Charaka-Samhita

Ayurveda took its final form in the early centuries of the Common Era, which saw the composition of the two seminal works on Indian medicine, Charaka-Samhita and Sushruta-Samhita

Charaka, well known as the Father of Medicine, has written the great book Charaka-Samhita.

Charaka lived around the first century. He was the court physician of the first century Kushana emperor Kanishka. He travelled continually and reached the patients wherever they were. Due to nobody know where he came from, he became famous as ‘the wandering physician’ or Charaka.

The Charaka-Samhita contains several chronological layers.  The main body of the text presents itself as containing knowledge received by Agnivesha from his teacher, a sage named Atreya.

It seems that the medical system described in the work was known as the system of Agnivesha and that Charaka simply edited Agnivesha’s text.

Later on, in the 4th century A.D, a scholar by name Dridhabala again edited it.

Written partly in prose and partly in verse, Charka-Samhita has 120 chapters arranged into eight sections. The topics dealt with therein are of medical, social and philosophical importance.
Charaka-Samhita 

Medicine in ancient India

There are many who believed that the four Vedas could have been compiled by the second millennium BC.

Each of the Vedas covers the role of ritual in a different sphere of life. The last, the Atharva-veda, is held by believers to have originally contained the basis of Ayurvedic medicine.

Atharvangiras, the old name from the Atharva-veda, suggest a twofold approach: pacificatory-curative practices and the practices of witchcraft and sorcery. Both practices were alike in the hands of priestly magicians and ‘medicine-men’ who dominated the scene before and during the Rgvedic period.

Atharva-veda was rearranged and revised perhaps around 800 BC in samhitas by the physician Charaka and the surgeon Sushruta.

Sushruta and Charaka both wrote encyclopedia medical treatises called samhitas.

The Charaka Samhita may not have been written in its present form until the first century AD. The Charaka Samhita mainly deals with Internal medicine. It is divided into eight parts and 120 chapters.

It also refers to over vegetable 300 drugs, the remainder being from animal and mineral sources. Charaka’s work contains the comprehensive theory and knowledge of Ayurveda, summarizing the ancient oral tradition in the form of lessons.

The current version of the Sushruta Samhita might date to the seventh century AD. Although a text on surgery, it mentioned nearly 400 vegetables drugs. Sushruta Samhita is a comprehensive work that especially details the practice of India surgery, which was as already noted highly advanced.

The number of plant medicines cited in these two works (Sushruta and Charaka) is greater than that of any other ancient people who left record of such matters.
Medicine in ancient India

Hindu Medicine

Hindu Medicine
The earliest Sanskrit documents the Rigveda (about 500 BC) indicates the treatment of disease mainly by spells and incantations.

Latter a series of works called Ayurveda (about 700 BC )contains much medical information.

Charaka and Susruta were among the contributors. But the first original book was made before those great Hindu physicians.

Charaka lived in the beginning of Christian era and Susruta lived about fifth century AD.

Susruta wrote about Malaria caused by mosquitoes, Plague followed by when many dead rats were seen and Phthisis showed by Haemoptysis, fever and cough and also gave description of small pox.

Ancient Hindus were extremely good in Surgery. In an Indian rock inscription, king Asoka (226 BC) records the erection of Hospitals by him. India and Ceylon were one country. Chingalese records indicate the existence of Hospitals in Ceylon in 437 and 137 BC.

The three leading textbook of Hindu medicine which were mainly predominated by the Brahmin priest and scholars are the

Charaka Samhita
Charaka Samhita, a compendium made by Charak from an earlier works of Agnivera, based upon the lectures of his master Atreya (6th century BC).

The Susruta (5th century AD)

Vagbhata (7th century AD)

Of these the most remarkable is Susruta described more than a hundred surgical instruments. Hindus treated fractures with bamboo splints and performed caesarean section, excision of tumors, lithonomy and rhinoplasty which originated in India.

Susruta mentioned seven hundred and sixty medicinal plants, oilments, bath, sneezing powders and inhalations which were used as external application. Hindus may be called as pioneers of modern plastic surgery.

Diabetes Mellitus was recognized as “Madhu Meha” and the symptoms of thirst, foul breath and general weakness were noted. Evidence of inoculation against small pox has been found in Sanskrit text “Sacteya” attributed to Dhanwantari.

The Hindu system of respiratory exercise or gymnastics is highly praised till to day. In Marco Polo’s travel experience there is a direction of a kind of mosquito netting used on the coromandal coast.

The Soporitic effects of Hyoscyamus and Cannabis Indica were known to the Hindu surgeons as Surgical Anesthesia.

The Hindus may have borrowed something from the Greek. Some writers even maintain that Aristotle who lived at the last part of real Hindu culture got some of his ideas from the east.
Hindu Medicine