What Is Ayurveda? An Interview By Jane Thurnell-Read

I asked Sebastian Pole, an ayurvedic and Chinese herbal practitioner and founder of Pukka Herbs to tell me about the Indian system of ayurveda.

What is ayurveda?

“Ayurveda is the traditional medical system of India, using herbs, diet, meditation and life style changes to bring about the best outcome for health. It has been around for 3,000 years. It is a body-mind medical system that integrates consciousness and physiology to achieve optimum health. The main stay of the system is an energetic understanding of nature and the human regulatory system, based on three principles or ‘doshas’. These govern all the mental and physical aspects of the body.

The three doshas are:

Vata concerned with the nervous system – the messenger – has light, cold and dry qualities

 

Pitta relates to the digestion – the metaboliser – has hot, slightly moist and quick qualities

 

Kapha relates to fluids in the body – the structural aspect of the whole body – has heavy, moist and cold qualities

"Everyone is born with their own individual balance of the three doshas, which will give a tendency to particular diseases or constitutional problems. The ayurvedic practitioner sees problems occurring when the doshas accumulate in the body rather than being released. The aim of ayurveda is to ensure that homeostasis between these three doshas is attained.”

Who can benefit from it?

“The main approach has an emphasis on prevention, but it can also help people who are ill with either chronic or acute problems. Ayurveda is particularly helpful for people with chronic degenerative diseases (such as arthritis and osteoporosis), for auto-immune diseases, gynaecological imbalances and chronic skin problems.”

What happens in a typical session?

”Normally the first session will last about an hour. The practitioner takes a detailed case study and makes a thorough constitutional assessment. The practitioner will be looking for physiological patterns – how the digestion functions, about moods and sleep patterns, and, for women patients, the balance of the menstrual cycle. The practitioner will also observe the colour of the eyes, the shape of the body, the state of the skin, and inspect the tongue. The body will be palpated and the pulses checked. All this adds up to a contextual opinion about the person’s health – a diagnosis. Then the practitioner discusses the treatment with the patient – a course of herbs, changes in the diet and life style recommendations (such as meditation, massage and specific exercises). The practitioner wants the patient to achieve a regulatory balance of mind and body.”

There has been some adverse publicity recently about ayurvedic herbs. Do people need to be concerned? Are aurvedic herbs safe?

“There have been reports of heavy metal contamination of some herbal remedies, but if people buy from a reputable supplier, such as Pukka Herbs, there isn’t a problem, because they all have high standards of quality control. The main problem has come from cheap import over-the-counter remedies. You should look for well-labelled, clearly described products from a reputable source.”

How often is ayurveda needed?

"It depends on the problem, but generally once a month – follow-up visits are usually half an hour long, but ayurveda is not about going to see a practitioner and taking a pill or being manipulated, it’s about living according to ayurvedic principles; that’s how we become healthy – by adjusting our life every day."

How many sessions will be required?

"In general it’s one month of treatment for every year the person has had the problem."

How can a good ayurvedic practitioner be found?

"The best way is probably to use one of the professional associations:
Click here for The Ayurvedic Practitioners Association (UK) 
Click here for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (USA) 

You can email Sebastian Pole by clicking here, or visit the Pukka Herbs Ltd. web site by clicking here. 

Find an ayurvedic practitioner by checking out our worldwide therapist listing.