Ayurveda is world's most ancient medical science which still has its own charm in the modern science.
Ayurveda is the science of keeping your body fit, and acting on the root cause of the disease. It was originated in
India, but the time of its origin is unknown. If we go by Indian mythology, Ayurveda is the medical science of Gods , and
Lord Dhanvantri is know to be the God of Ayurveda. Knowledge of this medical science is transferred from generations to generations, and
has transformed itself with time. Even in this era, people prefers Ayurvedic medicines over others as they are considered to be safe and effective.
Eight Components of Ayurveda
The earliest classical Sanskrit works on Ayurveda describe medical science as being divided into eight components:
- Kāyacikitsā: general medicine, medicine of the body
- Kaumāra-bhṛtya: the treatment of children
- Śalyatantra: surgical techniques and the extraction of foreign objects
- Śālākyatantra: treatment of ailments affecting ears, eyes, nose, mouth, etc.
- Bhūtavidyā: pacification of possessing spirits, and the people whose minds are affected by such possession.
- Agadatantra: toxicology.
- Rasāyanatantra: rejuvenation and tonics for increasing lifespan, intellect and strength
- Vājīkaraṇatantra: aphrodisiacs and treatments for increasing the volume and viability of semen and sexual pleasure.
Principles and Terminology
The central theoretical ideas of Ayurveda developed in the mid-first millennium BCE,
and show parallels with Sāṅkhya and Vaiśeṣika philosophies and with Buddhism and Jainism.
Ayurveda names seven basic tissues (dhatu), which are plasma (rasa), blood (rakta), muscles (māmsa),
fat (meda), bone (asthi), marrow (majja), and semen (shukra).In either case, it says that each person should
modulate their behavior or environment to increase or decrease the doshas and maintain their natural state.
