Ayurveda is a hot market, and everyone wants his share. And therefore, people have come up with innovative products, mystical services, and over-complicated explanations for them. Some people blindly support anything by the name of Ayurveda, and others are over-critical.
Here are a few points that most of the people might not know about Ayurveda –
Ayurvedic or Non-Ayurvedic
The big question is – what is Ayurvedic and what is not? Charak Samhita makes a fascinating statement after describing the medicinal properties of 500 herbs. It says, “There is no end to this subject, yet the people with low intellect do not support the concise description. Therefore, here we describe the herbal characteristics are neither too short nor too detailed manner. These 500 herbs are enough for vaidya with low intellectual capital. And a vaidya with developed intellect, intuition and (foresight), discretion can understand the unspoken too.”
Therefore, these descriptions are indicative, and we can deduce finer details by diving deep in this knowledge. In fact, Ayurveda says that every substance present in the universe is potent medicine for one or the other disease. And therefore, no herb is not Ayurvedic, whether it is Gingsing, or lavender, or thyme.
However, unfortunately, almost the entire crowd of Ayurveda physicians today possess low intellectual capital, including me. Even if I can successfully implement knowledge about ten herbs, I will settle with a roaring practice!!!
Therefore, it is essential to know the way to distinguish between the classical Ayurvedic and so-called Ayurvedic products made by the random mixing of herbs without any application of intellect or the feeling of human welfare but greed.
Classical vs Patented Preparations
Most of the classical Ayurvedic preparations will have their source mentioned in the package. For example – Charak Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, Bhaishajya Ratnavali, Ras Ratna Samuchchya, or Yogaratnakara, etc. These are classical Ayurvedic texts, and you can easily google them.
Even if the preparation has a modern name, it might be derived from a classical preparation. The patent laws don’t work on classical Ayurvedic preparations. Anyone in the world is free to use traditional Ayurvedic recipes for human welfare. But most of the salespeople omit or add a few primary ingredients, conduct a small sample study, and patent a modified form of classical medicine. This patent helps them to combat the considerable competition in the traditional medicine market. However, these modified products might or might not be as effective depending on the variations. According to my personal experience, classical Ayurvedic products have a multi-dimensional effect and successfully prevent allergic reactions.
I hope that this information will help you to distinguish between the Ayurvedic and Non-Ayurvedic.
The Myth of No Side Effects
I lot of information about Ayurvedic medicines is available online. The most crucial factor is that most of the Ayurvedic physicians don’t know whether a particular medication is needed or not. I want to refer to the onion effect of Ayurveda here. Basically, Ayurveda does not support any market. The Ayurveda market that we see today is just like the outer peel of the onion. The real Ayurvedic treatment is way different.
The Core of Ayurvedic Treatment – Nidana Parivarjanam
The first principle of Ayurvedic treatment is nidana parivarjanam or removal of the cause. Ayurvedic treatment does not start with medicines. It begins with psychotherapeutic help as, according to Ayurveda, the mind is the remote control of the body. And any mental disorder like stress can be the first and foremost hindrance in the permanent cure.
By saying this, I do not imply that I would ask a person bitten by a snake or burnt to 80 degrees to sit comfortably and practice breathing exercises. Emergency medical attention is always a priority. However, once the person is in a settled medical state, this is the hierarchy of importance that a wise vaidya should follow. During the treatment, all the factors come together to complete the rainbow of Ayurvedic medicine. Counseling (Ashwasana Chikitsa), listening patiently and comforting the patient can bring a magical placebo effect on the patient’s mind and body. satvavjaya link
After healing the mind of the patient and his dear ones (stress is infectious), it is essential to remove the unhealthy dietary and lifestyle habits of the patient. As Dr. B M Hegde quotes – Input can never be different than output. The harmful deviations in food and lifestyle are always the second main contributors to the disease. And therefore, if you do not correct the diet and lifestyle, there will be no permanent cure. You might see some slight improvements as the medicines fight the metabolic disturbances alone. Still, as these disturbances reoccur with continued practice of flawed food and lifestyle habits, the disease is never cured of the roots.
Therefore, you must practice Ayurvedic proscription more strictly than the medicine intake. In fact, I have personally seen many patients getting cured just through diet control. Gerson Therapy is a liberal approach in this regard.
Another point, some Ayurvedic physicians are keen only on selling medicines or some exotic detox services and might not tell you about the proscription properly. Charak Samhita describes such vaidyas(Ayurveda practitioners) as Yamaduta (messengers of the god of death)!
Most of the exotic Ayurvedic retreats are so sinfully expensive that even I would never risk sending anyone there. In contrast, Ayurvedic detox and essential internal cleansing are so simple that Ayurveda treatment can be completely free! The best (little slower) detox is through eating fruits, roots, and raw food. Water fasting, milk fasting, fruit fasting are excellent ways to simultaneously detox and strengthen the digestive system. Everyone does not need panchkarma, and no ethical Ayurvedic physician should propel anyone towards exorbitantly priced services.
In my future blogs, I will mention some crucial factors that you must remember while consuming Ayurvedic Rasa Shastra medicines, including heavy metals bhasma and other mineral-based compounds.
Hope this information reaches far and helps everyone in need. Thanks for reading!
Ritucharya 