The Complete Herbal Tutor. Anne Mcintyre

and philosophy that enhances well being, increases longevity and ultimately enables self realisation. It aims to bring about a union of physical, emotional and spiritual health or swasthya, which is a prerequisite for attaining moksha or liberation.

      The lotus flower, with its far reaching roots, symbolises the Ayurvedic approach to deep individual healing.

      Ayurveda is a unique holistic system of healing based on the interaction of body, mind and spirit. It is thought to be the oldest health care system in the world with its roots going back over 5000 years into the Vedic Age. It evolved on the far reaches of the Himalayas from the deep wisdom of spiritually enlightened prophets or rishis. Their wisdom was transmitted orally from teacher to disciple and eventually set down in Sanskrit poetry known as the Vedas. These writings, dating approximately 1500 BC, distilled the prevailing historical, religious, philosophical and medical knowledge and form the basis of Indian culture. The most important of these texts are the Rig Veda and the Atharva Veda. Ayurveda has survived largely as an oral tradition until the present day, one of its greatest values being its timelessness and its application to every facet of daily living, now, as it was all those centuries ago.

      Ayurveda has had a strong influence on many systems of medicine, from ancient Greek medicine in the West, to traditional Chinese medicine in the East. The Chinese, Tibetan, and Islamic (Unani Tibb) systems of medicines are thought to have their roots in Ayurveda. The Buddha, who was born around 550 BC, was a follower of Ayurveda and the spread of Buddhism into Tibet during the following centuries was accompanied by increased practice of Ayurveda. The ancient civilisations were linked to one another by trade routes, campaigns and wars. Arab traders spread knowledge of Indian plants in their Materia Medicas and this knowledge was passed on to the ancient Greeks and Romans, whose practices were eventually to form the basis of European medicine.

      The first Ayurvedic medical school was founded around 800 BCE by Punarvasu Atreya. He and his pupils recorded medical knowledge in treatises that would in turn influence Charaka, a scholar who lived and taught around 700 BC. His writings, the Charaka Samhita, describe 1500 plants, identifying 350 as valuable medicines. This major text is still considered the main authority today of Ayurveda and referred to constantly in both teaching and practice of Ayurveda. The second major work was the Susruta Samhita, written a century later, which forms the basis of modern surgery and is still consulted today. It describes the medicinal properties of 700 healing plants.

       The Five Elements

      According to Ayurveda, the origin of all aspects of existence is the field of pure intellect or consciousness, known as purusha, and this appeals to those influenced by the theories of modern quantum physics that locate the basis of the physical universe in a single unified field that directs and orchestrates the continuous flow of matter. Energy and matter are one. Ayurveda does not separate the external from the inner world. Everything that exists in the macrocosm has its counterpart in the microcosm of the inner universe of a human being.

      Ayurvedic doctors use pulse diagnosis to assess a patient's constitution and their present state of health.

      Cosmic energy manifests in the five elements that are the basis of all matter – ether, air, fire, water and earth. In the body ether is present in the spaces such as the mouth, the abdomen, the thorax, the capillaries and cells; movement of space is air, manifest in movements of, for example, muscles, the pulsations of the heart, peristalsis of the digestive tract and nervous impulses. Fire is present in the digestive system, governing enzyme systems and metabolism, as well as body temperature, vision and the light of the mind, intelligence. Water is present in secretions like the digestive juices, saliva, mucous membranes, plasma and cytoplasm. Earth is responsible for the solid structures holding the body together, bones, cartilage, muscles and tendons as well as skin, hair and nails.

      Gathering herbs to be used in Ayurveda.

      The five elements manifest in the functioning of the five senses, and these in turn enable us to perceive and interact with the environment in which we live. Ether, air, fire, water and earth correspond to hearing, touch, vision, taste and smell respectively.

       The Three Doshas

      From the five elements derive three basic forces, or humours, the tridoshas, which exist in everything and influence all mental and physical processes.

      1. From ether and air, vata, the air principle is created.

      2. From fire and water comes pitta, the fire principle.

      3. From earth and water derives the water principle, kapha.

      The balance of the doshas in each person will promote health and well-being, while imbalance leads to ill-health and disease. We are all born with a certain balance of doshas brought about mainly by the dosha balance in our parents at the time of our conception. This is our basic constitution (prakruti) that remains unchanged throughout our lives. The dominant dosha determines our body type, temperament and illness we may be susceptible to. Our vikruti, our present dosha balance, reflects the effect that lifestyle has on our prakruti to cause further imbalances that predispose to imbalance and ill health.

       Diagnosis and Treatment

      The first requirement for health in Ayurveda is proper balance of the doshas according to our prakruti. If the balance is disturbed by our diet, lifestyle or state of mind for example, illness (vyadhi) of one kind or another eventually results. The disruption may be felt in physical discomfort and pain, or in mental and emotional suffering such as fear and anxiety, anger or jealousy. Our current state of imbalance causing such symptoms to manifest is known as our vikruti.

      Both prakruti and vikruti can be ascertained by careful diagnosis which involves taking a detailed case history and examining the body, paying attention to build, skin and hair type, temperature of the body, digestion and bowel function, all of which point to more profound aspects of the patient's condition. Pulse and tongue diagnosis are exceptionally valuable tools for confirming analysis of health and constitution. In these respects Ayurveda has much in common with Chinese and Tibetan medicine, in which these two indicators of the state of health are also of the greatest importance. A highly complex technique for taking the patient's pulse has been developed by Ayurvedic practitioners, which requires many years of practice to perfect.

      Once the dosha balance has been diagnosed and the causes of imbalance have been established, treatment and lifestyle advice is given. The first step back to health is the elimination of toxins and enhancing digestion or raising digestive fire, known as agni.

      Treatments fall into three main categories:

      1. Natural medicines

      2. Dietary regimes

      3. Lifestyle changes

      Dhanwantari was known in the Vedas as the physician of the gods and the patron saint of Ayurveda.

      An Ayurvedic massage with herbs.

      These are all classified according to their effect on the three doshas. To illustrate, a health problem associated with excess kapha could be characterised by catarrh, lethargy, weight gain and fluid retention. A diet consisting of warm, dry, light food would be advised since kapha is cool and damp. Avoidance of foods with a cold, damp quality