What contribution did ancient India make in medicine?

As an ancient civilization, the origin of medicine in ancient India is very early, which can be traced back to the Vedic era in 2000 BC. Veda in Sanskrit means knowledge, which is a collection of poems of people at that time, in which there are records about medicinal plants. The article also describes some diseases, much like tuberculosis and leprosy now.

In ancient India, doctors were originally part-time monks. They were in the medical period of theological medicine at that time. People think that only monks are closest to God, so only they are qualified to relieve the suffering of all beings. Later, with the development of medicine, a group of people specializing in medicine gradually appeared, and their work experience and practical skills were better than those of monks. As time went on, doctors became independent, but their status dropped from the highest Brahmin level to the Vedic level, only better than slaves.

Although the development of ancient Indian medicine was slow and tortuous, people gradually formed their own complete theory in long-term practice. There is a three-body fluid theory about health and disease in Ashveda. These three kinds of body fluids are qi, gallbladder and phlegm, also known as the three major ones. Ancient Indians believed that the three must be balanced to maintain human health, and once they were out of balance, people would suffer from various diseases. Later, people added seven ingredients: blood, meat, bone, essence, fat, bone marrow, and chyle (digested food), which were all thought to come from food. Others include excreta: urine, feces, sweat, mucus, fur claws and dander. In this way, a relatively complete theoretical system has been formed: all diseases come from the disorder of body fluid, body composition and excreta.

Doctors in ancient India analyzed and used various drugs according to the above theory. They believe that all drugs have the unique characteristics (i.e. physical properties, chemical composition and physiological activities) of Vierye, Pipogya and Inna, and these three functions jointly regulate the disorder of the body. Ancient Indian medical theories have been passed down from generation to generation and developed continuously, lasting for nearly 4000 years. It was not until foreign invasion that ancient Indian medicine was integrated into world medicine.