Articles & Classical Texts
Curated Ayurveda reading — Charaka Samhita and Ashtanga Hridayam excerpts, modern research, seasonal regimens, and lifestyle guidance.
21 articles
Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) — Evidence Overview for Cognition, Anxiety, and ADHD
Bacopa monnieri — Brahmi in Sanskrit ("the goddess of speech and intellect") — is the most-studied Ayurvedic Medhya Rasayana (intellect-promoting herb). Across 30+ controlled clinical trials, the evidence base for Brahmi…
— Multiple open-access publications · Cochrane review of cognitive supplements · Ministry of AYUSH monograph
Turmeric and Curcumin — Evidence Overview for Inflammation, Joints, and Liver
Curcuma longa — Haridra in Sanskrit, turmeric in English — is among the most-researched plants in the world, with over 9,000 published studies. Its active compound curcumin (and related curcuminoids) has been studied for…
— Multiple open-access publications · NCCIH (US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health) consensus document · Ministry of AYUSH monograph
Triphala — Evidence Overview for Digestive Health, Eye Health, and Rejuvenation
Triphala (Sanskrit: "three fruits") — the combined dried fruits of Amalaki (Phyllanthus emblica), Bibhitaki (Terminalia bellirica), and Haritaki (Terminalia chebula) in equal proportions — is the most universally prescri…
— Multiple open-access publications · Indian Pharmacopoeia · Ministry of AYUSH classical-modern monograph
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) — Evidence Overview for Stress, Sleep and Performance
Withania somnifera — Ashwagandha in Sanskrit ("smell of horse," referring to the root's odour) — is among the most-studied Ayurvedic herbs in modern science. Across over 200 published clinical and pre-clinical studies, t…
— Multiple open-access publications · CCRAS-NCISM National Pharmacopoeia · Ministry of AYUSH classical-modern monograph (2018)
Vyayama — Ayurvedic Perspective on Exercise
Modern fitness culture often treats exercise as either competitive sport or extreme calorie-burning. Classical Ayurveda's view of Vyayama is different — and arguably more clinically refined. Charaka writes that exercise…
— Charaka Samhita, Sutrasthana 7/31-32 · Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 2/10-13
Pathya and Apathya — Ayurvedic Wholesome vs Unwholesome Foods
Pathya and Apathya — wholesome and unwholesome — is the most practical food framework in Ayurveda. Charaka writes that "even the best medicine is useless if the patient eats Apathya; even without medicine, the patient ob…
— Charaka Samhita, Sutrasthana 25/45 · Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 7/35-44
Garbhini Paricharya — Ayurvedic Care During Pregnancy
Classical Ayurveda devotes extensive attention to pregnancy — what to eat, how to live, what to avoid, what to support — month by month for all nine months. Garbhini Paricharya is one of the oldest documented systems of…
— Charaka Samhita, Sharirasthana 8/32 · Sushruta Samhita, Sharirasthana 10/4-13 · Ashtanga Hridayam, Sharirasthana 1/52-65
Ayurvedic Principles for Sleep — The Brain's Most Important Nutrient
Charaka writes that "sleep is the nurse of all life" and lists it alongside food and sexual energy as one of the three pillars (Trayopastambha) of health. Modern sleep science has independently arrived at the same conclu…
— Charaka Samhita, Sutrasthana 21 ("Ashtaninditiya") · Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 7/53-66
Sadvritta — The Ayurvedic Code of Right Conduct
Among the most overlooked but most powerful clinical concepts in classical Ayurveda is Sadvritta — the code of right conduct. Charaka introduces it not as a moral system but as preventive medicine. Mental wellbeing, soci…
— Charaka Samhita, Sutrasthana 8/17-29 · Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 2/19-29
Varsha Ritucharya — Monsoon Health Regimen
Varsha (the monsoon season, mid-July to mid-September in India) is classically rated the most challenging season for health by Ayurveda. The combination of fluctuating temperatures, persistent humidity, contaminated wate…
— Charaka Samhita, Sutrasthana 6/33-43 · Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 3/38-46
Vasanta Ritucharya — Spring Detox Season
Vasanta — spring, mid-March to mid-May in the Indian subcontinent — is the most therapeutically active season in classical Ayurveda. Kapha, which has accumulated through winter, begins to "liquefy" with the rising warmth…
— Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 3/23-28 · Charaka Samhita, Sutrasthana 6/22-26
Hemanta and Shishira — Ayurvedic Winter Regimen
In the Indian classical calendar, Hemanta (mid-November to mid-January) and Shishira (mid-January to mid-March) together form the Ayurvedic winter. They share many regimen recommendations and are often grouped clinically…
— Charaka Samhita, Sutrasthana 6/13-26 · Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 3/11-22
Grishma Ritucharya — Ayurvedic Summer Regimen
Grishma (Sanskrit: "burning") is the summer season, classically defined as mid-May to mid-July in the Indian subcontinent. It is characterised by intense heat, dryness in some regions, humidity in others. Classical Ayurv…
— Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 3/29-37 · Charaka Samhita, Sutrasthana 6/27-32
Karkidaka Masa — Kerala's Monsoon Rejuvenation Tradition
For Kerala households, the Malayalam month of Karkidaka (mid-July to mid-August) is the most sacred period of the Ayurvedic year. The monsoon at its peak, the digestive fire weakened by dampness and cool weather, the bod…
— Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 3 ("Ritucharyādhyāya") · Kerala Ayurveda Vaidya Sammelanam traditional practice notes
Prakriti: Determining Your Ayurvedic Constitution
Prakriti — your constitutional type — is the foundational diagnostic concept in Ayurveda. Determined at conception by the dominant Doshas in the parents at the time of union, modified slightly by the environment of the w…
— Charaka Samhita, Vimanasthana 8/95-101 · Sushruta Samhita, Sharirasthana 4/63-78
The Three Vital Marmas: Head, Heart, and Bladder
Sushruta — the surgical authority of classical Ayurveda — identifies 107 marma points throughout the body, but elevates three above all others: Shira (head), Hridaya (heart), and Basti (urinary bladder). Injury to any of…
— Sushruta Samhita, Sharirasthana 6/15-32 · Charaka Samhita, Siddhisthana 9/3
Dinacharya — The Ayurvedic Daily Routine
Dinacharya — the daily regimen — is one of the most practical contributions of classical Ayurveda. It prescribes a sequence of activities aligned with the circadian rhythm and the natural dominance of each Dosha at diffe…
— Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 2 ("Dinacharyādhyāya") · Charaka Samhita, Sutrasthana 5
Agni and Ama: Why Digestive Fire is Everything in Ayurveda
If Ayurveda has a single most important clinical concept, it is Agni — the digestive fire. The Charaka Samhita is explicit: "All diseases originate from impaired Agni." When Agni functions correctly, food becomes Ahara R…
— Charaka Samhita, Chikitsasthana 15/3-5 · Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 13/25-27
Sapta Dhatu: The Seven Tissues of the Body
The Sapta Dhatu — seven body tissues — are the structural foundation of Ayurvedic physiology. Each tissue nourishes the next in sequence, and the qualitative health of each depends on the proper nourishment of the previo…
— Sushruta Samhita, Sutrasthana 14/3-12 · Ashtanga Hridayam, Sharirasthana 3/62
Tridosha: The Three Doshas of Ayurveda
Classical Ayurveda holds that every human body is governed by three fundamental biological energies — Vata, Pitta, and Kapha — collectively called the Tridosha. The Charaka Samhita states that all health and disease, all…
— Charaka Samhita, Sutrasthana 1/57-58 · Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana 1/6-7
Dinacharya — The Ayurvedic Daily Routine
Dinacharya prescribes a daily routine aligned with circadian rhythm: rise before sunrise, oral hygiene, abhyanga, exercise, bathing, breakfast, work, lunch (largest meal), evening rest, light dinner, sleep by 10pm.
— Ashtanga Hridayam, Sutrasthana