The indigenous system of medicine in India is termed ‘ayurveda’ (ayu means
life or longevity and veda means knowledge). Other related systems that are
less well known in the west but may be just as popular in some areas of
south and south-east Asia include unani, siddha and jamu. They are consid-
ered briefly at the end of this chapter.
Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have many commonal-
ities. Both systems fundamentally aim to promote health and enhance the
quality of life, with therapeutic strategies for treatment of specific diseases or
symptoms in holistic fashion. Almost half of the botanical sources used as
medicines have similarities; moreover, both systems have similar philosophies
geared towards enabling classification of individuals, materials and diseases.^1
The main focus of ayurvedic practice is found on the Indian subcontinent
but there are other areas in the world where the system is evident too, as
Figure 7.1 shows.^2
Definition
Ayurveda is an ancient system of personalised medicine documented and
practised in India since 1500 BC. According to this system an individual’s
basic constitution to a large extent determines predisposition and prognosis
to diseases as well as therapy and life-style regime. Disease is considered to
be an imbalance and its treatment involves diverse procedures to restore
optimum function and balance. Practitioners use nutrition, yoga, exercise,
complex herbal medicines and surgical techniques reactively as therapies
and proactively for the preservation of health.
History
The origins of the ‘science of life’ have been placed by scholars of ancient
Indian ayurvedic literature at somewhere around 6000 BC.^3 The teachings