What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is an ancient healing system that originated in India over 5,000 years ago—one of the world’s oldest. The word “Ayurveda” means “science of life” in Sanskrit. 

Ayurvedic traditional medicine views health and well-being holistically as relying on the balance and harmony of mind, body, and spirit with the environment [1,2]. It aims to promote and sustain good physical, mental, and emotional health through natural therapies adjusted to each individual’s specific constitution—i.e., their combination of physical, cognitive, and emotional characteristics.*

Ayurvedic traditional medicine views health and well-being holistically as relying on the balance and harmony of mind, body, and spirit with the environment.

Balance is achieved and maintained with the help of lifestyle interventions such as a healthy diet, regular exercise, restful sleep, stress management, yoga, mindfulness, and the use of botanical ingredients such as Turmeric, Ginger, Cinnamon, Ashwagandha, Gotu Kola, Holy Basil, Boswellia serrata, Terminalia chebula, and Amla (which are found in Qualia products, as we’ll see below).*

The Three Doshas in Ayurveda

According to Ayurvedic philosophy, everything is made from five basic elements: space (ether), air, fire, water, and earth. These manifest in the human body as three basic types of energy or functional principles called doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha [1,2]. 

The three doshas support and maintain the integrity of the organism and govern all body functions. Each individual has a unique mix of the three doshas, but usually one is predominant, one secondary, and one the least prominent. This mix determines a person’s constitution (prakruti), which defines the basic biology of the body and their physiological, psychological, and behavioral characteristics.   

Ayurveda maintains that keeping the normal state and balance of the doshas is the key to health and that afflictions develop when the doshas are out of balance. A key goal of Ayurvedic practices is therefore to help keep or find the balance of the doshas. As each dosha governs specific aspects of biology and health, different constitutions may respond differently to specific interventions, so what works for one person might not work for the next.* 

Vata Dosha

Vata is the energy of movement formed from space and air. Vata governs such functions as speech, breathing, heartbeat, blood flow, nerve impulses, muscle and joint movement, cell division, tissue and cellular flows, and elimination of waste products.* 

People with Vata predominance are described as creative, active, alert, and restless. They have a quick mind, but a short memory, and they talk and walk fast, but are easily fatigued. Vata types tend to have little willpower, tolerance, confidence, and boldness and they can be fearful and nervous. Vata people have a variable appetite and digestion and are attracted to sweet, sour, and salty tastes and hot drinks [1,2].

Pitta Dosha

Pitta is the energy of digestion or metabolism, something that, like fire, consumes other things. Pitta is made from fire and water and governs metabolism, gastrointestinal secretions, digestion, absorption, body temperature, appetite, thirst, skin coloration, and vision.* 

People with Pitta predominance are described as intelligent and sharp, have good powers of comprehension, and are often good orators. They can also be short-tempered and tend toward hate, anger, and jealousy. Pitta individuals have good digestion and a strong appetite. They like sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes and cold drinks [1,2].

Kapha Dosha

Kapha is the energy of lubrication and structure made from water and earth. It is the “glue” that holds the cells together, provides physical structure and stability, preserves body integrity and resistance, and supplies water for all bodily parts and systems. Kapha governs biological strength, resistance, vigor, stability, natural tissue resistance, immunity, skeletal and joint integrity, joint lubrication, unctuousness, skin moisture, and tissue hydration.* 

Kapha types are described as calm, tolerant, forgiving, and loving, but they may also tend to exhibit greed, attachment, envy, and possessiveness. They tend to move and think slowly, but their comprehension is definite and their long-term memory is excellent. Kapha people have average appetites and relatively slow digestion and they like pungent, bitter, and astringent foods [1,2].

Ayurvedic Therapies

Ayurvedic therapies aim at bringing mind and body into balance and are personalized based on an individual’s predominant doshas and unique physical and emotional characteristics. An Ayurveda practitioner will determine your constitution and help you understand which lifestyle choices and interventions are most suitable to help you find balance.*

Practices used in Ayurveda to support or restore balance and health include meditation, yoga, breathing exercises (pranayama), massage, repeating mantras, purification programs for internal cleansing (panchakarma), and herbal supplements.*

Is Ayurveda Safe?

Ayurvedic practices such as yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, and following a healthy diet (based on fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, whole grains, spices, and avoiding red meat, processed foods, and artificial sweeteners) are generally harmless lifestyle interventions that are widely accepted to contribute to the promotion of health and well-being.

Other Ayurvedic practices, particularly the use of some Ayurvedic remedies, are interventions whose tolerability still needs to be established, as they have yet to be properly studied in randomized placebo-controlled trials assessing efficacy and safety, which are the gold-standard form of ascertaining scientific validity in Western medicine. 

Ayurvedic formulations, usually made of herbs, minerals, and other ingredients, are regulated as dietary supplements in the U.S., which means they don't have to meet the safety standards of medicines. A specific safety concern regarding some Ayurvedic formulations, particularly those manufactured in India, is that they may contain toxic metals, including lead, arsenic, and mercury, that can be detrimental to health [3–6]. 

However, many of the herbs and spices used in Ayurvedic formulations can be acquired individually as supplements. Some of these herbs and spices have shown good tolerability and safety in clinical trials; others have long histories of traditional use as herbal remedies or as culinary spices. Just as with any dietary supplement, to ensure good tolerability, they must be used properly, i.e., in the studied amounts, for the right purpose, and taking into account possible interactions with other compounds, including pharmaceuticals.* 

Benefits of Ayurveda

Many of the practices used in Ayurveda have been shown to promote good health and well-being in clinical studies. For example, meditation and yoga have shown benefits in helping manage stress, supporting mental and physical well-being, and supporting sleep [7–15].*

Many herbs and spices used in Ayurveda have also shown specific benefits in clinical studies. For example, they may contribute to general health by supporting antioxidant defenses and immune signaling, as shown for Turmeric [16–19], Cinnamon [17–19] Ginger [20–23], and Amla [24,25]. These may underlie benefits to other aspects of health, namely the support of cardiovascular health, as shown for Amla [24–29], and metabolic health, reported for Turmeric [18,30], Cinnamon [31–34], and Holy Basil [35,36].* 

Ayurvedic herbs may also support healthy gastrointestinal and digestive function and a healthy gut microbiota, as studies with Turmeric [37–41] and Ginger [42–46] have shown. Healthy immune system support has been demonstrated by Ginger [47,48] and Holy Basil [49]. Boswellia serrata, Terminalia chebula, and Turmeric have shown complementary benefits for supporting healthy joint function, comfort, and mobility [50]. Ginger has also supported healthy joint function and comfort [48,51,52].* 

Support for mental well-being, a calm mood, and healthy stress responses have also been shown by Ayurvedic ingredients, namely Ashwagandha [53–57], Gotu Kola [58–61], Holy Basil [62–64], and Turmeric [17,18]. Ashwagandha [54,65] and Holy Basil [63] also supported healthy sleep. All of these can contribute to healthy cognitive function and indeed studies have shown cognitive benefits from Ashwagandha [66,67], Gotu Kola [60], and Holy Basil [62,63]. Both Boswellia serrata [68–70] and Terminalia chebula [71] have also been shown to support healthy brain function and cognition.*

Ayurvedic Ingredients in Qualia Products

Qualia Life has developed several products that include Ayurvedic ingredients that may promote different aspects of health:

Qualia Mind—with Boswellia serrata and Terminalia chebula (in Nutricog®): designed to nourish a broad spectrum of short and long-term brain functions, including focus, concentration, mood and motivation, productivity, alertness, and memory.*

Qualia Focus—with Ginger: designed to support sustained mental energy so you can be focused, motivated, and perform at your best.*

Qualia Synbiotic—with Turmeric: formulated to support all major aspects of gut and digestive health, including the gut microbiota and gut-brain connections.*

Qualia Night—with Ashwagandha, Gotu Kola, and Holy Basil: formulated to help give the body what it needs to have a relaxing evening and deep rejuvenating sleep so you wake up feeling healthy, recharged, refreshed, energetic, focused, and resilient.* 

Qualia Senolytic—with Turmeric and Piperlongumine (from Piper longum root extract): developed to support healthy aging and tissue rejuvenation by helping to bring the creation and clearance of senescent cells back into a healthy balance.*

Qualia Mitochondria+—with Ashwagandha and Cinnamon: a comprehensive supplement designed to promote better aging by supporting cells’ ability to make more energy so you can accomplish all that you want to do.*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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