Ayurveda is one of the oldest scientific medical systems in the world. Its literal meaning is "Knowledge of Longevity".

This holistic science is a real philosophy that teaches us to live in harmony with our body, mind and spirit; it does not only consider individuals, but also food, herbs, emotions, physical exercises, language, climate and all that is reflected in the environment that surrounds us. According to Ayurveda, health is not only the absence of disease but is a state of continuous satisfaction and well-being, a state of physical, mental and spiritual happiness.

The concept of balance expressed by Ayurveda involves not only the perfect functioning of the various systems and organs, the psyche and the spirit, but also a relationship of happy coexistence with all creatures, with family members, with friends, with work, with the climate and culture in which we live, with our ideals, habits, truth, with the concept we have of God, etc.

Background

The history of Ayurveda has its roots in the Vedic period, dating back to 5000 BC or perhaps even to an earlier period. In the four Vedas - Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva - we find extensive references to medicines, remedies, healing methods and descriptions of the different parts and organs of the human body. The classical texts of Ayurveda that have come down to us, Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita, were written in their present form probably around the seventh century BC In these texts we find the myths of the origins of Ayurveda and how it was handed down to the human race . In the Charaka Samhita it is said that when diseases appeared on earth to obstruct the life of living beings, a group of wise men, the Rishis from every corner of the earth, moved by compassion for all creatures, gathered in a favorable place on the slopes of the Himalayas to find a remedy. With this attitude, they entered meditation and found the help of Indra, the Lord of the Gods, who would instruct them in the proper way to fight diseases. One of them, Bharadvaja, was put in charge of going to Indra to learn Ayurveda. On his return Bharadvaja imparted the knowledge of Ayurveda to Atreya who had six disciples, each of the six disciples of Atreya wrote a treatise on Ayurveda. Most of those treatises have been lost, but the work of one of them, Agnivesa, or at least a part of it, has come down to us in the form of the Charaka Samhita. Another mythological tale reveals that Dhanvantari, the doctor of the gods, was sent by Indra to the earth to spread the knowledge of medicine. Of his disciples Sushruta was particularly skilled in the art of surgery and wrote a treatise on Ayurveda known as Sushruta Samhita. This treatise mainly concerns surgery, although it also deals with general medicine. In later times Vagbhata wrote the Ashtanga Hridaya which describes Ayurveda in poetic form and which brings together the wisdom of Charaka in medicine and the art of Sushruta in surgery. "Because in ancient times Ayurveda was conceived and taught by some essays, some scholars argue that Ayurveda has a beginning. In fact it is not so, we do not know a period in which Ayurveda was not existing and after which came to light. As the heat of the fire and the liquidity of the water, the Ayurveda or science of life is something innate and to exist it does not need any effort on the part of humans ". (Charaka Samhita 30.27) Finally, Ayurveda is not the exclusive heritage of a single culture or country, it is not the prerogative of a single religion, it does not belong to a single historical period. Since it deals with phenomena inherent in nature, it has a universal value and a very open attitude towards the influences that come from different cultures; medicines and diets may vary, but the underlying principles are always the same. Therefore Ayurveda can be considered a "World Heritage". Radha Grecu