Ayurveda is the most ancient documented form of medicine. 

Over 5000 years old, Ayurveda has been practiced throughout India for centuries and inspired other traditional medicines, including Traditional Chinese Medicine and even the ancient Greek humoral system.

It's about achieving balance in the mind, body, and spirit.

Ayur means "life" and Veda is "knowledge" and this is important. Ayurveda is not just about the curing of disease.

As far back as 500 BC, an Ayurvedic legend called Maharishi Charaka wrote the oldest known "Physician's Handbook" in Sanskrit, describing a healthy person as 

"one whose doshas are in balance, appetite is good, all tissues of the body and all natural urges are functioning properly, and whose mind, body and spirit are cheerful"

The Physician's Handbook went on to describe the 8 disciplines of Ayurveda, as well as a section on how to nourish the spirit:

• Shailya Chikitsa (surgery)
• Shaalakya Chikitsa (head, eye, nose, throat)
• Kaaya Chikitsa (mental health)
• Kaumarbhrutya Chikitsa (pediatrics)
• Agada Tantra (toxicology)
• Rasaayana Tantra (pharmacology)
• Vaajeekarna Tantra (reproductive medicine)