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Ayurveda

Ayurveda is a branch of medicine originating from India that focuses on oral ingestion of herbs and other supplements for optimal health; similar to Traditional Chinese Medicine, these herbs are being validated scientifically for their historical claims.

Our evidence-based analysis on ayurveda features 3 unique references to scientific papers.

Kamal Patel
Research analysis led by Kamal Patel.
All content reviewed by the Examine.com Team. Published: Oct 4, 2012
Last Updated:

Ayurveda Summary

Ayurveda is the branch of traditional medicine which was localized to India and nearby countries, and similar to Traditional Chinese Medicine in that the 'medicines' used traditionally conists of mostly herbs but also some other things that may be bioactive.

The term Ayurveda is derived from 'Ayus' (life) and 'Ved' (knowledge) as was to refer to accumulated knowledge and practise of sustaining and improving human life and the body.

The section devoted to herbs, alchemy, and chemistry is called Rasayan, and is what Ayurvedic supplementation belongs to.

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Things To Know & Note

Also Known As

Ayurvedic Medicine, Traditional Indian Medicine

Do Not Confuse With

Traditional Chinese Medicine (Wrong Culture)

Caution Notice

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Scientific Research on Ayurveda

Some combination Therapries (blends of herbs) that have been used in Ayurveda include:

  • Siotone (Ashwagandha, Holy Basil, Asparagus racemosus, Tribulus Terrestris and shilajit)[1]

  • Trasina (Ashwagandha, Tinospora cordifolia, Eclipta alba, Holy Basil, Picrorrhiza kurroa, Shilajit)[2]

  • Liv-52 (Capparis spinosa, Cichorium intybus, Solanum nigrum, Terminalia arjuna, Cassia occidentalis, Tamarix gallica, Achillea millefolium) in a 4:4:2:2:1:1:1 ratio[3]

References

  1. ^ Bhattacharya SK, Bhattacharya A, Chakrabarti A. Adaptogenic activity of Siotone, a polyherbal formulation of Ayurvedic rasayanas. Indian J Exp Biol. (2000)
  2. ^ Bhattacharya SK, Satyan KS, Chakrabarti A. Effect of Trasina, an Ayurvedic herbal formulation, on pancreatic islet superoxide dismutase activity in hyperglycaemic rats. Indian J Exp Biol. (1997)
  3. ^ Jeyaprakash K, Chinnaswamy P. Effect of spirulina and Liv-52 on cadmium induced toxicity in albino rats. Indian J Exp Biol. (2005)

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This page features 3 references. All factual claims are followed by specifically-applicable references. Click here to see the full set of references for this page.

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