About This Tradition

The word Ayurveda comes from the Sanskrit roots ayur (life) and veda (knowledge). Its foundational texts were compiled between approximately 600 BCE and 700 CE, with the Charaka Samhita (focused on internal medicine) and the Sushruta Samhita (focused on surgery and anatomy) forming the core classical literature. Both texts describe hundreds of medicinal plants with detailed indications, preparation methods, and contraindications.

Ayurveda classifies every person according to their prakriti, a constitutional type determined by the balance of the three doshas: Vata (associated with movement and the nervous system), Pitta (associated with digestion and metabolism), and Kapha (associated with structure and fluid). Herbs are selected to bring the doshas into balance, not simply to address a symptom in isolation.

The tradition uses a classification system based on rasa (taste: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent), virya (potency: heating or cooling), and vipaka (post-digestive effect). Each herb has a specific combination of these qualities that determines how it affects the doshas. Preparations include churnas (powders), ghrita (ghee infusions), taila (medicated oils), kvatha (decoctions), and lepa (topical pastes).

Key Principles

• Doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are functional principles derived from the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, space). Most people have one or two predominant doshas. Herb selection aims to reduce excess and support deficiency.
• Rasa (taste): Six tastes guide herb classification. Bitter herbs like turmeric reduce Pitta and Kapha. Sweet herbs like shatavari nourish Vata. Pungent herbs like ginger increase Pitta and Vata while reducing Kapha.
• Rasayana: A category of rejuvenating herbs and formulas designed to build ojas (vitality), strengthen immunity, and slow aging. Ashwagandha and shatavari are classic rasayanas.
• Anupana: The vehicle used to deliver an herb, such as warm milk, ghee, or honey. Anupana affects how the herb is absorbed and where it acts in the body.
• Agni: Digestive fire, considered the foundation of health. Many Ayurvedic herbs, including ginger, cinnamon, and lemongrass, work by stoking agni to improve digestion and assimilation.
• Panchakarma: A five-part purification protocol using herbs and physical treatments to clear accumulated metabolic waste (ama) from tissues. Herbs play a preparatory and supportive role.

Herbs in This Tradition

15 herbs in this database are associated with Ayurvedic medicine.

• Ashwagandha: One of Ayurveda's most important rasayanas; traditionally used for vitality, stress resilience, and reproductive health. Reduces Vata and Kapha.
• Basil: Tulsi (holy basil) is distinct from culinary basil and is Ayurveda's premier adaptogen; used for stress, respiratory health, and as a daily tonic. Reduces Vata and Kapha.
• Cinnamon: Warming herb used to stoke agni and improve digestion; classified as pungent, sweet, and heating. Reduces Vata and Kapha, increases Pitta in excess.
• Dill: Carminative herb used for digestive gas, bloating, and to stimulate appetite. Pacifies Vata in the digestive tract.
• Frankincense: Shallaki (Boswellia serrata) is the Ayurvedic form; used for joint inflammation, arthritis, and inflammatory bowel conditions. Anti-inflammatory boswellic acids are its primary active compounds.
• Garlic: Classified as pungent, heating, and heavy; used in Ayurveda for cardiovascular health, infections, and as a warming digestive. Increases Pitta; use in moderation for Pitta types.
• Ginger: Called the "universal medicine" in Ayurvedic texts; fresh ginger (ardraka) reduces Kapha and Vata while dry ginger (shunthi) has stronger heating properties. Central to agni-building formulas.
• Gotu Kola: Medhya rasayana (brain rejuvenative); used for memory, concentration, wound healing, and nervous system support. Balances all three doshas.
• Lemongrass: Used in Ayurveda as a digestive and carminative herb; reduces Kapha and Vata. Also used in steam treatments for congestion.
• Licorice: Yashtimadhu; a primary demulcent and harmonizing herb used to soothe the GI tract, support the respiratory system, and as an anupana (delivery vehicle) in many formulas. Balances Vata and Pitta.
• Myrrh: Guggul (Commiphora mukul) is the most-used Ayurvedic myrrh species; a classic herb for joint health, cholesterol, and thyroid support. Reduces all three doshas.
• Patchouli: Used in Ayurveda as a cooling herb for Pitta conditions; applied topically for skin infections and inflammation.
• Shatavari: The primary women's rasayana in Ayurveda; used for reproductive health, hormonal balance, lactation support, and as a cooling tonic. Reduces Vata and Pitta.
• Tribulus: Gokshura; used in Ayurveda for urinary tract health, kidney support, and male reproductive vitality. Reduces Vata and Pitta.
• Turmeric: Haridra; one of the most widely used herbs in Ayurveda for inflammation, liver support, skin conditions, and as a digestive bitter. Reduces Kapha and Pitta; drying for Vata in excess.

Common Preparations in This Tradition

• Churna (powder): Dried and ground herbs, often mixed with warm water, milk, or honey. Triphala churna (amalaki, bibhitaki, haritaki) is one of the most widely used Ayurvedic formulas.
• Ghrita (ghee preparation): Herbs are cooked into clarified butter (ghee). The fat carries fat-soluble constituents into the tissues. Used for nervous system and reproductive herbs.
• Taila (medicated oil): Herbs infused into sesame or coconut oil; used for both internal and external application. Ashwagandha taila is common for Vata conditions.
• Kvatha (decoction): Roots, bark, and seeds simmered in water, often reduced to concentrate the preparation. The standard preparation method for hard plant material.
• Avaleha (electuary): Herbal powders combined with honey, sugar, or ghee into a paste. Chyawanprash, one of Ayurveda's most well-known formulas, is an avaleha.

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