Ayurveda is a traditional health science that originated in India. The term Ayurveda came from the combination of the two words Ayu and Veda. Ayu means life and Veda means knowledge/science. This system has been in continuous practice for more than 2000 years. It provides all measures to protect our life and embraces the philosophy of living life in a meaningful and healthy manner. It follows Indian philosophy and has also imbibed the principles of Yoga and Vedanta in few sections. It is considered as Upaveda( ancillary text) of Atharvaveda. As such it is considered as the fifth Veda.
History of Ayurveda:
Tradition of Teachers
Brahma ——> Prajapathi ——> Asvini Kumaras ——> Indra
From Indra there comes two schools of thoughts. That is Bharadvaja (Atreya)Sampradaya, the school of medicine and Dhanvantari(Susrutha) Sampradaya, the school of surgery. There are eight branches in Ayurveda. Charaka Samhita for the school of medicine and Susrutha Samhita for the school of surgery. They are:
– Kaya chikitsa (General medicine)
– Bala chikitsa (Paediatrics)
– Graha chikitsa (Psychiatry)
– Urdhvanga chikitsa (Ear, nose, throat, eyes and head)
– Shalya chikitsa (Surgery)
– Damstra chikitsa (Toxicology)
– Jara chikitsa (Geriatrics)
– Vrushya chikitsa (Aphrodisiac therapy)
These 8 branches form up the specialities of Ayurveda and it beholds a great position in the treatment aspect. It’s high time to practice and get knowledge about these branches of Ayurveda. So that a person will get capable of himself to choose the right branch of speciality for his/her peculiar disease. Let us have a short view of all these 8 branches.
Ashtanga of Ayurveda
Kaya Chikitsa: Analogous to General medicine. Here the term Kaya refers to the human body. The term Kaya is derived from the root word ‘to collect’ (contextual: a collection of food). It comprehends the process of the entire metabolism. This branch includes the treatment of all the diseases, which comes under general medicine.
Bala Chikitsa: It deals with diseases of infancy, childhood and adolescence and their treatment. Other than Pediatrics, this branch also covers causes of breast milk vitiation, its purification and treatment of diseases caused by vitiated breast milk. Unlike the name, it also includes Obstetrics which details the care and medications that a pregnant woman needs during the trimesters. In short, this branch includes the care of a baby right from pregnancy to teenage.
Graha Chikitsa: A very unique branch that is often misinterpreted as Demonology. Grahachikitsa is the branch that demands a lot of researches. It can be considered as ancient psychiatry which offers a pathway to various presentations, diagnosis and management of psychiatric diseases.
UrdhvangaChikitsa (Shalakya Tantra): Corresponding to two departments’ namely Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology (ENT).
Shalakyatantra discusses the causes and management of diseases occurring in the areas above the neck; confined to the nose, ears, eyes and oral cavity.
Shalya Chikitsa: It is one of the two prominent schools that prevailed in the Ayurveda practice, Kaya Chikitsa being the other. It can be compared to the department of Surgery. It deals with various Surgical, Para surgical and Orthopaedic procedures. This speciality mainly aims to teach the techniques of removal of foreign bodies(both exogenous like parts of arrow and endogenous like pus, dead fetus in womb). It also includes a description of various surgical equipment’s, diagnosis and management of inflammatory swelling and application of cauterizing.
Damshtra Chikitsa (Agada tantra): This branch deals with the diagnosis and treatment of bites and stings of poisonous snakes, insects, spiders etc. It also covers the detection of criminal administration of poison and its treatment. Other than this, we also get references regarding the code of conduct and ethics a physician has to follow in his profession.
Jara Chikitsa: Another special branch seen in Ayurveda that explains various measures for preserving youth for prolonged life. Popularly known as Rasayana Chikitsa, it mainly aims to boost one’s immunity to resist diseases.
Vrushya Chikitsa (Vajikarana tantra): This branch explains remedies for improving virility. It also deals with the causes and remedies for male and female infertility.
With the advancement of time, many branches have also got flourished depending on the demand in the treatment aspect as well as for improving the quality of life. For example, department of swasthavrtta and yoga, this emphasizes on making improvement in the quality of life of a person through dietary regimens and yoga practices.
For understanding the concept of Ayurveda, it’s very important to have detailed knowledge about the basic principles of Ayurveda.
Basic principles:
According to Ayurveda, every substance including the human body is composed of Pancha Mahabhuta(space – Akasha, air- Vayu, fire- Agni, water-Jalam and earth – Prithvi). They are omnipresent; they are mixed in an infinite variety of relative proportions such that each form of matter is distinctly unique. The quality of substance depends upon the element predominant in that substance. In the case of a complex, multicellular organism as a human being, for instance, Akasha corresponds to spaces within the body (mouth, nostril, abdomen etc) Vayu denotes movement (essentially muscular and nervous system); Agni controls functioning of enzymes(digestive system and metabolism) Jala is in all body fluids(as plasma, saliva, digestive juices); and Prithvi manifests itself in the solid structure of the body (bones, teeth, flesh, hair). The Pancha Mahabhuta, therefore, serve as the foundation of all diagnosis and treatment modalities in Ayurveda.
The concept of Tridosha is indispensable when you start learning about Ayurveda.
Human body structure and functions are the results of Pancha Mahabhuta. The total human body is made up of Tridosha, Saptadhatu and Mala. The physical and mental character of an individual is determined by the specific combination of these subtle units which make up Dosha. According to Ayurveda texts, a person’s Prakruti (constitution) is determined based upon the combination of different types and levels of Dosha.
What is Dosha?
Dosha refers to the energies that pervade everywhere including mind and body, each with different functions. Vata, Pitta and Kapha are the three Dosha of the body and are distributed all over. But each dominate in a specific region. Vata below the navel, pitta in the mid-region (duodenum and lower GI) and Kapha in the chest and head. Likewise Vata, Pitta and Kapha predominate during the last, middle and first periods of life, day, night and food (digestive phase) respectively. Health is indicated by Prakriti (state of the normalcy of three doshas). The disease is indicated by Vikrti (state of abnormality of the dosha). This abnormal state can manifest in two ways; either in excess or deficiency of dosha.
How can we identify these Dosha, their status in the body?
Vata is the combination of Akasha and Vayu mahabhuta. It is responsible for all types of movements or activities (respiration, pulsation, perception, initiation of natural urges etc).
Qualities: Ruksha – dryness, Laghu- light, Sitacold, Khara- rough, Sukshma- subtle and Cala – movable. In an abnormal state ( excess) Vata produces emaciation, tremors, giddiness, low energy and strength, reduced sensory perception, osteoporosis, numbness, etc) and Vata in decreased state causes excess salivation, reduced activity, reduced speech, nausea, confusion etc) Pitta is the combination of Agni and Jala mahabhuta. It is the source for all transformative processes (digestion, metabolism, temperature regulation, colour and complexion)
Qualities: Sasneha– slightly oily, Teekshna – sharp, Usna- hot, Laghu – light, Visra–pungent smell. Sara- movable, Drava- liquid. When excess, Pitta produces excessive hunger and thirst, burning sensation, boils, erythema and vasculitis, ulcer, inflammation, yellowish discolouration (liver diseases). Pitta in decreased state causes reduced digestive activity, coldness, reduced colour and complexion.
Kapha is the combination of Prithvi and Jala mahabhuta. It gives the structural appearance, stability, lubrication, joint integrity and strength.
Qualities: Snigdha – oily, Sita- cold, Guruheavy, Mandha- dull, Slakshna- smooth, Mritsna- shiny, Sthira– stable. Excess Kapha produces anaemia, itching, discharges, oedema, weight gain, drowsiness, excessive sleep, dull digestion etc. Kapha in the decreased state produces palpitation, looseness of joints.
The clinical presentation should be understood as the manifestation of a single dosha or as a combination of dosha.
Concept of Dhatu (Theory of tissue formation and differentiation)
The basic Ayurveda theory of health is based on the state of equilibrium of Tridosha, Saptadhatu and Trimala. Saptadhatu includes Rasa (plasma), Rakta(blood), Mamsa(muscle)Medhas(fat / adipose tissue), Asthi(bone), Majja(bone marrow) and Sukra (reproductive tissues). All these dhatus are well nourished by the action of Jataragni(digestive fire) on the food consumed. Thus, the resultant ahara rasa(nutrients) are passed into each dhatu (bodily tissues). All the seven dhatu ultimately are supplied by one stream of the pool. Thus, the nourishment of all dhatu depends upon the proper functioning of Jataragni and furthermore influenced by the respective Dhatwagni(metabolic energy of each dhatu / tissues). The function of Dhatwagni is to activate the formation of self – clone of respective tissues and dependent tissues (Upadhatu). Thus the seven dhatus from rasa to Sukra develop sequentially and nourishes the consecutive dhatus. For eg: The Rasadhatwagni plays an important role in the formation of Rakta dhatu from rasa dhatu and Raktadhawatgni further nourishes Mamsa dhatu and soon.
Another major concept is Srotas. Ayurveda assumes that the purusha (individual) is made up of innumerable srotas (channels) which are responsible for performing all physiological activities. All three Doshas, seven dhatu and three mala perform their functions in the body with the help of these Srotas. Thus, Srotas are the channels that carry nutrients to all body organs also carries waste materials out of the body and are widely spread all over the body.
In a diseased state, the vitiated Doshas (either increased/decreased) causing Srotodusti directly influences this dhatu by dislodging in any of these Dhatus (sthaanasamsraya) and affects the functioning of Dhatwagni’s (diminishes/elevates) which affects the nourishment (cell production and differentiation) of respective dhatu (body tissues) leading to the manifestation of the disease.
Elaborate explanation about the physical constitution is seen in all classical texts which divide the individuals based upon the Prakruti(constitution) which is characterized by the predominant Doshas(vataprakruti, pitta prakruti, kaphaprakruti). It contains a description of physical characteristics including anthropometric measurements, emotional state, mental tendencies, sleep pattern etc. it also contains information about risk factors; susceptibility to some diseases also. The advice for lifestyle routines specific for each Prakruti is also mentioned. Ayurveda recognizes the unique constitutional differences of all individuals and therefore recommends different regimens for different peoples
Prevention and therapeutic ways of health management depend on Tridosha. Dhatu (tissue), mala (waste products) and Agni (digestive fire) are the other important factors to consider. An equilibrium of Dosha, Dhatu, Mala and Agni together with a pleasant state of the sensory system is considered to be Svastha (healthy state). Their imbalanced state leads to Athuravastha (diseased state). The aim of Ayurveda is.
which conveys the significance of maintaining healthy life and prevention diseases. As a part of preventive medicines, Dinacharya (daily regimen) practices for maintaining a healthy body (starting from when to get up) and also for measures for maintaining a healthy mind (measures to handle emotions) are included. Descriptions of Ritucharya (seasonal regimen) denotes the regimen to be followed by people during different seasons to prevent diseases and to maintain health. Since seasonal changes affect the body’s physiology considerably.
Ahara krama – dietetics have given much importance in treatment aspect as well as preventive aspect. It is said that deranged Agni is the causative factor for all diseases. So treatment procedures and diet should be able to promote Agni. The ayurvedic dietetic description includes procedures to take food, activities after meals, qualities of selected foods and drinks, descriptions related to the quantity of food intake and diseases related to wrong food habits their treatments.
Diagnosis and treatment:
In Ayurveda, diagnosis of the patient is always done as a whole. The doctor examines carefully the patients’ internal physiological characteristics and mental status. Treatment of the disease depends largely upon each person’s doshic state ie; personalized to his/her individual needs.
There are three main modes of treatment in Ayurveda. They are:
Shodhana – cleansing of metabolic wastes (purification treatment)
Samana – pacifying excess of dosha (palliative treatment)
Brmhana – rejuvenating
Panchakarma concerns itself with Shodhana. Pancha means five and karma mean actions/ therapy. They are:
–Vamana – therapeutic vomiting
–Virechana – therapeutic purgation
–Vasthi– medicated enema
–Nasya – nasal medication
–Rakta mokshana –bloodletting.
Shamana Chikitsa aims to normalize the vitiated dosha without hampering another dosha by using suitable medicines.
The treatment principles have given importance for Pathya which comprises indication and contraindications in respect of diet, activity, habits and emotional status. Nidana parivarjanam, an equally important factor suggests one to avoid known causative factor of disease in the diet and lifestyle of the patient.
Satvavajaya – concerns about the mental state: restraining of mind from unwholesome objects and cultivation of courage, memory and concentration.
Rasayana therapy – for promoting strength and vitality and also non-recurrence of a disease.
All the treatment modalities aim to remove the causative factor responsible for disequilibria of Tridosha by Panchakarma procedures, medicines, suitable diet, activity and regimen for restoring the balance and strengthening the body mechanisms to prevent future occurrence of disease.
Ayurveda deals with each and every aspect of human life. Its first objective is to maintain a healthy body and mind. The next objective is to manage the disease and restore health and a productive state of mind. Ayurveda offers advice for a better lifestyle, giving equal importance to our body, mind and soul.
