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Ayurveda
About Ayurveda: an insight into India's 5,000-year-old medical system
Ayurveda is India's 5,000-year-old system of medicine, a legacy of the Vedic civilisation, an ancient culture of the peoples of the Indian subcontinent that is still in use today.
Translated word-by-word, Ayurveda means the 'science of life', where ‘ayur’ means ‘life’ and ‘veda’ means ‘complete, perfect knowledge’. Ayurveda is also known as the 'Mother of Medicine' because its universal principles have become the basis of almost all major systems of medicine over the world.
The ancient knowledge of Ayurveda served as a source of wisdom for Hippocrates in the 4th and 5th centuries BC, for the great Chinese healers (acupuncture) in the 1st century BC, for Harun Al Rashid and other great Arab physicians in the 7th century, but it was with the help of Buddhist monks, that Ayurvedic knowledge was spread throughout the world in the 4th century BC. From the 6th century BC, Ayurvedic knowledge spread to Tibet, Mongolia, Korea and Sri Lanka, and also had a great influence on the medicine of the ancient Egypt. The Ayurvedic system of medicine also has many to offer for modern doctors of the Western (allopathic) medicine. The methods described in the ancient Ayurvedic texts, and also Ayurvedic food supplements and medicines can serve as an important complement to modern Western medical methods and practices, and can be used to prevent and treat many common diseases. Ayurvedic knowledge is of paramount importance in maintaining good health and effectively treating and managing a wide range of common diseases.
For thousands of years, Ayurveda was the only system of medicine for the people of the Indian subcontinent, but today, with the presence of Western allopathic medicine in India, it still retains its prominent role in Indian healthcare, with a number of high standard Ayurvedic hospitals, research centres and Ayurvedic medical universities throughout the country. Although this system of knowledge has been marginalised from time to time throughout India's history under successive Muslim and then British rule and colonialism, it has always survived these difficult periods and its ideas have always flourished afterwards. Ayurvedic medicine is still in its heyday, being rediscovered not only in its homeland but also in other parts of the world.
In recent decades, Ayurveda has become increasingly popular among people living in Western countries as a system of medicine using ancient, natural ingredients. Ayurveda has survived thanks to thousands of years of experience that testify to the wisdom, great insights, sophisticated knowledge, extraordinary effectiveness and natural approach of the ancient people. Ayurveda is one such system of medicine that has received increasing attention and recognition in recent decades.
Ayurveda is now one of the three largest medical systems in the world (along with Chinese and Western allopathic medicine). It is a holistic system of medicine that treats man and other living beings as a small part of the universe, but also as a whole in itself - a small microcosm within a large macrocosm, constantly interacting with each other, meaning that the functioning of one (or a disturbance in the functioning of one) affects the functioning of the other. As part of its holistic approach, Ayurveda is concerned not only with the health and well-being of the body, but also of the mind and spirit, as untreated mental problems can eventually cause illness in the physical body.
Although Ayurveda has sophisticated methods for the treatment and aftercare of a wide variety of ailments, it focuses primarily on the prevention of disease and the maintenance of health, because it is much easier and better to prevent something than to treat a problem that has already developed (and may have become chronic). Ayurveda teaches that we should pay constant attention to every part of our body, even if it is perfectly healthy, in order to maintain the health and integrity of our organs and our whole body in the long term.
Ayurveda places great emphasis on individual differences. It classifies people into different (body) types based on their physical and mental characteristics, emotional state and mentality, and develops individualised treatment methods, dietary and lifestyle advice for them accordingly. Ayurvedic treatment or advice is always preceded by a lengthy discussion and assessment of the individual's condition, covering many areas of their lifestyle, in order to tailor the treatment as much as possible to the individual. The selection of Ayurvedic practitioners today is also based on ethics and dedication: only those who use the ancient knowledge to help their fellow human beings, rather than to accumulate material wealth, can become recognised Ayurvedic healers.
The Ayurvedic system of medicine has been formulated to cover all areas, dimensions and periods of human life and existence, from infancy to old age. Its ideas and methods aim to create a long and healthy life for all.