Ayurveda

Overview

Ayurveda, Ancient Indian System of Medicines deals with the knowledge that can define the quality and quantum of social and personal health status and ways to restore, maintain and upgrade it that based on the principles of Vedic metaphysics (Charaka Samhita).

Medications

Ayurveda operates on the precept that a variety of materials of vegetable, animal, and mineral origin have some medicinal value. The medicinal properties of these materials have been actually documented by the practitioners and have been used for centuries to cure illness and/or help maintain good health. Ayurvedic medicaments are thus made from herbs or mixtures of herbs, either alone or in combination with minerals, metals and other ingredients of animal origin. The metals, animals and minerals are then purified by individual processes before being used for medicinal purposes.

Writers and compilers of Ayurvedic literature such as Charaka, Sushruta, Vagabhatta, Bhav Mishra, Shaligram and others have been written about the qualities, characteristics and medicinal uses of the herbs, mineral, metals, chemicals, animal parts, cooked food articles, natural foods, and fruits etc. Among them, the Bhav Prakash Nighantu, is written by Bhav Mishra, is known for its detail .The composition of the Nighantu part (Ayurvedic Materia Medica) of the Bhav Prakash is the part of the classical book. The details of the medicinal herbs are given according to the nature, effects, and curative properties as being observed by the Ayurvedic practitioners.

Ayurvedic literature has been written by the several authors in languages such as Sanskrit, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and more newly, in English.The Shaligram Nighantu was written in the Sanskrit. The Banaushadhi Chandrodaya was written in Hindi.The Indian Materia Medica was written in English.

Panchakarma and Ayurvedic massage

Panchakarma (the five therapeutic modalities) is in fact a collection of purification techniques that Ayurveda prescribes for specific conditions and diseases and for periodic cleansing. A course of Pancharkarma typically includes just a nutritional adjustments, herbs, pre or co panchakarma therapies (such as oil massages, hot baths, and steam or sauna, shirodhara, dehadhara, hot rice massage etc) and one or some of the other main therapies (such as vamana - removal of the kapha toxins, virechana - removal of the pitta toxins from body , vasti - removal of the vata toxins, raktamoksha - removal of the toxins thAT trapped in blood stream, and nasya - removal of toxins trapped in sinuses and cranial area.

Abhyanga - oil application and mardana – this massage form the background of a course of therapy. This combination helps to heal pain, circulatory problems, residue of stress, disturbed sleep, stiffness and problem tiredness.[citation needed] Massage therapy can soothe the pain, relax stiff muscles, and reduce the swelling that to accompanies arthritis.[citation needed] Advocates claim that, with Ayurvedic massage, deep-seated and toxins in the joints and tissues are loosened and released into the system for the elimination through natural toxin-release processes. There are quite a few different types of Ayurvedic treatments such as panchakarma, marma massage and abhyangam. Ayurvedic massage is specially developed in Sri Lanka and the Indian state of Kerala.