The Ayurveda glossary

60 Sanskrit terms defined in plain English — from agni to viruddha ahara, all the vocabulary you need to read about Ayurveda without getting lost.

A

Abhyanga: Abhyanga is the Ayurvedic self-massage with warm oil, the signature ritual against Vata dryness and restlessness. Technique, oils and frequency.
Agni: The "digestive fire": the body’s ability to digest, assimilate and transform — a concept at the heart of all of Ayurveda.
Ama: Ayurveda’s "toxins": sticky residues left by incomplete digestion, regarded as the root of many imbalances.
Anupana: The “carrier” taken with an Ayurvedic herb — hot water, honey, ghee or warm milk — which directs, strengthens or softens its action in the body.
Asava and arishta: Fermented, mildly alcoholic Ayurvedic preparations: herbs macerated (asava) or decocted (arishta) with a sugar, taken diluted in small doses.
Ashtanga Hridayam: The Ashtanga Hridayam, "heart of the eight branches": Vagbhata’s 7th-century synthesis of Ayurveda. Discover why it is still learned by heart today.
Avaleha: A medicinal Ayurvedic paste or “jam”: herbs cooked with sugar, ghee and honey to a thick consistency, taken by licking it off the spoon.

B

Basti: The Ayurvedic medicated enema, based on herbal decoctions or oils: the foremost panchakarma action against Vata imbalances.
Brimhana: The building strategy of Ayurveda: nourishing, strengthening and regenerating a depleted body — unctuous foods, tonic herbs, rest and gentleness.

C

Charaka Samhita: The Charaka Samhita, foundational treatise of Ayurvedic internal medicine compiled 2,000 years ago. Discover what this text handed down to Ayurveda today.
Churna: A powder of dried, finely ground herbs — the most common and most traditional dosage form in the Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia.

D

Dhatu: The dhatus are the seven bodily tissues in Ayurveda: plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, marrow and reproductive tissue. Here is how they are built.
Dinacharya: Dinacharya is the Ayurvedic daily routine: the morning practices that sync the body with natural rhythms. Here is where to start.
Dipana: The action that “rekindles” agni, the digestive fire: the quality of spices and herbs — ginger, trikatu — that stimulate the appetite and the capacity to digest.

G

Gandusha: The Ayurvedic mouth bath: the mouth filled with oil held completely still — the traditional, static version of oil pulling, for oral hygiene.
Garshana: Ayurvedic dry massage with raw-silk gloves or a natural-bristle brush: a morning friction routine that stimulates the lymph, exfoliates the skin and wakes up Kapha.
Ghrita: Medicated ghee: clarified butter in which herbs have been slowly cooked, so their active compounds are carried deep into the tissues.
Guna: The "qualities" that describe everything in Ayurveda: 20 attributes of matter (heavy, light, hot…) and 3 qualities of the mind (sattva, rajas, tamas).

K

Kashaya: The Ayurvedic decoction: herbs boiled down in water — the most direct extraction method in the traditional pharmacopoeia.
Kavala: The dynamic Ayurvedic mouth rinse: a small amount of oil or herbal decoction actively swished around the mouth — the mobile form of oil pulling.
Kitchari: Kitchari: a gentle stew of rice and mung beans with mild spices — the comfort and cleansing dish of Ayurvedic cooking. Discover why it is so easy to digest.

L

Langhana: The lightening strategy of Ayurveda: everything that makes you lighter — smaller meals, mono-diets, gentle fasting, movement — to digest and clear the system.

M

Manas: Manas, the mind in Ayurveda: the instrument that perceives, thinks and desires. Learn why it counts as much as the body — and how to nourish it every day.
Mantra: Mantra: a sound, syllable or Sanskrit phrase repeated to calm and focus the mind. Discover how to practise this Ayurvedic tool for mental hygiene.
Marma: Ayurveda’s vital points: 107 sensitive zones where flesh, vessels, tendons and bones intersect, worked in massage to rebalance the body’s energy.
Mudra: Mudra: a codified hand gesture used in meditation and yoga to channel attention and prana. Learn the essential gestures to get started.

N

Nadi pariksha: Nadi pariksha, the Ayurvedic pulse examination: three fingers on the wrist to read the state of the doshas. See how it works — and what it is really worth.
Nasya: The administration of oil or herbal preparations through the nose: Ayurveda’s treatment for the head, sinuses and mental clarity, in a few morning drops.

O

Ojas: The essence of vitality in Ayurveda: the end product of good digestion, associated with immunity, radiance and resilience to stress.

P

Pachana: The action that "cooks" and digests ama, the residue of incomplete digestion: the quality of herbs that help the body finish a digestion left half-done.
Padabhyanga: The Ayurvedic foot massage with warm oil, practiced in the evening to calm Vata, settle the nervous system and prepare for sleep.
Panchakarma: The “five actions”: Ayurveda’s deep purification cure, performed under supervision, which eliminates excess doshas through five evacuation procedures.
Prakriti: Prakriti is your Ayurvedic birth constitution: your unique proportion of Vata, Pitta and Kapha, set at conception. Find out yours.
Prana: The "vital breath" of Ayurveda and yoga: the life energy that animates the body, absorbed through breathing, food and the senses.

R

Rajas: The quality of movement, passion and restlessness in the mind — the guna of action, indispensable yet exhausting when it dominates.
Raktamokshana: “Releasing the blood”: the fifth purifying action of panchakarma, historically performed by bloodletting or leeches — a medical act, never a wellness treatment.
Rasa: Rasa is the taste of a food — sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent — the first key to its action on the doshas. Discover the 6 rasas.
Rasayana: The “rejuvenation” branch of Ayurveda: herbs, preparations and lifestyle practices traditionally said to regenerate the tissues, support immunity and slow ageing.
Ratricharya: Ratricharya is the Ayurvedic evening routine: an early, light dinner, screens off, a foot massage and bed before 10:30 pm. The protocol in detail.
Ritucharya: Ritucharya is the Ayurvedic seasonal regimen: adjusting diet and routines through the year to prevent imbalances before they set in. A practical guide.

S

Satmya: Satmya: individual habituation — what your body has grown used to and now suits it. Understand the principle that tempers every Ayurvedic rule.
Sattva: The quality of clarity, purity and harmony of the mind — the first of the three mental gunas, and the one Ayurveda seeks to cultivate.
Shirodhara: Ayurveda’s signature treatment: a steady stream of warm oil poured continuously over the forehead, renowned for deeply calming the mind and the Vata dosha.
Snehana: Ayurvedic oleation: saturating the body with healthy fats — oil massage, ghee taken internally — to calm Vata and prepare for purification therapies.
Srotas: The srotas are the body’s circulation channels in Ayurveda: physical or subtle pathways carrying nutrients, air, water and waste. Explained.
Sushruta Samhita: The Sushruta Samhita, foundational treatise of Ayurvedic surgery: skin grafts, instruments, anatomy. Discover this pioneering text of surgical history.
Svedana: Ayurvedic therapeutic sweating: herbal steam baths and hot applications that induce perspiration to soften the tissues and mobilise toxins.

T

Taila: Ayurvedic medicated oil: a vegetable oil, most often sesame, in which herbs have been cooked, used for massage and certain treatments.
Tamas: The quality of inertia, heaviness and darkness in the mind — the guna of rest and sleep, oppressive when it settles in to excess.
Tejas: The subtle essence of fire in Ayurveda: the power of transformation and discernment, the refined form of agni and of the Pitta dosha.
Tridosha: Tridosha is the theory of the three doshas — Vata, Pitta, Kapha — the forces that govern body and mind in Ayurveda. Discover their roles.

U

Udvartana: The Ayurvedic herbal-powder scrub massage, performed against the direction of hair growth: the quintessential stimulating treatment for lightening Kapha and toning the skin.

V

Vaidya: Vaidya: the traditional Ayurvedic physician, qualified after long university studies in India. Know what the title guarantees — and what it is not worth in the West.
Vajikarana: The branch of Ayurveda devoted to sexual and reproductive vitality: tonic herbs, lifestyle and emotional balance rather than miracle aphrodisiacs.
Vamana: Therapeutic emesis: the first of the five panchakarma actions, meant to evacuate excess Kapha, strictly reserved for supervised medical settings.
Vikriti: Vikriti is the current state of imbalance of your doshas, as opposed to prakriti, your birth constitution. Learn to spot yours.
Vipaka: Vipaka is the post-digestive effect of a food: the final taste (sweet, sour or pungent) that acts on the doshas over the long term. A concept worth knowing.
Virechana: The therapeutic purgation of panchakarma: a controlled intestinal evacuation using laxative herbs, meant to eliminate excess Pitta.
Viruddha ahara: Viruddha ahara, the "incompatible foods" of Ayurveda: combinations, preparations or timings said to hinder digestion. Discover the essential rules.
Virya: Virya is the thermal potency of a food or herb — heating (ushna) or cooling (shita). Discover its effect on your doshas.