and milk products and sugar, which would serve to increase kapha, would also be recommended. Herbal remedies would include warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, cloves and pepper to raise the digestive fire and cleanse toxins from the body. Bitters such as turmeric and aloe vera may also be prescribed.
The specific choice of herbal remedy depends on its “quality” or “energy” which Ayurveda determines according to 20 attributes (vimshati guna) such as hot, cold, wet, dry, heavy or light.
Ayurveda also classifies remedies according to six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent.
• Sweet, sour and salty substances increase kapha and decrease vata.
• Pungent, bitter and astringent tastes decrease kapha and increase vata.
• Sweet, bitter and astringent taste decrease pitta and pungent, salty and sour increase pitta.
Herbs from the Ayurvedic tradition include amalaki (Emblica officinalis), shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), bacopa (Bacopa monnieri), guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), gotu kola (Centella asiatica), long pepper, holy basil (Ocimum sanctum), guggulu (Commiphora mukul), cinnamon, coriander, andrographis (Andrographis paniculata), aloe vera, neem, frankincense (Boswellia serrulata) and turmeric.
Detoxification is an important part of Ayurvedic treatment. This can be done gently with the help and guidance of an Ayurvedic practitioner, in which case it is known as shamana. Shodana is a more intense detoxification process known as panchakarma which is done in-house over a period of a month ideally. Panchakarma involves a thorough cleansing and rejuvenation programme, and is available mainly in treatment centres in South India and Sri Lanka, but centres do exist also in Europe and North America. Panchakarma includes the use of oil massage, sweating, therapeutic vomiting, purging, enemas, nasal administration of medicine, and purification of blood.
HERBS COMMONLY USED IN AYURVEDA
Andrographis paniculata (see page 105)
Anethum graveolens (see page 107)
Asparagus racemosus (see page 122)
Bacopa monnieri (see page 127)
Boswellia serrata (see page 131)
Coleus forskohlii (see page 145)
Commiphora molmol (see page 146)
Commiphora mukul (see page 147)
Eclipta alba (see page 158)
Emblica officinalis (see page 161)
Gymnema sylvestre (see page 180)
Ocimum sanctum (see page 206)
Piper longum (see page 216)
Tinospora cordifolia (see page 249)
Trigonella foenum (see page 252)
Withania somniferum (see page 272)
Preparations
Herbal remedies are prepared in varying mediums, according to the predominant dosha being treated. Often herbs given to balance vata are given in warm milk, those for reducing pitta in ghee and those to reduce kapha are prepared in honey. Sometimes minute doses of minerals such as salt are also mixed with the herbs. Remedies take the form of pills, powders, decoctions and alcohol extracts and most contain several ingredients all carefully tailored to individual needs.
(Above, and above right) Ocimum sanctum, or holy basil, has long been used in the Ayurvedic healing tradition.
Ayurveda Today
The value of Ayurveda is proved partly by its timelessness, since it has existed as an unbroken tradition for thousands of years, despite a number of setbacks. Following the rise of the Mogul Empire in the 16th century, the dominance of Unani Tibb medicine led to the partial repression of Ayurveda in India. In the 19th century, the British dismissed it as nothing more than native superstition and in 1833, they closed all Ayurvedic schools and banned the practice of Ayurveda. Great centres of Indian learning thus fell apart and Ayurvedic knowledge retreated into the villages and temples. At the turn of the century, however, some Indian physicians and enlightened Englishmen began to re-evaluate Ayurveda, and by the time India had become independent in 1947, it had regained its reputation as a valid healing system. Today in India Ayurveda flourishes alongside Unani Tibb and Western allopathic medicine and is actively encouraged by the Indian government as an inexpensive alternative to Western drugs.
Bacopa monnieri, also known as brahmi, is used in Ayurvedic treatment.
In recent years Ayurveda has increasingly attracted attention from medical scientists in Japan and the West and the World Health organisation has resolved to promote its practice in developing countries. Here in the West, the popularity of Ayurveda is growing daily as more and more people recognise its immense value, not only in the prevention and treatment of disease, but also for its comprehensive recipe for a better, healthier way of life that addresses all facets of our existence: mind, body and spirit.
Chinese Herbal Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine is a system of healing as ancient as Ayurveda with an unbroken tradition that can be traced back to around 2500 BC and includes oriental traditions from Southeast Asia that originally came from China. The first, maybe mythical herbalist was Shennong, who imparted his knowledge of hundreds of medicinal and poisonous plants to farmers.
A Chinese herbal medicine cabinet.
Illustration from Bencao Gangmu. This 15th century pharmaceutical encyclopedia features 1,892 medicinal substances.
The first major text, the Shen Nong Bencao Jing (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Materia Medica), dated around 1000 BC in the Han dynasty, describes 365 medicines, over 250 of which are herbs, their physical actions and applications. Later additions to herbal knowledge followed the style and format of the Classic, placing emphasis on taste, the herb's heating or cooling nature, which organs and meridians it primarily affects, dosage ranges, degree of toxicity, and overall effects of the herb on specific patterns of symptoms.
The Shen Nong divided medicines into 3 categories:
1. Superior herbs which are the main remedies for returning the body and mind to health;
2. Middle level tonic herbs which boost energy and immunity;
3. Low level, more powerful herbs that should only be taken in small doses for specific symptoms.
The Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) was compiled in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty, by Li Shizhen, and lists all the plants, animals, and minerals used in Chinese medicine at the time. It includes herbs that are still used including opium, ephedrine, rhubarb, and iron and is still a major reference book today.
Qi flows through meridians, or energy channels, in the body; stimulating acupoints along them rebalances energy flow.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Today
As in Ayurvedic medicine, these early texts are still studied and their precepts adhered to by modern practitioners of Chinese medicine.