Essence of Ayurveda: The traditional medical science

333-345As the health care professions look seriously at complementary and alternative modalities of medicine, a growing interest in traditional Indian medicine is emerging simultaneously. As with any popular development, aspects of the Indian medical system and its cures have sometimes been appropriated by individuals not wholly familiar with the basics of Ayurveda or the Science of Longevity. Over the past decade, however, a group of dedicated scholars has undertaken serious study of this ancient healing tradition. It is appropriate to present the fundamental principles and practices of traditional Ayurveda, as they may be understood from classical Sanskrit sources and traditional Indian practitioners. Traditional Ayurveda is a sophisticated system of medicine that has been practiced in India for over 2,500 years. Like other forms of alternative and complementary medicine, it focuses on the whole organism and its relation to the external world, in order to reestablish and maintain the harmonious balance that exists within the body and between the body and its environment. Only a glimpse of this ancient form of medicine has been offered; there is much to be learned from a deeper exploration of Ayurveda. Here the authors stress the various aspects of traditional practice of an ancient Indian medical science i.e. Ayurveda