A Brief History Of Ayurveda

Download or read book A Brief History of Ayurveda written by M.R. Raghava Varier and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-06-12 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For over two and a half millennia Āyurveda was the mainstream healthcare programme in the Indian subcontinent. However, what was once seen as indispensable, is now often officially described as ‘alternative medicine’. Moreover, there seems to be a lack of proper understanding of the specific culture from which Āyurveda emerged. This is because existing works on the subject have mostly been mere compilations of Āyurvedic practices and focused on classical texts. This book studies the stages of development in the system of Āyurveda and its practice from proto-historic times until British colonization. Using original Pāli and Sanskrit works, archaeological artefacts, as well as oft-neglected medieval epigraphic documents, M.R. Raghava Varier highlights how centuries of privileging Western knowledge has resulted in the sidelining of indigenous learning—a process that accelerated with the advent of colonialism. Further, he makes use of Jain and Buddhist sources to question the assumption that Āyurveda is a purely Hindu or Brahmanical system, thus providing a historiographical frame for conceptually establishing the notion of Āyurveda.

Download or read book Mapping the History of Ayurveda written by K P Girija and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2021-11-25 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book looks at the institutionalisation and refashioning of Ayurveda as a robust, literate classical tradition, separated from the assorted, vernacular traditions of healing practices. It focuses on the dominant perspectives and theories of indigenous medicine and various compulsions which led to the codification and standardisation of Ayurveda in modern India. Critically engaging with authoritative scholarship, the book extrapolates from some of these theories, raising significant questions on the study of alternative knowledge practices. By using case studies of the southern Indian state of Kerala – which is known globally for its Ayurveda – it provides an in-depth analysis of local practices and histories. Drawing from interviews of practitioners, archival documents, vernacular texts and rare magazines on Ayurveda and indigenous medicine, it presents a nuanced understanding of the relationships between diverse practices. It highlights the interactions as well as the tensions within them, and the methods adopted to preserve the uniqueness of practices even while sharing elements of healing, herbs and medicine. It also discusses how regulations and standards set by the state have estranged assorted healing practices, created uncertainties and led to the formation of categories like Ayurveda and nattuvaidyam (indigenous medicine/ayurvedas). Lucid and topical, the book will be useful for researchers and people interested in social medicine, history of medicine, Ayurveda, cultural studies, history, indigenous studies, and social anthropology.

Download or read book Doctoring Traditions written by Projit Bihari Mukharji and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-10-14 with total page 387 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is considerable interest now in the contemporary lives of the so-called traditional medicines of South Asia and beyond. "Doctoring Traditions, "which examines Ayurveda in British India, particularly Bengal, roughly from the 1860s to the 1930s, is a welcome departure even within the available work in the area. For in it the author subtly interrogates the therapeutic changes that created modern Ayurveda. He does so by exploring how Ayurvedic ideas about the body changed dramatically in the modern period and by breaking with the oft-repeated but scantily examined belief that changes in Ayurvedic understandings of the body were due to the introduction of cadaveric dissections and Western anatomical knowledge. "Doctoring Traditions" argues that the actual motor of change were a number of small technologies that were absorbed into Ayurvedic practice at the time, including thermometers and microscopes. In each of its five core chapters the book details how the adoption of a small technology set in motion a dramatic refiguration of the body. This book will be required reading for historians both of medicine and South Asia.

Download or read book The Roots of Ayurveda written by Various and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2003-04-29 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ayurveda, the ancient art of healing, has been practiced in India for more than two thousand years and survives today as a living medical tradition whose principles are at the heart of many "alternative" therapies now used in the West. This "science of longevity" has parallels with Buddhist thought, and advocates a life of moderation through which the three humors of the body will be brought into balance. The writings selected for this volume are taken from Sanskrit medical texts written by the first Ayurvedic physicians, who lived between the fifth century b.c. and the fourteenth century a.d. Here readers will find wide-ranging and fascinating advice on the benefits of garlic therapy, prayers for protection against malevolent disease deities, surgical techniques, exercise regimens, the treatment of poisons, the interpretation of dreams, and more. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Download or read book A Hand Book of History of Ayurveda written by R. Vidyanath and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Little Bit of Ayurveda written by Deacon Carpenter and published by Sterling Ethos. This book was released on 2024-10 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This entry in the popular Little Bit of series introduces the ancient healing practice of Ayurveda. Known as the "grandparent" of modern medicine and the sister philosophy of yoga, Ayurveda lets patients take control of their own health by focusing on prevention, not medical intervention. Practitioners become active participants in their own wellness by managing stress, consuming healing foods, and understanding which remedies work for their particular body/mind types. A Little Bit of Ayurveda explores the history, philosophy, and practical application of this ancient and relevant system: it looks at Ayurveda's influence on both Eastern and Western medicines; outlines the "five element theory" and the doshas; reveals how disease manifests itself; and offers simple rituals to keep you balanced, from seasonal eating and deep belly breathing to dry brushing and tongue scraping. A quiz at the end helps you complete an Ayurvedic self-evaluation . . . and starts you on the path to wellness!

Download or read book Ayurvedic Medicine written by Sebastian Pole and published by Singing Dragon. This book was released on 2013 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This resource brings the unique theories and traditions of Ayurveda alive so that they are accessible to the complementary health practitioner of today. This book offers a clear, accessible and yet detailed guide to Ayurvedic herbalism. It encompasses a brief history of the growth of Ayurveda, a discussion of its fundamental principles, treatment strategies as well as the energetic approach of traditional Ayurvedic herbal pharmacy and pharmacology.