Ayurvedic (indian hindu) medicine

Question 1

what type of medicine is Ayurvedic med similar to?

Answer 1

chinese med: it is holistic in approach and stresses the importance of integration and balance in life.

Question 2

has two treatment levels:

Answer 2

the ministerial level

sovereign level

Question 3

ministerial level

Answer 3

provides a herbal remedy for each ailment (like western med)

Question 4

sovereign level

Answer 4

provides a herbal mixtures or potions to defeat all ministries of illness
(cures are needed to treat the root causes)

Question 5

three stages of treatment

Answer 5

cleansing
palliation
rejuvenation
-herbal preparations play a critical role in all three treatment stages

Question 6

cleansing

Answer 6

shodan

includes purging, blood cleansing, and nasal cleansing in order to remove bodily toxins

Question 7

palliation

Answer 7

shaman
involves the taking of herbs, fasting, chanting, yoga, meditation and sunning to achieve a balance of doshas (these are types of body structures and metabolisms which are determined individually by an ayurvedic practitioner prior to treatment)

Question 8

rejuvenation

Answer 8

rasayana

treatment involves the use of herbal tonics to revitalize the metabolism,

Question 9

rigveda

Answer 9

an ancient repository of human knowledge likely written between 1700-1100BCE.
consists of 1028 hymns, many praising the virtues of the divine soma
-written on the high plateaus of central asia and brought to the indian subcontinent by the aryan ppls about 3500 years ago

Question 10

soma

Answer 10

a bloomless, rootless and leafless plant (or substance) having divine and mystical properties

Question 11

Ayurveda

Answer 11

the foundation of ancient medical science in hindu india
(1000BCE)
-detailed account of plant drugs and their uses
-consists of 8 sections dealing with internal med, surgery, head and neck, toxicology, mental disorders, pediatrics, geriatrics and aphrodisiacs

Question 12

the ayurveda was followed by two expanded works

Answer 12

(2500 years ago)
the susruta
the charaka

Question 13

susruta

Answer 13

text on surgery, therapeutics and med plants

Question 14

charaka

Answer 14

12 chapters on the med plants known to the ancient hindus

Question 15

Dioscorides mentions a number of plants not known in europe

Answer 15

datura (leaves smoked by asthmatics)
strychnos ( containing strychnine and used to induce paralysis)
croton (a powerful purgative)

Question 16

pliny

Answer 16

the romans later developed an extensive trade in indian drugs
(23-79CE)
to comment on the high cost of importing drugs and spices from the indian subcontinent

Question 17

advent of buddhism in india

Answer 17

250BCE brought about many changes to ayurvedic med. surgery was seen as a form of biolence and banned. with this cam further additions to herbal lore and the establishment of medical plant gardens
-this started a slow but steady decline of ayurvedic med