Ayurveda – “The Science of Life”

The ancient Indian medical system, known as Ayurveda, is based on ancient writings that rely on a “natural” and holistic approach to physical and mental health. Ayurvedic knowledge originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and is often called the “Mother of All Healing.” Ayurvedic medicine is one of the world’s oldest medical systems and remains one of India’s traditional health care systems. Ayurvedic treatment combines products (mainly derived from plants, but may also include animal, metal, and mineral), diet, exercise, and lifestyle.

Ayurveda believes that positive health is the basis for attaining four cherished goals of life Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha. All these four goals cannot be achieved without sound positive health, Prasanna Atma, Indriya, Manah (happy state of the soul, senses and the mind).

Ayurveda conceives life as a perfect amalgamation of the body, the mind, the soul, and the senses. In Ayurveda, a human body is seen as a complex medium of interconnected systems – a combination of the physiological entities, the humors, the structural components, the tissues, and the excretions, or waste materials.
Thus, the living man is perceived as a perfect matrix of the three humors/Dosas (Vata, Pitta & Kapha), seven basic tissues/Dhatu (Rasa or plasma/lymph fluid, Rakta or blood, Mamsa or muscle, Meda, or fat, Asthi or bone, Majja or marrow, and Shukra or semen) and the waste products of the body/malas (Pureesha or stool, Mutra or urine, and Sweda or sweat). The development and growth of the body matrix are directly related to its nutrition, that is the food we eat. Through the action of the bio-fire (Agni), the body processes the food into the humors, tissues, and wastes.
Ingestion, absorption, digestion, assimilation, and the metabolism of food have a special Chemistry in health and disease management, wherein the psychological mechanisms as well as Agni, the bio-fire has a significant impact.