History Of Ayurveda

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History Of Ayurveda
A Brief Overview
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History and Evolution of Ayurveda

• Historical Aspect
• Ayurveda has been practised by Indians since 2nd
  Century BC and its origin can be traced back to
  Vaisheshika, an ancient school of Hindu
  philosophical teachings and the Nyaya, the school
  of logic.  Vaisheshika spoke about perceptions
  and inferences. This school of thought
  characterized the attributes of any
  object into 6 types. These are
•     Substance or Dravya    Quality or
  Guna    Activity or Karma    Generality or
  Samanya    Particularity or Vishesha  
  Inherence or Samavaya
• This new school of thought is believed to
  propagate the knowledge of Ayurveda throughout
  the country.

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History and Evolution of Ayurveda

• Mythological Aspect
• It is believed that Ayurveda owes its origin to
  Brahma, the God who created the universe as per
  the Hindu Mythology. It was Brahma who passed
  this knowledge of Ayurveda to the sages for the
  well- being of the humans. The sages then
  passed this knowledge to their disciples and then
  to the common man.
• They composed all the information about the herbs
  and medicines in form of Shlokas or hymns.
• It is believed that all the compilations related
  to healing and medicines were contained in the
  four Vedas Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama
  Veda and the Atharva Veda.

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Ayurveda In India

• It was around 1500 to 1000 BC when Ayurveda in
  India developed. It followed a same developmental
  phase as the Chinese and the Western medicine
  (evolving from religious and mythological
  discipline and then moving into the medical
  system). The two schools of medicine that was
  found during this period were the Atreya
  (school of the physicians) and Dhanvantari
  (school of the surgeons).

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Ayurveda In India

• Agnivesha who systematised all the knowledge of
  Ayurveda from the Vedas which was the edited by
  Charaka and other scholars, its currently known
  as Charaka Samhita and contains all the
  knowledge pertaining to the different aspects
  of Ayurvedic medicines.
• Another important compilation is Sushruta
  Samhita, which is all about the science of
  surgery. Sushruta compiled the teachings of
  Dhanvantari in Sushruta Samhita. These 2
  legendary books are being followed by
  Ayurvedic practitioners till this date.

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Sections Of Ayurveda

• The Ashtanga Sangraha and the Ashtanga Hrudayam
• Written by Vridha Vagbhata, a disciple of
  Charaka, Ashtanga refers to 8 sections of
  Ayurveda
• Internal Medicine Kaya Chikitsa
• Paediatrics Bala Chikitsa
• Psychiatry Graha Chikitsa
• ENT Ophthalmology Salakya Thantra
• Surgery Salya Thantra
• Toxicology Agada Thantra
• Geriatrics Jara Chikitsa
• Aphrodisiac therapy Vajeekarana Chikitsa

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Proliferation of Ayurveda

• 8000 BCE 1000CE - Golden Era Of Indian
  Medicines
• Most important books on Ayurveda were produced
  and circulated throughout the world during this
  era.
• Indian medicine became popular amongst Greeks,
  Egyptians, Chinese, Roman, Persians, Arabs, and
  Tibetans who travelled to India during that
  time.
• Between 1000 CE and 1200 CE, physicians such as
  Avicenna and Razes translated a great part of the
  Ayurvedic knowledge into Arabic.
• Junior Triad of Ayurveda was written durig this
  period
• Madhava Nidana
• Sarangdhar Samhita
• Bhavaprakasham

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Ayurveda During British Rule

• Ayurvedic practices were supported by the then
  Government, it thwarted the further evolution of
  Indian Sciences.
• In the latter half of British rule, Ayurveda
  again drew the attention of scholars throughout
  the world.
• New institutes were established and now, there
  are hundreds of Ayurvedic institutes all over the
  country.

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Ayurveda During Current Time

• A major part of the Indian population relies on
  Ayurvedic medicines for healing. Containing all
  the goodness of medicinal herbs, these
  products are 100 natural.

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