of space is air, manifest in movements of, for example, muscles, the pulsations of the heart, peristalsis of the digestive tract and nervous impulses. Fire is present in the digestive system, governing enzyme systems and metabolism, as well as body temperature, vision and the light of the mind, intelligence. Water is present in secretions like the digestive juices, saliva, mucous membranes, plasma and cytoplasm. Earth is responsible for the solid structures holding the body together, bones, cartilage, muscles and tendons as well as skin, hair and nails.

Gathering herbs to be used in Ayurveda.

The five elements manifest in the functioning of the five senses, and these in turn enable us to perceive and interact with the environment in which we live. Ether, air, fire, water and earth correspond to hearing, touch, vision, taste and smell respectively.

The Three Doshas

From the five elements derive three basic forces, or humours, the tridoshas, which exist in everything and influence all mental and physical processes.

1. From ether and air, vata, the air principle is created.

2. From fire and water comes pitta, the fire principle.

3. From earth and water derives the water principle, kapha.

The balance of the doshas in each person will promote health and well-being, while imbalance leads to ill-health and disease. We are all born with a certain balance of doshas brought about mainly by the dosha balance in our parents at the time of our conception. This is our basic constitution (prakruti) that remains unchanged throughout our lives. The dominant dosha determines our body type, temperament and illness we may be susceptible to. Our vikruti, our present dosha balance, reflects the effect that lifestyle has on our prakruti to cause further imbalances that predispose to imbalance and ill health.

Diagnosis and Treatment

The first requirement for health in Ayurveda is proper balance of the doshas according to our prakruti. If the balance is disturbed by our diet, lifestyle or state of mind for example, illness (vyadhi) of one kind or another eventually results. The disruption may be felt in physical discomfort and pain, or in mental and emotional suffering such as fear and anxiety, anger or jealousy. Our current state of imbalance causing such symptoms to manifest is known as our vikruti.

Both prakruti and vikruti can be ascertained by careful diagnosis which involves taking a detailed case history and examining the body, paying attention to build, skin and hair type, temperature of the body, digestion and bowel function, all of which point to more profound aspects of the patient's condition. Pulse and tongue diagnosis are exceptionally valuable tools for confirming analysis of health and constitution. In these respects Ayurveda has much in common with Chinese and Tibetan medicine, in which these two indicators of the state of health are also of the greatest importance. A highly complex technique for taking the patient's pulse has been developed by Ayurvedic practitioners, which requires many years of practice to perfect.

Once the dosha balance has been diagnosed and the causes of imbalance have been established, treatment and lifestyle advice is given. The first step back to health is the elimination of toxins and enhancing digestion or raising digestive fire, known as agni.

Treatments fall into three main categories:

1. Natural medicines

2. Dietary regimes

3. Lifestyle changes

Dhanwantari was known in the Vedas as the physician of the gods and the patron saint of Ayurveda.

An Ayurvedic massage with herbs.

These are all classified according to their effect on the three doshas. To illustrate, a health problem associated with excess kapha could be characterised by catarrh, lethargy, weight gain and fluid retention. A diet consisting of warm, dry, light food would be advised since kapha is cool and damp. Avoidance of foods with a cold, damp quality such as wheat and milk products and sugar, which would serve to increase kapha, would also be recommended. Herbal remedies would include warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, cloves and pepper to raise the digestive fire and cleanse toxins from the body. Bitters such as turmeric and aloe vera may also be prescribed.

The specific choice of herbal remedy depends on its “quality” or “energy” which Ayurveda determines according to 20 attributes (vimshati guna) such as hot, cold, wet, dry, heavy or light.

Ayurveda also classifies remedies according to six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent.

• Sweet, sour and salty substances increase kapha and decrease vata.

• Pungent, bitter and astringent tastes decrease kapha and increase vata.

• Sweet, bitter and astringent taste decrease pitta and pungent, salty and sour increase pitta.

Herbs from the Ayurvedic tradition include amalaki (Emblica officinalis), shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), bacopa (Bacopa monnieri), guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), gotu kola (Centella asiatica), long pepper, holy basil (Ocimum sanctum), guggulu (Commiphora mukul), cinnamon, coriander, andrographis (Andrographis paniculata), aloe vera, neem, frankincense (Boswellia serrulata) and turmeric.

Detoxification is an important part of Ayurvedic treatment. This can be done gently with the help and guidance of an Ayurvedic practitioner, in which case it is known as shamana. Shodana is a more intense detoxification process known as panchakarma which is done in-house over a period of a month ideally. Panchakarma involves a thorough cleansing and rejuvenation programme, and is available mainly in treatment centres in South India and Sri Lanka, but centres do exist also in Europe and North America. Panchakarma includes the use of oil massage, sweating, therapeutic vomiting, purging, enemas, nasal administration of medicine, and purification of blood.

HERBS COMMONLY USED IN AYURVEDA

Andrographis paniculata (see page 105)

Anethum graveolens (see page 107)

Asparagus racemosus (see page 122)

Bacopa monnieri (see page 127)

Boswellia serrata (see page 131)

Coleus forskohlii (see page 145)

Commiphora molmol (see page 146)

Commiphora mukul (see page 147)

Eclipta alba (see page 158)

Emblica officinalis (see page 161)

Gymnema sylvestre (see page 180)

Ocimum sanctum (see page 206)

Piper longum (see page 216)

Tinospora cordifolia (see page 249)

Trigonella foenum (see page 252)

Withania somniferum (see page 272)

Preparations

Herbal remedies are prepared in varying mediums, according to the predominant dosha being treated. Often herbs given to balance vata are given in warm milk, those for reducing pitta in ghee and those to reduce kapha are prepared in honey. Sometimes minute doses of minerals such as salt are also mixed with the herbs. Remedies take the form of pills, powders, decoctions and alcohol extracts and most contain several ingredients all carefully tailored to individual needs.

(Above, and above right) Ocimum sanctum, or holy basil, has long been used in the Ayurvedic healing tradition.

Ayurveda Today

The value of Ayurveda is proved partly by its timelessness, since it has existed as an unbroken tradition for thousands of years, despite a number of setbacks. Following the rise of the Mogul Empire in the 16th century, the dominance of Unani Tibb medicine led to the partial repression of Ayurveda in India. In the 19th century, the British dismissed it as nothing more than native superstition and in 1833, they closed all Ayurvedic schools and banned the practice of Ayurveda. Great centres of Indian learning thus fell apart and Ayurvedic knowledge retreated into the villages and temples. At the turn of the century, however, some Indian physicians and enlightened Englishmen began to re-evaluate Ayurveda, and by the time India had become independent in 1947, it had regained its reputation as a valid healing system. Today in India Ayurveda flourishes alongside Unani Tibb and Western allopathic medicine and is actively encouraged by the Indian government as an inexpensive alternative to Western drugs.

Bacopa monnieri, also known as brahmi, is used in Ayurvedic treatment.

In recent years Ayurveda has increasingly attracted attention from medical scientists in Japan and the West and the World Health organisation has resolved to promote its practice in developing countries. Here in the West, the popularity of Ayurveda is growing daily as more and more people recognise its immense value, not only in the prevention and treatment of disease, but also for its comprehensive recipe for a better, healthier way of life that addresses all facets of our existence: mind, body and spirit.