Ayurvedic Medicine
What is it?
Ayurvedic Medicine is one of the oldest forms of medicine and healing practices in the world, originating over 5,000 years ago. The theory is that all areas of a persons life impact their health and are covered in detail in a series of sacred books called the Vedas:
Rig Veda (3000-2500 BCE)
Yajur Veda
Sam Veda
Atharva Veda (1200-1000 BCE)
Later in the eighth century medical books where written with clear instructions of how to practice Ayurvedic Medicine with a clear history to accompany and guide the reader of the “why” behind it. They call these text “the Great Triad” called Brhattrayi. The text are broken into three books called:
Charak Samhita by Charaka that goes into Ayurvedic medical theory
Sushurta Samhita by Sushruta focuses on surgery, blood and the description of the five subdoshas of Pitta
Astanga Hridaya by Vagbhata that defines the five subdoshas of Kapha
You can easily get lost or go down a rabbit whole with each of these ancient text. To try and make this easily attainable Ayurvedic Medicine is based off the belief that every person is made of five elements found in our universe: air, space, fire, water and earth. If your mind, body and spirit are in harmony with the universe you will always be in good health.
Once you combine these into the human body they form three life forces called Doshas. Those of us that are kinda familiar with Ayurvedic will be familiar with these terms. They are as fallows:
Vata Dosha (space and air) the most powerful of all three doshas and controls are body functions like breathing, blood flow and heart function.
Pitta Dosha (fire and water) controls digestion and metabolism
Kapha Dosha (water and earth) is your immune system, muscle growth, weight
The key to a balanced body and good heath is that these Doshas are in balance according to your unique body.
You can do some basic online quizzes to get a very basic idea of how your Doshas are in or out of balance. Here are a list of a few:
This is a pretty basic quiz to get a rough idea of where your body is in the current moment by the world famous Chopra Center. Click Link Here to Get Started
This test is a little more involved and defines things a bit more. Clink link Here
Of all the sites I have taken the Dosha Quizzes on the Joyful Belly is the most comprehensive. They start with the simple questions and then you can dig deeper and go into many other questionnaires to get a full picture. Click Here to Get Started
California College of Ayurveda has a pretty comprehensive list of certified practitioners up and down the west coast. They also offer classes and information. Click here to find out more
but to get a real sense of your imbalances you need to seek the advice of a certified Ayurvedic Medical practitioner. it just takes a few minutes to to look one up in your local area.
One of the major focuses in Ayurvedic Medicine is to cleanse your body of toxins and undigested food that can cause illness over time. The practice is called Panchakarma. This is usually the first step in finding a balance of the Doshas.
If this sounds too over whelming you can start slow with a few daily changes to cleanse your body of toxins in the Ayurveda tradition of Oil pulling. Yes, it sounds strange but this practice his been in use for a very long time. Detoxing usually starts in your mouth first.
Take a tablespoon of organic coconut oil and place in your mouth. Move around in your mouth and swish it around for about a minute and then spit down the drain. Coconut oil grabs all the bacteria out of your mouth and in between teeth.
You can take baby steps with the practice just by brushing your teeth with toothpaste that uses coconut oil as one of the main ingredients.
Tongue scrapping before bed and once you wake is another easy step into detoxification. Copper ones are proffered in Ayurvedic due to its anti-bacterial properties. This practice helps with bad breath and food cravings by getting rid of foods left over on your taste buds.
If you want to learn more information I have some podcast suggestions for you to listen to. One is by Dr. Cabral who I featured last week. Ayurvedic Medicine is what saved his life and he has spent many years studying the principles. He is a wonderful resource. In this podcast episode he gives a great introduction into the Doshas.
The Highest Self Podcast by Sahara Rose is a complete resource for information as well. Sahara is a huge name in Ayurveda who wrote the book the The Idiots Guide to Ayurveda. She is praised and is touted by Deepak Chopra as being the new face and voice of Ayurveda. Her podcast is amazing and has lots of information on Ayurveda.
Here is list of episodes that I think can give you a great collection of learning about the benefits of Ayurveda:
How to Cleanse the Ayurvedic Way (Its’ Not Juicing)
All About Ayurvedic TONGUE Analysis with John of Joyful Belly
Ayurvedic Facial Analysis to Assess Your Dosha with John Immel
Ayurvedic Nutrition Tips with Dr. Douillard
Enhancing Your Mood with Ayurvedic Herbs: Interview with Gunny of Youveda
Sahara has also recently published a great cookbook incorperating Ayurvedic principles and foods that you can confidently make you in your own kitchen. She wanted to create an approachable cook book that teaches even the beginner how to cook healthy Ayurvedic meals.
I hope everyone has a great Wellness Wednesday and takes this information and uses it to make a happier and healthier life!
Shara
Sources:
https://chopra.com, https://iamsahararose.com, https://ayurvedarejuvenation.com/dosha-self-test/, https://yogainternational.com/article/view/dosha-quiz, https://www.ayurvedacollege.com/california/?gclid=CjwKCAjwxuuCBhATEiwAIIIz0TByzFfg5Y8vNTAM1Pzg9adWFcTGa9RB3rMuRcJWbw0hjBNmVIfWIhoCrnsQAvD_BwE, https://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/ayurvedic-treatments, https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/ayurvedic-medicine-in-depth, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/ayurveda, https://www.ayurveda.com/resources/articles/ayurveda-a-brief-introduction-and-guide, https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwilorC1tsnvAhUBlIYKHemyB7EYABAAGgJ2dQ&ae=2&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESQOD2Y6B6-oc__XsK3DTWBQx975Ohdf2_9VmJV_bC-_GIlz1T46XEPPoRPYPxj95OmOinWkOSqNqlaAm4aA4bbgE&sig=AOD64_24kCRCLKbKd-4omo-pclIY0FlH3g&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwiQ16a1tsnvAhXkSjABHVCcDzAQ0Qx6BAgZEAE&dct=1, https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/where-ayurveda-come-from