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Ayurvedic Terms

A small selection of the most commonly used Ayurvedic terms

[Comprehensive glossaries of hundreds of Ayurvedic terms are included in the two works Ayurveda Lehrbuch – Caraka-Saṃhitā-Compendium and Ayurveda Materia Medica].

agni
fire; the digestive fire
ākāśa
ether, space
ākāśīya
Dravyas (substances) that are dominant in ākāśa. Such substances possess the qualities of soft, subtle, smooth and light.
āma
1. raw, uncooked, undigested, unripe; 2. undigested food; the product of defective digestion and metabolism; digestive toxins, wastes.
āmadoṣa
Disorder, disease caused by āma
amla
sour
amla rasa
the sour taste
anuvāsana
oily enema
ap
the element of water
apāna-vāyu
One of the 5 types of vāyu. It is responsible for urination and defecation, ejaculation, menstruation and childbirth and has its seat in the bladder, penis, navel, thighs, groin and anus.
ariṣṭha
Fermented herbal drink, medicinal herbal wine made with herbal decoction, jaggery or honey, spices and madhuka indica.
aroga
Health, “Free from disease”
āsava
A fermented drink made with fresh herbal juice or a cold extract of herbs; medicinal herbal wine, prepared with sultanas, jaggery or honey, spices and madhuka indica.
asthāpana
non-oily enema
asthi, asthi-dhātu
bones, bone tissue
ātma
the individual spiritual soul
āyus
life
bhū
the element earth, also called prithivi
brahman, paramātma, bhagavān
3 aspects of the Absolute: 1. brahman – impersonal form (all-pervading spiritual energy), 2. paramātma – the Lord as Supersoul in the heart of every living being, 3. bhagavān – the Personality of God in many spiritual forms.
briṁhana
tissue-building; substances with tissue-building effect.
buddhi
intelligence, intellect
cūrṇa
powder
dhātus
Body tissue types. 7 dhātus are: 1. rasa-dhātu (essence of food, food juice; lymph; plasma), 2. rakta-dhātu (blood), 3. māṃsa-dhātu, (muscle tissue) 4. medah-dhātu (fat tissue), 5. asthi-dhātu (bone tissue), 6. majjā (bone marrow), 7. śukra-dhātu (semen)
doṣas
The 3 life energies, energies regulating bodily functions; principles (and substances) regulating various functions of the body: vāta, pitta, kapha. When disturbed they cause faults, i.e. diseases, and since these three can easily be disturbed by wrong diet, wrong lifestyle and external factors, they are called doṣas, which literally means “faults”.
ghṛta
Ghee, butterfat, clarified butter
guṇa
Property, characteristic. In Ayurveda, 20 guṇas, properties of substances, are mentioned: heavy – light, cold – hot, moist – dry, dull – sharp, stable – mobile, solid – liquid, coarse – fine, smooth – rough, turbid – clear and hard – soft.
guru
1. heavy, 2. teacher of Vedic knowledge
indriyārthas
The 5 knowledge-acquiring senses: sense of smell, sense of taste, sense of sight, sense of hearing, sense of touch
īśvara
The Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead
jatharāgni
the chief digestive fire
jñāna
knowledge
kāla
time; season and stage of a disease
kālaja
disorder caused by time
kapha
mucus (śleṣma); mucus regulating energy in the body.
karma
1. action, work, act, activity; 2. also used in the sense of karma-phala
karmaja
caused by karma
karma-phala
“Fruits” (phala), results, outcomes, consequences of actions. When people unfamiliar with Vedic and Ayurvedic words and terminology speak of karma, they actually mean karma-phala. [By the divine law of karma, people are forced to reap the fruits of their actions whether they like it or not.]
karmendriyas
The 5 working senses (arms, legs, tongue, genitals, anus)
kaṣāya
astringent
kaṣāya rasa
the astringent taste
katu
sharp, pungent
katu rasa
the pungent taste
langhana
reducing; reducing therapy; fasting
lavana
salt, salty
lavana rasa
the salty taste
laghu
light
lekhana
tissue-reducing
lekhanīya
Tissue-reducing, drugs with tissue-reducing effect
madhura
sweet
madhura rasa
the sweet taste
mahābhūtas
5 “great elements” – 1. earth (bhu), 2. water (ap), 3. fire (tejas), 4. air (vāyu), 5. ether/space (ākāśa)
majjā, majja-dhātu
bone marrow
māṃsa, māṃsa-dhātu
flesh, muscle tissue
manas
spirit, mind
mantra
vedic, spiritual sound vibration
medhah-dhātu, medas
fat tissue
nirāma
(disease) “free from āma
pañca-karma
5 purification therapies: Head cleansing (śirovirecana), Emesis (vamana), Purgation (virecana), Enema (oily and non-oily enema – anuvāsana, asthāpana)
paramātma
supersoul, the supreme soul
pitta
fire; fire (metabolism) regulating energy in the body.
prāna-vāyu
One of the 5 types of vāyu. It is localised in the head, throat, chest, tongue, mouth and nose. Its functions are sneezing, belching, spitting, breathing, digestion, etc.
pṛthivī
the element earth
parthiva
Substances that are dominant in pṛthivī. They possess the properties of heavy, hard, dense, stable, coarse and are mainly sweet in taste.
puruṣa
1. the Supreme Lord, 2. the spiritual person, the indestructible, eternal living being in the body.
rajo-(guṇa)
Material mode of passion
rakta, rakta-dhātu
blood
rasa
1. taste (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, tart), 2. juice, liquid, 3. essence
rasa-dhātu
essence of food, food juice; lymph; plasma
rasāyana
rejuvenation; rejuvenating; rejuvenating elixir; agent that enhances rasa-dhātu (and thus also the other dhātus)
roga
disease, disorder
rūkṣana
Making rough and dry. Medical measure to reduce corpulence or fat
sāma
(Disorder) “associated with āma
samāna-vāyu
One of the 5 kinds of vāyu. It is located near the digestive fire and in srotas that carry sweat, doshas and fluids.
samhitā
treatise, book
sattva-(guṇa)
Material mode of purity, clarity, virtue
sat-cit-ānanda
existence, knowledge and bliss
śirovirecana
Head-cleansing (by nasya, snorting of Anu-taila and other head-cleansing drugs)
snehana
oiling and moistening
srotas
fine body channels
stambhana
Therapeutic measure to stop the movement of mobile substances in the body (for example, diarrhoea)
śukra, śukra-dhātu
seed
svedana
diaphoretic, diaphoretic therapy
taila
oil, massage oil, sesame oil
tamo-(guṇa)
material mode of ignorance, darkness
tejas
the element of fire
taijasa
Dravyas (substances) that are mainly dominant in tejas. Such substances are slightly sour and salty and mainly pungent. They promote digestion, metabolism, radiance and healthy complexion.
tikta
bitter
tikta rasa
the bitter taste
triguṇa
The three modes of material nature: sattva (purity, clarity), rajas (passion), tamas (ignorance, dullness, darkness)
udāna-vāyu
One of the 5 kinds of vāyu. It is located in the navel, chest and throat. It is responsible for speech, effort, energy, strength, radiance.
vamana
Therapy to induce vomiting for cleansing the stomach
vatis
tablets, pills
vāta
Air; wind (vāyu); element, energy in the body that regulates movement, respiration, excretion, and other functions of the body
vāyu
Air; Wind. There are 5 vāyus in the body: apāna, samāna, udāna, vyāna and prāna-vāyu, which perform various functions.
veda
knowledge, science
vidya
knowledge
virecana
Therapy to produce purgation for cleansing the small intestine
vyāna-vāyu
One of the 5 types of vāyu. It pervades the whole body and is responsible for movement, expansion, contraction, blinking etc.