Ayurveda

Ayurveda

Translated, Ayurveda compounds into ãyus, meaning LIFE and veda KNOWLEDGE. In other words: the knowledge of life. Ayurvedic medicine is an ancient health care system from India and looks at the combination of the body, mind, sense organs and soul and aiming for harmony between them.

The 8 branches of Ayurveda:

Kayachikitsa - Internal medicine
Shalya Tantra - Surgery
Shalakya tantra - Ears, eyes, nose and throat
Kaumarabhritya Tantra - Pediatrics
Agada Tantra - Toxicology
Bajikarana (or Vajikarana) Tantra - Purification of the genetic organs
Rasayana Tantra - Health and Longevity
Bhuta Vidya - Spiritual Healing/Psychiatry

Tridosha

The central concept and theory, Tridosha System, is that you need balance between the bodily humours/doshas - Vata, Pitta and Kapha - to obtain health. Where there is imbalance, there is illness.

Vata - Nervous System, mobilized by the Impulse principle and ruled by wind, air and other ether elements.

Pitta - Digestion, bile and metabolism, directed into the venous system by the Energy principle. This dosha is ruled by the fire element.

Kapha - Lubricating, mucous, phlegm and transporting nutrients into arteries. It is ruled by the elements of water and earth.

Prana - the inner Life Force

Felt at a pulse, ayurvedic practitioners feels prana (the inner life force) is a vital consideration as it gives rise to fire (of digestion and mental energy) and is also linked to breath, feeding fire. The body will be week if prana is week.

This inner fire is called agni/tejas. Good digestion and health is obtained by good balance between the inner fire and prana. With the good digestion comes sap producing 6 tastes crucial to ayurvedic herbalism. Toxic build-up happens as a result to imperfect digestion and hence imbalance and resulting in a circle of illness.

Tastes, in the right proportions, correspond to elements and emotions, thus they promote different functions in the body and strengthen different chakras. Too much of certain emotions, causing physical reaction, can be assigned to eating perhaps too much of certain tastes.

Sweet (Madhura) with elements in Earth/Water resulting in emotions of desire and conditions of weight gain. These foods also nourishes and moistens and are cool.
Sour (Amla) with elements in Earth/Fire resulting in envious emotions and weight gain. They are warm and oily foods.
Salty (Lavan) have elements in Water/Fire with warm salty foods, dissolving, softening and stimulating that will increase weight and feel greedy.
Bitter (Katu) with elements in Air/Ether and foods cool and dry for purification and weight loss, and emotions of grief.
Pungent (Tikta) has Air/Fire elements and emotions of deep anger and the foods are warm, stimulating and dry resulting in weight loss.
Astringent (Kasaya) has its elements in Earth/Air and emotions of fear and anxiety. The foods are dry and cool, reducing stickiness.

Dhatus/Tissues

Balance is achieved through the 7 tissues or dhatus to be in equilibrium. These tissues are
plasma (rasa),
blood (rakta),
muscle (mamsa),
fat (medas),
bone (asthi),
marrow and nerve tissues (majja)
semen (shukra)

Open Channels/Srotas

Channels (srotas) need to be open for free flow of food, water and breath through the body. Of the organs included as channels are oesophagus, arteries, veins, trachea and intestines.

Waste Products (urine, faeces and sweat) need to be in balance and disposed of regularly.

In short...

Life Force (or digestive function) referred to as Agni needs to be strong and is fed by food drink, fresh air, sensual gratification and spiritual activities. Through this we gain balance and well functioning tissues (plasma, blood, fat, bone, muscle, marrow and nerve tissues plus semen), opened channels and the correct disposing of waste products.

Of the 2,500 herbs used medically, plus-minus 800 are used in great tradition, of which a couple are very familiar in our Western kitchens. Such as turmeric, saffron and sandalwood.Many of these herbal combinations are available in pill form, jellies or other.