Guest guest Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Ayurveda/TCM was not born to enable export herbal medicine from India or China. That is right, let all westerners be clear about it. Ayurveda or TCM is just a philosophy of living in harmony with the nature/universe and using nature to become healthy/happy/blissful. Any disturbance in body/mind, what we call disease, medicine exists not far away. Since body is made up of 5 elements which make environmnet too, we are trying to balance body by adding the depleted element. If you plant an India herb in Alaska, it wont even grow and vice versa. We are dark complexion and those near poles are fair due to the environmnet and not a herbal/food approach. The net result of earth+water+air+fire of sun is what made us dark and them fair. The question whether Indian herb will suit a person in Canada is debatable. Herbalists all over world have compiled a large database of studies as to which herb affects us what way, and accordingly, herbal medicine is as old as ayurveda, or perhaps even more ancient. But Roamnticism about Indian ayurveda is seeing all elements in their entirety..thus using air, breathing exercises, yogasanas, meditation, tantra techniques is something distinctly eastern. The word eastern includes all east. That is why west is attracted by all alternative sciences. However Herbal science is truly universal. What intrigues an ayurveda student is how the herbal properties and details of anatomy, nadis etc may have been discovered by ancient sage, without disecting a body or without microscopes. As herbalists we may cross over to west, but we would like to remain in east as ayurvedists only. Herbal science teaches the usage and growing the herbs. But ayurveda teaches blissful lifestyle. ayurveda, Todd Caldecott <todd wrote: > the earth doesn't bless just india with herbs > > try searching locally for local herbs - there are many herbs > available in the UK that will be fresh and of a far superior quality > than what you might get shipped to you overseas > > we should dispel any romanticism over the use of ayurvedic herbs - a > herb is a herb - what makes it ayurvedic is its usage, not its > country of origin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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