The Spice of Life

India's spices were like powdered gold. The likes of cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pepper were a prized exports as the Chinese, Greek and Roman traders travelled to the Malabar Coast to lay claim to the fortune. That is, until Vasco da Gama in 1498 took control of the lucrative spice trade to Europe. India has remain the king of spice imports through to today where they are responsible for 44% of the worlds imports. These spices are also known for their medicinal qualities especially for their preventative applications. The knowledge of this medicinal application is an historic indigenous system called Ayurveda that goes back over 5,000 years. Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word which means the science of life. The practice of Ayurveda has made its way into the western world as a compliementary or alternative source of medicine. It includes the use of herbs in various forms or combinations, massage and yoga. The basic elements that make up this system are earth, water, fire, air and ether and are considered to be the elements that make up the universe. These elements combine to create three forces within the body: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The Ayurvedic name for this force is ‘dosha’ and each individual has a combination of the forces with a dominance of one and sometimes two. The Ayurvedic belief is that people become unwell when their dosha becomes unbalanced. This can be due to various reasons such as diet, stress or the environment. The mind and body are treated as one and the same.

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Ayurveda
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayurveda