About Charak
Charak was born in 300 BC. Charak was one of the principal contributors to the ancient art and science of Ayurvedya, a system of medicine and lifestyle developed in Ancient India. Acharya Charak has been crowned as the Father of Medicine, His renowned work, the “Charak Samhita”, is considered as an encyclopedia of Ayurveda.
A Quote From Charak
“A physician who fails to enter the body of a patient with the lamp of knowledge and understanding can never treat diseases. He should first study all factors, including environment, which influence a patient’s disease, and then prescribe treatment. It is more important to prevent the occurrence of a disease than to seek a cure”
An extract of Charak Samhita
According to Charaka’s translations, health and disease are not predetermined and life may be prolonged by human effort and attention to lifestyle. Of all types of diseases have a more prominent place than treatment, including restructuring of lifestyle to align with the course of nature and four seasons, which will guarantee complete wellness
The work of Charak
Charak is generally considered as the first physician to present the concept of digestion, metabolism and immunity. A body functions because it contains three dosha or principles, namely movement (vata) , transformation (pitta) and lubrication and stability (kapha)
Charak samhitta
Charak is the author of the Charak Samhita but it was actually written by Acharya Agrivesh as the name as the name of “Agrivesh Tantra” in which Charka edited it with his own Knowledge with some chapters and gave it a new look
Schools of Medicine
According to the Charaka tradition, there existed 6 schools of medicine. The one composed by Agnivesha was considered the best. The Agnivesha Samhita was later revised by Charaka and it came to be known as Charaka Samhita. The Charaka Samhita was revised by Dridhbala
Charak Samhita and Mind/Body
In the “Charak Samhita” he has described the medicinal qualities and functions of 100,000 herbal plants. He has emphasized the influence of diet and activity on mind and body. Through his genius and intuition, Acharya Charak made landmark contributions to Ayurveda