What is Ayurvedic medicine?

Answer 1

Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word, derived from two roots: ayur, which means life, and veda, knowledge. Knowledge arranged systematically with logic becomes science. During the due course of time, Ayurveda became the science of life. It has its root in ancient vedic literature and encompasses our entire life, the body, mind and spirit.
Purusha/Prakruti
According to Ayurveda, every human being is a creation of the cosmos, the pure cosmic consciousness, as two energies: male energy, called Purusha and female energy, Prakruti. Purusha is choiceless passive awareness, while Prakruti is choiceful active consciousness. Prakruti is the divine creative will. Purusha doesn't take part in creation, but Prakruti does the divine dance of creation called leela. In creation, Prakruti is first evolved or manifested as supreme intelligence, called mahat. Mahat is the buddhi principal (individual intellect) which further manifests as self identity, called ahamkara, which is ego. Ahamkara is influenced by three basic universal qualities: satva, rajas and tamas. Satva is responsible for clarity of perception. Rajas causes movement, sensations, feelings and emotions. Tamas is the tendency towards inertia, darkness, heaviness, and is responsible for periods of confusion and deep sleep.

Manifestation of Creation
From the essence of satva the five senses are created: the ears to hear, skin to perceive touch, eyes to see, the tongue to taste, and the nose, to smell. The essence of rajas is manifested as the five motor organs: speech, hands, feet, genitals and the organs of excretion. The mind is derived from satva, while rajas is manifested as prana, the life force. The tamasic quality is also responsible for the creation of tan matra, the subtle elements, and from whom the five basic elements are manifested. They are space, air, fire, water and earth. It is from pure consciousness that space is manifested.

Space
Expansion of consciousness is space and space is all enclosive. We need space to live, and our bodily cells contain spaces. The synaptic, cellular and visceral spaces give freedom to the tissues to perform their normal physiological functions. (A change in tissue space, however, may lead to pathological conditions.) The space in between two conjunctive nerve cells aids communication, while the space in the mind encompasses love and compassion.

Air
The movement of consciousness determines the direction along which change of position in space takes place. This course of action causes subtle activities and movements within space. According to the Ayurvedic perspective, this is the air principle. There is a cosmic magnetic field responsible for the movement of the earth, wind and water. Its representative in the body is the biological air, responsible for movement of afferent and efferent, sensory and motor-neuron impulses. When someone touches the skin, that tactile skin sensation is carried to the brain by the principal of movement, which is the sensory impulse. Then there is a reaction to the impulse, which is the motor response, which is carried from the brain to the periphery. This is a very important function of air. Our breathing is due to the movement of the diaphragm. Movements of the intestines and subtle cell movements are also governed by the biological principal of air. The movement of thought, desire and will are also governed by the air principal.

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Answer 2

Ayurveda is a complete system of medicine developed in India approximately 5000 years ago. Some would consider it to be the mother of all medical systems as it's influence spread across the ancient world. It is based on a complex philosophy and cosmological view that extends all the way from the material elements to the ultimate creative force in the universe. The aim of Ayurveda is to keep us healthy so that we can focus on reunifying ourselves with this creative force. Our loss of connection to this force, a form of self-delusion, is seen as the cause of suffering and illness.

Ayurveda contains the concepts of the Gunas and the Doshas. The Gunas apply mainly to the mental/spiritual aspect of man, and the Doshas apply mainly to the emotional/physical aspect.

The Gunas are Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. Sattva represents our noblest aspirations such as love, contentment, and clarity of mind. Rajas represents a state of distraction, hyperactivity, aggression, and overstimulation. Tamas is a state of underactivity, sloth, and ignorance. Ayurveda tries to promote a balance between Rajas and Tamas which is the Sattvic way of life.

The Doshas are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. In the elemental sense Vata is made up of ether/air, Pitta of fire/water, and Kapha water/earth. The doshas are present in everything. Seasonally Vata is the fall, Kapha the winter/ spring, and Pitta is summer. Spicy food is Pitta, crunchy and/or dry food like salad or crackers is Vata, and heavy and/or moist food like meat or dairy is Kapha. These concepts are easy to see when applied to different people. Vata people are thin, dry, cold, anxious, and spacy. Pitta people are well proportioned, quick, fiery, aggressive, competitive, and tempermental. Kapha's tend to be slower, overweight with food issues, nurturing, mild tempered, and attached/sentimental. We are all a combination of the three doshas.

The aim of Ayurveda is to restore us to our original doshic makeup which becomes imbalanced as a result of various internal and external factors. Basically the method is to balance...cool something down if it is too hot, moisten it if too dry, warm it up if its too cold, disperse it if its too heavy or dense, etc. To accomplish this Ayurveda uses foods, herbs, oils, aromas, yoga, and many other natural methods. Ayurveda promotes a Sattvic approach to whatever method is used as true health is only found in the Sattvic condition.

Answer 3

Read "Vital Energy" by Dr. David Simon (Medical Director of the famous Chopra Center); that is the best intro book on Ayurveda.