Introduction

Ayurveda is the art of healthy living and of healing in a gentle way. The term is derived from Sanskrit. It is a combination of two words: "ayus" meaning life which is defined as a combination of body, mind and spirit, and "veda", meaning knowledge in the sense of an all-encompassing wisdom.

This knowledge of life and derived from it an awareness about the individual nature of ones own body, psyche and the divine nature of the soul enables us, to live our full potential and to design our life in love and happiness.

Ayurveda is put to use in three areas (in contrast to modern medicine, which is primarily a medical science):

• Ayurveda offers essential contributions in the field of health protection with exhaustive guidelines on diet and lifestyle.
• Ayurveda as a philosophy of life deals with all aspects of an individual life and supports us in the important dimensions of social, emotional and mental harmony.
• Ayurveda a as a medical science is a holistic concept of health, disease and extensive healing procedures. The close connection of science and philosophy in Ayurveda is unique. It is based an  sophisticated theory and vast clinical practice.

According to Ayurveda there is nothing in the world, which cannot be used medically in some way. It is important that every person takes on responsibility for his or her own well-being and is involved actively in the healing process. So the word for "health" in Ayurveda is "svastha", meaning "being by yourself" 

Ayurveda is recognized the by the world health organization as a traditional medical system (WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2002-2005, Document WOH/EDM/TRM/2002.1).