Ayurveda (Devanagari) or Ayurvedic medicine is an ancient system of health care that
is native to the Indian subcontinent. Even today it is very common in India, Nepal,
and Sri Lanka and is used by millions of people. Ayurveda is also gaining popularity
in the west. The word "Ayurveda" is a tatpurusha compound of the word ayus meaning
"life," "life principle," or "long life" and the word veda, which refers to a system
of "knowledge." Thus "Ayurveda" roughly translates as the "knowledge of life," "knowledge
of a long life" or even "science of life." According to Charaka Samhita, "life" itself
is defined as the "combination of the body, sense organs, mind and soul, the factor
responsible for preventing decay and death, which sustains the body over time, and
guides the processes of rebirth." According to this perspective, Ayurveda is concerned
with measures to protect "ayus", which includes healthy living along with therapeutic
measures that relate to physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony. Ayurveda
is also one among the few traditional systems of medicine to contain a sophisticated
system of surgery (which is referred to as "salya-
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Ayurveda