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 features 3 unique references to scientific papers.


Research analysis by and verified by the Examine.com Research Team. Last updated on Apr 29, 2017.

Goals

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.


Examples (List)

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]

Scientific Support & Reference Citations

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)

(Common misspellings for Ayurveda include ayerveda, ayurvada)

Cite this page

"Ayurveda," Examine.com, published on 4 October 2012, last updated on 29 April 2017, https://examine.com/supplements/ayurveda/