history of ayurveda

Map showing the Indus Valley Civilization (in purple). This region is currently part of western India
Courtesy: https://www.historyofayurveda.org/library/indus-valley-civilization-burial-customs

In order to understand the principles of Ayurveda, a brief history of its evolution and scope will provide a useful context. Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that means knowledge (Veda) of longevity (Ayu). It is one of several systems of applied knowledge that evolved from the Vedas. The Vedas are the oldest and most important compilations of knowledge of the Indus Valley Civilization that flourished sometime between 5500 - 1500 BCE.

The Vedas, believed to be divine knowledge, were recited and passed down to generations orally. They are thus classified as a body of knowledge called Shruti, meaning “that which is heard” in Sanskrit. Vedic knowledge was passed along initially as chants (Mantras). More detailed explanations of the chants were compiled as commentaries (Brahmanas and Aranyakas). The commentaries further evolved into philosophical meditations, which are thought to be the seeds of the Upanishads, a body of philosophy which became the foundation of what is now called Hinduism.

Vedic philosophy evolved into six schools of thought called the Darshanas. Ayurveda draws heavily from three of the Darshana schools of thought, Vaisheshika, Nyaya, and Sankhya. In particular, Ayurveda, and its sister science Yoga, are the practical application of the twenty five principles of creation formulated in Sankhya. Ayurveda deals with the material aspects of creation while Yoga is concerned with the cognitive and spiritual elements. 

​Timeline of Vedic knowledge and seminal Ayurvedic texts. 

Sankhya is a philosophy that uses causality to rigorously explain how humans can break the cycle of suffering that accompanies existence, once and for all. The answer is through knowledge of the SELF, a concept that can only be experienced, but not explained. The concept of the SELF is core to all Vedic philosophical systems - it is also known as Purusha in Sankhya, Brahman and Atman in Vedanta philosophy. 

The following are foundational concepts of the Sankhya principles of creation that are useful to understand Ayurveda: 

1. Atomism: All that is perceived by humans, including the body, is made up of a finite number of elements, five to be precise. These are called Space, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. The five elements are not to be thought of literally. They are to be understood as representing qualities or properties  of matter rather than the composition of matter. 
2. Our sense organs are instruments of knowledge: we interact with the world via sensual perception that is processed by our mind. 
3. Input to the senses from the external world impacts the output of the mind which drives our actions such as movement, eating, communication etc. 
4. Thus our wellbeing is determined by the state of our body and our mind; the two cannot be separated. 
5. If the input to the senses is unsuitable, the mind will make us act in ways that will be detrimental to our wellbeing. 

Though commentaries, interpretations, and research have evolved from the Vedic period to the present time, Ayurveda as we know it today, derives from three treatises: the Charaka Samhita compiled by the sage Charaka, Sushruta Samhita by sage Sushruta, and Ashtanga Hridayam by sage Vagabhata. All three works span eight specific topics. Ayurveda is defined in the first chapter, entitled Longevity, of the first section on Fundamental Principles as follows: Ayurveda is about life; what is a good life, a bad life, a happy or sorrowful life, a healthy or unhealthy life. But what is life? Ayurveda has a precise answer to this complex question: Life is the coexistence of the physical body, the senses, the mind, and SELF that is characterized by vitality. The goal of Ayurveda is to provide knowledge on the cause, symptoms, and treatment of disease. 
Although Ayurveda is focused on health, it is very important to study it from a perspective of its place in the ultimate purpose of life. The purpose of life, as defined in Ayurvedic texts, is rooted in Vedic philosophy and is essentially to fulfill four goals:

1. Enjoy one’s life and worldly experiences while
2. Contributing meaningfully to the good of one’s family, community, and society through work and
3. Ensuring that one’s actions, words, or behavior doesn’t do any harm to others, while always learning how to
4. Train one's mind to recognize one’s true identity (SELF)

In Vedic philosophy, our true identity has nothing to do with our body or mind. In fact all suffering is due to confusing one’s identity with one’s thoughts and body. Thus, Ayurveda should be practiced without obsessing over the state of one's health and body. 
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If this is interesting and you'd like to know more about Vedic philosophy, I highly recommend a series of lectures on Vedanta by Swami Sarvapriyananda that you can watch here. Even just the first lecture is highly illuminating.