AIAPGET Ayurveda key terms

The three functional principles of Vata, Pitta and Kapha whose balance maintains health and whose imbalance produces disease; central to Ayurvedic physiology, diagnosis and treatment planning.

The dosha composed of air and space, governing all movement, nerve conduction, respiration and elimination; dominant in old age and the final part of life and day.

The dosha of fire and water, responsible for digestion, metabolism, vision and intellect; its excess produces heat, acidity and inflammatory states.

The dosha of earth and water, giving structure, lubrication and immunity; when aggravated it causes heaviness, congestion, oedema and sluggish digestion.

A person's innate constitutional type fixed at conception by the parental doshas and sperm-ovum qualities; guides preventive regimen, diet and drug selection.

The current pathological or disturbed state of the doshas in an individual, distinguished from the fixed constitution and assessed to plan treatment.

The biological digestive and metabolic fire seated mainly in the gut; its strength determines nourishment, tissue formation and the production of undigested residue.

Immature, undigested metabolic residue formed when digestive fire is weak; it obstructs channels and combines with doshas to produce many diseases.

The body's internal channels, ducts and vessels that carry nutrients, wastes and doshas; their blockage or damage is a key mechanism of disease.

The seven structural tissues of the body, from plasma through to reproductive essence, that are successively nourished by digested food and sustain growth.

The subtle essence of all tissues, regarded as the basis of immunity, vitality and lustre; its depletion causes weakness, fear and wasting.

The waste products of the body such as urine, faeces, sweat and flatus, whose proper timely elimination is essential for health and whose retention causes disease.

The prescribed daily routine of cleansing, oil massage, exercise, meals and sleep timed to the dosha rhythm of the day, aimed at preventing disease and preserving balance.

Seasonal regimen adjusting diet, activity and purificatory measures to the changing dosha dominance of each season, especially the accumulation and aggravation cycles.

The five classical purification procedures, namely emesis, purgation, enema, nasal medication and bloodletting, used to remove aggravated doshas and prepare the body for rejuvenation.

Therapeutic emesis induced with herbal decoctions and pastes, chiefly indicated for aggravated Kapha disorders such as asthma, obesity and chronic rhinitis.

Therapeutic purgation using laxative drugs, mainly indicated for aggravated Pitta conditions such as skin disease, jaundice and hyperacidity.

Medicated enema, chiefly of decoctions and oils, considered the most important purification measure and the principal treatment for Vata disorders.

Administration of medicated oils, powders or juices through the nostrils to treat disorders of the head and neck and to clear the channels above the clavicle.

Bloodletting by venesection, leech application or cupping, used to remove vitiated blood in conditions such as abscess, gout and certain skin diseases.

The branch of therapy using rejuvenating drugs and regimens to promote longevity, immunity, tissue vitality and mental acuity in health and disease.

The Ayurvedic discipline of aphrodisiac therapy aimed at improving sexual function, fertility and reproductive tissue quality, complementing rejuvenation practice.

The causative factors of a disease, including improper diet, lifestyle, seasonal factors and trauma; identifying them is the first step of classical diagnosis.

The pathogenesis or chain of events by which causes vitiate doshas, travel through channels and produce a fully manifested disease.

Disease, defined in classical texts as a state of discomfort affecting body or mind, produced by imbalance of doshas and assessed by its causes and stages.

The eight-fold clinical examination covering pulse, urine, faeces, tongue, voice, skin, eyes and general appearance, used to assess dosha status and disease.

Pulse examination in which the physician palpates the radial pulse to infer dosha dominance, organ involvement and the nature of the disturbance.

Taste, of which six types are recognised; each possesses specific qualities and physiological effects, and taste guides both dietary prescription and drug action.

The active potency of a substance, usually described as heating or cooling, which determines its overall effect on the doshas and on body tissues.

The taste or quality a substance acquires after digestion, influencing its post-digestive effect on the doshas and tissues.

The specific, unexplained potency of a drug that produces effects not predictable from its taste, potency or post-digestive quality, such as the purificatory action of certain herbs.

The five great elements of earth, water, fire, air and space that constitute all matter, including the body, drugs and food, and underlie dosha theory.

A substance of medicinal or dietary use, characterised by its source, qualities, taste, potency, post-digestive effect and specific action.

Blood, the second tissue in the sequence of dhatus, formed from plasma and associated with Pitta and the colour red; vitiation underlies many skin and inflammatory disorders.

The reproductive tissue and its essence, the seventh dhatu, whose deficiency or vitiation relates to infertility and is treated by aphrodisiac therapy.

A disease in which ama combined with Vata lodges in joints and channels, producing pain, stiffness and swelling, classically managed with fasting and bitter, digestive drugs.

Therapeutic oil massage over the whole body or affected parts, used to pacify Vata, improve circulation and soften tissues before purification procedures.

A treatment in which a continuous stream of warm medicated liquid is poured onto the forehead, used for insomnia, anxiety and disorders of the head.

An oil-based medicated enema given in smaller quantity, usually after purificatory enema, to nourish tissues and pacify Vata.