Ayurveda, explained as a tradition
The medical tradition of India, read calmly.
Nidarshana Vedh Ayurveda explains what the classical texts say about the doshas, the day, the seasons, food, herbs and the body. It is education, with tradition stated as tradition, no cure claims and safety first.
What Ayurveda is
The traditional medical system of India
Ayurveda, from the Sanskrit words for life and knowledge, is a system of medicine that has been practised and taught in India for well over two thousand years. It describes health as a balance between the body, the senses, the mind and the way a person lives, and it works through diet, daily habits, seasonal adjustment, herbal and mineral preparations, massage and cleansing procedures.
In India it is recognised by law as a system of medicine, and its practitioners train for a degree, the Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS). Outside India, rules differ widely. Ayurveda is not a replacement for modern medical care, and a good Ayurvedic practitioner will say so.
Our promise
How this site writes
- Education. We explain what the tradition teaches and why it teaches it.
- Tradition stated as tradition. When we say a food is "heating", we mean Ayurveda classes it so, not that a laboratory measured it.
- No cure claims. We never say that a herb, food or practice treats, cures or prevents a disease.
- Safety first. Herbs can interact with medicines and are not safe for everyone. Every health topic points you to a qualified doctor.
The classical texts
Three books the tradition is built on
Ayurvedic writers lean on a small body of old Sanskrit works, often called the great three. Dates are debated by scholars, so we give ranges and say so.
Charaka Samhita
The main text on internal medicine (kayachikitsa), attributed to Charaka. It covers the doshas, diagnosis, diet, the physician's conduct and the eight branches of the science. Scholars place its composition across roughly the last centuries BCE and the first centuries CE, with later revision.
Sushruta Samhita
The main text on surgery (shalya tantra), attributed to Sushruta. It describes instruments, wound care, bandaging, anatomy taught through dissection and the training of a surgeon, alongside medicine, diet and the doshas.
Ashtanga Hridayam
A verse summary of the whole of Ayurveda by Vagbhata, usually dated to about the seventh century CE. It organises the older works into one compact text and is widely used for teaching, especially for daily routine and seasonal conduct.
Eight areas
Start where your curiosity is
Each area opens with a plain introduction, then goes into the detail. The first guides are being written now, so some areas are still short.
Doshas
Vata, pitta and kapha, and the ideas of prakriti (constitution) and vikriti (the present state).
Explore the doshasDaily routine
Dinacharya: how the texts arrange waking, cleansing, eating, work and sleep across the day.
See the daySeasons
Ritucharya: the six seasons of the Indian year and the conduct the texts recommend in each.
See the seasonsFood
The six tastes, agni (digestive fire), traditional food combining and the everyday spices of the kitchen.
Explore foodHerbs and spices
Common herbs and spices: how they are traditionally used, and what we know about their safety.
Read about herbsPractices
Abhyanga, oil pulling, nasya and panchakarma explained, with links to yoga and pranayama.
Explore practicesThe body
Agni, ama, the dhatus, the srotas and ojas: the Ayurvedic picture of how the body works.
Learn the vocabularyFree tools
Simple, educational tools that show their working. A one-time confirmed email unlocks them.
See the toolsA family of sites
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