Ayurveda and Herbal Remedies

QotD: Three Foods Forever

Jul 13, 2007
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If you could eat only 3 foods for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Submitted by formance.

potatoes, chicken, fried rice

QotD: Jury Duty

Jul 9, 2007
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Have you ever served on a jury? What was your experience?
Submitted by jacolily.

I wish i get another chance...hehe

Ayurveda is considered as the oldest system of medicine still in practice world wide. Being ancient the word Ayurveda is derived from the ancient Indian language Sanskrit where 'ayus' means life and 'ved' means knowledge or science. So, the literal meaning of the word Ayurveda is knowledge or science of life. In short we can say that to know about life is "Ayurveda".

According to Ayurveda, life is a combination of four essential parts- mind, body, senses and the soul. It just not limits the knowledge to body or physical symptoms but also provides a thorough knowledge regarding spiritual, mental and emotional aspects. This traditional system of healing is based on the theory of balancing the body, the soul and the mind. Cited from Ayurveda

When ever there is imbalance in the vital forces, the body gets diseased and faces misery. This disease and suffering causes sorrow in humans and hence leads to discomfort in normal living. Ayurveda relates prevention of diseases and misery by five basic methodologies. These are detoxification and clean-up of bodies' negativities, stimulating the functioning of immune system, dealing and administrating with stress, impede premature aging progression, and rejuvenating the lost energies with time.

This concept of ayurveda shows that every individual in this universe has his own bodily system which is called prakruti (nature) that is decided after the conception in the womb of the mother. Every individual has different prakruti and this prakruti decides the fate and nature of the entity. Ayurveda can be considered as an observational science which developed as per the need of humans during his evolution towards today's world and has got time proven results. The whole ayurvedic system is designed in such a way that normal homeostasis is maintained by following particular lifestyle and supplementing the deficiency with new similar part, by which homeostasis is maintained.
Cited from What is Ayurveda?

Ayurvedic Knowledge and Important Herbs

Below are some important herbs extensively used in the treatment of common health problems. These are triphala, amla, brahmi, shilajit, neem and garlic.

Triphala: Triphala, a cornerstone of ayurvedic medicine, is a composite herbal preparation containing equal proportions of the fruits of three myrobalans, Emblica officinalis, Terminalia chebula and Terminalia bellirica. Though it is widely used as a laxative but there are certain secrets about triphala that are still unknown to this world. Also see: Also see Triphala at Squidoo
Amla: Amla (Emblica Officinalis) is a natural antioxidant with the richest natural source of Vitamin C. The fruit contains the highest amount of Vitamin C in natural form and cytokine like substances identified as zeatin, z. riboside, z. nucleotide. Its fruit is acrid, cooling, refrigerant, diuretic and laxative. The dried fruit is useful in hemorrhage, diarrhea and dysentery.
Brahmi: Brahmi has been used since time immemorial as a tonic for improving memory. In the gurukuls of ancient India there was the practice to regularly administer Brahmi to young students to help them learn sacred hymns.
Shilajit: Shilajit in India, is an aphrodisiac. It is well known that Shilajit would return the libido of people to a level of teenagers. It will keep your Vigor, Vitality and Energy at optimum levels. Shilajit works like Viagra to enhance the effect of nitric oxide to produce an erection. It is also called as Indian Viagra.
Neem: Neem is highly recommended for the effects it has upon the skin. It is advised to maintain a healthy glow on the skin. Preparations from the leaves or oils of the tree are used as general antiseptics, according to a report of The National Research Council's Ad Hoc Panel of the Board on Science and Technology for International Development. Due to neem's antibacterial properties, it is effective in fighting most epidermal dysfunctions.
Garlic: Garlic is used as a carminative, aphrodisiac, expectorant, and stimulant. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antiarthritic, hypolipidemic, anticoagulant, hypoproteinemic, hypocholesteremic, antibacterial, antifungal, antihypertensive and hypoglycemic action. It increases prothrombin time and fibrinolytic action. It is used in dermatophytosis, cough, febrifuge, in intermittent fever, earache, dyspepsia, flatulence, colic, reduction of mineralization and antifertility. It is also used as a rubefacient, hepatoprotective and anti-androgenic.