Āyurveda is a native medicine system with three millennia of historical roots in India and originated from Lord Brahma and was inherited by Lord Dhanvantari. Āyurveda is a Upaveda (auxiliary knowledge) of Atharvaveda and is not just a system of medicine but also a life science that includes scattered references to Yoga, Naturopathy, Vāstu Śāstra, Astrology, and Astronomy. The two main principles of Āyurveda are to promote the health of the diseased and prevent disease onset in healthy individuals. Although Āyurveda is an ancient system that originated more than three thousand years ago, still evidently proving its existence today.

Āyurveda states that the human body and the universe are made up of Pañcamahābhūtās (five fundamental elements – Pṛthvī, Āp, Tejas, Vāyu, and Ākāśa), which form Tridoṣas namely Vāta, Pitta and Kapha, which are responsible for the regulation of all bodily functions. To understand this concept, Yajurveda expresses “Yat Piṇḍe tat Brahmāṇḍa” which explains that whatever elements exist in Piṇḍa (human/microcosm) are also seen in Brahmāṇḍa (universe/ macrocosm). Even Āyurveda Ācāryas consider the same in the concepts like Loka puruṣaḥ sāmya siddhānta and Puruṣoayam loka saṃmitaḥ.

According to Āyurveda, the human body is composed of Tridoṣas (Vāta, Pitta,and Kapha), Sapta dhātus (Rasa, Rakta, Māṃsa, Meda, Asthi, Majja,and Śukra) and Trimalas (Purīṣa, Mūtra, and Sveda), which are essential for the regulation of all bodily functions and to stay healthy. Health is defined as a balanced state of Doṣa (humor), Agni (digestive fire), Dhātu (tissue elements), and Malā (body wastes) in its functions and the pleasant state of Ātma (soul), Indriya (sense organs) and Manaḥ (mind). Any disturbances in this balanced state produce diseases. The concept of Prakṛti (constitution) is unique and has a major role in Āyurveda therapeutics because Āyurveda believes that each individual is born with a distinct Prakṛti (constitution) which is formed by the qualities of the parent’s gametes, time of fertilization, environment, food regimen adopted by the mother during pregnancy, etc. So, Āyurveda treats every individual after considering the Prakṛti (constitution) of the person, a propensity to diseases, mental strength, and lifestyle. Thus, Āyurveda considers the individual as a whole rather than just focusing on the diseases. There are a lot of concepts such as Āharavidhi, Virūddhāhara, Āmaviṣa, Rogarogi Parikṣā, Pathyāpathya, etc. are the uniqueness of Āyurveda.

Even though, Āyurveda is an evidence-based medicine. Some criticize that Āyurveda theory and practices are Pseudoscientific. In the current scenario, each Āyurvedic scholar must re-evaluate the concepts and therapeutics methods in the light of the scientific world and contribute to establishing evidence-based practices with support from scientific studies