The use of Ayurvedic herbs and preparations dates back to one of the oldest healthcare systems in the world, the traditional Indian medicine of Ayurveda. Offering a preventative holistic, whole-body approach to attaining and sustaining long-term health and wellness, Ayurveda is a Sanskrit term that translates “the knowledge or science of life and longevity.”

It is still today the primary system of medical treatment used in modern day India and in the West is recognized as an alternative and/or complementary adjunct to mainstream allopathic methods.

From an Ayurvedic perspective, health encompasses the physical as well as mental and spiritual states of awareness. Herbal substances and their use in alchemical formulations are therefore uniquely administered to help restore alignment to these equally important and fundamental aspects of life.

This is achieved in accordance with one’s individual needs which involves a thorough understanding of one’s body constitution or “prakruti.”

Ayurvedic Herbs and the Three Doshas

While traditional Ayurvedic medicine presents a wide spectrum of treatment modalities to choose from, one of the main goals is to reestablish balance in what Ayurveda calls the three “doshas” or body types.

Similar to Chinese philosophy, Ayurveda is based on the idea that the human body is composed of the five elements: earth, air, fire, water and ether. It is believed that each person is made up of a certain amount of all these elements in varying ratios.

This is one’s natural and distinct inherent physical constitution or “prakruti” given to us at the time of conception. Prakruti comprises our inborn tendencies or “nature”, something that is present with us throughout the course of our lifetime and when in balance reflects our highest state of health.

There are three different body type categories or doshas that people fall into. Generally, there is one predominant dosha and varying proportions of the other two.

The three doshas with correlating elements and characteristics include:

1) Vata – Air and Ether; Vata type people are energetic, slim, have fast metabolisms and visible veins.

2) Pitta – Fire; Pitta types are passionate, tend to run hot and have good muscle development.

3) Kapha – Water and Earth; Kapha constitutions have thick smooth skin, are grounded and heavyset with slow metabolisms.

Each of these doshas have different needs as far as optimum diet, exercise and living environments to which they are best suited. There are also certain Ayurvedic herbs that can be more appropriate depending on one’s principal body type and current health condition, commonly referred to as “vikruti.”

We recommended that when using some of the herbs provided in the list below you take into account these important factors.

It is said that when vikruti and prakruti are in perfect alignment we can achieve highest states of health. Rather than to simply suppress symptoms, this is the ultimate goal of any Ayurvedic remedy.

Using Ayurvedic Herbs

There are a wide selection of Ayurvedic herbs and spices traditionally employed for use in East Indian therapies. Many are utilized in simple herbal formulas while others involve more complex alchemical blends using other ingredients such as mineral and metal substances.

In Ayurveda, most of the herbs on this list are typically referred to as “rasayanas” or rejuvenating tonics as they help to improve the quality of “rasa” or the bodily tissues. Rasayanas are believed to help promote physical strength, increase lifespan, boost cognitive function and prevent disease.

Here, we present some of the common varieties most familiar in Western culture.

These herbs can be used in conjunction with other Ayurvedic approaches which may also include modifying one’s diet, lifestyle choices and activity levels.

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