Ayurveda is one of the
world's oldest healing traditions, and it is famous for incorporating a
number of herbal traditions. The term Ayurveda is derived from two
Indian words: ayur, which means life, and veda means knowledge. Thus
the term Ayurveda translates as something like the 'knowledge of how to
live well.' In Ayurvedic medicine, illness is often seen in terms of
imbalance. This leads to the use of herbs and dietary controls to
restore equilibrium to the mind and body. The earliest Ayurvedic texts
date all the way back to 2500 B.C. and new herbal traditions were
successively added as new invaders made their way into India.
The Ayurvedic model of healing focuses on three primal forces: prana,
or the breath of life, agni, the spirit of light or fire, and soma, or
a manifestation of harmony, cohesiveness, and love. The Ayurvedic
tradition also focuses on five elements that comprise all matter. These
are: earth, water, fire, air, and ether (ether is more or less defined
as a nebulous nothingness that fills up space all around).
The five universal elements of Ayurvedic medicine are balanced by agni,
which is the digestive fire, into three distinct humors. Each humor
influences individual health and temperament in its own way. The
Ayurvedic philosophy states that digestion is imperfect, and if it were
perfect there would be no humeral imbalance. But digestion is not
perfect, so it follows that imbalance will occasionally occur. Air and
ether yield what is known as vata (wind), fire makes the humor pitta
(sometimes thought of as bile), and earth and water come together to
form kapah (or phlegm). The most dominant humor can be observed in an
individual's character. Someone who has a vata-dominant personality is
seen as a melancholic individual. Someone with a pitta-dominant
personality is thought of as choleric. Someone with a kapha-dominant
personality is thought of as phlegmatic.
Herbal remedies are often thought of as a way to balance out a person's
natural humors. This is often accomplished by using the Ayurveda chakra
philosophy. Chakras are energy centers of the body, and they can often
be balanced through herbal remedies. Different chakras of the body are
associated with various areas of the body, such as important glands and
organs.
For instance, the throat has a chakra, and when it is out of balance,
Ayurveda medicine recommends taking herbs like cloves and vervain. To
balance out the heart chakra, it is recommended that rose or saffron is
taken. The solar plexus chakra is associated with the liver and adrenal
glands, and it can be balanced by taking goldenseal and lemon balm. The
brow chakra is associated with the pituitary gland, and it can be
supported by taking sandalwood and elecampane. The splenic chakra is
associated with the ovaries and testes. It can be balanced by taking
fennel and coriander herbal remedies. The root chakra is associated
with the uterus and the prostate gland, and herbal remedies like
haritaki and ashwagandha can support it. |
