Food as Medicine:
Part 4 - India
India
India has had a long history with medicine,
and is home to perhaps the oldest form of medicine as well. There are some
schools of thought that believe it was the Indus Valley civilizations that first
began to make strides in the field of medicine, but the proof of Indian
medicine is much more solidly proven once the Vedic civilizations came around in
1,000 B.C. In fact, while Vedic medicine branches off in a few different
schools, the Ayuveda train of thought is still referenced today for those in
search of alternative medicine.
After exploring ancient healing in China
and Greece, India is the final nail in the "these theories are all really
similar" coffin. Like Hippocrates and scholars in the Han Dynasty, Vedic
medicine postulates that five elements make up all things and have a quality.
Earth is heavy and dry.
Water is cold and wet.
Fire is hot and light.
Wind is light and dry.
Space is light.
Water is cold and wet.
Fire is hot and light.
Wind is light and dry.
Space is light.
All of these elements must be kept in
balance in the body according to ancient Ayurveda medicine. Aside from
employing methods of heating, moistening and drying, the medicine also used
food to counter the combining effects of the elements.
One of the most influential doctors was
Mana Bajra Bajracharya. He based his practice on the hereditary knowledge of
his patients, prescribing them specific diets based on their family history and
after calculating their constitution through specific aspects of their body. He
employed three diets: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata covers movement, Pitta governs
heat, and kapha encompasses structure; all three make up a healthy body.
For example, to stimulate the Vata, one
would eat salty, fatty and hot foods to increase blood flow and stimulate
everything from better skin to a better spring in your step.
Ayurveda is incredibly in-depth and still
remains as in-depth and as in use today as it was in ancient times, making it
one of the longest lasting forms of medicine. Whether it works as good as
modern medicine, that is a debate that holistic supporters and scientific
supporters must mince out amongst themselves.
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