Introduction to Ayurvedic Medicine

A 5000-year old medical system from India

swakitch.comShaaranya Geetanjali Chakraborty Ananta Ripa Ajmera

wholeyoga-ayurveda.com

Disclaimer: This is not a substitute for medical advice© 2015 All rights reserved

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

This deck is licensed under:

You cannot modify this work, but are free to share it as is for non-commercial purposes.

Ayush: Life Veda: Science

Ayurveda: The Science of Life

Yoga = Ayurveda’s Sister Science

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”- Hippocrates

(460 – 370 BC)

“When diet is Wrong, Medicine is of no Use. When diet is right , Medicine is of no need”- Ayurvedic Proverb

Sushruta: Founding father of SurgeryPeriod:1200-600 BCE

Treatise: Sushruta SamhitaFamous painting by Robert Thom

Dating: 900 BCE-600 BCE

Foundational Ayurvedic treatise

Covers epistemology, diagnosis, therapy development and implementation

Captures dialog of Punarvasu Atreya, or

Rishi Atreya

Ayurveda takes a “Whole Systems” approach to health

Macrocosm

Microcosm

Ayurveda provides the building blocks for understanding the interaction between

microcosm and macrocosm

You can apply these elements to the foods you know!

In your chat window, type in the predominant element from the

five choices:

Space, Air, Fire, Water, Earth

In your chat window, type in the predominant element from the

five choices:

Space, Air, Fire, Water, Earth

In your chat window, type in the predominant element from the

five choices:

Space, Air, Fire, Water, Earth

In your chat window, type in the predominant element from the

five choices:

Space, Air, Fire, Water, Earth

One  Size  Does  Not  Fit  All

Poll: Do you know people who feel colder/warmer when others don’t?

Poll: Do you know people who feel sick eating the same food that others feel fine eating?

The five elements present a typology for identifying your constitution

Let’s try it!

In your chat window, type in

the predominant element (s)

from the five choices:

Space, Air, Fire, Water, Earth

In your chat window, type in

the predominant element (s)

from the five choices:

Space, Air, Fire, Water, Earth

In your chat window, type in

the predominant element (s)

from the five choices:

Space, Air, Fire, Water, Earth

In your chat window, type in

the predominant element (s)

from the five choices:

Space, Air, Fire, Water, Earth

Like increases likeYour constitution interacts with the food you eat, and we can

use the five elements to analyze it

Let’s try it!

Chat: What do you think will happen?

Fiery constitution Fire-dominated food

The fire element gets vitiated with too much heat. May manifest as

heartburn, anger, controlling behavior, etc.

Chat: What do you think will happen?

Fiery constitution Water-dominated food

The fire element gets balanced with cooling foods.

Chat: What do you think will happen?

Air & space constitution Air & space-dominated food

The air and space elements get vitiated. May manifest as spacing out, anxiety,

pain in the body, etc.

Chat: What do you think will happen?

Earth-dominated food

The air element gets balanced with earthy foods.

Air & space constitution

Chat: What do you think will happen?

Earthy constitution Earth-dominated food

The earth element gets vitiated. May manifest as sluggishness, heaviness,

dullness, stubbornness, etc.

Chat: What do you think will happen?

Earthy constitution Air & space-dominated food

The earth element gets balanced with lighter foods.

Chat: What do you think will happen?

Watery constitution Water-dominated food

The water element gets vitiated. May manifest as coldness, water retention,

being overly emotional, etc.

Chat: What do you think will happen?

Watery constitution Fire-dominated food

The water element gets balanced with warming foods.

The focus of Ayurveda is on balance.

Ayurveda is a Mature Science

The answer to a question like “Is this diet good” is NOT yes/no, but “It depends!”

PollDo you think an Ayurvedic diet is: A. Synonymous with Indian cuisine B. Vegetarian C. Healthy, but not tasty

–Translated verse from a Classical Ayurveda text

“The goal of this science is to help maintain the health of an individual and help the diseased

person to become healthy again”

Ayurveda has been effective in several areas

Internal Medicine

OBGYN

Psychiatry

ENT

Dentistry

Surgery

Toxicology

Anti-aging and rejuvenation

Pharmacology

Pediatrics

Aphrodisiac Medicine Ophthalmology

There are lots of herbal medicines in Ayurveda, but the first line of defense is food and lifestyle.

You can enroll the humble kitchen in building your own frontline health

defense

Cardamom

Home Remedies:

• Mouth freshener: chew 1-2 pods and spit out the peel

• Nausea: chew 1-2 pods directly

(Latin: Ellataria cardomomum)

Turmeric(Latin: Curcuma longa)

Home Remedy:

Wound Healing Antiseptic: Apply turmeric powder to cuts and wounds before you put on a Band-aid

A pinch of turmeric kills germs in your

food. Research has shown that it improves cognitive function in

patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Turmeric in Cooking

*Contraindication: Do not overdose on the amount of turmeric you add to your food.

Turmeric as a Beauty Enhancer

Home Remedy: Mix either fresh ground turmeric root or turmeric powder with water or milk to cleanse skin for 5 mins,

then rinse off

Cumin SeedsHome Remedy:

Boost Digestion: Add roasted cumin seed powder to your meals; this spice can be used as a table spice

(Latin: Cuminum cyminum)

Bishop’s Weed

Home Remedies:

• Relieve menstrual cramps: Ajwain decoction (water boiled with 1/4th tsp Ajwain) can be sipped like tea as needed

• Improve appetite & relieve gas: 1/4th tsp. of roasted Ajwain, powdered and mixed with warm water relieves bloating

(Latin: Trachyspermum ammi)

*Contraindication: Do not consume this spice if having too much fire/heat in your body.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg is known to be a natural mild tranquilizer and recommended for de-stressing and helping with sleep

(Latin: Myristica fragans)

Home Remedy:

Sleep like a baby: A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg can be added to warm milk at night

Nutmeg

*Contraindication: Do not use nutmeg in your milk when having constipation.

Awaken Early

Resources• A book we recommend on Ayurveda: Prakriti by Robert Svoboda

• For additional home remedies using kitchen spices:

- 4 Healing Ayurvedic Spices to Add to Your Pantry

- All-Natural DIY Anti-Acne & Anti-Aging Facial Recipe

• To learn more about self-care practices:

- 3 Ancient Ayurvedic Rituals to Rock Your Mornings

- Live in Harmony with Nature: 3 Practical Tips from Ayurveda

- Ayurvedic Geriatrics

• For more on mindful eating:

- How Ayurveda Inspires Mindful Eating

Promoting Health & Wellness with Ayurveda

Taking health into your own hands

Coming Soon

Watch for a class announcement

swakitch.com

For Short-Term Ayurveda Consultations in Milpitas, CA: clinicicc@vedikaglobal.org

General Queries: info@swakitch.com

Shaaranya Geetanjali Chakraborty

Ananta Ripa Ajmerawholeyoga-ayurveda.com

For Long-Term Ayurveda Consultations & Yoga Classes in Emeryville, CA & via Skype:

ananta@wholeyoga-ayurveda.com

We’d Love to Hear From You…