Exploring Ayurvedic knowledge on food and health for providing innovative solutions to contemporary healthcare
Ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine that originated over 3 millennia ago in the South Asian region, offers extensive insights about food and health based on certain unique conceptual as well as theoretical positions. Health is defined as a state of equilibrium with one self (svasthya) but whi...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2016-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00057/full |
| _version_ | 1828481494016851968 |
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| author | Unnikrishnan ePayyappallimana Unnikrishnan ePayyappallimana Padmavathy eVenkatasubramanian |
| author_facet | Unnikrishnan ePayyappallimana Unnikrishnan ePayyappallimana Padmavathy eVenkatasubramanian |
| author_sort | Unnikrishnan ePayyappallimana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine that originated over 3 millennia ago in the South Asian region, offers extensive insights about food and health based on certain unique conceptual as well as theoretical positions. Health is defined as a state of equilibrium with one self (svasthya) but which is inextricably linked to the environment. Ayurvedic principles like the tridosha (three humours) theory provide the relationship between the microcosm and the macrocosm that can be applied in day to day practice. Classical Ayurveda texts cover an array of themes on food ranging from diversity of natural sources, their properties in relation to seasons and places and to their specific function both in physiological and pathological states. The epistemic perspective on health and nutrition in Ayurveda is very different from that of biomedicine and modern nutrition. However, contemporary knowledge is reinventing and advancing several of these concepts in an era of systems biology, personalized medicine, and the broader context of a more holistic transition in sciences in general. Trans-disciplinary research could be important not only for pushing the boundaries of food and health sciences but also for providing practical solutions for contemporary health conditions. This article briefly reviews the parallels in Ayurveda and biomedicine and draws attention to the need for a deeper engagement with traditional knowledge systems like Ayurveda. It points out that recreation of the methodologies that enabled the holistic view point about health in Ayurveda may unravel some of the complex connections with Nature. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T07:58:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4913502833804cdf91e4e5edbcbe5b86 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T07:58:06Z |
| publishDate | 2016-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-4913502833804cdf91e4e5edbcbe5b862022-12-22T01:15:11ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652016-03-01410.3389/fpubh.2016.00057169191Exploring Ayurvedic knowledge on food and health for providing innovative solutions to contemporary healthcareUnnikrishnan ePayyappallimana0Unnikrishnan ePayyappallimana1Padmavathy eVenkatasubramanian2United Nations University - Institute for the Advanced Study of SustainabilityUnited Nations University - International Institute of Global HealthThe Institute of Transdisciplinary Health Sciences and TechnologyAyurveda, a traditional system of medicine that originated over 3 millennia ago in the South Asian region, offers extensive insights about food and health based on certain unique conceptual as well as theoretical positions. Health is defined as a state of equilibrium with one self (svasthya) but which is inextricably linked to the environment. Ayurvedic principles like the tridosha (three humours) theory provide the relationship between the microcosm and the macrocosm that can be applied in day to day practice. Classical Ayurveda texts cover an array of themes on food ranging from diversity of natural sources, their properties in relation to seasons and places and to their specific function both in physiological and pathological states. The epistemic perspective on health and nutrition in Ayurveda is very different from that of biomedicine and modern nutrition. However, contemporary knowledge is reinventing and advancing several of these concepts in an era of systems biology, personalized medicine, and the broader context of a more holistic transition in sciences in general. Trans-disciplinary research could be important not only for pushing the boundaries of food and health sciences but also for providing practical solutions for contemporary health conditions. This article briefly reviews the parallels in Ayurveda and biomedicine and draws attention to the need for a deeper engagement with traditional knowledge systems like Ayurveda. It points out that recreation of the methodologies that enabled the holistic view point about health in Ayurveda may unravel some of the complex connections with Nature.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00057/fullsystem biologyAyurvedaFood and Healthtrans-disciplinary researchayurbiology |
| spellingShingle | Unnikrishnan ePayyappallimana Unnikrishnan ePayyappallimana Padmavathy eVenkatasubramanian Exploring Ayurvedic knowledge on food and health for providing innovative solutions to contemporary healthcare Frontiers in Public Health system biology Ayurveda Food and Health trans-disciplinary research ayurbiology |
| title | Exploring Ayurvedic knowledge on food and health for providing innovative solutions to contemporary healthcare |
| title_full | Exploring Ayurvedic knowledge on food and health for providing innovative solutions to contemporary healthcare |
| title_fullStr | Exploring Ayurvedic knowledge on food and health for providing innovative solutions to contemporary healthcare |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring Ayurvedic knowledge on food and health for providing innovative solutions to contemporary healthcare |
| title_short | Exploring Ayurvedic knowledge on food and health for providing innovative solutions to contemporary healthcare |
| title_sort | exploring ayurvedic knowledge on food and health for providing innovative solutions to contemporary healthcare |
| topic | system biology Ayurveda Food and Health trans-disciplinary research ayurbiology |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00057/full |
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