Ayurveda
in Sanskrit means "the
science of Life". It is
an ancient, unfailing system
of treatment based on medicines
prepared from herbal plants
found in abundance in India.
Ayurveda is an integral part
of the people of India. In the
recent years this ancient knowledge
system of medicine has gained
global acceptance especially
for alternative ways of preventive,
curative and rejuvenative processes
making life a more pleasurable
experience.
We can find historical evidence
of Ayurveda in the ancient books
of wisdom known as the Vedas.
In the Rig Veda, over 60 preparation
were mentioned that could be
used to assist an individual
in overcoming various ailments.
The Rig Veda was written over
6,000 years ago, but really
Ayurveda has been around even
longer than that.
Ayurveda is made up of two Sanskrit
words: Ayu which means life
and Veda which means the knowledge
of.
To know about life is Ayurveda.
However, to fully comprehend
the vast scope of Ayurveda let
us first define "Ayu"
or life. According to the ancient
Ayurvedic scholar Charaka, "ayu"
is comprised of four essential
parts. The combination of mind,
body, senses and the soul.
Mind,
Body and Senses
We
tend to identify most
with our physical bodies;
yet, in actuality, there
is more to us then what
meets the eye. We can
see that underlying our
physical structure is
the mind, which not only
controls our thought processes
but helps assist us in
carrying out day-to-day
activities such as respiration,
circulation, digestio | |
