Ayurveda
The word Ayurveda is derived from AYU & VEDA. Ayu means life, Veda means science or knowledge. Hence, Ayurveda means the science of life & is divided into 3 main branches.
- Nara Ayurveda- Human life
- Satva Ayurveda- Animal life
- Vriksha Ayurveda- Plant life
Ayurveda believes that the highest form of wealth is health & when one delves deep in to Ayurveda it becomes evident that it is not only a system of medicine but is also a philosophy.
The origins of Ayurveda dates back to the Vedic era & records are available in the great book of Ayurveda, Charaka Samhita, of a Rishi conference held in the foothills of the Himalayas during the reign of king Ravana (when diseases were prevalent) involving learned men from the whole region including Sri Lanka. Resulting from this conference held over 3000 years ago there evolved several books covering all the branches of Ayurveda which have been translated into several languages. This is perhaps the first historical record of systemized medical knowledge in the whole world!!
It is recorded in the Mahavamsa (the great chronicle of Sri Lankan history) that ancient kings from around 437 BC had constructed & maintained hospitals in 18 different places in the island & Ayurveda was practiced extensively there after.
In the present context in Sri Lanka Ayurveda is a combination of the Siddha system (Dravidian system popular in South India & Jaffna) the Unani system (of Greco-Arabic origin) & the indigenous system of medicine in Sri Lanka.
The department of Ayurveda was established in 1956 & functions under the Ministry of Health & Indigenous Medicine which maintains 42 Ayurvedic hospitals, 114 central dispensaries & 230 free dispensaries island wide. The Ayurvedic Drugs Corporation (state owned) manufactures 72 drugs at an annual production cost of Rs. 50 to 70 million. There are 1200 registered Ayurvedic medical practitioners some of whom produce there own drugs as well. Sri Lanka has 3 Ayurvedic colleges 2 of which have got university status now. The state also maintains 5 arboretums & 6 herbaria to support the production of Ayurvedic drugs. Ayurvedic doctors are on par with their allopathic counter parts in Sri Lanka.
The Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute is dedicated towards R & D which has shown great promise in developing treatments for Arthritis, Fistula, Chronic head ache & Sciatica.
With the development of the tourist industry & resurgence in alternative medicine Ayurveda too has developed. Health tourism plays a major role in most star class & other hotels which now provides treatment on a routine basis.
Some hotels have focused entirely on Ayurveda especially in the South Western coastal belt with full time doctors & support staff. These have achieved considerable success with satisfied repeat clientele to be proud of.
In summary Ayurveda focuses on the total well being of a person resulting in tangible therapeutic & lasting value & will continue to grow from strength to strength.
