Ayurveda is all about traditional medicines, and is a personalized approach to health. Ayurveda medicine is a vast field, and it is conceptualized according to practices. But when it comes to clinical practices, Ayurveda regularized the concepts into eight important sub-specialties. The subdivisions dedicatedly serve clinical practices of medicine. Being a comprehensive health care system, Ayurveda through its clinical sub-specialties, incorporates every element of health solutions. This directly speaks for health promotions, disease prevention, curations, and health preservative solutions.
Alike Allopathy, Ayurveda also made subdivisions about health care. There are 8 categories based on the nature of medication. It brings sophisticated solutions for each class, and will help Ayurveda doctors to specialize in certain health sciences. Let us look at these subspecialties in Ayurveda and their significance.
Kaya Chikitsa
Kaya Chikitsa is also known as Internal Medicine. This branch directly deals with the mind, body, and soul. The word Kaya signifies Agni (Fire), and thus, it is related to the digestive fire in the body. Kayachikitsa is needed when there is an imbalance in Agni. And it is generally treated for diseases such as Fever, Cough, and Diarrhoea, etc.
Baala Chikitsa
Baala Chikitsa, as the name suggests, represents Paediatrics. This is also known as Kaumara Britya. This field is specialized for treating diseases in children. Childhood diseases are covered in this subspecialty. Since children are unable to explain their conditions, this subspecialty is wider. The dosages are different in this branch compared to that of the other branches.
Shalya Tantra
Shalya Tantra is a dedicated field for surgeries. This branch functions with the treatment of diseases caused by foreign bodies and illnesses that need surgical therapies. It is carried out only for maladies, which cannot be cured by medications. This branch is more of a curative one than that of a preventive one in Ayurveda.
Agada Tantra
Agada Tantra is the study of Toxicology. This is also known as Visha Chikitsa/ Vishagaraโvairodh Tantra. This practice of treatment deals with the curation of poisoning from animals, such as snakes, insects, spiders, scorpions and also of plants, metals, and minerals. This treatment also deals with air pollutions, water pollutions, and other epidemics.
Shalakya Tantra
Shalakya tantra is the branch for treatment of head and neck diseases. It includes Ophthalmology and ENT as it deals with Ears, Nose, and Throat. This branch is also known as Urdhvanga Chikitsa as the word Urdhwanga represents the organs above the shoulder.
Bhuta Vaidya
Bhuta Vaidya is primarily Psychiatry and is a science of mental life, mind and its characteristics. This branch is also known as Griha Chikitsa, and it deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders. The procedures used in Bhuta Vaidya are correlated to correcting emotions, eradicating illusions, subjective beliefs and providing calmness to the mind through herbal smokes.
Rasayana Chikitsa
Rasayana is the science of rejuvenation and anti-aging. Rasayana Chikitsa restores youthfulness in individuals and can help in longevity. This treatment includes ayurvedic nutrition, ayurvedic supplements, ayurvedic medicines used in old age for prevention from diseases, detoxification and immunology.
Vajikarana Chikitsa
Vajikarana chikitsa deals with the treatment of diseases like impotence, sterility, etc as it is the science of aphrodisiacs. This branch provides numerous medicines and therapies to improve the potency. It comprises aphrodisiacs herbal and ayurvedic medicines for developing physical strength.
