Ayurveda: A Holistic Approach

The term Ayurveda is taken from the Sanskrit words ayus, meaning life or lifespan, and veda, meaning knowledge. It has been practiced in India for at least 5,000 years and has recently become popular in Western cultures. The basic principle of Ayurveda is to prevent and treat illness by maintaining balance in the body, mind, and consciousness through proper drinking, diet, and lifestyle, as well as herbal remedies. Considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science, Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health that is designed to help people live long, healthy, and well-balanced lives.

There are two main types of Ayurveda: traditional and Maharishi. Maharishi is a version of traditional Ayurveda based on translations from the classical texts by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Both types of Ayurvedic practitioners prescribe herbs, believe that disease results from an imbalance in the doshas, and use many of the same remedies for treating illness. Maharishi Ayurveda, however, emphasizes the role of supreme consciousness in maintaining good health, and promotes transcendental meditation as a way to experience the pure consciousness of the universe. It also highlights the expression of positive emotions and the need to attune your life to the natural rhythms of the body.

Everyone has vata, pitta, and kapha, but usually 1 or 2 are dominant in a particular person. Many things can disturb the energy balance, such as stress, an unhealthy diet, the weather, and strained family relationships. The disturbance shows up as disease. Ayurvedic practitioners prescribe treatments to bring the doshas back into balance.

Ayurvedic treatment focuses on rebalancing the doshas. On your first visit, the practitioner will take a detailed medical history, check your pulse, feel your abdomen, examine your tongue, eyes, nails, and skin, and listen to the tone of your voice. The practitioner will also ask you questions about your general health, paying special attention to your lifestyle, diet, habits, and surroundings. The practitioner will then recommend how to restore your natural dosha balance, which almost always includes changes in lifestyle, especially diet.

Ayurvedic Plants and their potiential towards Ayurveda

Ayurveda, the ancient Indian therapeutic measure is renowned as one of the major systems of alternative and complimentary medicine. As other herbal systems, greater parts of its medicaments are based on indigenous herbals. And the thorough and fractionate knowledge about the medicinal plant is mandatory for all who is working in the field of ayurveda, in order to identify and select the appropriate plant for a specific disease. In the recent years, the interest in medicinal plants has increased in a great deal.

Ayurvedic medicine originated in the Indian sub continent thousands of years ago. The first documented texts of Ayurveda are approximately 2,000 years old with evidence of a substantial oral tradition, which preceded the written texts.

Ayurvedic Medicine continues to be the main system of health care in India along with modern Western Medicine. Variations of the Ayurvedic tradition are also practiced in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Tibet.

In Ayurvedic Medicine, there are numerous herbs which have been used historically for treating a large variety of ailments. There is not such a sharp distinction between food and medicine in Ayurveda and many herbs are taken daily as part of your meals.

Many of the more common Ayurvedic Herbs have received increased popularity here in the West as their successful use for centuries in Asia has given way to scientific testing proving their healing potential for people world wide.