AYURVEDIC

INDIA

In India and the surrounding regions, Ayurvedic medicine is the dominant herbal tradition. It is thought to be the oldest system of healing in the world, predating even Chinese medicine. Today the government, as an alternative to conventional medicine, actively promotes it. A lesson is devoted to this system of medicine later in the course also the Chinese system.

The name Ayurveda derives from two Indian words: ayur, meaning life and veda, meaning knowledge or science. Ayurvedic medicine is more than a system of healing. It is a way of life encompassing science, religion and philosophy that enhances well-being, increases longevity and ultimately brings self-realization. It aims to bring about a union of physical, emotional and spiritual health, known as swasthya. This state enables the individual to enter into a harmonious relationship with cosmic consciousness.

EARLY ORIGINS

Ayurveda evolved over 5,000 years ago in 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 to 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.

In about 800 BC, the first Ayurvedic medical school was founded 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 1,500 plants, identifying 350 as valuable medicines. This major reference text is still consulted by Ayurvedic practitioners. The second major work was the Susruta Sam hita, written a century later, which forms the basis of modern surgery and is still consulted today.

THE INFLUNCE OF AYURVEDA

Other systems of medicine such as the Chinese, Tibetan and Islamic (Unani Tibb) traditions have their roots in Ayurveda. For example, the Buddha (born c. 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 civilizations were linked to one another by trade routes, campaigns and wars. Arab traders spread knowledge of Indian plants and Arab physicians studied Ayurvedic medicine, cloves for instance are said to have been used medicinally for thousands of years in India. Ayurvedic included Indian plants in their materia medica. The flower buds are dried in the open air. This knowledge was passed on to the ancient Greeks and Romans, whose practices were eventually to form the basis of European medicine.

THE FIVE ELEMENTS

Ayurveda is a unique holistic system, based on the interaction of body, mind and spirit. In Ayurveda, the origin of all aspects of existence is pure intellect or consciousness. Energy and matter are one.

Energy is manifested in five elements - ether, air, fire, water and earth - which together form the basis of all matter. In the body, ether is present in the cavities of the mouth, abdomen, digestive tract, thorax and lungs. Air is manifested in the movements of the muscles, pulsations of the heart, expansion and contraction of the lungs, and the workings of the digestive tract and the nervous system. Fire is manifested in the digestive system, metabolism, body temperature, vision and intelligence. Water is present in the digestive juices, salivary glands, mucous membranes, blood and cytoplasm. Earth exists in the nails, skin and hair, as well as in the elements that hold the body together: bones, cartilage, muscles and tendons.

The five elements manifest in the functioning of the five senses, and they are closely related to our ability to perceive and interact with the environment in which we live. In Ayurveda, ether, air, fire, water and earth correspond to hearing, touch, vision, taste and smell respectively.

THE DOSHAS & HEALTH

The five elements combine to form three basic forces, known as the tridoshas, which exist in everything in the universe and influence all mental and physical processes. From ether and air, the air principle vata is created; fire and water yield the fire principle pitta; and earth and water produce the water principle kaplia. The principles correspond closely to the three humours of Tibetan medicine and somewhat resemble Galen?s theory of the four humours.

According to Ayurveda, we are all born with a particular balance of doshas. The proportions are largely determined by the balance of doshas in our parents at the time of our conception. Our body type, temperament, and susceptibility to illnesses are largely governed by the predominant dosha. In this way we inherit our basic constitution, called the pro ken ti, which remains unaltered throughout our lives.

The first requirement for health in Ayurveda is a proper balance of the doshas. If the balance is upset, illness, ryadhi, results. The disruption may be manifested in physical discomfort and pain, or in mental and emotional suffering, including jealousy, anger, fear and sorrow. While our balance of doshas influences vulnerability to certain kinds of illness, the principles do not work in a vacuum.

India?s medical system, Ayurveda, identifies seven energy centres, chakras, sited along the spinal column from the head to the base of the spine. If they are blocked, illness results.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF HERBAL MEDICINE

Our lifestyle has a strong effect upon overall health, and it may easily disrupt its balance. Illness may also result if the flow of energy, prana, around the body is interrupted. The flow is relayed via the seven chakras (psychic energy centres), which are situated at various points along the spinal column, from the crown of the head to the tailbone. If the energy flowing between these centres is blocked, the likelihood of ill health increases.

VISTING AN AYURVEDIC PRACTITIONER

An Ayurvedic practitioner first carefully assesses prakruti and vakruti -constitution and lifestyle. This involves taking a detailed case history and carefully examining the patients body, paying particular attention to the bodies build, the lines in the face, the hands, the skin and the hair type - all of which point to more profound aspects of the patient?s condition. However, the main foundations on which diagnosis rests are the appearance of the tongue, and the patients pulse rate. In these respects, Ayurveda has much in common with Chinese and Tibetan medicine, in which these two indicators are also of the greatest importance. A very complex technique for taking the patient?s pulse has been developed by Ayurvedic practitioners, requiring many years? experience.

When a dosha imbalance has been diagnosed, medical treatment and lifestyle advice are provided. The first step is eliminating toxins and the main cleansing and rejuvenation programme, known as pancho karma, includes therapeutic vomiting, purging, enemas, and nasal administration of medication and purification of the blood.

ATTRIBUTES OF REMEDIES

Subsequent treatments fall into three main categories: medicines from natural sources, dietary regimes, and behavioural modifications. Medicines, foods and lifestyle activities are all classified according to their effect on the three doshas. For instance, a health problem associated with an excess of kapha, the water principle, is characterized by catarrh, excess weight, fluid retention and lethargy. The practitioner would prescribe the consumption of warm, dry, light foods, because the quality of kapha is cool and damp. Avoidance of cold damp foods (such as wheat, sugar and milk products), which increase kapha, would also be advised. Herbal remedies would include warming spices such as ginger, cinnamon and cayenne, as well as bitters such as turmeric and aloe vera.

The specific choice of herbal remedy depends on its ?quality? or ?energy?, which Ayurveda determines according to twenty attributes (vimshati guna) such as hot, cold, wet, dry, heavy or light. Ayurveda also classifies remedies according to six tastes - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Sweet, sour and salty substances increase water (kapha) and decrease air (va to); bitter, pungent and astringent remedies increase air and decrease water; and sour, salty and pungent herbs increase fire (pitta).

PREPARATIONS & TREAMENTS

In addition to plant extracts, Ayurvedic medicines include honey and dairy produce, and sometimes minute doses of minerals such as salt are added. Remedies take the form of pills; powders, balms and infusions, and most contain several different ingredients, all carefully balanced to the individuals needs. Treatment might include washes and enemas or the application of poultices as well as massage with warm herbal oil, burning incense, the use of precious stones and metals, and ritual purification for imbalanced mind and emotions. The chanting of mantras (incantations based on sacred texts), breathing and meditation exercises may be advised, due to the power of sound and the effect of vibration and meditation on the body, mind and spirit.

THE VALUE OF AYURVEDIC MEDICINE

The importance of Ayurveda is proved in part by its timelessness, since it has existed as an unbroken tradition for thousands of years. This is despite a number of obstacles. Following the rise of the Mogul empire in the 16th century the dominance of Islamic medicine, Unani Tibb, 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. Great centres of Indian learning thus fell apart, and Ayurvedic knowledge retreated into 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 became independent in 1947 it had regained its reputation as a valid medical system. Today, Ayurveda flourishes side by side with Unani Tibb and Western conventional medicine and is actively encouraged by the Indian government as an inexpensive alternative to Western drugs. In recent years, Ayurveda has attracted increasing attention from medical scientists in the West and in Japan, and the World Health Organization has resolved to promote its practice in developing countries.

Ayurveda?s value lies in the fact that it is not a medical science that deals solely with the treatment of disease. Instead, it offers practical guidelines for living, which are applicable to every facet of daily existence. It also seeks to reconcile health and lifestyle with the universal aspects of existence, and thus it enhances the well-being, longevity and harmony of all those who practise it. For these reasons, Ayurveda is of lasting benefit to anyone seeking an alternative to traditional Western practices.