Medicine Hunters

How things change! Traditional medicine systems from around the world now flourish here. The gap between traditional and mainstream medicine is narrowing, with MDs running clinical trials of traditional remedies and reputable traditional practitioners modifying their practices in the light of new scientific evidence.

A current issue of great concern to practitioners, consumers, and government is the need to set and enforce standards of quality for both practitioners and the products marketed as traditional medicines. Normal 0 false Read More

It is the oldest system of medicine known to mankind. There's a saying in Ayurveda that goes "As is the microcosm, so is the macrocosm." In other words, Ayurveda is based on the study of nature in its totality, and therefore its fundamental principles are universal. Ayurveda, discovered as nature's gift to suffering mankind, is based on fundamental laws of nature and is receiving more attention for its insight and practicality in modern times.

It has provided founding principles for Tibetan and Chinese medicine, early Arabic, Unani, and Greek systems of medicine. It was influential in all of these places.

These five elements manifest themselves in human physiology as three doshas (biological humours or biometabolic principles). They are Vata (space+air), Pitta (fire+water), and Kapha (earth+water).

Vata performs functions of circulation, transportation and communication and represents all macro and micro channels (such as the nervous system, circulatory system, etc.)

Pitta is transforming or metabolizing. It represents enzymes and hormones. Kapha comprises all structures and represents body tissues (bones, muscle tissue, nervous tissue, fat tissue, etc).

Qualities (Gun), such as heavy, light, cold, hot, dry, oily

Potency (Veerya), i.e. effect on a system or organ.

Post-digestive action (Vipak), such as sweet, sour, and pungent.

Specific effect (Prabhav)

These five factors of herb action take effect through a dominant element or a combination of the five elements. Knowing this combination is the basis for determining the effect of foods and herbs on body-mind and consciousness. The idea is to use proper foods, herbs, lifestyle, and routine in order to create and maintain a balance (Swa-stha) of vata, pitta, and kapha, bodily tissues, digestion and metabolism, as well as to clear channels and foster happy senses, mind, and consciousness. All these are part of the holistic definitio Read More

At the beginning of all ancient systems there were only organically grown foods and herbs. Much later, we added chemical pesticides and fertilizers and so on to change them or make them grow faster. As a result, today we sometimes find that herbs that have been effective for thousands of years don’t have the same effect they’re supposed to because of the use of pesticides and fertilizers. Now, in India and every other place, it is very well recognized that plants must be grown organically. Governments pay special attention to making sure there is full control over the environments the plants are grown in. They want to ensure that Ayurvedic medicines are made from organically grown, handpicked herbs.