Ayurveda's focus on an individual's holistic health rather than merely the physical body, is the most beneficial aspect of ayurvedic medicine. It works on the principle that a perfect health condition is achievable through the psychosomatic integration in a person. Ayurveda provides us with a unique physical purification method called panchakarma and various ayurvedic herbal health remedies for mental and spiritual well-being.

The ultimate goal of ayurveda is to create a state of holistic health for the individual, to create, consequently, a healthy society and environment with its herbal health remedies. To attain this state ayurveda believes one's life must move in harmony with nature's rhythms and its laws. Because, ayurvedic medicine recognizes the human body is part of nature, rather a microcosm of the universe. The five great elements of the universe forms the three doshas of the human body, and a balance among the three doshas is necessary for the perfect working of the whole mechanism of body, mind and soul.

These holistic health benefits of ayurveda encompasses the physical, mental as well as the spiritual aspects of a person.

PHYSICAL BENEFITS

According to ayurveda each individual is a combination of the three doshas of vata, pitta and kapha or one of these doshas. The basic constitution represents the individual's psychological and physical nature, distinctly. The tridoshas governs all metabolic activities in an individual. Within each person the doshas are adjusting to countless changes in the doshas of nature, in addition to the changes within one self.

Noninvasive diagnostic ayurvedic treatments are beneficial for chronic patients suffering from diseases such as diabetes, heart ailments and cancer. Ayurvedic medicine resorts to outward diagnosis of symptoms by studying a patients' habits diet and daily life, pulse, tongue, nail, face, lip, eye, nature of perspiration etc. Difficult diseases like asthma and tumor growths (gulmas) are managed effectively by these diagnostic methods.

Detoxification methods of ayurveda like panchakarma and other herbal health remedies, when applied wholly or singly, make the body more responsive to medicines and treatment. It hastens the healing process.

Various yogasanas prescribed by ayurveda help prevent the diseases from occuring and accumulating. Yogasanas achieve the twin purpose of strengthening body-parts such as bones, muscle and vital organs like heart, liver, stomach, intestine as well as keeping our blood circulation and psychological conditions strong and resilient.

Most importantly, a discerning diet according to one's dosha type, and well-regulated life (dinacharya) helps strengthen one's natural immune system.

PHSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS

Perhaps ayurveda is the first such medical systems who recognizes that all diseases are but the direct manifestation of one's mental conditions. It says human mind consists three states or trigunas sattva, rajas and tamas. Any disturbances in the equilibrium of the tri-gunas, manifest in physical illness according to the intensity or nature of the disturbances. In fact, the condition of body and mind are integral to the overall health of an individual.

When the mind is stressed the stress hormone cortisone is released by adrenal glands. The level of hormone released affects the total volume of the brain's hippocampus, which regulates our memory. Stress also affects all our decision-making activities in every field of life. Ayurveda stresses on four principles regulation in ahara (food habit), vihara (activities), nidra (sleeping habit), and maithuna (sexual habit), to maintain the balance and equanimity of the mind. Especially its guidelines for an intelligently regulated diet and daily routine are, now, accepted techniques for stress management.

Ayurvedic massages, inhalation of herbal (Aromatherapy) preparations, panchakarma (nasya) besides the much-tested yogasanas and meditation leave a calming effect on the nerves.

According to ayurveda, tamasic (inertia, short of judgment) and rajasic (excessive activities, short of judgment) tendencies of mind prompt an individual to indulge in criminal or violent activities, telling lies and other such misconduct. This gives rise to negative thoughts like fear, anxieties, insecure feeling, greed, jealousy and anger.

SPIRITUAL BENEFITS

Various advanced ayurvedic treatments were born out of a necessity to keep the mind and body in perfect shapes to pursue the path of self-realization. Each individual is believed to possess undefined measures of creative capability, which, ideally, need to be realized. To achieve this, ayurveda emphasizes that the individual has to experience its oneness with the universe. The balance of tri-doshas and tri-gunas is imperative in this regard, for the individual needs to remain in balance within itself and in harmony outside with the nature.