Human life and the knowledge of preserving it in the face of a challenging physical and biological environment must have emerged simultaneously. This simultaneous emergence is the most plausible explanation for the continuity of the human race and the survival of numerous developed cultures and civilizations, including the Egyptian, Babylonian, Jewish, Greek, and Indus Valley, each with their own remarkable systems of medicine and healthcare.
In India, the development of a body of knowledge known as Ayurveda, meaning "science of life," occurred in parallel with the growth and evolution of Indian civilization and culture. The Vedas, repositories of Indian culture, contain references to this knowledge in both theoretical and practical forms. They discuss theories about the composition of living and non-living matter, the physical, biochemical, biological, psychological, and spiritual aspects of humanity, as well as the vital forces within and around the body. Other ancient works touch on subjects like anatomy, physiology, causation, pathology, treatment, and environmental factors. This medical knowledge has evolved over centuries, shaped by the keen observations, generalizations, and analyses of countless investigators spanning thousands of years. It has played a pivotal role in the development of Indian culture, so much so that it is documented in an integrated form in the Vedas, the ancient repository of Indian wisdom and knowledge. Many aspects of the mythological and medico-religious origins of Ayurveda remain shrouded in antiquity.
Around 5000 years BC, the Rigveda and Atharvaveda, ancient Indian books on knowledge, wisdom, culture, and science, contained hymns about diseases and their treatment using various plants and materials. Approximately 1000 years BC, the fundamentals of Ayurveda and its eight clinical specialties were thoroughly documented in the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita, the first compendia on Ayurvedic medicine and surgery, respectively. Ayurveda is considered to have a divine origin, representing one of the oldest organized systems of medicine for maintaining health and treating human ailments. Drawing from systematic observations and detailed experiences spanning thousands of years, it has developed into a comprehensive healthcare system with two major schools and eight specializations. It includes a school of physicians and a school of surgeons referred to in literature as 'Atreya Sampradaya' and 'Dhanvantri Sampradaya,' respectively.
The most important ancient compilation of the School of Medicine is known as the Charaka Samhita. It features extensive chapters on therapeutic or internal medicine and describes around 600 drugs of plant, animal, and mineral origin. Additionally, this compendium delves into other branches of Ayurveda, such as anatomy, physiology, causation, prognosis, pathology, treatment, and medicine.