Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old Eastern Indian medicinal philosophy that literally translates as “science of life” from the ancient Sanskrit words “ayur” (life) and “veda” (knowledge or science.) In Ayurveda, health is a state of balance between body, mind and consciousness. In India, Ayurvedic doctors require many years of training. they diagnose illnesses and imbalances through darsana (observing the way a person moves, walks and behaves); sparsana (touching) and prasna, (asking questions). The goal of Ayurveda is detoxification and restoration of one’s overall balance.Ayurveda Treatment includes a prescribed diet, yoga, meditation, and massage to prepare the body for elimination of waste, called agni. Ayurveda is recognized by the World Health Organization as an effective health science.

Plant-based treatments in Ayurveda may be derived from roots, leaves, fruits, bark, or seeds such as 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 India. Animal products used in Ayurveda include milk, bones, and gallstones. 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. The addition of minerals to herbal medicine is called rasa shastra.