Category: Ayurveda
Hi Beautiful and Peaceful Souls,
Hope all of you are in good spirits. Today I am going to talk about Ayurveda as a protector and healer of human life.
1. INTRODUCTION
Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word which means "Science of Life". English meaning of "Ayu" is "Life or Age". Ayurveda is called "Mother of all Healing". Ayurveda is the oldest of ancient medical system. It talks about right way of living, to avoid and fight diseases. Ayurveda known and practiced today is not even 2-4% of ayurveda that our sages knew.
According to Charak Samhita, Ayurveda is defined as: The Scripture which describes A) about four types of Ayu (Hitayu: physically, mentally spiritually awake; Ahitayu: physically and mentally healthy but spiritually ignorant; Sukhayu: young and free from all physical and mental disorders and Dukhayu: Aged, physically handicapped and suffering from inferiority complex) and B) Differentiation of food and behavior into good and bad for life and longevity on the basis of prakriti, behavior, mind, desire and intellect is called Ayurveda.
Description of four types of Ayu in Hindi language (https://twitter.com/Sampoorn10/status/1279726811358785536?s=03)
According to Late Sh. Rajiv Dixit (Promoter of Ayurveda), unlike modern medicine Ayurveda works on the root cause rather than symptoms of disease. It is a harmless medicine system as it does not have any side effects on the body. In earlier times, the Ayurvedic knowledge was transferred only through verbal communication between Guru and Shishya. The first written Ayurvedic text is believed to be "Sushurta Tantra" which is known to be available since 2000 BC.
Ayurveda first existed in universal consciousness (Brahma) before it was passed to mystic sages through meditation. Ayurveda is supposed to be originated in India for more than 5000 years ago. According to Charak Samhita, Ayurveda was "Upanga" of Atharvaved in earlier times. So, Acharaya Charak, Acharya Sushruta, Acharya Kashyap, and Acharya Vagbhata accepted Ayurveda as "Upveda" of Atharvaved. Rishi Kashyap accepted Ayurveda as the "fifth Veda" too. Later, it was also called as "Punyatam Veda" because of it's importance as a "blessing with good health". Please refer to the below flow chart for a detailed chronology of origin of Ayurveda.
3. GREAT ANCIENT TEXTS OF AYURVEDA
Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr. David Frawley (Vamadev Shastri), Dr. Deepak Chopra are some of the more famous among a lot of other people spreading Ayurveda all over the world. In India, research in Ayurveda is undertaken by Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) through a network of national research institutes.
6. AYURGENOMICS:
Friends, if we are reading about Ayurveda, some of you might already have doubts in mind, Is Ayurveda scientific and rational? What does modern science say about it? Shall we use Ayurveda instead of Modern Science? Are there any scientific proofs of the effect of Ayurveda?
Let me try to shed some light on this..
Ayurveda classifies healthy individuals according to three doshas (broadly, energies)—vata, pitta and kapha. These doshas combine in varying degrees, with one usually dominant, resulting in an individual’s constitution, or prakriti. This classification system also determines an individual’s predisposition to disease and his or her response to drugs and the environment. For example, vata body type are susceptible to neurological, degenrative, neuromuscular and musculoskeleton disorders more than other body types. Pitta body is more susceptible to digestive disorder, metabolic disorders and inflammatory conditions than other body types. Kapha constitution is more susceptible to low metabolism, block in vessels, channels, high cholesterol, stone in kidney and gall bladder, urinary disorders, metabolic syndrome, obesity and hypothyroidism.
So just think, if we come to know what type of prakriti we have on the basis of genome sequence. This will then help us to know what disease types we are more prone to and can encounter in future if we do not follow the diet and behave according to our prakriti. Presently, modern science has developed so much but, can we deny the side effects of it? Definitely No, because we give same medicine and treatment to all living beings suffering from a common disease. But according to Ayurveda, each person has a different prakriti and thus gives specific medicines to each person despite having same disease. This is called personalized medicine and that is why, Ayurveda has no side effects.
Therefore, if Ayurveda and modern science work together, i.e., Ayurveda reveals the prakriti of a person on the basis of his/her morphological, physiological and psychological attributes and modern science sequence the genome of persons of three major prakriti? Then, with the help of genome sequence, modern doctors will be able to find out specific prakriti of patients. This will help treat them with the conjugation of Ayurveda and modern medicine. Moreover, modern Doctors after knowing the prakriti of particular person on the basis of genome database, will be able to give consultation to person about the lifestyle, food and behavior need to follow and prevent them from future susceptible diseases. This will definitely reduce side effects and lead to precision medicine.
"Ayurgenomics" is a recently introduced research field which bridges the gap between genomics and Ayurveda and serves as an aid in understanding inter-individual differences in response to therapies in various disease [8]. Now, many well known research institutes and scientists have started studying if the Ayurvedic classification of individuals to prakriti type has any correlation at molecular (Gene) level. And not to any surprise, many findings have shown that yes, there is a correlation between ones Prakriti with over/under expression of certain genes. Therefore, human genome based on ayurveda can provide the genetic basis of three major prakriti. Just to brief you, this is branch of medicine which is focused on designing and creating the medicine and diet specific for each individual based on it's genetic makeup. It gave rise to one of the most talked about and booming idea of modern science called as Personalized/Precision and Preventive Medicine.
It is said that modern medical science is highly advanced and gives better treatment to patients. It is true, it gives better treatment but not healthy treatment. I salute to our ancient ayurvedic acharyas who not only talked about ancient genetic system, but also prevent and treat us on the basis of this system to which modern science is trying to dig into.
Take care all of you,
Your's Sincerely
Purnima Ghai
Hope all of you are in good spirits. Today I am going to talk about Ayurveda as a protector and healer of human life.
1. INTRODUCTION
Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word which means "Science of Life". English meaning of "Ayu" is "Life or Age". Ayurveda is called "Mother of all Healing". Ayurveda is the oldest of ancient medical system. It talks about right way of living, to avoid and fight diseases. Ayurveda known and practiced today is not even 2-4% of ayurveda that our sages knew.
According to Charak Samhita, Ayurveda is defined as: The Scripture which describes A) about four types of Ayu (Hitayu: physically, mentally spiritually awake; Ahitayu: physically and mentally healthy but spiritually ignorant; Sukhayu: young and free from all physical and mental disorders and Dukhayu: Aged, physically handicapped and suffering from inferiority complex) and B) Differentiation of food and behavior into good and bad for life and longevity on the basis of prakriti, behavior, mind, desire and intellect is called Ayurveda.
Description of four types of Ayu in Hindi language (https://twitter.com/Sampoorn10/status/1279726811358785536?s=03)
According to Late Sh. Rajiv Dixit (Promoter of Ayurveda), unlike modern medicine Ayurveda works on the root cause rather than symptoms of disease. It is a harmless medicine system as it does not have any side effects on the body. In earlier times, the Ayurvedic knowledge was transferred only through verbal communication between Guru and Shishya. The first written Ayurvedic text is believed to be "Sushurta Tantra" which is known to be available since 2000 BC.
2. ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF AYURVEDA
Ayurveda first existed in universal consciousness (Brahma) before it was passed to mystic sages through meditation. Ayurveda is supposed to be originated in India for more than 5000 years ago. According to Charak Samhita, Ayurveda was "Upanga" of Atharvaved in earlier times. So, Acharaya Charak, Acharya Sushruta, Acharya Kashyap, and Acharya Vagbhata accepted Ayurveda as "Upveda" of Atharvaved. Rishi Kashyap accepted Ayurveda as the "fifth Veda" too. Later, it was also called as "Punyatam Veda" because of it's importance as a "blessing with good health". Please refer to the below flow chart for a detailed chronology of origin of Ayurveda.
3. GREAT ANCIENT TEXTS OF AYURVEDA
A. Charaka Samhita
Acharya Charak is known as father of Ayurveda. Charak Samhita is the composition of Acharya Charaka which itself is a reformation of older and more voluminous Agnivesha Tantra. The Agnivesha Tantra was composed by Rishi Agnivesha, a student of Acharya Atreya somewhere in 1000 BC. Rishi Agnivesha explained various subjects of Ayurveda in the form of concise quotes. Acharya Charak did the elaboration of these quotes in around 400-200 BC. Later, Acharya Dridhbala added some missing topics in Charak Samhita which was available at around 400 AD. It is considered as the first systematically documented text of Ayurvedic Medicine. Charak Samhita is written in poetry style Sanskrit. It concentrates on branch of Ayurveda called Kayachikitsa (Internal Medicine). It describes basic principles of Ayurveda in relation to various diseases, their diagnosis and treatment. Panchkarma is also a part of it which classifies medicinal herbs on the basis of their action. It has also classified food items according to their properties, preparation method and the form in which it is consumed. It has been classified into 8 chapters in Charak Samhita.
B. Sushruta Samhita
Around 2000 BC, Vriddha Sushrut, a student of lord Dhanvantri (God of Ayurveda) scripted "Sushrut Tantra". This was then revised by Acharya Sushruta in 200 AD who added topics like treatment of war time disease (Sainik Chikitsa) in it. Later, it was called as Sushruta Samhita. It represents the field of Ayurvedic Surgery (Shalya). It is written in both prose and poetry with poetry being dominant. This work was originally written in Sanskrit. It describes various tools and techniques used for surgery along with a greater description of ENT ailments. It also describes various types of poisons, their effects on body and respective antidotes. Acharaya Sushruta performed various surgeries including rhinoplasty (surgery to change shape of nose). That is why he is known as Father of Surgery.
C. Astanga Hridayam and Astanga Sangraha
Maharishi Vagbhata composed both these texts. Astanga Sangraha (400 AD) is a combination of Charak Samhita and Sushruta Samhita. It is primarily poetry with prose and includes topics on Internal medicine (Kayachikitsa) as well as surgery (Shalyachikitsa). Astanga Hridyam (400-600 AD) is written in such a manner that can be remembered easily. It is less prose and poetic in nature. It emphasizes mostly on the physiology and therapeutic uses of metals and minerals. Therefore, it concentrates more on the material part of life than its counterparts, Charak and Sushruta Samhita. It is the most followed and practiced book of Ayurveda. Vagbhata classified Ashtanga Hridyam into six chapters.
A part from above, there are other minor texts on Ayurveda such as Kashyap Samhita, Sharngadhara Samhita, Bhava Prakasha and Madhva Nidanam.
4. EIGHT DIVISIONS OF AYURVEDA
Ayurveda has eight disciplines called as Ashtanga Ayurveda elaborated in Asthanghridyam. These are:
A. Kayachikitsa Tantra (Internal Medicine): Deals in the treatment of common diseases as well as stomach and intestine related diseases. It is mentioned in Charak, Harit and Bhel Samhita.
B. Bhootavidhya or Grihyachikitsa Tantra (Treatment of Psychological Disorders or Demonology): It deals with pshycosomatic disorders and has nothing to do with paranormal activities (as some people might thought because of the name). Recently, there was a lot of controversy around this course being tought in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) with exactly same name. To avoid any misinterpretation, a scholar in BHU has suggested to change the course name to Ayurvedic Pshychiatry. A part from pshycosomatic disorders, it also involves the treatment of diseases with unknown reason. It is mentioned in Charak and Sushruta Samhita.
C. Kumara Bhritya or Baaltantra (Pediatric Treatment): Deals in protection and treatment of children from diseases along with their food and nutrition. It is mentioned in Kashyap, Charak and Sushruta Samhita.
D. Rasayana Tantra or Jarachikitsa (Rejuvenation): Deals with age related disorders and prevention of aging. It describes the preventive medicines that can be taken without diseases. This majorly includes the medicines to boost immunity, intellect and prolonged youthfulness. It is mentioned in Charak Samhita.
E. Vajikarana Tantra or Vrishchikitsa (Aphrodisiac therapy): Deals with reproductive problems. It is mentioned in Charak and Sushruta Samhita.
F. Shalyachkitsa or Shalya Tantra (Surgical Treatment): Deals with injury, acid attack or burns. It was used in first war of deva and asura. Ashwini kumaras used this tantra in war to heal wounded soldiers.
G. Shalakaya or Udhvargchikitsa Tantra (Head and Neck Treatment ): Deals with the treatment of ear, nose and throat related disorders. It is mentioned in Charak and Sushruta Samhita.
H. Agada Tantra or Dristhavishchikitsa (Toxicology): Deals with neutralizing of poison due to snakes and insects bite. It is mentioned in Charak and Sushruta Samhita.
A part from above, there are other minor texts on Ayurveda such as Kashyap Samhita, Sharngadhara Samhita, Bhava Prakasha and Madhva Nidanam.
4. EIGHT DIVISIONS OF AYURVEDA
Ayurveda has eight disciplines called as Ashtanga Ayurveda elaborated in Asthanghridyam. These are:
A. Kayachikitsa Tantra (Internal Medicine): Deals in the treatment of common diseases as well as stomach and intestine related diseases. It is mentioned in Charak, Harit and Bhel Samhita.
B. Bhootavidhya or Grihyachikitsa Tantra (Treatment of Psychological Disorders or Demonology): It deals with pshycosomatic disorders and has nothing to do with paranormal activities (as some people might thought because of the name). Recently, there was a lot of controversy around this course being tought in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) with exactly same name. To avoid any misinterpretation, a scholar in BHU has suggested to change the course name to Ayurvedic Pshychiatry. A part from pshycosomatic disorders, it also involves the treatment of diseases with unknown reason. It is mentioned in Charak and Sushruta Samhita.
C. Kumara Bhritya or Baaltantra (Pediatric Treatment): Deals in protection and treatment of children from diseases along with their food and nutrition. It is mentioned in Kashyap, Charak and Sushruta Samhita.
D. Rasayana Tantra or Jarachikitsa (Rejuvenation): Deals with age related disorders and prevention of aging. It describes the preventive medicines that can be taken without diseases. This majorly includes the medicines to boost immunity, intellect and prolonged youthfulness. It is mentioned in Charak Samhita.
E. Vajikarana Tantra or Vrishchikitsa (Aphrodisiac therapy): Deals with reproductive problems. It is mentioned in Charak and Sushruta Samhita.
F. Shalyachkitsa or Shalya Tantra (Surgical Treatment): Deals with injury, acid attack or burns. It was used in first war of deva and asura. Ashwini kumaras used this tantra in war to heal wounded soldiers.
G. Shalakaya or Udhvargchikitsa Tantra (Head and Neck Treatment ): Deals with the treatment of ear, nose and throat related disorders. It is mentioned in Charak and Sushruta Samhita.
H. Agada Tantra or Dristhavishchikitsa (Toxicology): Deals with neutralizing of poison due to snakes and insects bite. It is mentioned in Charak and Sushruta Samhita.
5. FAMOUS MODERN AYURVEDA PROMOTERS
Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr. David Frawley (Vamadev Shastri), Dr. Deepak Chopra are some of the more famous among a lot of other people spreading Ayurveda all over the world. In India, research in Ayurveda is undertaken by Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) through a network of national research institutes.
6. AYURGENOMICS:
Friends, if we are reading about Ayurveda, some of you might already have doubts in mind, Is Ayurveda scientific and rational? What does modern science say about it? Shall we use Ayurveda instead of Modern Science? Are there any scientific proofs of the effect of Ayurveda?
Let me try to shed some light on this..
Ayurveda classifies healthy individuals according to three doshas (broadly, energies)—vata, pitta and kapha. These doshas combine in varying degrees, with one usually dominant, resulting in an individual’s constitution, or prakriti. This classification system also determines an individual’s predisposition to disease and his or her response to drugs and the environment. For example, vata body type are susceptible to neurological, degenrative, neuromuscular and musculoskeleton disorders more than other body types. Pitta body is more susceptible to digestive disorder, metabolic disorders and inflammatory conditions than other body types. Kapha constitution is more susceptible to low metabolism, block in vessels, channels, high cholesterol, stone in kidney and gall bladder, urinary disorders, metabolic syndrome, obesity and hypothyroidism.
So just think, if we come to know what type of prakriti we have on the basis of genome sequence. This will then help us to know what disease types we are more prone to and can encounter in future if we do not follow the diet and behave according to our prakriti. Presently, modern science has developed so much but, can we deny the side effects of it? Definitely No, because we give same medicine and treatment to all living beings suffering from a common disease. But according to Ayurveda, each person has a different prakriti and thus gives specific medicines to each person despite having same disease. This is called personalized medicine and that is why, Ayurveda has no side effects.
Therefore, if Ayurveda and modern science work together, i.e., Ayurveda reveals the prakriti of a person on the basis of his/her morphological, physiological and psychological attributes and modern science sequence the genome of persons of three major prakriti? Then, with the help of genome sequence, modern doctors will be able to find out specific prakriti of patients. This will help treat them with the conjugation of Ayurveda and modern medicine. Moreover, modern Doctors after knowing the prakriti of particular person on the basis of genome database, will be able to give consultation to person about the lifestyle, food and behavior need to follow and prevent them from future susceptible diseases. This will definitely reduce side effects and lead to precision medicine.
"Ayurgenomics" is a recently introduced research field which bridges the gap between genomics and Ayurveda and serves as an aid in understanding inter-individual differences in response to therapies in various disease [8]. Now, many well known research institutes and scientists have started studying if the Ayurvedic classification of individuals to prakriti type has any correlation at molecular (Gene) level. And not to any surprise, many findings have shown that yes, there is a correlation between ones Prakriti with over/under expression of certain genes. Therefore, human genome based on ayurveda can provide the genetic basis of three major prakriti. Just to brief you, this is branch of medicine which is focused on designing and creating the medicine and diet specific for each individual based on it's genetic makeup. It gave rise to one of the most talked about and booming idea of modern science called as Personalized/Precision and Preventive Medicine.
It is said that modern medical science is highly advanced and gives better treatment to patients. It is true, it gives better treatment but not healthy treatment. I salute to our ancient ayurvedic acharyas who not only talked about ancient genetic system, but also prevent and treat us on the basis of this system to which modern science is trying to dig into.
Take care all of you,
Your's Sincerely
Purnima Ghai
REFERENCES:
4.https://www.ayurveda.com/resources/articles/ayurveda-a-brief-introduction-and-guide
5.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5198827/
6.Book: Ashtanghridyam -Dr. Brahmanand Tripathi
7.Book: Charak Samhita- Acharya Vidhyadhar Shukla and Professor Ravidut Tripathi
8.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228439943_AYURGENOMICS_A_NEW_APPROACH_IN_PERSONALIZED_AND_PREVENTIVE_MEDICINE
9.https://www.easyayurveda.com/2019/03/09/dosha-prakriti-genetics/
10.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292144132_GENOMIC_CONCEPT_OF_Prakriti_HUMAN_CONSTITUTION_AN_AYURVEDIC_ACUMEN
11.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4230501/
OTHER ACCOUNTS:
1. https://in.pinterest.com/bhoomiphd83/
2. https://www.instagram.com/
3. https://twitter.com/explore
5.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5198827/
6.Book: Ashtanghridyam -Dr. Brahmanand Tripathi
7.Book: Charak Samhita- Acharya Vidhyadhar Shukla and Professor Ravidut Tripathi
8.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228439943_AYURGENOMICS_A_NEW_APPROACH_IN_PERSONALIZED_AND_PREVENTIVE_MEDICINE
9.https://www.easyayurveda.com/2019/03/09/dosha-prakriti-genetics/
10.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292144132_GENOMIC_CONCEPT_OF_Prakriti_HUMAN_CONSTITUTION_AN_AYURVEDIC_ACUMEN
11.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4230501/
OTHER ACCOUNTS:
1. https://in.pinterest.com/bhoomiphd83/
2. https://www.instagram.com/
3. https://twitter.com/explore
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