Principles of Ayurvedic Medicine

In Western thought, we view our lives through a physical body, controlled by a brain and autonomic reflex. Western medicine treats the body basically as a physical monetized unit.

However, the Ayurvedas view life itself in a holistic manner, and does not separate the body from the mind or spirit.

The concept of life, and the living man or woman, is viewed as the accumulations of what is known as the three humors or Vata (the kinetic force conceptuallymade up of elements ether and air), Pitta (the dynamic force created by the interplay of water and fire) and Kapha (the cohesive force through the interplay of water and earth) plus the seven basic tissues.

They are the Rasa (The food we consume is digested in the stomach and intestine and forms a semi-fluid. This is called Rasa dhatu (Dhatu in Sanskrit means "that which forms the body".). In Western medicine the same is called chyle, and is absorbed into the blood stream and becomes part of the plasma). Then there is the Rakta (our blood), the Mansa (muscle tissue. Basically there are only three types of muscles in the human body. The skeletal muscles which
permit the movements of joints and are generally controlled voluntarily. There is then the smooth muscles found in internal organs and are autonomic. Finally there are the cardiac muscles which are found ONLY in the heart andagain, are autonomic).

There is then the Meda (adipose tissue which is known as fat. It is the oil and lubricant of the body). There are the Asthi (bones and cartilages. Bones are what gives the body its basic strength). The Majja (or the bone marrow, i.e. the spongy substance inside the bone's cavity). Finally there is Shukra (or the semen in the male and the ovum in the female. It is responsible for reproduction, but not only.

In Ayurvedic thought, the Shukra becomes Ojas and makes up for our stamina and vitality). Lastly there are the waste products of the body such as sweat, urine and feces. Therefore our body is the conglomeration of all the above. In Ayurveda, one's growth and the ultimate decay of their holistic body depends on the firstly the food which when eaten is digested by way of the humors, into tissues and finally wastes. This process requires Agni or the fire of life to energize all. The above are known as the Sapta (which means seven) and Dhatu (means that which forms the body)