Ayurveda: Difference between revisions

| caption = [[Dhanvantari]], an avatar of Vishnu, is the Hindu god associated with Ayurveda.

'''Ayurveda''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɑː|j|ʊər|ˈ|v|eɪ|d|ə|,_|-|ˈ|v|iː|-}})<ref name="oxford">{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ayurveda|work=Oxford University Press|title=Ayurveda}}</ref> is an [[alternative medicine]] system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent.<ref name=HIML-intro>{{cite book|last1=Meulenbeld|first1=Gerrit Jan|title=A History of Indian Medical Literature|date=1999|publisher=Egbert Forsten|location=Groningen|isbn=978-90-6980-124-7|chapter=Introduction}}<!--|access-date=16 October 2015--></ref> The theory and practice of Ayurveda is [[pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]].<ref name="kaufman">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dwFKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA293|title=Pseudoscience: The Conspiracy Against Science|publisher=MIT Press|year=2018|isbn=978-0-262-03742-6|first=Jeffrey|last=Beall|editor-last1=Kaufman|editor-first1=Allison B.|page=293|quote=Ayurveda, a traditional Indian medicine, is the subject of more than a dozen, with some of these "scholarly" journals devoted to Ayurveda alone..., others to Ayurveda and some other pseudoscience....Most current Ayurveda research can be classified as "tooth fairy science," research that accepts as its premise something not scientifically known to exist....Ayurveda is a long-standing system of beliefs and traditions, but its claimed effects have not been scientifically proven. Most Ayurveda researchers might as well be studying the tooth fairy. The German publisher Wolters Kluwer bought the Indian open-access publisher Medknow in 2011....It acquired its entire fleet of journals, including those devoted to pseudoscience topics such as ''An International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda''.|editor-last2=Kaufman|editor-first2=James C.}}</ref><ref name="oxpsych">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=626fDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA24|title=Chapter 1: Thinking about psychiatry|vauthors=Semple D, Smyth R|work=Oxford Handbook of Psychiatry|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2019|isbn=978-0-19-879555-1|edition=4th|page=24|doi=10.1093/med/9780198795551.003.0001|quote=These pseudoscientific theories may...confuse metaphysical with empirical claims (e.g....Ayurvedic medicine)}} {{subscription required}}</ref><ref name=Quack-2011/> The [[Indian Medical Association]] describes Ayurvedic practitioners who claim to practice [[medicine]] as [[Quackery|quacks]], and this is how they are regarded by many medical practitioners.<ref name="IMA">{{cite web|last1=Aggarwal|first1=K. K.|last2=Sharma|first2=V. N.|title=IMA Anti Quackery Wing|url=https://www.ima-india.org/ima/free-way-page.php?pid=143|access-date=February 11, 2022|work=Indian Medical Association|quote=The purpose of this compendium of court orders and various rules and regulations is to acquaint doctors regarding specific provisions and orders barring quackery by unqualified people, practitioners of Indian & Integrated Medicine to practice Modern Medicine.}}</ref><ref name="Hardiman2009">{{cite journal |last1=Hardiman |first1=David |title=Indian Medical Indigeneity: From Nationalist Assertion to the Global Market |journal=Social History |date=2009 |volume=34 |issue=3 |pages=263–283 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25594366 |issn=0307-1022 |quote=On the whole, such courses provided a back door into a career of improvised and only half-understood biomedical practice. Indeed, for biomedical practitioners, such self-titled 'doctors' are no more than quacks.}}</ref> Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population report using it.<ref name="Dargan" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" />

The main classical Ayurveda texts begin with accounts of the transmission of medical knowledge from the gods to sages, and then to human physicians.<ref name="zysk-myth">{{cite book|last1=Zysk|first1=Kenneth G.|editor1-last=Josephson|editor1-first=Folke|title=Categorisation and Interpretation|date=1999|publisher=Meijerbergs institut för svensk etymologisk forskning, Göteborgs universitet|isbn=978-91-630-7978-8|pages=125–145|chapter=Mythology and the Brāhmaṇization of Indian medicine: Transforming Heterodoxy into Orthodoxy}}<!--|access-date=16 October 2015--></ref> Printed editions of the ''[[Sushruta Samhita]]'' (''Sushruta's Compendium''), frame the work as the teachings of [[Dhanvantari]], [[Hindu]] god of Ayurveda, incarnated as King Divodāsa of Varanasi, to a group of physicians, including Sushruta.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bhishagratna|first1=Kaviraj Kunjalal|title=An English Translation of the Sushruta Samhita Based on Original Sanskrit text|date=1907|publisher=K. K. Bhishagratna|location=Calcutta|page=1|url=https://archive.org/stream/b24758619_0001#page/n103/mode/2up|access-date=16 October 2015}}</ref><ref name="britannica">[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/160641/Dhanvantari Dhanvantari. (2010). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 4 August 2010, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online]</ref> The oldest manuscripts of the work, however, omit this frame, ascribing the work directly to King Divodāsa.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Birch |first=Jason |last2=Wujastyk |first2=Dominik |last3=Klebanov |first3=Andrey |last4=Parameswaran |first4=Madhu |last5=Rimal |first5=Madhusudan |last6=Chakraborty |first6=Deepro |last7=Bhatt |first7=Harshal |last8=Shenoy |first8=Devyani |last9=Lele |first9=Vandana |date=2021 |title=Further Insight into the Role of Dhanvantari, the physician to the gods, in the Suśrutasaṃhitā |url=https://www.academia.edu/56668282/Further_Insight_into_the_Role_of_Dhanvantari_the_physician_to_the_gods_in_the_Su%C5%9Brutasa%E1%B9%83hit%C4%81 |journal=Academia Letters |doi=10.20935/al2992}}</ref> Through well-understood processes of modernization and globalization, Ayurveda has been adapted for Western consumption, notably by [[Baba Hari Dass]] in the 1970s and [[Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health|Maharishi Ayurveda]] in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wujastyk |first=Dagmar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M3XBu-vpXgoC&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Modern and Global Ayurveda: Pluralism and Paradigms |last2=Smith |first2=Frederick M. |date=2013-09-09 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-7816-5 |language=en}}</ref> Historical evidence for Ayurvedic texts, terminology and concepts appears from the middle of the first millennium BCE onwards.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Meulenbeld |first=G. Jan |title=A history of Indian medical literature |date= |publisher=Egbert Forsten; Brill |year=1999-2000 |isbn=90-6980-124-8 |location=Groningen |pages=passim |oclc=42207455}}</ref>  

In Ayurveda texts, ''[[Dosha]]'' balance is emphasized, and suppressing natural urges is considered unhealthy and claimed to lead to illness.<ref name="WujastykXVIII" /> Ayurveda treatises describe three elemental ''doshas'' viz. ''vāta'', ''pitta a''nd ''kapha'', and state that balance (Skt. ''sāmyatva'') of the ''doshas'' results in health, while imbalance (''viṣamatva'') results in disease. Ayurveda treatises divide medicine into eight canonical components. Ayurveda practitioners had developed various medicinal preparations and surgical procedures from at least the beginning of the [[Common Era|common era]].<ref name="shar-hist">{{cite book|title=History of Medicine in India|last1=Sharma|first1=Priya Vrat|date=1992|publisher=Indian National Science Academy|location=New Delhi}}</ref>

The term ''Āyurveda'' ({{lang-sa|[[:wikt:आयुर्वेद|आयुर्वेद]]}}) is composed of ''āyus, आयुस्,'' "life" or "longevity", and ''veda, वेद,'' "knowledge", translated as "knowledge of longevity"<ref name="MaasCambridge_2018">{{Cite book |last=Maas |first=Philipp A. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DWV9DwAAQBAJ&dq=The+Cambridge+History+of+Science+vol+1+Indian+Medicine+and+Ayurveda&pg=PT727 |title=The Cambridge History of Science: Volume 1, Ancient Science |date=2018-12-13 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-68262-6 |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Alexander |pages=532–550 |language=en |chapter=27. Indian Medicine and Ayurveda |doi=10.1017/9780511980145.029 |s2cid=209267391 |editor-last2=Taub |editor-first2=Liba}}</ref><ref name="Smith+Wujastyk" /> or "knowledge of life and longevity".<ref name="GregoryFields">{{cite book |last=Fields |first=Gregory P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rvQhuyGpB3wC&pg=PA37 |title=Religious Therapeutics: Body and Health in Yoga, Ayurveda, and Tantra |date=2001 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-4915-8 |page=36}}</ref>

[[File:Nagarjuna.gif|thumb|[[Nagarjuna]], known for the ''[[Madhyamaka]]'' (middle path), wrote the medical works ''The Hundred Prescriptions'' and ''The Precious Collection''.<ref name="CliffordMLBD">Clifford, Terry; Chandra, Lokesh (2017). [https://books.google.com/books?id=FiEzEAAAQBAJ&vq=Ayurveda&source=gbs_navlinks_s ''Tibetan Buddhist Medicine and Psychiatry''.] 42. Motilal Banarsidass Publications. {{ISBN|9788120812055|}}.</ref>|left]]

The earliest classical [[Sanskrit]] works on Ayurveda describe medicine as being divided into eight components (Skt. ''aṅga'').<ref>{{Cite book|title = Suśrutasaṃhitā|publisher = Nirṇayasāgara Press|year = 1945|location = Bombay|pages = 2–3|chapter-url = https://archive.org/stream/sushrutasamhita/sushruta_samhita_critical#page/n229/mode/2up|editor-last = Ācārya|editor-first = Yādava Trivikramātmaja|chapter = Sūtrasthāna 1.7-9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title = The Carakasaṃhitā of Caraka, with the commentary by Cakrapāṇidatta, edited by Yadavaśarman Trivikarama Ācārya|publisher = Nirṇayasāgara Press|year = 1941|location = Bombay|pages = 189|editor-last = Ācārya|editor-first = Yādava Trivikramātmaja|chapter = Sūtrasthāna 30.28|chapter-url = https://archive.org/stream/TheCarakasahitOrCharakasamhitaOfCarakaEditedByYadavaarman/Carakasamhita-Trikamji1941#page/n253/mode/2up}}</ref> This characterization of the physician's art, "the medicine that has eight components" (Skt. ''cikitsāyām aṣṭāṅgāyāṃ'' चिकित्सायामष्टाङ्गायाम्), is first found in the Sanskrit epic the [[Mahabharata|''Mahābhārata'']], c. 4th century BCE.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism|last = Wujastyk|first = Dominik|publisher = Blackwell|year = 2003b|isbn = 978-1-4051-3251-0|location = Oxford|pages = 394|editor-last = Flood|editor-first = Gavin|chapter = Indian Medicine}}</ref> The components are:<ref>{{Cite book|title = Suśruta-Samhitā With English Translation of text…|last = Sharma|first = Priya Vrat|publisher = Chaukhambha Visvabharati|year = 1999|location = Varanasi|pages = 7–11|volume = 1}}{{Request quotation|date=November 2015}}</ref><ref name="GregoryFields"/><ref>{{Cite book|title = An English Translation of the Sushruta Samhita Based on Original Sanskrit Text|last = Bhishagratna|first = Kaviraj Kunja Lal|publisher = The Author|year = 1907|location = Calcutta|pages = 2–6|url = https://archive.org/stream/englishtranslati01susruoft#page/2/mode/2up|volume = 1}}</ref>

* ''Rasāyantantra'': [[Rejuvenation (aging)|rejuvenation]] and tonics for increasing lifespan, intellect and strength

{{further|Mahābhūta}}The central theoretical ideas of Ayurveda show parallels with [[Sāṅkhya]] and [[Vaiśeṣika]] philosophies, as well as with [[Buddhism]] and [[Jainism]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Comba |first=Antonella |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xDvbumli2i0C |title=Studies on Indian Medical History |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=2001 |isbn=9788120817685 |editor-last=Meulenbeld |editor-first=Gerrit Jan |location=Delhi |pages=39–55 |chapter=Carakasaṃhitā, Śārīrasthāna~I and Vaiśeṣika Philosophy |editor-last2=Wujastyk |editor-first2=Dominik}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Basham |first=A. L. |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1525/9780520322295-005/html |title=Asian Medical Systems |publisher=University of California Press |year=1976 |editor-last=Leslie |editor-first=Charles |location=Berkeley |pages=18–43 |chapter=The Practice of Medicine in Ancient and Medieval India|doi=10.1525/9780520322295-005 |isbn=9780520322295 }}</ref> Balance is emphasized, and suppressing natural urges is considered unhealthy and claimed to lead to illness.<ref name="WujastykXVIII" /> For example, to suppress sneezing is said to potentially give rise to shoulder pain.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pathak |first1=Namyata |last2=Raut |first2=Ashwinikumar |last3=Vaidya |first3=Ashok |date=2008-10-01 |title=Acute cervical pain syndrome resulting from suppressed sneezing |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23670923 |journal=The Journal of the Association of Physicians of India |volume=56 |pages=728–9}}</ref> However, people are also cautioned to stay within the limits of reasonable balance and measure when following nature's urges.<ref name="WujastykXVIII" /> For example, emphasis is placed on moderation of food intake,<ref name="Chopra75">{{Harvnb|Chopra|2003|p=75}}</ref> sleep, and sexual intercourse.<ref name="WujastykXVIII">{{harvnb|Wujastyk|2003a|page=xviii}}</ref>

[[File:Ayurveda humors.svg|thumb|The three [[Dosha]]s and the five elements from which they are composed.]]According to ayurveda, the human body is composed of tissues (''[[Dhatu (Ayurveda)|dhatus]]''), waste (''malas''), and humoral biomaterials (''[[dosha]]s'').<ref name="Mishra" /> The seven ''dhatus'' are chyle (''rasa''), blood (''rakta''), muscles (''māmsa''), fat (''meda''), bone (''asthi''), [[Bone marrow|marrow]] (''majja''), and semen (''shukra''). Like the medicine of classical antiquity, the classic treatises of Ayurveda divided bodily substances into five [[Classical element#Classical elements in Hinduism|classical elements]], (Sanskrit) ''[[panchamahabhuta]]'', viz. [[Prithvi|earth]], [[Ap (water)|water]], [[Agni|fire]], [[Vayu|air]] and [[ether (classical element)|ether]].<ref name="Underwood&Rhodes(2008)" /> There are also twenty [[guna]]s (qualities or characteristics) which are considered to be inherent in all matter. These are organized in ten pairs: heavy/light, cold/hot, unctuous/dry, dull/sharp, stable/mobile, soft/hard, non-slimy/slimy, smooth/coarse, minute/gross, and viscous/liquid.<ref name="Chopra76">{{harvnb|Chopra|2003|p=76}}, citing Sushrutasamhita 25.36.</ref>

The three postulated elemental bodily humors, the ''[[dosha]]s'' or ''tridosha'', are ''vata'' (air, which some modern authors equate with the nervous system), ''pitta'' (bile, fire, equated by some with enzymes), and ''kapha'' (phlegm, or earth and water, equated by some with mucus). Contemporary critics assert that doshas are not real, but are a fictional concept.<ref name=sn>{{cite web |publisher=[[Science-Based Medicine]] |vauthors=Novella S |title=Ayurvedic practitioners push for licensing in Colorado |url=https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/ayurvedic-practitioners-push-licensing-in-colorado/ |date=21 November 2019}}</ref>  The humours (''doshas'') may also affect mental health. Each ''dosha'' has particular attributes and roles within the body and mind; the natural predominance of one or more ''doshas'' thus explains a person's physical constitution (''prakriti'') and personality.<ref name="Mishra">{{cite journal |last1=Mishra |first1=Lakshmi-chandra |last2=Singh |first2=Betsy B. |last3=Dagenais |first3=Simon |date=March 2001 |title=Ayurveda: a historical perspective and principles of the traditional healthcare system in India |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12079939 |journal=Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=36–42 |pmid=11253415}}</ref><ref name="Payya">{{cite journal|title=Exploring Ayurvedic Knowledge on Food and Health for Providing Innovative Solutions to Contemporary Healthcare|first1=Unnikrishnan|last1=Payyappallimana|first2=Padma|last2=Venkatasubramanian|date=31 March 2016|journal=Frontiers in Public Health|volume=4|issue=57|page=57|doi=10.3389/fpubh.2016.00057|pmid=27066472|pmc=4815005|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Understanding personality from Ayurvedic perspective for psychological assessment: A case|first1=S|last1=Shilpa|first2=C.G.|last2=Venkatesha Murthy|date=January 2011|journal=Ayu|publisher=Institute for Post Graduate Teaching & Research in Ayurveda|volume=32|issue=1|pages=12–19|doi=10.4103/0974-8520.85716|pmid=22131752|pmc=3215408}}</ref> Ayurvedic tradition holds that imbalance among the bodily and mental ''doshas'' is a major etiologic component of disease. One Ayurvedic view is that the ''doshas'' are balanced when they are equal to each other, while another view is that each human possesses a unique combination of the ''doshas'' which define this person's temperament and characteristics. In either case, it says that each person should modulate their behavior or environment to increase or decrease the ''doshas'' and maintain their natural state. Practitioners of Ayurveda must determine an individual's bodily and mental ''dosha'' makeup, as certain ''prakriti'' are said to predispose one to particular diseases.<ref name="mental" /><ref name="Mishra" /> For example, a person who is thin, shy, excitable, has a pronounced [[Adam's apple]], and enjoys of esoteric knowledge is likely ''vata prakriti'' and therefore more susceptible to conditions such as flatulence, stuttering, and rheumatism.<ref name="Mishra" /><ref>{{cite book|title=Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Medicine|last=Bhagwan Dash|first=Vaidya|year=1995|publisher=Lotus Press|isbn=978-81-220-0117-4}}</ref> Deranged ''vata'' is also associated with certain mental disorders due to excited or excess ''vayu'' (gas), although the Ayurvedic text ''[[Charaka Samhita]]'' also attributes "insanity" (''unmada'') to cold food and possession by the ghost of a sinful Brahman (''brahmarakshasa'').<ref name="Mishra" /><ref name="mental">{{cite journal|title=Manovikara (mental disorders) in Ayurveda|first1=M.G.|last1=Ramu|first2=B.S.|last2=Venkataram|date=January 1985|journal=Ancient Science of Life|volume=4|issue=3|pages=165–73|publisher=Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications|pmid=22557473|pmc=3331508}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ayurvedic & Western approaches to the treatment of Schizophrenia|website=ayurvedacollege.com|date=21 September 2009|url=https://www.ayurvedacollege.com/blog/schizophrenia/#Types_of_insanity_unmada|access-date=6 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Charaka samhita. Commentary of Chakrapani|last=Acharya|first=YT|date=1941|publisher=Nirnayasagar Press|location=Bombay}}</ref>

Ama (a [[Sanskrit]] word meaning "uncooked" or "undigested" ) is used to refer to the concept of anything that exists in a state of incomplete transformation. With regards to [[oral hygiene]], it is claimed to be a toxic byproduct generated by improper or incomplete [[digestion]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Kacera |first=Walter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0aQmGnxBmioC&q=Ayurvedic+Tongue+Diagnosis |title=Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis |publisher=Lotus Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-940985-77-3 |pages=159–176 |chapter=Ama and Disease}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Dentistry and Ayurveda – IV: Classification and management of common oral diseases|first=Sunita|last=Amruthesh|date=1 January 2008|journal=Indian Journal of Dental Research|volume=19|issue=1|pages=52–61|doi=10.4103/0970-9290.38933|pmid=18245925|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Amruthesh |first1=Sunita |title=Dentistry and Ayurveda-III (basics - ama, immunity, ojas, rasas, etiopathogenesis and prevention) |journal=Indian Journal of Dental Research |date=2007 |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=112–9 |doi=10.4103/0970-9290.33786 |pmid=17687173 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The concept has no equivalent in [[standard medicine]].

Ayurvedic practitioners regard physical existence, mental existence, and personality as their own unique units, with each element being able to influence the others.{{clarify|date=January 2015}} This is a [[Holism#Medicine|holistic]] approach used during diagnosis and therapy, and is a fundamental aspect of Ayurveda. Another part of Ayurvedic treatment says that there are channels (''srotas'') which transport fluids, and that the channels can be opened up by massage treatment using oils and [[Swedana]] (fomentation). Unhealthy, or blocked, channels are thought to cause disease.<ref name="WujastykXIX-XX">{{harvnb|Wujastyk|2003a|pages=XIX–XX}}</ref>

Two of the eight branches of classical Ayurveda deal with surgery (''Śalya-cikitsā'' and ''Śālākya-tantra''), but contemporary Ayurveda tends to stress attaining vitality by building a healthy [[metabolism|metabolic system]] and maintaining good [[digestion]] and [[excretion]].<ref name="Chopra76" /> Ayurveda also focuses on exercise, [[yoga]], and [[meditation]].<ref name="encarta-ayurveda">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=[[Encarta]]|year=2008|url= http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761596196/Ayurveda.html |publisher=[[Microsoft]]|location=Redmond, WA|title=Ayurveda|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028105549/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761596196/Ayurveda.html|archive-date=28 October 2009}}</ref> One type of prescription is a [[Sattvic diet]].

[[File:Contemporary Ayurveda (156350019).jpeg|thumb|Ayurvedic preparations displayed in [[Delhi|Dehli]] in 2016]]

The vast majority (90%) of Ayurvedic remedies are plant based.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last1=Kumar |first1=Syal |last2=Dobos |first2=Gustav J. |last3=Rampp |first3=Thomas |date=July 2017 |title=The Significance of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants |journal=Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=494–501 |doi=10.1177/2156587216671392 |issn=2156-5872 |pmc=5871155 |pmid=27707902}}</ref> Plant-based treatments in Ayurveda may be derived from roots, leaves, fruits, bark, or seeds; some examples of plant-based substances include [[cardamom]] and [[cinnamon]]. In the 19th century, William Dymock and co-authors summarized hundreds of plant-derived medicines along with the uses, microscopic structure, chemical composition, toxicology, prevalent myths and stories, and relation to commerce in [[British Raj|British India]].<ref>[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/36345#page/1/mode/1up Pharmacographia Indica], A history of principal drugs of vegetable origin in British India - Volume 1, William Dymock et al. (1890), London</ref> [[Triphala]], an herbal formulation of three fruits, [[Amalaki]], [[Bibhitaki]], and [[Haritaki]], is one of the most commonly used<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'mathuna |first=Donal |date=April 12, 2011 |title=Does it work? Can triphala act as an antimicrobial? |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/does-it-work-can-triphala-act-as-an-antimicrobial-1.570237 |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref> Ayurvedic remedies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berry |first=Jennifer |date=2019-10-03 |others=Medically reviewed by Zara Risoldi Cochrane |title=What are the benefits of triphala? Uses, evidence, and risks |url=https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326547 |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=Medical News Today |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Peterson |first1=Christine Tara |last2=Denniston |first2=Kate |last3=Chopra |first3=Deepak |date=2017-08-01 |title=Therapeutic Uses of Triphala in Ayurvedic Medicine |journal=Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine |volume=23 |issue=8 |pages=607–614 |doi=10.1089/acm.2017.0083 |issn=1075-5535 |pmc=5567597 |pmid=28696777}}</ref> The herbs ''[[Withania somnifera]]'' (Ashwagandha)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldman |first=Rena |date=September 29, 2020 |others=Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson |title=What are the benefits of ashwagandha? |url=https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318407 |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=Medical News Today |language=en}}</ref> and ''[[Ocimum tenuiflorum]]'' (Tulsi)<ref name=":7" /> are also routinely used in Ayurveda.  

Animal products used in Ayurveda include milk, bones, and [[gallstone]]s.<ref>{{cite book | last=Ng | first=P.K.L. | last2=Corlett | first2=R. | last3=Tan | first3=H.T.W. | author4=Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research | title=Singapore Biodiversity: An Encyclopedia of the Natural Environment and Sustainable Development | publisher=Editions Didier Millet | year=2011 | isbn=978-981-4260-08-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D1oW0EquxDAC  | page=164}}</ref> In addition, fats are prescribed both for consumption and for external use. Consumption of minerals, including [[sulphur]], [[arsenic]], lead, [[copper sulfate]] and gold, are also prescribed.<ref name="Underwood&Rhodes(2008)" /> The addition of minerals to herbal medicine is called ''[[rasashastra]]''.

Ayurveda uses alcoholic beverages called ''Madya'',<ref name="IJTNJAN07">{{Cite journal|author=Sekar, S. |year=2007|title=Traditional alcoholic beverages from Ayurveda and their role on human health |journal=Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge |volume=6|issue=1|pages=144–149 |url=http://www.niscair.res.in/sciencecommunication/ResearchJournals/rejour/ijtk/Fulltextsearch/2007/January%202007/IJTK-Vol%206%281%29-January%202007-pp%20144-149.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218110751/http://www.niscair.res.in/sciencecommunication/ResearchJournals/rejour/ijtk/Fulltextsearch/2007/January%202007/IJTK-Vol%206%281%29-January%202007-pp%20144-149.htm |archive-date=18 December 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> which are said to adjust the doshas by increasing Pitta and reducing Vatta and Kapha.<ref name="IJTNJAN07" /> Madya are classified by the raw material and fermentation process, and the categories include: sugar-based, fruit-based, cereal-based, cereal-based with herbs, fermentated with vinegar, and tonic wines. The intended outcomes can include causing purgation, improving digestion or taste, creating dryness, or loosening joints. Ayurvedic texts describe Madya as non-viscid and fast-acting, and say that it enters and cleans minute pores in the body.<ref name="IJTNJAN07" />

Purified [[opium]]<ref name="ISHS1036">{{Cite journal|author1=Mani, Dayanandan  |author2=Dhawan, Sunita S. |year=2011|url=http://www.actahort.org/books/1036/1036_20.htm|title=Scientific basis of therapeutic uses of opium poppy (''Papaver somniferum'') in Ayurveda|journal=Acta Horticulturae (International Symposium on Papaver) |issue=1036 |pages=175–180|access-date=7 December 2014|url-access=subscription }}</ref> is used in eight Ayurvedic preparations<ref name="UNODC">{{cite web |author1=Ram Nath Chopra |author2=I. C. Chopra |date=January 1, 1955 |title=UNODC - Bulletin on Narcotics - 1955 Issue 3 - 001 |url=https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/bulletin/bulletin_1955-01-01_3_page002.html |access-date=27 December 2015}}</ref> and is said to balance the Vata and Kapha doshas and increase the Pitta dosha.<ref name="ISHS1036"/> It is prescribed for diarrhea and dysentery, for increasing the sexual and muscular ability, and for affecting the brain. The sedative and pain-relieving properties of opium are considered in Ayurveda. The use of opium is found in the ancient Ayurvedic texts, and is first mentioned in the ''Sarngadhara Samhita'' (1300-1400 CE), a book on pharmacy used in [[Rajasthan]] in Western India, as an ingredient of an aphrodisiac to delay male ejaculation.<ref name="IJHS051981">{{cite web|url=http://www.new1.dli.ernet.in/data1/upload/insa/INSA_1/20005af3_31.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-10-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028125555/http://www.new1.dli.ernet.in/data1/upload/insa/INSA_1/20005af3_31.pdf |archive-date=28 October 2014 }}</ref> It is possible that opium was brought to India along with or before [[Muslim conquests on the Indian subcontinent|Muslim conquests]].<ref name="UNODC" /><ref name="Chopra80">{{harvnb|Chopra|2003|p = 80}}</ref> The book ''Yoga Ratnakara'' (1700-1800 CE, unknown author), which is popular in [[Maharashtra]], uses opium in a herbal-mineral composition prescribed for diarrhea.<ref name="IJHS051981" /> In the ''Bhaisajya Ratnavali'', opium and camphor are used for acute gastroenteritis. In this drug, the respiratory depressant action of opium is counteracted by the respiratory stimulant property of Camphor.<ref name="IJHS051981" /> Later books have included the narcotic property for use as analgesic pain reliever.<ref name="IJHS051981" />

Ayurveda says that both oil and tar can be used to stop bleeding,<ref name="Underwood&Rhodes(2008)" /> and that traumatic bleeding can be stopped by four different methods: [[ligature (medicine)|ligation]] of the [[blood vessel]], [[cauterisation]] by heat, use of preparations to facilitate [[Blood clot|clotting]], and use of preparations to [[Vasoconstriction|constrict]] the blood vessels.  

Massage with oil is commonly prescribed by Ayurvedic practitioners.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Satake |first=Alison |last2=McDaniel |first2=Andi |title=FRONTLINE World India: A Second Opinion: Ayurveda 101 |url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/india701/interviews/ayurveda101.html |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=PBS}}</ref> Oils are used in a number of ways, including regular consumption, anointing, smearing, head massage, application to affected areas,<ref name="WujastykXX">{{harvnb|Wujastyk|2003a|page=20}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=January 2015}} and [[oil pulling]]. Liquids may also be poured on the patient's forehead, a technique called [[shirodhara]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lockett |first=Eleesha |date=September 30, 2020 |others=Medically reviewed by Dominique Fontaine |title=Shirodhara: Benefits and What to Expect |url=https://www.healthline.com/health/shirodhara |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=Healthline |language=en}}</ref>

Ayurveda is widely practiced in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal<ref name="who01" /> where public institutions offer formal study in the form of a [[Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery]] (BAMS) degree. In certain parts of the world, the legal standing of practitioners is equivalent to that of conventional medicine.<ref name="who01" /> Several scholars have described the contemporary Indian application of Ayurvedic practice as being "biomedicalized" relative to the more "spiritualized" emphasis to practice found in variants in the West.<ref name="london \2">{{cite journal |last1=Warrier |first1=Maya |date=January 2009 |title=Seekership, Spirituality and Self-Discovery: Ayurveda Trainees in Britain |journal=Asian Medicine |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=423–451 |doi=10.1163/157342009X12526658783691 |issn=1573-420X |pmc=2898496 |pmid=20617123}}</ref><ref name="Sujatha_UniversalGlobal_2020">{{Cite journal |last=Sujatha |first=V. |date=January 2020 |title=The Universal and the Global: Contextualising European Ayurvedic Practices |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2393861719883067 |journal=Society and Culture in South Asia |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=52–73 |doi=10.1177/2393861719883067 |s2cid=213828818 |issn=2393-8617 |via=Sage}}</ref>

Exposure to European developments in medicine from the nineteenth century onwards, through [[European colonization of India]] and the subsequent institutionalized support for European forms of medicine amongst European heritage settlers in India<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sriram |first1=Veena |last2=Keshri |first2=Vikash R. |last3=Kumbhar |first3=Kiran |date=2021-08-18 |title=The impact of colonial-era policies on health workforce regulation in India: lessons for contemporary reform |journal=Human Resources for Health |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=100 |doi=10.1186/s12960-021-00640-w |issn=1478-4491 |pmc=8371885 |pmid=34407831 |quote=Traditional practitioners of medicine were at the mercy of the ‘newly’ imposed system of modern medicine that arrived with colonialism. Despite some early efforts to understand the value of traditional medicine and some efforts at exchange between the systems, “British criticisms of indigenous medicine became increasingly strident and intolerant”.}}</ref> were challenging to Ayurveda, with the entire epistemology called into question.  From the twentieth century, Ayurveda became politically, conceptually, and commercially dominated by modern biomedicine, resulting in "Modern Ayurveda" and "Global Ayurveda".<ref name="MaasCambridge_2018" /> Modern Ayurveda is geographically located in the [[Indian subcontinent]] and tends towards secularization through minimization of the magic and mythic aspects of Ayurveda.<ref name="MaasCambridge_2018" /><ref name="Smith+Wujastyk" /> Global Ayurveda encompasses multiple forms of practice that developed through dispersal to a wide geographical area outside of India.<ref name="MaasCambridge_2018" /> Smith and Wujastyk further delineate that Global Ayurveda includes those primarily interested in the Ayurveda [[Pharmacopoeia|pharmacopeia]], and also the practitioners of [[New Age]] Ayurveda (which may link Ayurveda to [[yoga]] and Indian spirituality and/or emphasize preventative practice, mind body medicine, or Maharishi Ayurveda).<ref name="Smith+Wujastyk" />

It was reported in 2008<ref name="Dargan">{{cite journal|last1=Dargan|first1=Paul I.|last2=Gawarammana|first2=Indika B.|last3=Archer|first3=John R.H.|last4=House|first4=Ivan M.|last5=Shaw|first5=Debbie|last6=Wood|first6=David M.|year=2008|title=Heavy metal poisoning from Ayurvedic traditional medicines: An emerging problem?|url=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.561.9726&rep=rep1&type=pdf|journal=International Journal of Environment and Health|volume=2|issue=3/4|pages=463|doi=10.1504/IJENVH.2008.020936|citeseerx=10.1.1.561.9726}}</ref> and again in 2018<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Bhowmick |first=Nilanjana |date=2021-06-02 |title=Indian doctors protest herbal treatments being touted for COVID-19 |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/indian-doctors-protest-herbal-treatments-being-touted-for-covid-19 |access-date=2022-03-21 |website=National Geographic |language=en}}</ref> that 80 percent of people in India used Ayurveda exclusively or combined with conventional Western medicine.<ref name="Dargan" /><ref name=":0" /> A 2014 national health survey found that, in general, forms of the Indian System of Medicine or [[AYUSH]] (Ayurveda, Yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Sidha, and Homeopathy) were used by about 3.5% of patients who were seeking outpatient care over a two week reference period.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rudra |first1=Shalini |last2=Kalra |first2=Aakshi |last3=Kumar |first3=Abhishek |last4=Joe |first4=William |date=2017 |title=Utilization of alternative systems of medicine as health care services in India: Evidence on AYUSH care from NSS 2014 |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=12|issue=5 |pages= e0176916 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0176916 |pmid=28472197 |pmc=5417584 |bibcode=2017PLoSO..1276916R |doi-access=free }}</ref>

In 1970, the [[Parliament of India]] passed the Indian Medical Central Council Act which aimed to standardise qualifications for Ayurveda practitioners and provide accredited institutions for its study and research.<ref name="WujastykXXII" /> In 1971, the [[Central Council of Indian Medicine]] (CCIM) was established under the Department of Ayurveda, [[Yoga]] and naturopathy, Unani, [[Siddha medicine]] and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), [[Ministry of Health and Family Welfare]], to monitor higher education in Ayurveda in India.<ref>{{cite web |title=Introduction to Central Council of Indian Medicine |publisher=Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) |url=http://ccimindia.org/introduction.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218132643/http://ccimindia.org/introduction.html |archive-date=18 December 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Indian government supports research and teaching in Ayurveda through many channels at both the national and state levels, and helps institutionalise traditional medicine so that it can be studied in major towns and cities.<ref name="WujastykXVI">{{harvnb|Wujastyk|2003a|page=XVI}}</ref> The state-sponsored [[AYUSH|Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences]] (CCRAS) is designed to do research on Ayurveda.<ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome to Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha ( India ) |publisher=Ccras.nic.in |url=http://ccras.nic.in/ |access-date= 21 June 2012}}</ref> Many clinics in urban and rural areas are run by professionals who qualify from these institutes.<ref name="WujastykXXII">{{harvnb|Wujastyk|2003a|page=XXII}}</ref> {{As of|2013}}, India had over 180 training centers that offered degrees in traditional Ayurvedic medicine.<ref name="encarta-ayurveda" />

To fight [[biopiracy]] and unethical patents, in 2001 the [[government of India]] set up the [[Traditional Knowledge Digital Library]] in 2001 to serve as a repository for formulations from systems of Indian medicine, such as Ayurveda, [[Unani]] and [[Siddha medicine|Siddha]].<ref>{{cite web|title=About TKDL |work=Traditional Knowledge Digital Library |url=http://www.tkdl.res.in/tkdl/LangDefault/Common/Abouttkdl.asp?GL=Eng |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704022336/http://www.tkdl.res.in/tkdl/langdefault/common/Abouttkdl.asp?GL=Eng |archive-date=4 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="pt">{{cite web|url=http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=61511|title=Know Instances of Patenting on the UES of Medicinal Plants in India|date=6 May 2010|publisher=PIB, Ministry of Environment and Forests|access-date=22 May 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100510005340/http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=61511| archive-date= 10 May 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> The formulations come from over 100 traditional Ayurveda books.<ref>{{cite web |title=Source of Information |work=[[Traditional Knowledge Digital Library]] (Government of India)|url=http://www.tkdl.res.in/tkdl/langdefault/common/sourceinfo.asp }}</ref>

An [[Indian Academy of Sciences]] document quoting a 2003-04 report states that India had 432,625 registered medical practitioners, 13,925 dispensaries, 2,253 hospitals and a bed strength of 43,803. 209 under-graduate teaching institutions and 16 post-graduate institutions.<ref name="IAS-20150613">{{cite web|url=http://www.ias.ac.in/academy/dvdocs/ayurvis.pdf|title=Towards Ayurvedic Biology|last=Valiathan|first=M. S.|publisher=[[Indian Academy of Sciences]]|access-date=13 June 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513230414/http://www.ias.ac.in/academy/dvdocs/ayurvis.pdf|archive-date=13 May 2015}}</ref> In 2012, it was reported that insurance companies covered expenses for Ayurvedic treatments in case of conditions such as spinal cord disorders, bone disorder, arthritis and cancer. Such claims constituted 5-10 percent of the country's health insurance claims.<ref name="Hindu-20120328">{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/banking/insurers-stepping-up-cover-for-ayurveda-treatment/article3254964.ece|title=Insurers stepping up cover for ayurveda treatment|last=Roy|first=Shobha|date=2012-03-28|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=13 June 2015}}</ref>

About 75%-80% of the population of Nepal use Ayurveda.<ref name=":1">{{cite news|title=Weeklong programme to observe Health Day |url=http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Weeklong+programme+to+observe+Health+Day&NewsID=395245 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323212717/http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Weeklong+programme+to+observe+Health+Day&NewsID=395245 |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 March 2017 |access-date=7 January 2015 |agency=The Himalayan Times |work=The Himalayan Times|date=28 October 2013 |quote=In Nepal, 80 per cent of the population receives Ayurvedic medicine as first aid treatment. }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{cite book|author=Alam|first=Zulfeequar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R5PfzF86mtEC&q=Ayurveda&pg=PA10|title=Herbal Medicines|publisher=A.P.H. Publishing|year=2008|isbn=978-81-313-0358-0|location=New Delhi, India|pages=8–13, 122}}</ref> As of 2009, Ayurveda was considered to be the most common and popular form of medicine in Nepal.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Guneratne |first=Arjun |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L2qLAgAAQBAJ&pg=PP1 |title=Culture and the Environment in the Himalaya |publisher=Routledge |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-415-77883-1 |series=Routledge contemporary South Asia series, #24 |location=New York |pages=84–85}}</ref>

In 1980, the Sri Lankan government established a Ministry of Indigenous Medicine to revive and regulate Ayurveda.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ayurveda.gov.lk/dept.html |title=Ministry of Indigenous Medicine |access-date=2 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214094513/http://www.ayurveda.gov.lk/dept.html |archive-date=14 December 2012 }}</ref> The Institute of Indigenous Medicine (affiliated to the [[University of Colombo]]) offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and MD degrees in Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery, and similar degrees in unani medicine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://iim.cmb.ac.lk/ |title=Institute of indigenous Medicine |publisher=Iim.cmb.ac.lk |access-date= 21 June 2012}}</ref> The public system has 62 Ayurvedic hospitals and 208 central dispensaries, which served about 3 million people (about 11% of Sri Lanka's population) in 2010. In total, there are about 20,000 registered practitioners of Ayurveda in the country.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statistics Report |publisher=Sri Lanka Institute of Indigenous Medicine |date=November 2011 |url=http://www.indigenousmedimini.gov.lk/Downloads/Statistics%20Report%20Final%202011.%20November.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424031013/http://www.indigenousmedimini.gov.lk/Downloads/Statistics%20Report%20Final%202011.%20November.pdf |archive-date=24 April 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About Us |publisher=The Ministry of Indigenous Medicine (Sri Lanka) |date=14 February 1980 |url=http://www.indigenousmedimini.gov.lk/About_us.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108121932/http://www.indigenousmedimini.gov.lk/About_us.html |archive-date=8 November 2011 |url-status=dead |access-date=11 December 2011 }}</ref>

According to the [[Mahavamsa]], an ancient chronicle of [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] royalty from the sixth century C.E., King [[Pandukabhaya of Sri Lanka]] (reigned 437 BCE to 367 BCE) had lying-in-homes and Ayurvedic hospitals (Sivikasotthi-Sala) built in various parts of the country. This is the earliest documented evidence available of institutions dedicated specifically to the care of the sick anywhere in the world.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Arjuna|last=Aluvihare|title=Rohal Kramaya Lovata Dhayadha Kale Sri Lankikayo|journal=Vidhusara Science Magazine |date=November 1993}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ihsg/publications/pdf/No-42.PDF |title=Resource Mobilization in Sri Lanka's Health Sector |author1=Rannan-Eliya, Ravi P. |author2=De Mel, Nishan  |publisher=[[Harvard School of Public Health]] & Health Policy Programme, Institute of Policy Studies|date=February 1997|page=19|access-date=17 December 2014}}</ref> [[Mihintale]] Hospital is the oldest in the world.<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Müller-Dietz, Heinz E. |year=1975|title=Die Krankenhaus-ruinen in Mihintale (Ceylon) |journal=Historia Hospitalium|volume=10|pages=65–71|pmid=11627253}}</ref>

[[File:Aankomst Maharish Makesh Yogi op Schiphol. M. M. Yogi vergezeld van Dramayari Do, Bestanddeelnr 920-6590.jpg|left|thumb|[[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]] in [[Amsterdam]] in 1967]]Ayurveda is a system of traditional medicine developed during antiquity and the medieval period, and as such is comparable to pre-modern [[traditional Chinese medicine|Chinese]] and [[Medieval medicine of Western Europe|European]] systems of medicine. In the 1960s, Ayurveda began to be advertised as [[alternative medicine]] in the Western world. Due to different laws and medical regulations around the globe, the unregulated practice and commercialisation of Ayurveda raised ethical and legal issues. In some instances, Ayurvedic practices and terminology were adapted specifically for Western consumption, notably in the case of "[[Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health|Maharishi Ayurveda]]" in the 1980s. In some cases, this involved active fraud on the part of proponents of Ayurveda in an attempt to falsely represent the system as equal to the standards of modern [[medical research]].<ref>{{Cite journal| author=Skolnick, Andrew A. | year = 1991 | title=The Maharishi Caper: Or How to Hoodwink Top Medical Journals | journal = ScienceWriters: The Newsletter of the National Association of Science Writers | issue = Fall | format = print | url = http://www.aaskolnick.com/naswmav.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080716041551/http://www.aaskolnick.com/naswmav.htm | archive-date=16 July 2008 |author-link=Andrew A. Skolnick| quote = From time to time, even the most prestigious science journals publish erroneous or fraudulent data, unjustified conclusions, and sometimes balderdash. Balderdash was the right word when The [[Journal of the American Medical Association]] (JAMA) published the article, "Maharishi Ayur-Veda: Modern Insights Into Ancient Medicine," in its 22/29 May issue. Discovering that they had been deceived by the article's authors, the editors published a correction in the 14 August issue, which was followed on 2 October by a six-page exposé on the people who had hoodwinked them. | access-date = 23 January 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Skolnick|first1=Andrew A.|author-link=Andrew A. Skolnick|title=Maharishi Ayur-Veda: Guru's marketing scheme promises the world eternal 'perfect health'|journal=JAMA|volume=266|pages=1741–2, 1744–5, 1749–50|year=1991|doi=10.1001/jama.1991.03470130017003|pmid=1817475|issue=13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=National Policy on Traditional Medicine and Regulation of Herbal Medicines |date=May 2005 |publisher=World Health Organization |url=http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/pdf/s7916e/s7916e.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927001412/http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/pdf/s7916e/s7916e.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the United States, the practice of Ayurveda is not licensed or regulated by any state. The [[National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health]] says that "Few well-designed clinical trials and systematic research reviews suggest that Ayurvedic approaches are effective", warns against the issue of heavy metal poisoning, and emphasises the use of conventional health providers first.<ref name=":5">{{cite web|date=December 2018|title=Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth|url=https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/ayurvedic-medicine-in-depth|access-date=23 August 2020|website=National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health}}</ref> As of 2018, the NCCIH reported that 240,000 Americans were using Ayurvedic medicine.<ref name=":5" />

Although laboratory experiments suggest that some herbs and substances in Ayurveda might be developed into effective treatments, there is no evidence that any are effective in themselves.<ref name="ACS2011">{{cite web|date=26 August 2011|title=Ayurveda|url=http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/mindbodyandspirit/ayurveda|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222053347/http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/mindbodyandspirit/ayurveda|archive-date=22 February 2014|access-date=7 January 2015|publisher=American Cancer Society|quote=The effectiveness of Ayurveda has not been proven in scientific studies, but early research suggests that certain herbs may offer potential therapeutic value... Although Ayurveda has been largely untested by Western researchers, there is a growing interest in integrating some parts of the system into medical practice. In fact, a few of the herbs and substances have been purified into drugs that are used (along with other medicines) to treat cancer. Early studies suggest that other parts of Ayurveda may have potential therapeutic value.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Patwardhan|first=Bhushan|date=2014-11-01|title=Bridging Ayurveda with evidence-based scientific approaches in medicine|journal=The EPMA Journal|volume=5|issue=1|pages=19|doi=10.1186/1878-5085-5-19|issn=1878-5077|pmc=4230501|pmid=25395997}}</ref> There is no good evidence that Ayurvedic medicine is effective to treat or cure cancer in people.<ref name="cruk" /> Although Ayurveda may help "improve quality of life" and CRUK also acknowledges that "researchers have found that some Ayurvedic treatments can help relieve cancer symptoms," the organization warns that some Ayurvedic drugs contain toxic substances or may [[drug interaction|interact]] with legitimate cancer drugs in a harmful way.<ref name="cruk">{{cite web |date= |title=Ayurvedic medicine |url=https://about-cancer.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/complementary-alternative-therapies/individual-therapies/ayurvedic-medicine |access-date=18 April 2022 |website=[[Cancer Research UK]] |quote=There is no scientific evidence to prove that Ayurvedic medicine can treat or cure cancer. Researchers have found that some Ayurvedic treatments can help relieve cancer symptoms. It can also improve quality of life.}}</ref>

Ethnologist [[Johannes Quack]] writes than although the rationalist movement [[Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti]] officially labels Ayurveda a pseudoscience akin to [[astrology]], these practices are in fact embraced by many of the movement's members.<ref name="Quack-2011">{{cite book|last=Quack|first=Johannes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=55wFpydSZ8oC|title=Disenchanting India: Organized Rationalism and Criticism of Religion in India|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=2011|isbn=978-0-19-981260-8|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=TNbxUwhS5RUC&pg=PA213 213], [https://books.google.com/books?id=TNbxUwhS5RUC&pg=PA3 3]|quote=ordinary members told me how they practice some of these pseudosciences, either privately or as certified doctors themselves, most often Ayurveda.}}</ref>

In India, research in Ayurveda is undertaken by the [[Ministry of AYUSH]], an abbreviation for the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, through a national network of research institutes.<ref name="ccras">{{cite web|title=Research in Ayurveda - About CCRAS|publisher=Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare|work=Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha|url=http://ccras.nic.in/about_ccras/about_research_in_ayurveda.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530011813/http://ccras.nic.in/about_ccras/about_research_in_ayurveda.htm|archive-date=30 May 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Rasa shastra, the practice of adding metals, minerals or gems to herbal preparations, may include toxic [[Heavy metal (chemistry)|heavy metal]]s such as lead, [[Mercury (element)|mercury]] and arsenic.<ref name="Saper2008" /> The public health implications of metals in ''rasashastra'' in India is unknown.<ref name="Saper2008" /> Adverse reactions to herbs are described in traditional Ayurvedic texts, but practitioners are reluctant to admit that herbs could be toxic and that reliable information on herbal toxicity is not readily available. There is a communication gap between practitioners of medicine and Ayurveda.<ref name="Urmila2008">{{cite journal | author1=Urmila, T. |author2=Supriya, B. |year=2008 |title=Pharmacovigilance of ayurvedic medicines in India | journal=Indian Journal of Pharmacology | volume=40 | issue=S1 |pages =10–12 |url = http://www.bioline.org.br/request?ph08015}}</ref>

Some traditional Indian herbal medicinal products contain harmful levels of heavy metals, including lead.<ref name="Ernst2002" /> For example, ghasard, a product commonly given to infants for digestive issues, has been found to have up to 1.6% lead concentration by weight, leading to [[lead encephalopathy]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Karri|first1=Surya K.|last2=Saper|first2=Robert B.|last3=Kales|first3=Stefanos N.|date=January 2008|title=Lead Encephalopathy Due to Traditional Medicines|journal=Current Drug Safety|volume=3|issue=1|pages=54–59|doi=10.2174/157488608783333907|issn=1574-8863|pmc=2538609|pmid=18690981}}</ref> A 1990 study on Ayurvedic medicines in India found that 41% of the products tested contained arsenic, and that 64% contained lead and mercury.<ref name="Dargan" /> A 2004 study found toxic levels of heavy metals in 20% of Ayurvedic preparations made in South Asia and sold in the Boston area, and concluded that Ayurvedic products posed serious health risks and should be tested for heavy-metal contamination.<ref name="pmid15598918">{{cite journal |last=Saper|first=R. B. |title=Heavy metal content of ayurveda herbal medicine products |journal=Journal of the American Medical Association |volume=292 |issue=23 |pages= 2868–73|year=2004 |pmid=15598918 |doi=10.1001/jama.292.23.2868 |author2=Kales SN |last3=Paquin |first3=J |last4=Burns |first4=MJ |last5=Eisenberg |first5=DM |last6=Davis |first6=RB |last7=Phillips |first7=RS |s2cid=9914911 |display-authors=3 }}</ref> A 2008 study of more than 230 products found that approximately 20% of remedies (and 40% of ''rasashastra'' medicines) purchased over the Internet from U.S. and Indian suppliers contained lead, mercury or arsenic.<ref name="Saper2008" /><ref name="NewYorkTimes2008-09-17">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/fashion/18skin.html | title=Skin deep: ancient, but how safe? |work=[[The New York Times]] |last=Ellin |first=Abby |date=17 September 2008| access-date=19 September 2008 |quote=A report in the August 27 [2008] issue of ''[[JAMA (journal)|The Journal of the American Medical Association]]'' found that nearly 21 percent of 193 ayurvedic herbal supplements bought online, produced in both India and the United States, contained lead, mercury or arsenic.| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110430050703/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/fashion/18skin.html|archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Szabo">{{cite news|last=Szabo |first=Liz |title=Study finds toxins in some herbal medicines |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=26 August 2008 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-26-ayurvedic-medicines_N.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008031004/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-08-26-ayurvedic-medicines_N.htm |archive-date= 8 October 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2015 study of users in the United States found elevated blood lead levels in 40% of those tested, leading physician and former [[Flight surgeon|U.S. Air Force flight surgeon]] [[Harriet A. Hall|Harriet Hall]] to say that "Ayurveda is basically superstition mixed with a soupçon of practical health advice. And it can be dangerous."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hall|first1=Harriet|author-link = Harriet Hall|title=Ayurveda: Ancient Superstition, Not Ancient Wisdom|url=https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/ayurveda_ancient_superstition_not_ancient_wisdom|website=Skeptical Inquirer|access-date=1 February 2018|date=14 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Breeher L, Mikulski MA, Czeczok T, Leinenkugel K, Fuortes LJ|title=A cluster of lead poisoning among consumers of Ayurvedic medicine.|journal=International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health|date=6 Apr 2015|volume=21|issue=4|pages=303–307|doi=10.1179/2049396715Y.0000000009|pmid=25843124|pmc=4727589}}</ref>

Some scholars assert that the concepts of traditional Ayurvedic medicine have existed since the times of the [[Indus Valley Civilization]]<ref name="Svoboda1992">{{cite book|last=Svoboda|first=Robert|title=Ayurveda: Life, Health and Longevity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3lD-8u-KtJgC|year=1992|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-019322-0|pages=9–10}}</ref> but since the [[Indus script]] has not been deciphered, such assertions are moot.<ref name="MaasCambridge_2018" />{{rp|p=535-536|quote= ... nothing definite can be said about the religion of the Indus Valley civilization due to the absence of intelligible written sources. ... All attempts to decipher these symbols consistently have failed so far. ... Although this can hardly be disputed with historical arguments, we find the anachronistic claim in some currents of modern Ayurveda that Ayurveda originated in the peak period of the Indus Valley civilization.}} The [[Atharvaveda]] contains hymns and prayers aimed at curing disease. There are various legendary accounts of the origin of Ayurveda, such as that it was received by [[Dhanvantari]] (or [[Divodasa]]) from [[Brahma]].<ref name="britannica" /><ref name="Underwood&Rhodes(2008)" /> Tradition also holds that the writings of Ayurveda were influenced by a lost text by the sage [[Agnivesa]].<ref name="Thakara">{{cite book|first=Vināyaka Jayānanda|last=Ṭhākara|year=1989|title=Methodology of Research in Ayurveda|page=7|publisher=[[Gujarat Ayurved University]] Press|location=Jamnagar, India}}</ref>

Many ancient works on Ayurvedic medicine are lost to posterity,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Meulenbeld|first=G. Jan|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/42207455|title=A history of Indian medical literature|date=1999–2000|isbn=90-6980-124-8|volume=IA|location=Groningen|pages=689–699|oclc=42207455}}</ref> but manuscripts of three three principal early texts on Ayurveda have survived to the present day.  These works are the [[Charaka Samhita]], the [[Sushruta Samhita]] and the Bhela Samhita. The dating of these works is historically complicated since they each internally present themselves as composite works compiled by several editors.  All past scholarship on their dating has been evaluated by Meulenbeld in volumes IA and IB of his ''History of Indian Medical Literature''.<ref name="HIML-intro" /> After considering the evidence and arguments concerning the ''Suśrutasaṃhitā'', Meulenbeld stated (IA, 348), <blockquote>"The ''Suśrutasaṃhitā'' is most probably the work of an unknown author who drew much of the material he incorporated in his treatise from a multiplicity of earlier sources from various periods. This may explain that many scholars yield to the temptation to recognize a number of distinct layers and, consequently, try to identify elements belonging to them. As we have seen, the identification of features thought to belong to a particular stratum is in many cases determined by preconceived ideas on the age of the strata and their supposed authors."</blockquote> The dating of this work to 600 BCE was first proposed by Hoernle over a century ago,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hoernle|first=A. F. Rudolf|title=Osteology or the bones of the human body.|date=1907|publisher=Clarendon P.|location=Oxford|language=en|oclc=28563136}}</ref> but has long since been overturned by subsequent historical research. The current consensus amongst medical historians of South Asia is that the ''Suśrutasaṃhitā'' was compiled over a period of time starting with a kernel of medical ideas from the century or two BCE and then being revised by several hands into its present form by about 500 CE.<ref name="HIML-intro" /><ref name="shar-hist" /> The view that the text was updated by the Buddhist scholar [[Nagarjuna]] in the 2nd century CE<ref>{{cite book|title=India and Central Asia: Classical to Contemporary Periods|author1=J. N. Roy |author2=Braja Bihārī Kumāra |page=103|publisher=Concept Publishing Company}}</ref> has been disproved, although the last chapter of the work, the Uttaratantra, was added by an unknown later author before 500 CE.<ref name="HIML-intro" />

Similar arguments apply to the Charaka Samhita, written by [[Charaka]], and the Bhela Samhita, attributed to [[Atreya|Atreya Punarvasu]], that are also dated to the 6th century BCE by non-specialist scholars<ref>{{cite book|title=Spirit Versus Scalpel: Traditional Healing and Modern Psychotherapy|page=76|author1=Leonore Loeb Adler |author2=B. Runi Mukherji |publisher=Greenwood}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Development of Plant-Based Medicines: Conservation, Efficacy and Safety|first=Praveen K.|last=Saxena|publisher=Springer|page=48}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v56tj2EPZ-YC&pg=PA116|page=116|author1=Mohammad Ali Jazayery |first2=Werner |last2=Winter |publisher=Walter de Gruyter|year=1988|title=Languages and Cultures: Studies in Honor of Edgar C. Polomé|isbn=978-3-11-010204-8}}</ref> but are in fact, in their present form, datable to a period between the second and fifth centuries CE.<ref name="HIML-intro" /><ref name="shar-hist" />{{sfn|Wujastyk|2003a}} The [[Charaka Samhita#Contents|Charaka Samhita]] was also updated by [[Dridhabala]] during the early centuries of the Common Era.<ref>{{cite book|author=Glucklich, Ariel|year=2008|title=The Strides of Vishnu: Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective|location=Oxford, England|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tfZNoX09XNAC&pg=PA141&dq=samhita 141]|isbn=978-0-19-531405-2}}</ref>[[File:Charak.jpg|thumb|Statue of [[Charaka]], ancient Indian physician, in [[Haridwar]], India]]

The [[Bower Manuscript]] (dated to the early 6th century CE<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sander |first=Lore |title="Origin and Date of the {Bower Manuscript}, a New Approach" in Investigating Indian Art: Proceedings of a Symposium on the Development of Early Buddhist and Hindu Iconography Held at the Museum of Indian Art, Berlin, in May 1986 |publisher=Museum Fuer Indische Kunst |year=1987 |location=Berlin |pages=313-323}}</ref>)  includes of excerpts from the ''Bheda Samhita''<ref>{{cite book|title=History of Science and Technology in Ancient India: Formation of the theoretical fundamentals of natural science|page=153|first=Debiprasad|last=Chattopadhyaya|year=1991}}</ref> and its description of concepts in Central Asian Buddhism. In 1987, A. F. R. Hoernle identified the scribe of the medical portions of the manuscript to be a native of India using a northern variant of the Gupta script, who had migrated and become a Buddhist monk in a monastery in Kucha. The Chinese pilgrim [[Fa Hsien]] (c. 337–422 AD) wrote about the healthcare system of the Gupta empire (320–550) and described the institutional approach of Indian medicine. This is also visible in the works of Charaka, who describes hospitals and how they should be equipped.<ref>{{cite book|title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&q=Charaka+hospital&pg=PA543|first=Upinder|last=Singh|publisher=Pearson|year=2008|isbn=978-81-317-1120-0}}</ref>

Some dictionaries of materia medica include ''Astanga nighantu'' (8th Century) by Vagbhata, ''Paryaya ratnamala'' (9th century) by Madhava, ''Siddhasara nighantu'' (9th century) by Ravi Gupta, ''Dravyavali ''(10th Century), and ''Dravyaguna sangraha'' (11th century) by [[Chakrapani Datta]], among others.<ref>{{cite book|title=Materia Medica of Ayurveda: Based on: Madanapala's Nighantu|page=14|author=Vaidya Bhagwan Dash|publisher=B. Jain Publishers}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=AYUSH |title=e-Nighantu |url=https://niimh.nic.in/ebooks/e-Nighantu/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The British had shown some interest in understanding local medicinal practices in the early nineteenth century. A Native Medical Institution was setup in 1822 where both indigenous and European medicine were taught. After the [[English Education Act 1835]], their policy changed to champion European medicine and disparage local practices.<ref name="Hardiman2009" /> After Indian independence, there was more focus on Ayurveda and other traditional medical systems. Ayurveda became a part of the Indian National healthcare system, with state hospitals for Ayurveda established across the country. However, the treatments of traditional medicines were not always integrated with others.<ref name="who01">{{cite web |last=Xiaorui Zhang |date=2001 |title=Legal Status of Traditional Medicine and Complementary/Alternative Medicine: A Worldwide Review |url=http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Jh2943e/8.4.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831034622/http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Jh2943e/8.4.html |archive-date=31 August 2009 |access-date=24 June 2014 |publisher=[[World Health Organization]] (WHO) |page=}}</ref>

* [[Aśvins]]

* [[List of ineffective cancer treatments]]

*[[Medical Ethnobotany of India]]

* Pattathu, Anthony George (2018). Ayurveda and Discursive Formations between Religion, Medicine and Embodiment: A Case Study from Germany. In: Lüddeckens, D., & Schrimpf, M. (2018). [https://www.transcript-verlag.de/en/detail/index/sArticle/4316 Medicine - religion - spirituality: Global perspectives on traditional, complementary, and alternative healing]. Bielefeld: transcript Verlag. {{ISBN|978-3-8376-4582-8}}, pp.&nbsp;133–166.

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20191001140942/https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/use-caution-ayurvedic-products Use Caution With Ayurvedic Products] - [[US Food and Drug Administration]].