8 Disciplines of Ayurveda

If one wants to understand the art of healing, then one can turn towards the branch of Ayurveda. It helps people to bind them under natural discipline that in turn gives out magical results. Ayurveda heals a person from within. It contains eight disciplines that help a person to heal from within.

These 8 disciplines are known as Ashtang Ayurveda or the eight branches of Ayurveda.

1. Kayachikitsa (Internal Medicine Treatment): The word “Kaya" constitutes "Agni" or fire. This branch helps to induce the digestive fire or, more importantly, metabolism in the body. Digestive imbalance on a metabolic basis causes diseases and discomforts. A person with such a metabolic problem might suffer from cough, fever, and diarrhea. This branch of treatment helps to induce normal metabolic activities in the body and thus treats the ailment.
2. Bhootvidya (Treatment of Psychological and Psychiatric Problem): This Ayurveda branch helps treat a person's mind. It can treat common psychiatric problems like Unmada and Apasmara. In Bhootvidya, a person goes through the treatment procedure of different therapies. Some of them are meditation, yoga, chants of mantras, a proper diet chart, and the consumption of some herbs.
3. Kaumar Bhritya (Pediatric Treatment): This branch of discipline and treatment concerns children. Children are vulnerable to different genetic or environmental exposures. The branch of Kaumar Bhritya involves the mother of the child to discuss the treatment procedure. This branch deals with pediatric problems like breast milk vitiation, infections, genetic diseases, or diseases contracted during conception. Kaumar Bhritya also includes prenatal care to ensure the physical and mental safety of the child.
4. Rasayana (Study of Geriatrics): This branch of discipline concerns the old people. It helps to rejuvenate different cells on a microscopic level. Rasayana helps the aged people to attain a long and healthy life. This branch helps these people in major aspects of life such as a long life with good memory. It also helps in trivial details like activeness of the senses and the skin's complexion and its glow.
5. Vajikarana (Treatment through Aphrodisiacs): This branch of Ayurveda deals with sex. It includes problems related to sexual pleasure and satisfaction as well as fertility problems. Vajikarana deals with all sorts of sexual problems. They include infertility problems, reproductive fluids, and sexually transmitted diseases.
6. Shalya (Surgical Treatment): This disciplinary branch deals with diseases that require surgery. Shalya is also known as Shalyaroga, where "Shalya” means foreign and “roga" means disease. It deals with the elimination of these foreign diseases with instruments, mainly scalpels, and scissors. In addition, Shalya includes treatments for cataracts, kidney stones, piles, and other abdominal problems.
7. Shalakya (Otorhinolaryngological and Ophthalmological treatment): This branch is also known as Urdhyaanga Chikitsa. This discipline mainly deals with the thorax and upper body parts. In addition, it can treat problems in the eyes, nose, ears, and throat.
8. Agada Tantra (Toxicological Studies): This branch is also known as Damstra Chikitsa. This disciplinal branch deals with the treatment of toxic elements present in the body. Toxins or toxic elements enter the body through exposure to polluted air and water, animal toxins, and poisonous minerals present in vegetables.

Through these 8 disciplines mentioned above, Ayurveda can help to treat many such complex diseases and ailments. These disciplinary measures are quite safe as they involve disciplinary methods and activities involved in a person's daily life. The medicines or herbs with medicinal value are also natural elements that help people to heal from within. The healing effect might be slow in progress, but it leads to permanent treatment. Activities like yoga, meditation, and others, along with a healthy diet consisting of natural products, help calm the body and mind of a person. They not only heal the person but also help them to maintain a long and healthy life.