| Table Of Contents |
|---|
| Plants As Medicine |
| Ayurvedic System Of Medicine |
| Ayurveda Is An Upveda |
| Selection Of Ayurvedic Medicine |
Plants As Medicine
Plants have been utilized as medicines all throughout the globe since the dawn of humanity, and plant-based remedies have long been the basis of traditional cultures in dealing with health issues.
A increasing discontent with current medications' inadequacies in some disease areas, particularly chronic diseases like arthritis and asthma, as well as their unpleasant iatrogenic consequences, has prompted a worldwide quest for alternative health-care methods.
- This dissatisfaction is coupled with a desire to reconnect to nature and adopt a more natural way of relating to the world.
- The quest has sparked global interest in the scientific confirmation of traditional plant-based therapies' therapeutic effectiveness.
Ayurvedic System Of Medicine
Ayurveda, one of the most comprehensive and complete systems of medicine, originated in India approximately 3,000 years ago.
Its holistic approach goes beyond the simple prescription of medicines.
- The goal of Ayurveda is twofold: to live a healthy, vigorous life and, in the case of illness, to recover.
- Disease is seen to be the lack of harmony, and Ayurveda is concerned with restoring harmony and therefore health.
- This is accomplished via a three-pronged strategy of lifestyle, food, and medication that is tailored to an individual's constitution and season.
Health is a condition of complete physical, mental, spiritual, and social well-being, not only the absence of illness.
Drugs are utilized in Ayurveda as part of the therapeutic method, and they may be of plant, mineral, or animal origin.
Herbs, on the other hand, make up about 70% of the Ayurvedic materia medica.
Ayurveda means "science or knowledge of life," with "life" meaning "Ayur" and "knowledge" or "science" meaning "knowledge" or "science." The Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda are the first four Vedas.
Ayurveda Is An Upveda
Ayurveda is regarded an auxiliary Veda (upveda) or a fifth Veda at times.
The Vedas are a corpus of information that is said to have originated from a nonhuman (divine) source.
- Early sages and wise men, alarmed by the rising prevalence of illness, prayed to the almighty creator for assistance in reducing human suffering.
- The divine creator transmitted the science of Ayurveda to Indra through various intermediaries in the Caraka Samhita, and from Indra to sages such as Bharadwaja, Atri, and others, who then taught Ayurveda to their disciples; however, Dhanvantri received the science from Indra in the Sushruta Samhita.
The earliest documented book of Ayurveda, known as the Caraka Samhita, which is generally dated to 700 BC, contains a description of the first convocation on preventative health and therapeutic methods to cure illness.
- The Sushruta Samhita, which deals with surgery, and Vagbhata's Astanga Hrdayam were the next important books.
- The so-called Greater Triad, or Brihattrayi, is made up of three physicians: Caraka, Sushruta, and Vagbhata.
Selection Of Ayurvedic Medicine
Ayurvedic medicines were selected via a process that included observation, experimentation, intuition, and scholarly debate.
The intuitive aspect aided in the selection of the best plants, which were tested on domestic animals including cats, dogs, and cows.
- Discussion among academics improved their usage, and disagreements among scholars were settled via frequent meetings.
- The Caraka Samhita mentions similar gatherings in the Himalayan foothills.
- In each instance, the controversy was also addressed via human experimentation.
- A significant number of herbs with established therapeutic value developed from this lengthy period of trial and research on humans.
- The fruits of this exploration are currently accessible in the form of sutras, which are very short written texts.
You may also want to read more about Ayurveda and Holistic Healing here.