Ayurveda is the traditional medicine used in India since ancient times, still widespread in the sub-continent than Western medicine.
Actually Ayurveda is well integrated into the national health system with several Indian Ayurvedic hospitals located throughout the United States paese.Negli the practice of ayurveda is allowed in the exercise of complementary therapies.
There is no scientific proof that Ayurveda is effective for the treatment of any disease. Concern has been expressed in relation to ayurvedic products: several studies in the US show that about 20% of the pharmaceutical remedies ayurvedic products in the US and India contain heavy metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic at levels toxic for humans.
Ayurveda is a word composed from Ayur, lifespan or longevity and Veda, revealed knowledge. Many mistakenly translate Ayurveda as a science of life. It is actually a very large and complex medical system including aspects of prevention, as well as care, which would allow, if applied rigorously, to live longer, improve their health and respect your body.
Is mentioned for the first time in the Caraka Samhita, a treaty of 500 medicinal principles compiled during the reign of Kanishka. It currently recognized by the European Union and most of the United States between non-conventional medicines whose disclosure is only permitted by qualified doctors. Ancient and complex system, developed in its present form through thousands of years of research and innovation efforts.
Ayurveda deals from all points of view of the welfare of the people, in their physical, psychological and spiritual, and deals with the disease as much as the normal state of health. The aim is to help sick people to get treatment, and healthy people to maintain good health and prevent disease. The principles medicines used are, in general, minerals, metals purified and combined with fulvic acids and herbs, in the form of powders, tablets, etc. infusions.
Most of it is nature phytotherapy, like Amalaki (emblica officinalis), the trikatu, a compound of three herbs, ginger, pepper and pippali (piper longum), Haridra (turmeric), Brahmi (Bacopa Monnieri), Tulasi (Ocimum sanctum), Erand (Ricinus communis), Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Kumari (aloe), Gokshur (tribulus terrestris). Each drug has a specific mode of use, because it is acting to its maximum effectiveness.
The historical origins of Ayurveda are lost back millennia to a time before the discovery of written documents attesting its existence. It is widely accepted fact that like many other traditions and works, including Ayurveda and the Vedas in general, there has been a widespread oral diffusion before the organization in writing that began to take place with a number of treaties since 450 BC about. The testimony of Faxian, a Buddhist pilgrim arrived in the fifth century AD in the city of Pataliputra, is one of the oldest in the world descriptions of a civic hospital system, and suggests that India may have been the first country in the world to develop a citizen organized medical assistance on institutional basis
According to Ayurveda, the physical body is permeated by three doshas (vital energy) in different proportions. These determine through their state of balance or imbalance in relation to the individual constitution (prakriti) the well-being of the individual or disease. Each dosha is composed of two elements (panca-mahabhutani) and has certain qualities (gunas) that characterize them.
The three doshas are:
Vata
composed of space (akasha) and air (vayu), is the principle of movement, tied to everything that is moving in the body (nervous system, respiration, blood circulation ..). Its qualities are: coldness, dryness, lightness, thinness, mobility, sharpness, hardness, roughness and fluidity. Its main office is the colon and its five sub-doshas are: Prana, Udana, Samana, Apana and Vyana.
Pitta
composed of fire (tejas) and water (jala), is the dosha related to transformation, to digestion understood both physically (stomach, digestive fire, also called agni) and mental (processing of emotions). Its qualities are: hot, greasy, lightness, thinness, mobility, sharpness, softness, smoothness, clarity and fluidity. Its main office is the small intestine and its five sub-doshas are: Pacaka, Ranjaka, Sadhaka, Alochaka and Bhrajaka.
Kapha
composed of water (jala) and Earth (Prithvi), is the dosha linked to cohesion, to take united, it belongs to the body fluids, lubricates and keeps the body strong and uniform. Its qualities are: cold, humidity, heaviness, coarseness, stability, opacity, softness, smoothness and density. His five sub-doshas are: Kledaka, Avalambaka, Bodhaka, Tarpaka and Slesaka.
The doshas allow to classify the psychophysical tendencies present in the body and the malfunctions that may ensue. According to ayurveda the diseases comes when they create imbalances in the doshas (Vikriti); the identification of imbalances in a dosha, corresponding to the diagnosis, lead to find remedies to regain the status of individual equilibrium (prakriti) and then healing. The main causes of imbalance of the doshas are three:
the Prajna-aparadha, or the error of the intellect that led to repeat actions, hold attitudes that, knowing intrinsically wrong, are perpetuated in the name of desires or impulses materials;
kala-parinama or fluctuations doshas within the day, the seasons and life;
the asatmyendriyartha-samyoga, or the misuse of the senses, meaning improper use excess or defect of the senses.
In Ayurvedic medicine is the practice of adding metals (called Rasa shastra) to pharmaceutical compounds, however, these metals can have toxic nature for man such as lead, arsenic, mercury. In traditional ayurvedic texts are adverse events caused by the products, but practitioners are rather reluctant to admit that possible toxicity of Ayurvedic remedies
A 1990 study on Ayurvedic medicine in India showed that 41% of the products tested contained arsenic and 64% contained lead and mercury. A 2004 study reported the presence of heavy metals in 20% of Ayurvedic preparations made in South Asia and sold in the city of Boston; This study concludes that the Ayurvedic remedies may be hazardous to your health and should always be tested for the presence of toxic metals for humans. A 2008 study confirmed the presence of toxic metals in about 20% of the remedies analizzati.Nel 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention US signaled ayurvedic remedies as a source of poisoning of some pregnant women.
Those who believe in Ayurvedic medicine believe that the toxicity of these metals is reduced through the purification processes such as samskaras or shodhanas.
In response to concerns raised in relation to such remedies, India has ruled that ayurvedic products must indicate on the label the amount of metals contained; However, a publication of the Indian Academy of Sciences known as the absence of a control post production as well as the lack of validity of laboratory tests make it difficult to apply the standard and poor reliability
