The origin of Ayurveda

The origin of Ayurveda

Ayurveda in its true meaning is a way of life, a philosophy and a science of healing and health care. As medical knowledge, it comes from two different domains, folk wisdom and scientific knowledge. Tradition attributes the origin of Ayurveda to the Creator Himself. Ayurveda is the collection of life principles that were born with the world itself and are believed not to change at any time or in any part of the world. Although Ayurveda conveys antiquity, authenticity and effectiveness, the tradition neither determines the source of knowledge nor suggests an exact date of origin. The claimed deity of this celestial science is Lord Dhanwanthari, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Vedas, the ancient Indian testimonies, contain references to diseases, healings and other health-related topics. The remedies are both magical and medicinal. However, the literature information does not add up to a theory of medicine. This developed in the post-Vedic period and was seen in competing form in the works of Caraka (author of Carakasamhita) and Susrutha (author of Susruthasamhita), probably or before the 5th century. Susruthasamhita is mainly a textbook on surgical practices.

The founding fathers of Ayurveda as we know them today make no claim to originality as authors. Caraka says that he is only revising a work of Agnivesha, which was orally instructed by the sage Atreya. Susrutha presents the text as the teachings of his teacher, King Dhanvantri. None of the texts have come down to us in their original form. What we have is a review or edition of Carakasamhita by Dhridabala and Nagarjuna's review of Susruthasamhita. The detailed instructions in the two works indicate that Caraka and Susrutha in ancient India had a range of medical knowledge and practices to draw on. The other big names in Ayurveda are Kasyapa, Bhela and Vagbhata. Very little is known about the first two and the works with which their names are associated, Kasyapasamhita and Bhelasamhita, which are available only in fragmentary parts. Vagbhata's Ashtangahridayam, on the other hand, is a well-known and widely read text. He is said to have lived in or after the 5th century AD

PHILOSOPHY OF AYURVEDA

Ayurveda does not see humans as separate beings from the universe. According to Ayurveda, the universe and man are created from five basic components known as Panchabhuthas viz. Akasa (space), Vayu (air), Tejas (light/heat or energy), Jala (water) and Prthivi (earth). The latter also contain asthma. Panchabhuthas have specific properties (gunas). They are:

Akasa Sabdam (sound)

Vayu Thrifty (touch)

Tejas Roopam (easy)

Jala Rasam (taste)

Prthivi Gandham (smell)

Two further aspects of the Panchabhutas are: 1) their density increases progressively from Akasha to Prthivi and 2) each successive Panchabhuta is not only characterized by its own specific quality or Guna but also contains the Guna of the preceding Panchabhuta. This combination process or Panchikarna means that specificity is diluted into four elements other than Akasha, which is at the top of the scale. Prthivi, at the lower end of the scale, therefore has the gunas of all the elements or bhutas. The Panchabhuta concept is rooted in the philosophical systems that emerged in ancient India; namely Sankhya and Nyaya-Vaiseshika. Humans are able to access the Panchabhutas through the five senses or Indriyas, namely:

Ringing in the ear Akasa

Skin touch Vayu

Eyesight Tejas

Tongue taste Jala

Nasal smell Prthivi

The sense perception of the Bhutas occurs due to the process of connection between them with Indriyas.

The human body, consisting of panchabhutas and every tiny part of the body, is an inseparable mixture of these principles. In Ayurveda, combinations of these principles are divided into three, viz. Vayu or Vata, Mayu or Pitta and Valasa or Kapha for analytical and healing purposes. Of these, the first is a combination of Akasa and Vayu, the second is Tejas and the third is a combination of Prthivi and Jala. These three mega-divisions of body particles are called Tridoshas. These not only build and maintain all parts of the body, but also fulfill all biological functions when they are alive. These cannot be detected in their original form anywhere on the body. We must identify these with the parts of the body in which they predominate.

Acharyas emphasize yet another postulate regarding the structural foundations of the body. The human body consists of seven dhatus or body tissues. They are: Rasa (chyle or flaccid), Raktha (blood), Mamsa (flesh), Medas (fat), Asthi (bone/cartilage), Majja (marrow) and Sukra (seed). The Dhatus are ultimately derived from the Panchabhutas. The dhatus are subject to a constant process of decay, which is stopped by the consumption of food and drink. While the Seven Dhadu principle postulates a common structural basis for the human body, the Tridosha doctrine explains the functional balance within the human body. A body that is in an imbalance of tridoshas, ​​i.e. is sick. The essence of Ayurvedic medical treatment is to restore balance in the body and restore harmony between the internal and external worlds. The first step in treatment is cleansing the body. The five purification processes or panchakarma are: Nasya (emptying the head/nose); vamana (vomiting); Virecana (purification); rakthamoksana (blood lending); and Vasti (enema). Medication is usually administered (if necessary) after the Panchakarma treatment. Ayurvedic medicines are based on products from the plant and animal kingdoms and also on minerals. These products are used to create formulations based on proven formulas. Most of the herbal and other products used in Ayurveda are now considered curative keys to a range of potentially dangerous diseases.

THE GREAT TEXTS

Carakasamhita consists of 120 chapters divided into eight parts. This extensive work deals with pharmacology, etiology of diseases, anatomy, diagnosis and prognosis, preventive therapy, hospitals, epidemics, embryology and philosophy. Carakasamhita also states the fundamental principle of allopathy, which is to treat a condition with its opposite or the opposite of the cause. Caraka says, “Those who know herbs use cold to relieve diseases caused by heat, and the medicine for these diseases caused by cold is heat.” The same applies to other diseases: the medication is the opposite of the cause. Susrutasamhita mainly teaches surgery. It lists 101 types of surgical instruments but clearly states that the surgeon's hand is the most important tool. The surgical tools are described in detail with their use and the student is taught how to use them. An entire chapter focuses on how the student can gain practical experience with surgical techniques. The qualities of a good surgeon are described in detail. The 16th chapter of Susrutasamhita deals with plastic surgery: it teaches how to reshape a torn ear and also repair a severed nose by transplanting skin and flesh from another part of the patient's body. Kasyapasamhita and Bhelasamhitha are available to us only in fragmentary form. Karyapasamhita is a textbook on the diseases of women and children and their treatment. It deals with pregnancy, prenatal care and birth. What distinguishes Bhelasamhita is that, unlike all previous Ayurvedic texts, it locates the mind in the brain. The Ayurvedic text with the largest readership is Ashtangahridyam by Vagbhata. The author makes no claim to originality. Its stated aim is to re-synthesize all previous Ayurvedic textbooks in simple and clear language. All we know about Vagbhata is that he was the son of Simhagupta. The text of Ashtangahridayam is presented by the author as the technique expounded by Atreya and other sages. It is divided into 120 chapters divided into six sections. The first chapter begins with a greeting to Buddha and then presents the entire Ayurvedic theory and medicine in a concise manner. It ends with a summary of the remaining chapters of the book. The chapters cover, among other things, fatal points of the body (Marma), causes of disease, preventive measures, treatment of diseases, materia medica, medical formulations, childhood illnesses and madness. Another great textbook is Sarangadharasamhita, said to have been written around 1300 AD. It is short, explains in simple terms the various measures and weights, the various Ayurvedic treatment procedures and gives the recipes for making various medicines. Sarangadhara speaks to us directly in the text. He is the author and not a student who writes down his teacher's teachings. Very little is known about Sarangadhara except that his father's name was Damodhara.

AYURVEDA IN KERALA

Before Sanskrit became the language of intellectual debate and the influence of the Ayurvedic samhitas grew in Kerala, it had its own indigenous medical tradition rooted in the knowledge of Dravidian and pre-Dravidian societies. Three castes were known in the practice of medicine: Ezhava, Mannan and Velan. While the first practiced so-called general medicine, the second and third were specialists in pregnancy-related issues and children's illnesses. In addition, there were specialists in the treatment of snakebites and other venom-related illnesses who created textbooks that are still used today. The local tradition was therefore alive.

His pharmacopoeia contained medicines and formulations that were unknown or untested in the Ayurvedic Samhitas. While, for example, the qualities of coconut are recognized in the Sanskrit works. It is the Malaysian doctor who developed various medicinal formulations like the Elaneerkuzhambu for the eye from the coconut. Many such formulations are contained in the textbook Sahasrayogam. In physiotherapy, a whole science of treatment using different methods has been developed. Njavarakizhi, Pizhichil and Dhara are part of this tradition. Abhyangam or oil massage was used for medical treatments and with some differences in the training of warriors and Kathakali dancers.

The Ayurvedic Samhitas came to Kerala with the spread of Buddhism and Jainism (5th-7th centuries AD). The influence of the Samhitas and their importance increased with the growth of Namputhiri (Brahmin) settlements. Each settlement had at least one household specializing in Ayurveda. These families are known as Ashtavaidyans because their members mastered the eight (ashta) sections of the major Ayurvedic texts. Today, the surviving Ashtavaidyan families of Kerala are: Pulamanthol, Kuttancheri, Trissur Thaikat, Elayidathyu Thaikat, Chirattamon, Vyaskara, Vellot and Alathiyur. While the members of the last Ashtavaidyan family are called 'Nambi', the others are called 'Moss'. Unlike the Brahmins of northern India, the Namputhiri doctors use Vagbhata's Ashtangahridayam as their base text, despite its Buddhist philosophical overtones.

In the 14th century, the spread of Sanskrit among the non-Brahmin castes made it possible for others to read and master the contents of the Ayurvedic Samhitas. The leaders were the Variers, a caste who performed certain tasks in temples. The proximity of the Variers to the temples, which were centers of learning, meant that they became Sanskrit scholars and thus the Samhitas. It is the coming together of these two streams of knowledge, the Samhitas and the indigenous medical tradition, that have created what can be called the Kerala system of Ayurveda.