The Clinical Departments of Ayurveda

There are eight clinical branches in Ayurveda. Together, they are known as the ‘Aṣṭāṅgā’. It is interesting to note that these branches are quite similar to the departments you find at an allopathic hospital. In contrast to modern medicines, the branches in Ayurveda are not airtight compartments.

Most often these branches give technical convenience for practitioners to focus and fine-tune the elaborate wisdom of Ayurveda into an intricate part of healthcare as a whole.

The eight Branches of Ayurveda are:

Kāya cikitsā (General medicine)
Bāla cikitsā (Pediatrics)
Graha cikitsā (Psychiatry)
Ūrdhvāṅga cikitsā (Ophthalmology & ENT)
Śalya cikitsā (Surgery)
Viṣa cikitsā (Toxicology)
Jarā cikitsā (Rejuvenation)
Vṛṣa cikitsā (Aphrodisiac)

Among these branches, General medicine and Surgery developed first, even before the Classical period. Other branches evolved simultaneously with various works by different authors in the later centuries. Modern day schools of Ayurveda have defined Preventive medicine (Svasthavṛtta), Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Prasūti tantra and Strīroga) and Eliminative therapies (Pañcakarma) as distinct clinical departments because of the specific attention needed on certain areas of healthcare.

Kāya cikitsā (General medicine)

Ayurveda considers the body (kāya) as a place where the nutrients and other life promoting factors (oxygen for example) are collected and processed. This collection and processing are nothing but metabolism in a nutshell. Therefore, Kāya cikitsā is the branch that deals with the health conditions which arise from the errors in metabolism causing the three bio-energies, Vāta, Pitta and Kapha, to go out of balance and eventually manifest as diseases affecting the whole body. The key factor considered in this branch is the bio-fire (agni).

Kāya cikitsā is one of the strongholds of Ayurveda. Our clinical team is adept in managing metabolic conditions. They strictly rely on authoritative Ayurveda textbooks in general medicine, such as Caraka Saṃhitā, as their guide. Besides diagnosis, this text and various other texts based on this school of thought are referred here at Maya Ayurveda when planning a treatment plan and medication.

The following are some of the disease conditions effectively managed in this department:

Diabetes
Obesity
Hypertension
Skin Diseases
Respiratory Illnesses like Asthma
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Digestive Diseases like Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Crohn’s Disease
Ulcers
Cardio-Vascular Diseases
Hypercholesterolemia
Tuberculosis
Jaundice
Hepatitis
Hormonal diseases
Neurological conditions like Hemiplegia
Paraplegia
Arthritic diseases like Spinal and Joint Pain and Reduced Movements
Diseases of the Excretory System like Renal Calculi
Ano-Rectal Diseases

Bāla cikitsā (Paediatrics)

Ayurveda considers children as the future prospects of our society. For having a healthy society, a healthy progeny is most essential. Here the Ayurvedic paediatrics comes in. According to Ayurveda childhood lasts until puberty, which is generally up to the age of sixteen in boys and twelve in girls. In addition to the paediatric aspects, it also details sections like the regimens of a carrying woman to have a healthy child, post-delivery regimens for both the mother and the child, and regimens of the child to become strong, both mentally and physically. In Maya Ayurveda, we adhere to the best natural methodologies advocated by Ayurveda when taking care of pregnant mothers and infants.

It is amazing to observe that there is plenty of ancient literature in this clinical branch. Various eminent sages have written on this topic. Kāśyapa Tantra, Jīvaka Tantra, Bandhaka Tantra, Kaumāra Tantra, and Ārogyakalpadruma are some of the acclaimed textbooks on Ayurvedic paediatrics. The reliance on this ancient literature is what gives strength to Maya Ayurveda Paediatrics department.

Some specific clinical conditions efficiently managed in this clinical branch are:

Autism Spectrum Disorders
Cerebral Palsy
Muscular Dystrophy
Skin Diseases
Improving brain power and memory
Promoting growth
Boosting Immunity

Graha cikitsā (Psychiatry)

As per Ayurvedic philosophy, the physique and psyche are inseparably united. There is a beautiful quote in Caraka Saṃhitā comparing the connection between the body and the mind with the relation between ghee and an earthen pot. Just like the pot is getting heated up by pouring hot ghee into it, the body also manifests certain diseases if the mind is deranged. This connection acts the other way around too. If the body is ill, the illness reflects on the mind as well. Hence in Ayurveda, any clinical condition, be it psychological (pertaining to the mind) or somatic (pertaining to the body), is always considered in relation to each other. It is a concept of psychosomatic diseases, which was completely new to modern medicine. However, it has been integrated into all clinical aspects of Ayurveda from the very beginning.

Along with Ayurveda, ancient Indian sciences like Yoga, Jyotiṣa (vedic astrology), Vāstu (vedic architecture) and Vedānta also contemplate highly on the faculties of mind and these ancient systems together make for very effective and long-standing treatments in psychiatry.

Here at Maya Ayurveda, a wide range of psychiatric and psychosomatic conditions, all from depression to schizophrenia, from loss of concentration to severe psychoneurosis, is effectively treated.

Ūrdhvāṅga cikitsā (Ophthalmology & ENT)

Ayurvedic anatomy depicts the human body as an inverted tree; the head being the root, the torso and abdomen being the trunk and the limbs being the branches. Just as the root is the key for a tree’s survival, the head is considered the most important part of human body, as it represents the seat of sense organs and the mind. This is why ophthalmology and ENT have a status of super-specialities in Ayurveda. This branch is also known as Śālākya tantra since Śālāka is an ancient instrument that was primarily used for applying collyriums and medicines to the eye.

Videha Tantra, Kṛṣṇātreya Tantra and Cakṣuṣya Tantra are some of the existing texts on this branch. These are our primary resources in gaining expertise on conditions of the eyes, ears, nose and throat, and give specialized Ayurveda care for these conditions. Some of the focus areas of Maya Ayurveda are:

Cataract
Refractive Errors
Retinopathies
Macular Degeneration
Migraines
Vascular Headaches
Other common diseases of Eyes, Ear, Nose and Throat

Śalya cikitsā (Surgery)

Suśruta is rightly considered as the father of Surgery. His literary work, the Suśruta Saṃhitā, is respected as the surgical Bible by eminent physicians all over the world. The techniques and instruments enlisted in this textbook are still in vogue. References on facial reconstruction, cataract surgery, lithotomy and even limb transplantations are all indicative of a highly efficient surgical practice in India that flourished in the golden days of Ayurveda. However, the advent of Buddhism and generalized ban on practice of dissection and surgery led to the decline of this branch. The situation got even worse by the loss of knowledge and access to effective anesthetic agents.

This crisis was reverted in the modern era by including modern surgical learning and practice into the curriculum of Ayurvedic studies. In principle, a modern Ayurveda physician could attend a general surgical condition with the same competency of a modern medical practitioner. However, as this branch is very advanced and well-practiced in modern medicine, Ayurveda today is mostly focusing on para-surgical methods in which there are very good results. Some clinical conditions that Ayurveda is proficient in are:

Haemorrhoids
Fistula-in-ano
Anal Fissures
Internal Fractures
Dislocation

Viṣa cikitsā (Toxicology)

According to Indian mythology, animals, plants and minerals have been endowed with certain ‘biological weapons’, also known as poisons, to contain the growth of the human population. Toxicology in Ayurveda is an elaborate field of study that identifies the toxins and poisons and defines treatment methodologies to manage them. In fact, it was in Ayurveda that the concept of antidote was first invented and practiced.

Perhaps, in the current clinical panorama, the concept of healthy eating habits, food combinations and cumulative toxins receive more attention than management of snake bites. There are numerous references in Ayurvedic literature, regarding the general diet and eating habits, containing classifications and meticulous studies of all edible items. Furthermore, these texts delve into food incompatibilities (viruddhāhāra) and cumulative toxicity which is of high relevance in this era of improper food storage, food combinations and junk food. The clinical team of Maya Ayurveda have embarked on an endeavour to convert this ancient wisdom into a format suitable for the modern world. Preparing specialized diets and routines specific for every individual and health condition, thus providing an edge to our healing missions and improving the quality of life.

Know more on Ayurveda Diet and Etiquette

Jarā cikitsā (Rejuvenation)

The only thing certain in life is death. But until then we are constantly given opportunities to sustain and prolong life. However, we often squander these opportunities and indulge ourselves in food and lifestyle that deplete the life-force within us, thus inviting an untimely death. Rejuvenation or rasāyana is our return ticket to a better self and a preparation for a healthier tomorrow. The therapy generally involves a comprehensive cleansing procedure followed by special formulations that rejuvenate the tissues. This ensures our body’s optimal maintenance so that it doesn’t fail us on our journey to a fulfilled life. At Maya Ayurveda, along with utilizing rasāyana therapies for its nourishing and rejuvenating potential, we also focus on a super-speciality procedure in rasāyana, called kāyakalpa, which is performed to revitalize and replenish the tissues, thus regaining and maintaining youthful state of the body and mind.

Vṛṣa cikitsā (Aphrodisiac)

Indian culture regards having healthy progeny as one of the main goals of marital life. This branch includes all the measures to attain, maintain, regain and improve the ability to produce healthy offspring, for which a healthy sexual performance is a prerequisite. Hence, treatments for better sexual performance for men and women after puberty are described here and generally follow a rasāyanā procedure. Maya Ayurveda focuses exclusively on infertility conditions and is grateful to this marvellous science of healing for helping us help many couples aspiring to have a healthy offspring, thus making our institute an acclaimed centre for infertility management as well.