Introduction to Maharishi AyurVeda
with Dr. Nancy Lonsdorf

Ayurvedic Medicine:
Ancient Insights into Modern Health Care

Ayurveda, the traditional medical system of India, is the world’s oldest system of natural medicine and the original mind-body science. There is currently an upsurge of interest in Ayurvedic medicine in North America, both among health professionals and the general public. Ayurveda offers an extensive, individualized approach to prevention of disease, not typically found in conventional medicine. In addition, Ayurveda has a holistic approach to treatment of chronic disease that includes mind, body, behavior, and environment. Ayurveda also includes a classical system of pulse diagnosis that can be readily learned and applied in a contemporary setting.

The word Ayurveda comes from two Sanskrit words: Ayus, meaning life or life span, and Veda, meaning knowledge or science. Ayurveda is therefore translated as “the science of life,” which emphasizes its orientation toward prevention. The major textbooks of Ayurveda, the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita, cover the major branches of medicine under much the same headings as conventional allopathic medicine, though with a preventive and holistic orientation. The Ayurvedic pharmacopeia includes thousands of plants and plant products, many of which are now familiar therapeutic agents, such as rauwolfia and digitalis.

Unfortunately, over centuries of colonial rule in India when Ayurvedic institutions were not officially supported and were even actively suppressed, much important clinical and theoretical knowledge became lost or unavailable. As a result, Ayurveda’s effectiveness became limited, as practitioners did not have access to the full range of its comprehensive approaches. A modern revival of Ayurveda, taking into account all of these approaches in accordance with the classical texts, is known as Maharishi AyurVeda®. This restoration took place under the direction of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in collaboration with leading Ayurvedic physicians and scholars.