Abstract

SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF RASAYAN THERAPY IN AYURVEDA.

Mahajan Roshi*, Dogra Jyoti and Tiwari Aditya Nath

Abstract

Although Aging in mammalian species appears to be the result of normal developmental and metabolic processes but every human would like to dodge this inexorable process and its undesirable effects. Lifestyle and environmental factors can greatly influence the aging process and may affect the vulnerability of an individual to age–related diseases. While an individual‟s genes associated with aging cannot be controlled, many studies suggest that modifications of exercise and nutrition, especially the use of antioxidants, can slow down the aging process. Our Ayurveda texts have seriously considered the problems of aging and its delaying. The knowledge appears to have been given so much importance and so much developed that it was designated as one of the eight major branches of Ayurveda. Jara is a natural process which may be timely or untimely according to Acharya Sushruta.[1] Charaka in its section on Chikitsa starts with an exhaustive chapter on Rasayana therapy dealing with the physiological, pharmacological, therapeutic and clinical aspects of the Rasayana. Currently Rasayana stands as an answer to solve the problem of healthful longevity including mental development and resistance against diseases. This paper aims to explore the scientific basis of Rasayana therapy so as to create a better understanding of this topic.

Keywords: Rasayana, Jara, Chikitsa, Longevity, Scientific.