Meaning of Ayurveda
Ayurveda is the most popular holistic forms of medicine that has
originated in India, and is now rapidly spreading around the world.
Ayurveda is a combination of two Sanskrit words, ayus meaning 'life'
and veda meaning 'knowledge'. Hence, Ayurveda literally means 'the
knowledge of life'.
Indians believe that Ayurveda originated as a form of medicine for the
gods. Even in the Ramayana (which is believed to be several millennia
old), we have a reference of how Hanuman brings the Sanjivani herb to
revive Lakshmana, who is mortally wounded in the battlefield at Lanka.
Dhanwantari, the physician of the gods, is believed to be the one who
discovered Ayurveda. Ayurveda was brought from the realms of the gods
to the human race by Charaka, who wrote the Ayurvedic treatise, Charaka
Samhita, which is regarded venerably even today. Sushruta later wrote a
compendium of his own, Sushruta Samhita, which has several amendments
over the methods detailed in the Charaka Samhita.
Principles of Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a largely herbal science. It delves into the medicinal
properties of herbs and studies their effects on the human system.
There are more than four thousand herbs known to Ayurveda, out of which
about one thousand are very commonly used in regular prescriptions.
Throughout the ages, several combinations of the herbs have been made
and perfected. The herbs are also matured in several ways like roasting
them in ghee, fermenting them to make wines, preparing their
concentrated powder extracts, etc. Preparations are known as bhasmas,
lehyas, vatis, choornas, rasas, asavas, etc. depending on how they have
been prepared.
Though Ayurveda mainly deals with herbs; that is not all there is to
it. Ayurveda also deals in several minerals, which it calls as dhaatus.
Some dhaatu preparations are very important to the human wellbeing, for
example, the Shilajit.
However, the most important aspect of Ayurveda is neither the herbs nor
the minerals that it uses. The secret of the success of Ayurveda over
the centuries is the regimen that it coerces its patients to do. There
are several therapies that Ayurveda has devised. The most famous of
these is the Panchakarma therapy. This is an elaborate five-part
process which can treat almost any ailment that afflicts humans. The
Panchakarma therapy is a way of purification of the body. Then there
are several other therapies like Shirodhara, Basti, etc. which helps
keep the body in a state of normalcy.
Ayurveda often goes hand in hand with another popular Indian technique,
the yoga. Ayurvedic physicians often prescribe asanas of yoga to
supplement their herbal remedies. Ayurveda also believes in several
massage therapies using different kinds of oils. Aromatherapy, though a
different science in itself, can be considered to be a subset of the
Ayurvedic techniques. Ayurveda believes that massage can canalize the
toxins to their proper destinations in the body from where they can be
eliminated. In this manner, the body remains free from residual toxic
substances.
Ayurveda also believes in the importance of diet. When a treatment is
going on, the Ayurvedic physician will stress on the importance of the
diet the person consumes. Each component is selected with care, because
with any disease, there are a large number of dietary indications and
contra-indications.
The Popularity of Ayurveda
Today, Ayurveda is so deeply ensconced in the minds of the Indian
population that they would use its remedies without actually knowing
they are making use of some Ayurvedic technique. Almost every Indian
household has one tulsi plant in their courtyard. Tulsi is nothing but
the holy basil tree. This plant is worshipped by the Hindus, without
knowing that the high respect for the tulsi actually originates from
the various medicinal properties the herb has. Tulsi is one of the five
essential plants every Indian garden is supposed to have. The other
four plants are neem, amalaki, bilva and palash. Today, all these five
herbs have become popular all around the world for their amazing
curative properties.
Herbs like brahmi, ginkgo, gotu kola, ashwagandha, yohimbe,
yashtimadhu, arjuna, etc. have now gained worldwide renown. The western
scientists are spending a great deal of time and research in
investigating the properties of these herbs. With every test they
conduct, their belief in the powers of Ayurveda is only strengthening.
Garlic, onion and ginger are today used all over the world for several
medicinal reasons. It is confirmed that garlic can prove extremely
beneficial in reducing cholesterol and increasing longevity. However,
it was Ayurveda that was the first to bring the curative properties of
these herbs in the limelight. There are several other such herbs which
were given their importance by Ayurveda first. Some of them are
fenugreek, licorice, betel nut, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin seeds,
dandelion, lemon grass, rauwolfia, zizzyphus, etc.
The initial reticence in using a quaint Indian method of medicine is
now slowly dwindling away. Several Americans and Europeans are opting
to use Ayurveda instead of other invasive therapeutic methods.
Ayurvedic medicines are being very widely used in the west for memory
enhancement tonics, treatment of male and female sterility, breast
enhancement, penis enlargement and weight loss. People who are using
them vouch for their benefits.
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