Ayurveda

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#669933" TEXT="#080000" background="138b85a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B> SOMA  AYURVEDICS</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" SOMA AYURVEDICS"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="about_us.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us">About Us</A>   |   <B>Ayurveda</B>   |   <A HREF="products_and_services.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Products">Our Products</A>   |   <A HREF="references.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Herbs We Use"> Herbs We Use</A>   |   <A HREF="faq.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FAQ">FAQ</A>   |   <A HREF="contact_us.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us">Contact Us</A></div> <div> <B>Helping the body to heal itself - naturally.</B></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#669933" TEXT="#080000" background="13905043.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="ayurveda__you.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ayurveda you"><B>Ayurveda & You</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="ayurveda__herbline.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ayurveda Herbline"><B>Ayurveda & Herbline</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="146ad2c0.jpg" border=0 width="173" height="300" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Dhanvantri - God of Ayurveda and healing.</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Ayurveda</I></div> <bR> <div> Ayurveda is most probably the most ancient of all medical systems. It has its origins in India, and is still the most important form of medicine in the Indian subcontinent; its philosophies are also fast gaining ground in the West. Despite its antiquity, there are relatively few practitioners, particularly in Europe, due in part to the lengthy training and the huge complexity of its philosophy and teaching. Classical Ayurvedic training is conducted in Sanskrit. Most Ayurvedic practitioners tend to be orthodox doctors as well. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> The word "Ayurveda" is a compound of the word <I><B>ayus</B></I> meaning "life" or "life principle", and the word <I><B>veda</B></I>, which refers to a system of "knowledge". Thus "Ayurveda" roughly translates as the "knowledge of life". According to Charaka, "life" itself is defined as the "combination of the body, sense organs, mind and soul, the factor responsible for preventing decay and death, which sustains the body over time, and guides the processes of rebirth". According to this perspective, Ayurveda is concerned with measures to protect "<I>ayus</I>", which includes healthy living along with therapeutic measures that relate to physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony. Ayurveda is also one among the few traditional systems of medicine to contain a sophisticated system of surgery (which is referred to as "<I>salya-chikitsa</I>").</div> <bR> <bR> <div> It is a complete philosophical and spiritual system, which has over thousands of years become subtle, sophisticated and highly complex. However, the basic tenets are reasonably easy to understand and have changed little over the centuries.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>The five elements</B></div> <bR> <div> The five elements - ether, air, fire, water and earth are the foundations on which the Ayurvedic interpretation of all matter and life is based - they are not to be interpreted literally however. Each of them represent qualities and different types of force and energy, as well as some form of physical manifestation. The elements do not act in isolation - three different combinations of the elements, called <B>Tridosha</B>, are what form the basis for diagnosis, treatment, cure and health maintenance in Ayurvedic medicine. Each individual's constitution is determined by the state of their parents' doshas at the time of conception, and upon birth a person has the levels of the three doshas that is right for them. Life and all its forces can cause the doshas to become unbalanced which can then lead to ill health.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>The three doshas</B></div> <bR> <div> Each of the three doshas has a role to play in the body:</div> <bR> <div> <B>VATHA</B> is the air principle and the driving force, it relates mainly to the nervous system and the body's energy center.</div> <div> <B>PITTA</B> is the fire principle, it relates to the metabolism, digestion, enzymes, acid and bile.</div> <div> <B>KAPHA</B> is the water principle in the mucous membranes, phlegm, moisture, fat and lymphatic's.</div> <bR> <div> All Ayurvedic physicians believe that these ancient ideas, based in the spiritual knowledge discovered by the Rishis and Munis, exist in harmony with physical reality. These Ayurvedic concepts allow physicians to examine the homeostasis of the whole system. People may be of a predominant dosha or constitution, but all doshas have the basic elements within them.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Medicines in Ayurveda</B></div> <bR> <div> Ayurveda operates on the precept that various materials of vegetable and mineral origin have some medicinal value. The medicinal properties of these materials have been documented by the practitioners and have been used for centuries to cure illness and/or help maintain good health. Ayurvedic medicaments are made from herbs or mixtures of herbs, either alone or in combination with minerals, metals and other ingredients. The metals and minerals are purified by individual processes before being used for medicinal purposes.</div> <bR> <div> Writers and compilers of Ayurvedic literature such as Charaka, Sushruta, Vagabhatta, Bhav Mishra, Shaligram and others have written about the qualities, characteristics and medicinal uses of the herbs, mineral, metals, chemicals, cooked food articles, natural foods, fruits etc. Among them, the <I>Bhav Prakash Nighantu</I>, written by Bhav Mishra, is known for its detail .The composition of the <I>Nighantu part</I> (Ayurvedic Materia Medica) of the Bhav Prakash is part of the classical book. The details of the medicinal herbs are given according to the nature, effects, and curative properties as observed by the Ayurvedic practitioners.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Tastes according to Ayurveda</B></div> <bR> <div> Ayurveda holds that the tastes of foods or herbs have specific physiological effects. Those tastes that transform after digestion (<I>Vipaka</I>) are more powerful.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Sweet</B> - <I>Madhura</I></div> <div> Sweet foods nourish, cool, moisten, oil, and increase weight </div> <div> <B>Sour</B> - <I>Amla</I></div> <div> Sour foods warm, oil, and increase weight </div> <div> <B>Salty</B> - <I>Lavan</I></div> <div> Salty foods warm, dissolve, stimulate, soften, oil, and increase weight </div> <div> <B>Pungent</B> - <I>Katu</I></div> <div> Pungent foods warm, dry, stimulate, and decrease weight </div> <div> <B>Bitter</B> - <I>Tikta</I></div> <div> Bitter foods cool, dry, purify and decrease weight </div> <div> <B>Astringent</B> - <I>Kasaya</I></div> <div> Astringent foods cool, dry, reduce stickiness. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>More Ayurveda resources for you to persue</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.ayurveda.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ayurveda.com">The Ayurvedic Institute</A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.ayurvedapages.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ayurvedapages.com">Ayurveda Portal</A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>