Lecture 1: Ayurvedic (Indian Hindu) Medicine

Question 1

How is Ayurvedic medicine similar to Chinese medicine?

Answer 1

it is a holistic approach

it stresses the importance of integration and balance in life

Question 2

What are the two treatments levels of Ayurvedic medicine and describe.

Answer 2

Ministerial Level - provides a herbal remedy for each ailment
Sovereign Level - provided herbal mixtures or potions to defeat all miniseries of illness
– Claim that western medicine only provides treatment at ministerial levels but that only sovereign cures can treat the root causes of ministerial -level ailments

Question 3

Three stages of treatment

Answer 3

1. Cleansing
2. Palliation
3. Rejuvenation
   - - herbal preparations play a critical role in all three of these treatment stages

Question 4

Cleansing

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Pallination

Answer 5

Treatment involves the taking of herbs, fasting, chanting, yoga, mediation, and sunning to achieve and balance of doshas

Question 6

Doshas

Answer 6

types of body structures and metabolisms, which are determined individually by an Ayuredic practitioner prior to treatment

Question 7

Rejuvenation

Answer 7

treatment involves the use of herbal tonics to revitalize the metabolism

Question 8

Rigveda

Answer 8

an ancient repository of human knowledge written ~1700-1100 BCE

• consists of 1028 hymns
• many praises the virtures of the divine soma

Question 9

Soma

Answer 9

bloom-less, rootless, and leafless plant or substance having divine and mystical properties
– sounds like describing a mushroom

Question 10

Where was the rigveda written and were was is brought to>

Answer 10

written on the high platues of central asia

and brought to the Indian subcontinent by the Aryan ppl ~3500ya

Question 11

Foundation of ancient medical science in Hindu India

Answer 11

Ayurveda (1000BCE)

Question 12

Ayurveda

Answer 12

a detailed account of plant drugs and their uses

• consists of 8 sections dealing with internal medicine, surgery, head and neck, toxicology , mental disorders, paediatrics, geriatrics, and aphrodisiacs
• followed by two expanded works 2500 ya

Question 13

Susruta

Answer 13

detailed text on surfer, therapetucs and medicinal plants

Question 14

Charaka

Answer 14

contains 12 chapters on the medical plants (materia medica) known to the ancient hindues

Question 15

Sustruta and Charaka are both influenced by:

Answer 15

early greek , Roman, and islmaic medicine

Question 16

Greek and indian civilizations were in communication during the time of..

Answer 16

Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE) when Ayurvedic medicine was at its peak

Question 17

The advanced knowledge of herbal therapy and toxicology in India was later reported by ..

Answer 17

Dioscordies who mentions a number of plant s of indian origin not previously known in Europe

Question 18

These plant that were not before mentioned included:

Answer 18

Datura - leaves are smoked by asthmatics
Strychnos - containing strychine and used to induce paralysis
Croton - a powerful purgative

Question 19

The Romans later developed an extensive trade in Indian drugs, leading to ..

Answer 19

Pliny (23-79CE) to comment on the high cost of importing drugs and spices from India

Question 20

which changes were brought with the advent of Buddhism

Answer 20

Sugery was viewed as a form a violence and banned. With this came further additions to herbal lore and establishment of medical plant gardens.

Question 21

Where did buddhism spread Ayurvedic medical concepts?

Answer 21

Sri Lanka, Nepal, Tubet, Mongolica, China, Korea, and Japan.

Question 22

when did Ayurvedic medicine begin to decline?

Answer 22

during successive invasions of the Indian subcontinent beginning with the greeks (160-130BCE), followed by tthe Scythians (80BCE) and Islamic Arabs (1000CE). By the time islamic medicine was introduced into india, the traditional practices of Ayurvedic medicine were already in decline