You are about to embark upon a journey of knowledge. The first thing to do is jettison myths and misconceptions. In my conversations with those unfamiliar with Ayurveda, I have realised that they carry at least one of the myths mentioned below.
AYURVEDA IS UNSCIENTIFIC
As mentioned before, Nature published a paper in 2015 that I co-authored. It was titled ‘Prakriti’ and was about how genome-wide analysis correlates with Ayurveda; it established the scientific validity of the concept of Prakriti. For decades, many Western cynics scoffed at Prakriti as an unscientific idea. In fact, they said that since Prakriti could not be proved as a valid idea and since Ayurveda began its investigation by determining the Prakriti of an individual, Ayurveda was nothing but pseudoscience. But in the chapter ‘Prakriti and the Genome’, you will learn how each of the three doṣas (vāta, pitta and kapha) correlates to a number of unique genes.
Throughout this book, I will underscore the scientific validity of each idea presented. But more importantly, I will be honest about the limitations of Ayurveda. In the past few centuries, Western medicine has leveraged scientific progress to make seminal breakthroughs. Ayurveda hasn’t done the same. Yet, simply because it is still playing catch-up doesn’t make it a non-science.
AYURVEDA IS STATIC
Ayurveda has been evolving for millennia, but one must concede that the last significant addition to science was made in the late nineteenth century. Back then, new plants were discovered and their medicinal qualities investigated. As a result, new treatment methodologies came into being. The earliest texts, the Rig Veda and the Yajur Veda, mention only sixty plants. Till date, more than 1,200 plants have been used by Ayurveda. Even plants that came to India with the Europeans — plants such as tomato, tobacco and potato — were utilised as healing agents. These plants have been mentioned in the Shaligrama Nighantu, a text created in the nineteenth century.
AYURVEDA IS RIGID
Today’s Ayurveda practitioners leverage modern diagnostic tools to offer the best care possible to their patients. They can read a CT scan, a blood report or an EEG chart with as much proficiency as an allopath. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies that manufacture Ayurveda medicines rely on modern technology to deliver quality products. While researching the prakṛti project, we used software developed by C-DAC, Pune, to determine the prakṛti of individuals. Like any science, Ayurveda has exhibited a willingness to adapt. This will become amply clear as you read this book, especially the chapter titled ‘The Summative Approach’. The pioneering
physician and surgeon Sushruta explicitly asks the practitioner to go above and beyond the science of Ayurveda and leverage newer scientific fields to become successful and productive.
AYURVEDA HAS INFERIOR DIAGNOSTICS
Just because Ayurveda acknowledges the efficacy of modern diagnostic tools doesn’t mean it has inferior diagnostics. In ‘Pathogenesis and the Path of Moderation’, you will learn how Ayurveda identifies the existence of disease at the earliest stages. In the chapter ‘Tailor-Made Healthcare’, you will be exposed to the sophisticated customisation of treatment. This can happen only if science can diagnose the unique condition of the individual’s physical and mental state.
AYURVEDA IS THE SCIENCE OF BRAHMINS
Ayurveda does not originate from a particular caste or sect. The first Ayurveda guru, Charaka, was a wanderer with a castefree identity. Sushruta was born a Kshatriya. He was, in fact, the son of a king. Meanwhile, Vagbhata, the author of numerous classical Ayurveda texts, is believed to have been a Buddhist.
Few visionary gurus of Ayurveda were Brahmins. It is generally observed that people from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes are great practitioners of the science of Ayurveda. In Kerala, Ayurveda still thrives in some of the scheduled castes and tribal communities. In fact, when the Dutch governor Hendrik van Rheede was working on his book Hortus Malabaricus, he took help from an Ezhava (a ‘backward’ caste) physician Itty Achudan Vaidyan. Ashtavaidya parampara is a Brahmin lineage in Ayurveda.
But it’s easy to see why the modern interpreter would equate Ayurveda with Brahminism. Both use Sanskrit slokas to preserve and propagate ideas. That shouldn’t be surprising —back then, Sanskrit was the language of science as well as the language on the streets. Having said that, many ancient Ayurveda texts we use till date were created in other Indian languages. Again, that is quite logical — Ayurveda developed organically across the length and breadth of India.
Over time, as other languages grew in influence, those languages were used to document brand-new solutions created within the framework of Ayurveda. In short, Ayurveda has always been a people’s science that does not discriminate on the basis of caste or any other divisive entity.
AYURVEDA IS ALL ABOUT HERBS AND VEGETARIANISM
Ayurveda promotes moderation instead of any form of extremism. While the bulk of Ayurveda medicines are plant-based, animal-based medicines are also used as needed. Many wonderful Ayurveda medicines have animal products in them, although vegetarian alternatives exist for most. One way in which Ayurveda promotes moderation is by asking the individual to balance the needs of life and the afterlife. One can enjoy life while doing deeds to enjoy the afterlife. Joy can be derived by consuming fruits and vegetables that are most suitable for the season and person. Also, some specific foods have been identified as wholesome and worthy of consumption:
• White pumpkin is the best creeper vegetable.
• Dry grapes are the best fruits.
• Green gram is the best among pulses.
• Red rice is the best among grains.
• Chicken flesh has optimal strength-giving qualities.
• Mutton soup (māṁsa rasa) offers the best nutrition and is digested easily during an illness such as influenza and tuberculosis (TB). For broken bones, soup of a mutton leg is great medicine. Ayurveda neither promotes vegetarianism nor embraces the consumption of meat with gusto. It respects individual choice and propagates a moderate path. Also, if a person is used to consuming meats (as part of one’s natural diet, or sātmya), it will not advocate an overnight relinquishing of such a diet.
Ayurveda also suggests that an individual’s diet be aligned with lifestyle and profession. Those who do a lot of physical labour are better suited to the consumption of more meat. Details of how Ayurveda uses animal-based products are provided in the chapter ‘Limitations of Ayurveda’. A great number of Indians are vegetarians, but as a civilisation, India has meat consumers. Recent political developments might have stigmatised the consumption of some meats, but our ancestors knew better than to politicise scienceand medicine.
AYURVEDA TREATMENTS ARE INCONVENIENT
Ayurveda treatments include oral medication, therapeutic tools such as massages, and lifestyle changes. Together, all of these help in sustaining health and restoring the body to its former glory. Some of the oral medication might be bitter, but I believe taste should not be a criterion while choosing medicine. The good news is that many companies and institutions are finding ways to make these medicines more compact and palatable. Check out the chapter ‘The Summative Approach’ for more details. Meanwhile, other treatment techniques — such as massages — can prove to be quite invigorating and relaxing for both the body and the mind.
The excerpt is from the book ‘Ayurveda: The True Way to Restore Your Health and Happiness’ (published by Ebury Press).