How does Ayurveda work?

Half of India used an AYUSH system last year, and Ayurveda most of all. Ayurveda, "knowledge of life", was written down in the Charaka and Sushruta Samhitas and Vagbhata's Ashtanga Hridaya, texts that grew in layers roughly 2,000 years ago.

Read how it works: How does Ayurveda work? · The history of Ayurveda · More boxes on Glassbox

Chapters in this interactive model

1. Three old books and a living system: The Charaka and Sushruta Samhitas, Vagbhata’s Ashtanga Hridaya, the eight branches, and Ayurveda in India today.
2. Five elements, three doshas: Panchamahabhuta, vata, pitta and kapha, prakriti, agni, the seven dhatus and ama, as Ayurveda describes them.
3. Pulse, pot and routine: A consultation, nadi pariksha, decoctions like triphala, the daily and seasonal routine, and Panchakarma.
4. From a snakeroot to a blood-pressure pill: How reserpine came from Ayurveda’s sarpagandha, and what research says about turmeric and ashwagandha.
5. A fair test, and a safety check: Placebo, blinding and randomisation; what reviews of Ayurveda have found; heavy metals, interactions and how products are regulated in India.
6. Using it wisely: Where Ayurveda’s routine overlaps with modern health advice, the safety rules that always apply, and the integrative-medicine debate.