The Complete History of Ayurveda

Though we are trained to think of the past as static, history is a dynamic living entity that evolves concurrently with present-day perspectives. The facts of distant history can change in an instant of realization or discovery.

Old bones, pottery shards and intelligent speculation compose a grey-scale, connect-the-dots sketch of Earth’s history. The myths and legends of our collective cultural memory add vital depth and color to the picture, and we shall search in vain for the truth of our origins if we ignore the stories that have survived the test of time.

Among our most distant cultural artifacts is the mystical poetry of the Vedas — “the oldest literary record of human civilization on Earth.” It was only 326 BC (just yesterday, in geological time) when Alexander the Great invaded the northwestern provinces of the Indian subcontinent and the world began to learn the history of that land.

This page is dedicated to the History of Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India. The history of this healing tradition is inseparable from the land of which it is borne. As such, we are offering essays on a wide range of topics (social, economic, medical, mythological, etc) discussing people and events from the most ancient through modern times.

We hope you will enjoy our work, and we welcome your comments as we share this endless journey towards complete knowledge.