Āyurveda is

Āyurveda (pronounced AAH-yur-vay-duh) is a large, complex body of knowledge that gives detailed instructions for personalized holistic, health care. It offers the ambitious goal of living the longest and healthiest life possible. Āyurveda is a science that includes biology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, climatology, and epidemiology (to name a few), which uses systematic methods, experiments, observation, critical analysis, and evidence in its practice.

As the longest, continually practiced healthcare system in the world, the science of Āyurveda continues to evolve and apply its principles to different climates, ethnic groups, and health conditions in regions outside of India. Although originally communicated through an oral tradition, Āyurveda’s foundational texts are hundreds and thousands of years old. The knowledge found there is continually tested against real world scenarios.

The word Āyurveda is formed by two Sanskrit words: āyu, meaning life or living beings, and veda, meaning knowledge, to know, to understand, or to perceive.

Āyurveda encompasses the study and knowledge of life and includes the knowledge of that which creates health and that which creates disease. It identifies lifestyles that create contentment and those that create dissatisfaction, foods which contribute to well-being and those that create illness.