Ayus = Life
Veda = Knowledge
Ayus + Veda = Ayurveda = The Science of Life
Do you know that mangoes can increase semen quality ? Have you ever tried
ginger for your motion sickness ? In any case, you can't pretend not to know
that red peppers cure sleepiness quite quickly. How well do you know your
Pakriti ? Are your Doshas in harmony ? Welcome to Ayurveda - The Science of
Life.
Ayurveda is a form of alternative medicine in use primarily in the Indian
subcontinent. Ayurveda like many other local traditional medicines all over
the world, believes that various materials of vegetable, animal, and mineral
origin have some medicinal value. The medicinal properties of these materials
have been used for centuries in ayurvedic medicines to cure illness and/or
help maintain health. Ayurvedic medicaments are also made from herbs or
mixtures of herbs, either alone or in combination with minerals, metals and
other ingredients of animal origin.
Today, Ayurveda is gaining lots of interest in the western world. The most
commonly practiced Ayurvedic treatments in the west are massage, and dietary
and herbal advice. Treatment is aimed at restoring harmony or balance to the
mind-body system. Ayurveda teaches two main principles:
§ Preservation of health - how to maintain health and what to do to keep the
human body healthy and fit to avoid sickeness .
§ Methods, medicine, and tactics for management of diseases and ailments to
cure and procure a return to normal health.
Ayurvedic medicine are administered in several forms, most of which lend their
use to the basic concept of food as medicine. The forms of Ayurvedic
medicaments are:
Fresh juice of herbs
Quath : Crushed herbs, used as decoction or tea
Churna : Fine powdered herbs, used as medicine with water or in food
Tail : Herbs cooked in edible oil
Ghrat/Ghrit : Herbs cooked in special butter
Asav/sura : A kind of light wine obtained after fermentation of herbs
Arka : A distillation of herbs
Rasausadhi : Herbs mixed with metals, minerals and animal kingdom ingredients
(also called Kharliya Rasayan)
Bhasma : Ashes
Parpaty : combinations of Metals , Minerals, Animal Kingdom ingredients and
Herbs
Kshar/Salt : these are specially prepared medicaments (also called Lavan/
Drava)
Avaleha/Prash : Herbs cooked in Jaggery or sugar (also called Modak/Paak)
Bati/Gutika : Mixtures of medicines shaped in pills, pillules or tablets (
also called Goli)
Pralep/Anjan : Liniments, drops, paint, paste etc.( also called Varti /Dhoop )
However administering Ayurveda is not that straightforward. Ayurveda sees
everything in the universe, including human beings, as composed of five basic
elements: space, air, fire, water and earth. These five elements in turn
combine with each other to give rise to three bio-physical forces (or Doshas)
- Vata (air & space), Pitta (fire & water) and Kapha (water &
earth). Every individual has within them all three bio-physical forces, but it
is the dominance of any one or two or all three that makes up a person's
individual constitution.
The efficacy of each medicine depends on the body type or prakriti, which are
determined by proportions of the three doshas . Contrary to scientific
understanding of germs, viruses and genetic faults, Illness and disease are
considered to be a matter of imbalance in the doshas. A questionnaire
obtainable at the web site of Health Junction ( http://tinyurl.com/nmu0q )
shows how anyone can determine their pakriti. Ayurveda does not advise anyone
to eat any food/ medicine which does not agree with the pakriti.
Nevertheless, the following are basic food herbs commonly used in Ayurveda for
common ailments. Many you will also recognise in some other traditional
medicinal products and in your greengrocer or garden shop.
Acacia - Useful Jaundice, malaria fever, flatulence, mild Laxative
Indian Gum Arabic Tree- Astringent, gonorrhoea, diarrhoea, dysentery,
diabetes,
Sweet Flag- Bitter Tonic, ague, constipation, flatulence, panic attack, colic,
epilepsy, dropsy, glandular diseases, rheumatic swellings, useful for
children's ailments teething etc.
Malabar Nut- For relief of bronchitis, whooping cough & bronchial asthma.
To support lung functions. Have immune system-boosting properties.
Bael Tree- For intestinal problems such as amoebic dysentery & diarrhoea.
Is digestive, anthelmintic, & anti-inflammatory, useful in Irritable Bowel
syndromes and Inflammatory condition of Bowels
Garlic- To control excess conversion of lipids & cholesterol
Indian Aloe- Useful in Ophthalmic disorders, mild laxative, tonic, increases
semen quality, spleen and liver disorders, cysts formation, blood disorders.
Skin disorders.
Indian Dill- Useful in improving appetite, digestive, abdominal colic,
intestinal colic, Ophthalmic disorders, pelvic inflammatory disease
conditions, analgesic, body pain
Asparagus- To nourish the female reproductive system, promote lactation
Neem- For skin disorders. Has blood purifying & immune-boosting
properties. As an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal agent.
Bacopa- For improving alertness. As an anti-anxiety agent.
Indian Bdellium Tree- Anti-spasmodic, stimulant, tonic, useful in rheumatism,
nervous diseases, blood purifier, useful in skin ulcers
White Pumpkin- Purifies blood, appetiser, cures constipation, normalise bowel
movements / as a remedy useful in Mental disorders, Epilepsy, Mania,
Himalayan Birch- In ear disorders, bile disorders, anti-obesity, anti-toxin.
Boerhaavia- For efficient kidney & urinary functions. In urinary tract
infections.
Red Pepper- Relieves indigestion, helps to heal ulcers, relieves hoarseness,
sleepiness.
Golden Shower Tree- FRUIT-BODY: Mild laxative, Anti-fever, useful in cardiac
problems, ROOTS: Very strong purgative, should not be used alone
Deodar Cedar- BARK and STEM is used: promotes sweating, promotes urination,
relieves skin disorders, Anti-oedema, Anti-arthritis, relieves joints pain,
joints swelling.
Camphor- Useful in relief of throat problems, intestinal worms, also mouth
freshener, analgesics, antipyretic. Treats low blood pressure and asthma,
Pomelo- Mild laxative, digestive, appetiser, loss of appetite, abdominal
colic, worms, vomiting, nausea
Lemon- Appetite stimulant, promotes digestion.
Citron- Useful in heart disorders, abdominal colic, vomiting, nausea,
indigestion, haemorrhoids
Cucumber- Diuretic, useful in haemorrhages, as a food to renal stone patients
Cumin- SEEDS: appetiser, useful in abdominal colic, flatulence, wind
formation, offensive flatus, dysentery, diarrhoea, indigestion, inflammed
bowels,gonorrhoea, nausea, vomiting etc.
Carrot- SEEDS: useful in flatulence, renal disorders, impotence, female
genital disorders, ROOT: vermifugal, physical weakness, cardiac problems,
piles, colic burning sensation, asthma, hiccough, mouth freshener, EXTERNAL:
Burns, abscess
Thistles- JUICE: useful to teeth, skin and hairs, indicated for the treatment
of, cough, bronchitis, worms, asthma, skin diseases, oedema, mucous disorders,
anaemia, digestive disorders, liver disorders, loss of appetite, vertigo,
piles, indigestion, headache, weak vision, EXTERNAL; Burns, skin diseases,
hair falling, alopecia
False Black Pepper- FRUITS: stimulant, relieves skin diseases, rheumatism,
diuretic, laxative, purgative
Eucalyptus- EXTERNAL: deodorant, useful in skin disorders, muscular and joints
pain : INTERNAL; for excessive salivation, digestive, antipyretic
Banyan Tree- Nausea, diarrhoea, bloody dysentery, haemorrhages, bleeding,
dysentery, blood disorders, vaginal discharge, increased fertility in women
Fennel- Mental fatigue, weakness of eyesight, nausea, vomiting, weak
appetite,dysentery, piles, cardiac disorders, blood , cough,disorders
bronchitis, pulmonary disorders, fever, skin disorders.
Indian Wintergreen- OIL: stimulant, antipyretic, promotes sweating, diuretic,
antispasmodic, pain relief, useful in cardiac disorders, joints pain,
sciatica, flatulence, ab, Rheumatic pain,
Seabuckthorn- Used in respiratory disorders, asthma, cough, cardiac pain,
glandular swellings, rheumatism, arthritis, tuberculosis, pulmonary disorders,
joints pain, increases sexual desire in male and female both, Impotency
EXTERNAL: paste is applied in pleuritis, pneumonia, backache, painful
inflammatory condition with swelling
Jasmine- Relieves painful scratches, blood disorder, oral problems, tooth
problems, eye disorders, headache, migraine, OIL: heals wounds, blood
disorder, useful in skin disorders, stomatitis
Walnut- Useful in ringworm, oedema, dropsy, swelling, purgative, laxatives,
pulmonary tuberculosis, cardiac disorders. syphilis, gonorrhoea, dermatitis,
skin disorders and as blood purifier,
White Lily- Useful in increasing sperm count, semen thickness, increasing
lactations in feeding mothers,
Mango- RIPE MANGO: sweet, increases semen quality, appetite stimulant , wound
healer.
Tea Tree- Diarrhoea, skin disorders, bronchitis, cough, dermatitis, joints
pain, muscular pain,
Ginger- In digestive disorders like low appetite, indigestion, nausea,
vomiting & motion sickness.
Alum- INTERNAL: Dysentery, worms, EXTERNAL: Piles, wound, traumatic wounds and
conditions, stings, itching, eczema, conjunctivitis, gonorrhoea, tonsillitis,
throat problems
Conch Shell- Loss of appetite, indigestion, peptic ulcers, duodenal ulcers,
hyperacidity, bronchitis, Asthma, cough, respiratory disorders
Sodium carbonate- INTERNAL: useful in constipation, Diuretic, Colic, pain
abdominal, worms intestinal, flatulence, abdominal winds, Irritable bowel
syndromes EXTERNAL: promotes suppuration of boils, burns, pimples, leucoderma,
white patches of skin
Sodium Bicarbonate- Antitoxic, cough, bronchitis, asthma, pulmonary
respiratory disorders, antipyretic, loss of appetite, EXTERNAL: eczema,
ringworm, itching of skin, vaginal infection.
Cowrie Shell- Diarrhoea, loss of appetite, iritable bowel syndromes, improves
digestion, asthma, bronchitis, dry cough, tuberculosis.
