“Ayurveda” – the science of life, is one of the oldest forms of medicine known to man, originating in the Indian sub-continent, dating back about 3000 years. Ayurveda is gaining in popularity as people become more health conscious and explore traditional medical systems.  The Sri Lankan Ayurvedic tradition is a mixture of the Sinhala traditional medicine, Ayurveda and Siddha systems of India, Unani medicine of Greece through the Arabs, and most importantly, the Desheeya Chikitsa, which is the indigenous medicine of Sri Lanka.

Ancient inscriptions on rock surfaces reveal that organized medical services have existed within the country for centuries. In fact, Sri Lanka claims to be the first country in the world to have established dedicated hospitals. The Sri Lankan mountain Mihintale still has the ruins of what many believe to be the first hospital in the world. Old hospital sites now attract tourists, who marvel at the beautiful ruins. These places have come to symbolize a traditional sense of healing and care, which was so prevalent at that time.

Ayurveda is a comprehensive and scientific system of medicine based on natural products, promoting a healthy & long life, and can complement modern medicine. The system considers that healthy mind and body = beauty.  So the Ayrveda system is working towards overall mind, body and spirit beauty.  Ayurveda has two main aims: to treat the root cause of the disease and manage the disease where it has already occurred, and to prevent disease through purification and strengthening of the immune system.

Ayurveda treats the body, mind and spirit of a person as a whole entity, and works on the basis that the mind and body affect each other, and together can overcome disease.