What is the history of Ayurveda?
Though passed down primarily through word of mouth for its early history, its practices and beliefs were recorded in two ancient books written in Sanskrit on palm leaves over 2,000 years ago. These books are called Caraka Samhita and Susruta Samhita, and they outlined topics such as lifestyle, philosophy, detection and treatment of disease, and medical ethics. Ayurveda is still practiced primarily in the rural areas of India, Tibet, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh, but its popularity has grown in the western world over the last century, supported by popular figures such as the western-trained doctor Deepak Chopra.
