Ayurveda

An Indian Treasure
 Dhanvantari is an avatar of Vishnu from
the Hindu tradition. He appears in the
Vedas and Puranas as the physician of
the gods (devas), and the god of
Ayurvedic medicine. It is common
practice in Hinduism for worshipers to
pray to Dhanvantari seeking his blessings
for sound health for themselves and/or
others.

धन्वंतरी
 Sushruta-Father of Surgery
•Sushruta was the first to classify
surgical operations.
• He described eight different operations
for surgery, like cutting, opening,
scratching, piercing, inserting etc, &
finally stitching up in his ‘samhita’.
•He was both a practitioner & a teacher
of surgery & was known to have done
surgeries of the eye, & performing
amputations of the limbs and attending to
the complications of childbirth.
•His contribution to the ancient cultural
heritage of India invaluable.
Charaka-First Indian
Physician
•Charaka was the first physician to
present the concept of digestion,
metabolism and immunity.
•He also knew the fundamentals of
genetics.
• Charaka also studied the anatomy of
the human body and various organs.
•Charaka describes more than 600
drugs of animal, plant, and mineral
origin, along with formulas for
medicines and instructions for
making them in his ‘samhita’.
Some Basic concepts
•Ayurveda stresses a balance of three
elemental energies or humors: vata (air &
space – "wind"), pitta (fire & water – "bile")
and kapha (water & earth – "phlegm").
• According to ayurveda, these three
regulatory principles— Doshas (literally that
which deteriorates - Devanāgarī: त्रिदोष)—are
important for health, because when they are
in balanced state, the body is healthy, and
when imbalanced, the body has diseases.
•Ayurveda holds that each human possesses a
unique combination of Doshas.
 The 5 essential herbs !!
Ayurvedic system mentions that the following are the 5 essential plants
that should be present in the backyard of a house…They are:

1) 2) 3)

Tulsi Neem Palash

( Ocimum sanctum) ( Azadirachta indica) ( Butea monosperma)
4) 5)

Bael Amla
( Aegle marmalos) ( Phyllanthus emblica)
‘Yoga’-also included in
Ayurveda
•Ayurveda also focuses on exercise,
yoga, meditation, and massage.
•Thus, body, mind, and
spirit/consciousness need to be
addressed both individually and in
unison for health to ensue.
•Ayurveda is considered to be a form of
complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) in the western world,
where several of its methods, such as
the use of herbs, massage, and yoga, are
applied on their own as a form of CAM
treatment.
Remarks made by Charak (20
centuries ago)…
“A physician who fails to enter the body
of a patient with the lamp of knowledge
and understanding can never treat
diseases. He should first study all the
factors, including environment, which
influence a patient’s disease, and then
prescribe treatment. It is more important
to prevent the occurrence of disease than
to seek a cure.”
THANK YOU…
A presentation by:
Chetana.A.Kestikar
( T.E.I.T)