Question

Explain the ayurvedic system of medicine .

Answer 1

Ayurveda is an ancient medical science. The word, ayurveda is composed of two words of Sanskrit, ayur (meaning life) and veda(meaning knowledge). Thus Ayurveda is a medical science of Ancient India. It deals with matters relating to health, day-to-day life and longevity (long life).Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine and medication, based on experience and observation. This system of medicine and medication is more than 3000 years old. According to mythological story, Dhanvanteriwas the first physician to use ayurveda. In modern India also, Ayurveda is being used. It has also reached outside India in countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia and several persons from other countries also take advantage of ayurveda.In Ayurveda we view a person as a unique individual made up of five primary elements. The elements are ether (space), air, fire, water, and earth. Just as in nature, we too have these five elements in us. When any of these elements are present in the environment, they will in turn have an influence on us. The foods we eat and the weather are just two examples of the presence of these elements. While we are a composite of these five primary elements, certain elements are seen to have an ability to combine to create various physiological functions. Ether and air combine to form what is known in Ayurveda as the Vata dosha. Vata governs the principle of movement and therefore can be seen as the force which directs nerve impulses, circulation, respiration, and elimination. Fire and water are the elements that combine to form the Pitta dosha. The Pitta dosha is the process of transformation or metabolism. The transformation of foods into nutrients that our bodies can assimilate is an example of a pitta function. Pitta is also responsible for metabolism in the organ and tissue systems as well as cellular metabolism. Finally, it is predominantly the water and earth elements which combine to form the Kapha dosha. Kapha is what is responsible for growth, adding structure unit by unit. Another function of the Kapha dosha is to offer protection. Cerebral-spinal fluid protects the brain and spinal column and is a type of Kapha found in the body. Also, the mucousal lining of the stomach is another example of the Kapha dosha protecting the tissues. We are all made up of unique proportions of Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These ratios of the doshas vary in each individual; and because of this, Ayurveda sees each person as a special mixture that accounts for our diversity.

Answer 2

Answer:

Ayurvedic System of Medicine

1. Ayurvedic System of Medicine is based on the interaction of body mind and spirit
2. It is the one of oldest systems of medicine, identified exclusively with ancient Indian civilization and dealing with both Preventive and curative aspects of life
3. The principle of positive health and therapeutic measures embedded in this system relates to the mental, physical, social and spiritual welfare of human beings.
4. According to Ayurveda all the objects in the universe including the human body are composed of 5 basic elements known as ‘Panchamahabhutas', which include space, air, water, fire and earth.
5. Doshas, in the Indian medical science this terminology used for disordered and this condition arrived due to change of the three principal humours in the body, called doshas namely wind, bile and phlegm (vata, pitta & kapha).
6. The Panchamahabhutas manifest in the human body and combine to form 3 basic forces/doshas, known as ‘Tridoshas’. These Tridosha exist in everything in the universe and influence all mental and physical processes in the human body.
7. The objective of Ayurveda is to counteract the imbalance of Tridosh from which the body originates. It Is the Tridosh which regularises & predominantly governs the normal working of the human body.
8. Ayurvedic dosage forms (formulations) can be grouped into four types depending upon their physical forms i.e.

Solid dosage forms: Pills, Gutika, Vatika.

Semi-solid dosage forms: Avleha, Paka, Lepa, Ghrita (Snehakalpa).

Liquid dosage forms: Arista, Asava, Arka, Taila, Dravaka

Powder dosage forms: Bhasma, Satva, Mandura, Pisti, Parpati, Lavana,Kshara, Curna (Churna).