Principles of Ayurvedic Therapeutics (An old Book)

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The present book contains contributions from different authors from renowned institutions and hospitals through their publications and personalcommunications.

The first chapter begins with Introduction dealing with the importance of Traditional Medicine and especially Ayurveda in the present day health care needs of the community. The succeeding chapters deal with Fundamentals of Ayurveda, Health and Disease, Causation of Disease, Clinical Manifestation of Disease, Case-taking and Examination of the Patient and the Disease, Investigation of the Patient, Principles of Diagnosis, Classification of Diseases, Principles of Treatment, Pharmacotherapeutics in Ayurveda, Principles of Drug Administration, and Ayurveda and Yoga, and concludes with a chapter on Appendix and subject Index.

The term Ayurveda connotes science of life. It is the science which deals with the life of human beings. It deals in particular with the maintenance of the body and to promote long life without any ailments. Apart from this, Ayurveda is a science that bestows the knowledge on us to maintain the body and mind in a state of equilibrium by adopting the basic principles of it as enshrined in "Asthanga Ayurveda".

Understanding, assimilation, and putting into practice the basic principles is the first and foremost approach for upliftment and progress of a person or a country or any science. Hence, Charaka, Sushruta, and Vaghbhatta practiced and advocated Ayurveda from philosophical state to metaphysical state.

Bringing up a person in a positive and promotive way is an investment for the future of mankind in terms of human resources. Person needs proper programming for the development in terms of physical, physiological, psychological, sociological and moral values. A society with ill equipped persons either physical or moral could weaken the society. Ayurveda can contribute to the society in such a calamity.

At this present juncture, Dr. Atmakuri Vinaya Kumar, is bringing out his book on "Principles of Ayurvedic Therapeutics", produced in collaboration with the Society for Advancement of Research and Development of Integrated Medicine (SARDIM), a registered organization, under Hyderabad Public societies Act (AP).

I feel it is a great honour conferred on me to write the foreword to this excellently brought out volume. This book is the result of strenuous efforts of the author in referring and collecting vast matter from the scattered scientific sources on Ayurveda. The author, is the Director to Matrusri Medical Centre and Centre for Alternative Medicine Therapy, Hyderabad. He is well qualified practitioner and consultant of Modern school of Medicine and is one of the best clinicians I have known. However, whenever allopathy fails to help the patient, he advises and uses alternative therapies like Ayurveda, Homeopathy, and Acupuncture. He has also taken deep interest in the literary and clinical aspects of alternative medicines and is carrying out clinical research for the past two decades. It is beyond doubt that Ayurveda has attained the status of the best alternative therapy among all other systems of medicine. That is why 'World Health Organization" has opened a separate cell on alternative systems of medicine and is seriously searching for therapeutic clues with the help of these systems.

The present book has been divided into three parts: the first part dealing with the basic principles of Ayurveda, health, and disease; the second part with the principles of investigation, diagnosis of disease; and the third part with the principles of pharmacotherapeutics and drug administration and yoga.

In this treaties like volume, he surveyed Ayurvedic literature to the greatest extent and also incorporated some of the articles of eminent and distinguished authors of Ayurveda. It is an essence of Ayurvedic therapapeutic principles to the practitioners, research scholars as well as student community of all systems of medicine. The treaties is in accordance with the principles laid down in Ayurveda, and is well presented with inclusion of the latest scientific data. For example: the objective correlation of the three physiological neurohumors-acetylocholine, adrenaline and histamine, with the. tridoshas-vata, pitta, and kapha respectively; their seasonal variations; the well recognised concept of the microbes (Krimi) in disease causation in Ayurveda; the technique of diagnosing a specific disease in the incubation period itself; the inclusion of an article on the standardisation of Proforma for assessment of Constitution (Prakriti) of an individual; and the importance of Rasa Panchaka siddhanta and its utility in the evaluation of drug effects. Under each section, a number of tables have been included wherever necessary to make the text easily understandable along with inclusion of bibliography.

This book gives immense pleasure to the reader and is a good companion to the students and research scholars alike.

I would like to conclude with an appreciation and advise the author to bring out some more useful works of this kind in future.

I once again express my happiness to associate myself with this work by writing the foreword to it.

'I wish him all success in all walks of his life".

This is the first book in the proposed 20 Volume Series on Ayurveda, produced under the Students and Practitioners Series by the Research Foundation of the Society for Advancement of Research and Development of Integrated Medicine (SARDIM) (a registered organisation under the Hyderabad Public Societies Act 1360F 1860, Government of Andhra Pradesh, India 1987).

The present book titled "principles of Ayurvedic Therapeutics" has a total of 14 chapters, 39 tables, 2 figures, and contributions made by 26 authors from renowned institutions and hospitals, through their publications and personal communications.

The first chapter begins with Introduction dealing with the importance of Traditional Medicine and especially Ayurveda in the present day health care needs of the community. The succeeding chapters deal 'with Fundamental of Ayurveda, Health and Disease, Causation of Disease, Clinical Manifestations of Disease, Case-taking and Examination of the Patient and the Disease, Investigation of the Patient, Principles of Diagnosis, Classification of Diseases, Principles of Treatment, Pharmacotherapeutics in Ayurveda, Principles of Drug Administration, and Ayurveda and Yoga, and concludes with a chapter on Appendix and subject Index.

The main features in the description of the subject matter include: Role of Ayurveda in the present day health care and Management of illness; Understanding the principles of Ayurvedic Philosophy in the light of modem science; an objective evaluation of the principles of Tridosha with relation to the physiological and pathological states of the body, largely conducted at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (India); Clinical manifestations of illness and the importance of diagnosing an illness in the pre-pathogenesis period of disease which is possible in Ayurveda; the importance of Samprapti (pathogenesis) in disease and diagnosis of illness; the Kriyakala (the stages of evolution of disease and the time of treatment) and management of disease; Ojas--the Ayurvedic concept of energy in human body; the origin of disease and its causation; the traditional and systemic classification of diseases in Ayurveda; the passive role of naming of diseases; the secondary role of microbes in disease causation and the importance of maintenance of Dosha-Dhatu-Mala equilibrium in the overall metabolism of the body; the importance of Prakriti (constitution and temperament) and its objective evaluation; the importance of examination of the patient and the disease in the diagnosis of patient and the disease for proper treatment to be instituted; the. principles of treatment and the' role of Pancha-Karma therapy especially in the management of Chronic' disorders, the clinico- pharmacological characteristics of Dravyas (drugs) in Ayurvedic chikitsa (treatment); and the role of Yoga and its therapeutic value both in the prevention, promotion and cure of disease along with Ayurveda. Chapter on Appendix gives a list of Ayurvedic terms and its modem medicine equivalents of diseases described for an easy understanding of the subject even by non-Ayurvedic students and practitioners of various systems of medicine.

The book in its present form helps the students and practitioners from undergraduate to postgraduate levels and research scholars for a study of the Principles of Ayurvedic Therapeutics in the light of recent advances made in medicine. The book helps to a large extent in understanding the Ayurvedic therapeutics by non-Ayurvedic students and practitioners alike from various healing-arts.

The book has been written after due consultation of many students and physicians of various schools of Medicine and the day to day problems they encounter in the study and practice of Ayurvedic Therapeutic Medicine.

It is really heartening to me to keep on record that the present book has been completed with the active contribution of the eminent teachers and physicians---Dr. T.N. Pande, BIMS, Ph.D, FRAS (Lond.), Central Research Institute and Hospital (Ayurveda), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of Indial; Dr. K.D. Sharma, Bhishgacharya, Ayurvedacharya, MSAIM (jam): Dr. M. Paramkush Rao, MD (Ayu) , Lecturer, Department of Dravyaguna and R.S.S.V. Ayurvedic College, Tirupati (AP); Formerly, Professor of Ayurveda with the Brazilian Government through M.A.P. India; and Dr.A.R. Vasudeva Murthy, MD (Ayu), Dip. Yoga, Lecturer, Department of Kayachikitsa, S.V. Ayurvedic College, Tirupati (AP)

. In spite of thorough scrutiny of the subject matter before submitting it for publication, some mistakes and omissions might be present for which I request the readers to excuse me for the same.

If the present volume advances the art and science off healing through Ayurvedic system of Medicine in however a small measure, the author will deem that his efforts have not been in vain; on the contrary he will have the satisfaction that his pains have been enormously rewarded. As it is, the book fulfils a long cherished desire of the author to render his iota of service to the suffering humanity.

Any suggestions and advice for the improvement in the form and content of this book would be greatly welcome to the author.

The declaration of the International Conference on Primary Health Care in Alma Ata, USSR, 1978 (WHO/ UNICEF-1978) marked a turning point in global health strategy. It is no coincidence that this document started out with a critical appraisal of modem technological medicine, its concentration' of complex and costly technology on limited segments of the population, and its doubtful relevance to four fifths of the world people. From this premise the concept of primary health care were formulated, including positive acknowledgement of the role of traditional indigenous practitioners.

Much interest in Traditional Medicine has been generated with the adoption of the resolution WHA-30.49 on "Promotion and Development of Training and Research in Traditional Medicine" and WHA-31.33 on "Drug Policies and Management-Medicinal Plants" by the Thirtieth and Thirty First World Health Assemblies. These resolutions have assumed added importance with the Alma Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care.

What are the reasons for this universal and positive interest in traditional medicine, a subject matter that only 30-years ago had attracted but a few historians of medicine and ethnologists, and that medical and health authorities had considered as an impediment rather than an asset to health care? The reasons are to be found in growing dissatisfaction with modern medical institutions as critiqued in the Alma Ata Declaration. Today, the once glorious Western self image has been deflated and the once dominant Eurocentric World view is being abandoned by which the Western image of non-Western cultures has been upgraded. These are possible changes in the idealogical climate that have to be seen against the historical background of global decolonization and geo-political retreat of the European powers. It is in the wake of these historical events that a worldwide positive assessment of the non-Western healing arts has taken place.

Thus, the importance of the' traditional systems of medicine and of certain traditional medical practices has now been recognised all over the world. Since time immemorial some of the traditional medical practices have become an integral part of the social culture particularly in the countries of the third world.

A highly comprehensive definition of traditional medicine has been arrived at by a group of WHO experts:

" ... the sum total of all the knowledge and practises whether explicable or not, used in diagnosis, prevention and elimination of physical, mental or social imbalance and relying exclusively on practical experience and observation handed down from generation to generation whether verbally or in writing."

" Traditional Medicine might also be considered as a solid amalgamation of dynamic medical know-how and ancestral experience."

While there exist a number of traditional systems of medicine as well as traditional practises all over the world, for practical purposes, we might identify a few of them as of global importance, depending on their long experience, authenticity as also current applicability to and acceptability by population groups.