Ayurveda literally means "science of life and longevity." and is considered to be the traditional system of medicine of India .

   Ayurveda is a science in the sense that it is a complete system. It is a qualitative, holistic science of health and longevity, a philosophy and system of healing the whole person, body and mind.

      The origin of this system goes back to a far past, in which philosophy and medicine were not separated. Therefore, philosophical views have strongly influenced the Ayurvedic way of thinking.

Ayurveda is made of two root Sanskrit words:
AYUS == LIFE/LONGEVITY
VEDA == KNOWLEDGE/SCIENCE
It is a Secondary Veda of Atharvaveda, It is more than 5000 Years old.

AYURVEDA-- Helps us lead a healthy, long life, enabling us to find the real goal of life or the truth.

The purpose of each practice is to help the individual to achieve longevity, rejuvenation and self-realisation, the final goal of this life.
It is a timeless science since it is based on the eternal wisdom.
It is the medicine of nature based on the SAMKHYA philosophy (SAT= truth, KHYA= know)

The Eight branches/specialities of Ayurveda.
* Internal medicine (Kaya Chikitsa)
* Pediatrics (Kaumarabhrtya)
* Psychiatry/parasitology (Bhuta Vidya or Graha Chikitsa)
* ENT and Ophthalmology (Shalakya Tantra)
* Surgery - major and minor (Shalya Tantra)
* Toxicology (Agada Tantra)
* The science of Rejuvenation (Rasayana Tantra)
* The science of Virilization (Vajikarana Tantra)
Sushruta - father of modern day plastic surgery- Discovered
Rhinoplasty, knitted broken bones with nails, identified marmas, sutured tissues post-surgery using tiger ants and devised blood letting as cure for toxic/ blood born disorders.

Ayurveda considers that every living being is made from the combination of Panchamahabhutas , i.e. the 5 basic eternal substances or elements- Solid ( Prthvi), Liquid ( Jala), Energy as heat and light ( Tejas or Agni ), Dynamic energy state of matter ( Vayu ) and the time space entity ( Akasa) and the soul. Similarly, the universe and everything contained within it is made of the Panchamahabhutas and the universal consciousness.

The Disease Process According To Ayurveda

The human body sustains vitality through a continuous process of disintegration and integration of each and every tissue in the body, coordinated and enabled by the doshas. The word dosha has a two-fold meaning: (i). that which instigates proper function in proper conditions of life, and (ii). that which pollutes the tissues and disturbs the various functions of the various sub-systems of the body. With proper life style (physical, mental, spiritual), the instigation of the doshas ensures health. When lifestyle changes and is improper, the instigation changes- the balance of the system is lost leading to disease. The symptoms of health denote ease, pleasantness- mentally and physically. In disease, as the term itself denotes, the ease is lost and symptoms indicate unpleasantness, pain. Health is the natural state of the mind-body system, and Disease is its unnatural state.

The various kind of tissues, ( dhathus ) are replenished in the course of metabolism. The nutritional part is assimilated; the residue is left for elimination, through various channels of elimination. With faulty diet, lack of exercise etc. the system of metabolism- assimilation and elimination- is upset. If the metabolic waste is not properly eliminated it accumulates in a putrefied form as toxins in the various tissues and organs and channels; the balance of the doshas is upset resulting in disease.

Ayurveda also recognizes the role of external agents that can cause disease in a person with lowered immunity.