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ABOUT
AYURVEDA |
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Definition
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| Thaliyola
- Palm Leaf |
The
classical works on Ayurveda describe it as under:
It is that knowledge of life, which deals elaborately
and at length with conditions beneficial or otherwise
to the humanity, and, to factors conducive to
the happiness, or responsible for misery or sorrow
besides indicating measures for healthful living
for full span of life. Ayurveda is also considered
as 'Science of life'. This probably makes it the
earliest medical science having a positive concept
of health to be achieved through a blending of
physical, mental, social moral and spiritual welfare.
According to the ancient books of knowledge, health
is considered as a prerequisite for achieving
the supreme ends of life consisting of righteousness,
wealth, artistic values and spiritual freedom.
Preventive and curative aspects of diseases are
considered as important components of the concept
of positive health.
Ayurveda deals elaborately with measures of healthful
living during the entire span of life and its
various phases. Besides dealing with principles
for maintenance of health, it has also developed
a wide range of therapeutic measures to combat
illness. These principles of positive health and
therapeutic measures related to physical, mental,
social and spiritual welfare of human beings.
Thus Ayurveda became one of the oldest systems
of medicine dealing with both the preventive and
curative aspects of life in a most comprehensive
way.
Origin & History
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| Dhanwanthari
Statue |
Human life and knowledge
of preserving it as a going concern, in the face
of overpowering and brute physical and biological
environment, must have come into being almost
simultaneously. It has to be so. There cannot
be any other plausible explanation, other than
this, to account for the continuity of human race
and survival of its several highly developed cultures
and civilizations. All known cultures of the past
- Egyptian, Babylonian, Jewish, Greek, Indus -Valley
etc. - had their own equally glorious and useful
systems of medicine and health care.
In India, development and growth of such a body
of knowledge known as Ayurveda, meaning science
of life, was coeval with the growth and evolution
of Indian civilization and culture. Vedas, which
are considered to be the repositories of recorded
Indian culture, have mention of this knowledge
both in theoretical and practical form. There
is discussion of theories about the composition
of living and non-living matter, the physical,
biochemical, biological, psychological and spiritual
components of man and the vital motive forces
working both inside and outside the body. In other
ancient works there is mention of such current
medical subject like anatomy, physiology, aetiology,
pathology, treatment and environmental factors.
This medical knowledge has been the work of ages.
It is the out-come of the great power of observation,
generalisation and analysis combined with patient
labour of hundred of investigators spread over
thousand of years. This knowledge has played so
important a part in the development of Indian
culture that it has been documented in an integrated
form in the Vedas which are considered to have
been originated from Gods. Most of this mythological
and medico-religious genesis of Ayurveda is even
today shrouded in the mist of antiquity.
Ayurveda means the Science of life. Around 1500
B.C. Ayurveda's fundamental and applied principles
got organised and enunciated. Aatharvaveda ( one
of the four most ancient books of Indian knowledge,
wisdom and culture ) contains 114 hymns or formulations
for the treatment of diseases. Ayurveda or the
Indian Science of life originated and developed
from these hymns. In this sense Ayurveda is considered
to have divine origin representing one of the
oldest organised system of medicine for positive
health and cure of human sickness. Making use
of systematic careful observation and documenting
detailed experiences over the past several thousand
of years, it has grown into a very comprehensive
health care system with two major schools and
eight specialisations. It has a school of physicians
and a school of surgeons referred in literature
as 'Atreya Sampradaya' and 'Dhanvantri Sampradaya'
respectively.
The most important and massive ancient compilation
of the School of Medicine is known as Charka Samhita.
It contains several chapters dealing at length
with therapeutic or internal medicine. About 600
drugs of plant, animal and mineral origin are
described in it. Besides, this compendium also
deals with other branches of Ayurveda like anatomy,
physiology, aetiology, prognosis, pathology, treatment
and medicine etc.
An equally exhaustive ancient compilation, Sushruta
Samhita exists relating to school of surgery.
It deals primarily with various fundamental principles
and theory of surgery. More than 100 kinds of
surgical instruments including scalpels, scissors,
forceps, specula etc. are described along with
their use in this valuable document. Dissection
and operative procedures are explained making
use of vegetables and dead animals. Descriptions
of how to go about doing incision, excision, extraction
and bandaging etc. are detailed in this compendium.
In addition, this document also mentions of such
other topics as anatomy, embryology, toxicology
and therapeutics. It also has a mention of about
650 drugs.
In course of time Ayurveda, which started as a
magico-religious practice, matured into a fully
developed medical science with eight branches
which have parallels in the modern western system
of medicine. The growth of these eight specialties
gave Ayurveda another name of Astanga Ayurveda
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General
Medicine (Kaya Chikitsa) |
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Paediatrics
(Bala Chikitsa) |
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Psychiatry
& Psychology (Graha Chikitsa) |
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and Ophthalmology (Shalakya Tantra) |
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Surgery
(Shalya Tantra) |
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Toxicology (Agada Tantra) |
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Anti-ageing
& Geriatrics (Rasayana) |
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Eugenics
and aphrodisiacs (Vajikarana) |
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Compendia
on these subjects like Charak Samihta, Sushruta
Samhita etc. were written by the ancient scholars
during B.C. period. These were used for teaching
of Ayurveda in the ancient universities of Takshashila
and Nalanda.
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