Ayurveda
Ayurveda literally means 'Science of Life' (Ayur means life and Veda
means knowledge) and is the ancient system of Medicine from India.
It is an age old scientific method of healing with natural products.
Knowledge of Ayurveda has been recorded in two of the Vedic texts:
the Atharva Veda and the Rig Veda which are more than 5,000 years
old.
Essentially, Ayurveda is the traditional medicine of Kerala. Largely
due to geographical and climatic conditions, Kerala, better known
as the "God's Own Country" has rich and diverse reserves
medicinal and aromatic plants. Along the Western Ghats, sub-tropical
and tropical region, as many as 1463 medicinal plants have been
identified. Maruthva Mala, Agasthya Vanam are said to be the natural
treasures of these holistic medicinal reserves.
Basic Principles of Ayurveda: The
human body is composed of derivatives of five basic elements such
as Pancha Bhootha which are Prithvi (earth) Jala (water), Tejas
(fire), Vayu (wind) and Akash (space), More specifically these appear
in the form of doshas (physiological factors), Dhatus (tissues)
and Mala (waste products and excretions).
Tridoshas: The central concept
of Ayurvedic medicine is the theory that health exists when there
is a balance between three fundamental bodily humours or doshas
(Tridoshas) called Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Every individual
has a unique combination of these three doshas. To understand individuality
is the foundation of healing according to Ayurveda. Read more about
Tridosha concepts
Treatment and Drugs: The principle
of treatment in Ayurveda focuses on bringing back the normalcy of
functions of systems (tridoshas) by various methods. The drugs can
increase or decrease these doshas and the treatment ends by establishing
an equilibrium of doshas (humours). Read more about ayurvedic drugs
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