Ayurvedic healing Ayurvedic healing originates in ancient India and has a history of some 3.000 years. However, the version of healing that we use nowadays goes back to approximately 500 BC. This method of treatment is mentioned in the Veda, the holy books of Hinduism written in Sanskrit. Ayurvedic healing is recognised by the Indian government and taught in certain schools and even at a university where modern medicine is studied also.

Ayurveda is composed of two Sanskrit words, i.e. "Ayu", which means "life" and "veda" which stands for "knowledge concerning". Thus, the composition means "knowledge concerning life", where the word life carries with it four essential and related matters: thought, body, the senses and the soul.

This "system" aims to give advice on diet and way of living in order that healthy people remain healthy and to solve the problems of those who have encountered health problems. The recommendations are usually tailored to each individual: they depend on his or her age, sex, temperament, the climate where he or she lives, his or her diet and daily activities. They aim to achieve an equilibrium between the various "humours" in the old sense of the word: kapha or phlegm, pitta or bile and vata or breath. According to this system, illness is a result of imbalance.

All the observations made, the answers given, physical examinations and what is written in ancient texts are taken into account. The practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine, the vaidya, analyse everything. In their treatments, they regularly make use of herbal medication or medication based on animal parts. They also use massage and modify the diet of the patient. The list of medications mentioned in the texts includes more than 700 plants.