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From Spiritfold, Australian Spiritual Alliance: https://spiritfold.com/Ayurveda

Ayurveda

From Spiritfold

Ayurveda, or Ayurvedic medicine, is a traditional system of medicine from India that uses a range of approaches, including diet, herbal medicine, massage, yoga and a cleansing treatment called panchakarma, to support health and wellbeing.[1] It is one of the oldest medical systems in the world and is still one of India's traditional systems of health care.[2] The name joins two Indian words: ayur, meaning life, and veda, meaning knowledge.[3]

Description

Principles

Ayurveda draws on ancient writings and takes what the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) calls a "natural" and holistic approach to physical and mental health.[2] Practitioners hold that ill health arises when mind, body and spirit fall out of balance.[3]

Central to this is the idea of the three doshas, or vital energies:[3][1]

  • vata (air and space), linked with movement[3]
  • pitta (fire and water), linked with change, digestion and metabolism[3]
  • kapha (water and earth), which gives the body structure.[3]

In this view, health depends on keeping the three in proper balance.[3][1] This is why the assessment described next centres on the individual person and their doshas.[3]

Assessment

To plan treatment, an Ayurvedic practitioner takes a medical history and assesses the person's doshas. This can include a physical examination, such as looking at the tongue and nails and taking the pulse, as well as questions about emotions and relationships. The practitioner may also take account of the time of day and the season.[3]

Treatments

Approaches used in Ayurveda include:[1]

  • changes to diet[1]
  • herbal medicine, including preparations that combine herbs with metals, minerals or gems, known as rasa shastra medicines[1]
  • massage, meditation, breathing exercises and yoga[1]
  • sound therapy, including the use of mantras[1]
  • acupuncture, used by some practitioners[1]
  • panchakarma ("five actions"), a set of five treatments, including induced vomiting, enemas and blood-letting, intended to detoxify the body and balance the doshas.[1]

Ayurvedic products are made mainly from plants, but may also contain animal, metal or mineral ingredients.[2] Several of the warnings in the safety section below concern these metal ingredients.[2][1]

Scope

What it includes

  • Assessment of the person according to Ayurvedic principles, including the doshas[3]
  • Advice on diet and lifestyle[1][3]
  • Herbal and other Ayurvedic preparations[1]
  • Bodywork and mind–body practices such as massage, meditation, breathing exercises and yoga[1]

What it is not

  • It is not a replacement for medical care. Ayurveda is not a reason to delay seeing a doctor about a medical problem, or to stop or change conventional medicines without a doctor's knowledge and approval.[2][1]
  • There is no scientific evidence that Ayurvedic medicine can treat or cure cancer.[3]
  • Evidence: NCCIH reports that few well-designed trials or systematic reviews support Ayurvedic approaches. A few studies suggest that Ayurvedic preparations may reduce pain and improve function in people with osteoarthritis and help manage symptoms of type 2 diabetes, but most of these trials were small or poorly designed, and there is little scientific evidence for other health problems.[2]

Traditions and lineage

Ayurveda began in India about 5,000 years ago, according to Cancer Research UK.[3] It is based on ancient writings.[2] India has more than 180 Ayurveda training schools, and some training there takes up to five years; many practitioners in the United Kingdom have trained in India.[3]

Context

Within Spiritualism

Spiritfold has found no published source linking Ayurveda with Spiritualism.

In Australian Spiritualism

Spiritfold has found no published source linking Ayurveda with Spiritualism in Australia.

A Spiritualist perspective

Ayurveda is an ancient system belonging to India's own traditions, and a Spiritualist would approach it with respect as a separate path, not as anything connected with Spiritualism. Its idea that ill health follows when mind, body and spirit fall out of balance may strike a chord with Spiritualists, who also see a person as more than the physical body. A shared sense of the spirit, though, does not make the practices the same, and borrowing its terms loosely would do justice to neither.

From where we stand, spiritual healing involves no assessment of the doshas, no diet, no preparations and no cleansing treatments; the healer simply attunes and lets healing be given. A Spiritualist who studies Ayurveda should keep the two clearly apart and be honest about which they are offering. No one in a Spiritualist setting should hand out or recommend remedies of any kind. The warnings on this page about unregistered products deserve to be taken seriously, and we would always encourage people to keep their doctor informed.

Ayurveda in Australia

Training and associations

Two national qualifications in the Health Training Package cover Ayurveda:

  • HLT52615 Diploma of Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultation is for Ayurvedic lifestyle consultants who give advice, selected remedies and therapies based on Ayurvedic principles, and requires 200 hours of work.[4]
  • HLT62615 Advanced Diploma of Ayurveda is for Ayurvedic practitioners with specialised knowledge of Ayurvedic medicine, and requires 400 hours of work.[5]

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements applied to either qualification when it was published.[4][5]

Better Health lists the Australasian Association of Ayurveda as a contact, and advises asking a practitioner about their qualifications and experience.[1]

Regulation of Ayurvedic medicines

In Australia, Ayurvedic medicines are regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) as listed (complementary) medicines. They must meet the same safety and quality standards as other medicines, and must not contain dangerous substances or heavy metals at levels that put health at risk. A medicine included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods has an AUST L or AUST R number on its packaging. Importing or supplying unregistered Ayurvedic products is illegal.[6] This applies even when a product contains no prescription-only ingredients.[6]

Why the AUST number matters. The TGA explains that the number confirms the product meets Australian standards: the label lists the ingredients accurately, the claims made are not misleading, and the product was made under strict safety and quality standards. Products without one, whether bought online or from a local shop, may not meet those standards and could be unsafe, ineffective or a waste of money. Medicines bought over the internet may be fake or may contain wrong, undeclared or harmful ingredients.[6] Better Health adds that products sold online or brought in from overseas are not covered by the same laws as those sold in Australia. It notes that Ayurvedic medicines without an AUST L or AUST R number have not been registered with the TGA, and advises against buying or using such products, including those from overseas.[1]

The TGA says it watches for harmful unregistered products and alerts the Australian Border Force so that risky products found at the border can be seized and destroyed.[6]

Safety and good practice

Heavy metals and prohibited ingredients

Some Ayurvedic preparations contain lead, mercury or arsenic in amounts that can be toxic.[2] Cases of lead poisoning in Victoria have been linked to Ayurvedic treatments imported from India. Some Ayurvedic medicines sold in Victorian grocery stores have also been found to contain ingredients classed as poisons, which may not legally be supplied or used in Australia because they are dangerous to health.[1]

In December 2025 the TGA warned that an unregistered Ayurvedic tablet product it had tested contained extremely high levels of mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium. It had issued earlier advisories about other unregistered Ayurvedic products in 2020, 2022 and September 2025, and said it was still intercepting imported Ayurvedic medicines containing dangerous levels of heavy metals and other controlled or prohibited ingredients. The TGA explains that lead poisoning can cause lasting harm, including organ damage and death, and that pregnant women and children are at particular risk; mercury can harm the nervous, digestive and immune systems and other organs. It urges great caution when buying medicines from unfamiliar overseas websites or through social media, and advises anyone who has taken an affected product to see their doctor or call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26.[6] It also notes that many Brahmi Vati preparations declare an ingredient called vacha (Acorus calamus), which appears in Schedule 10 of the Poisons Standard; because of its health risks it may not be supplied or used in Australia.[6]

Other advice

Better Health advises:[1]

  • treating herbal medicines with the same caution as pharmaceutical drugs, as they can be just as potent, may interact with other treatments, and may contain harmful ingredients not shown on the label[1]
  • asking for a full list of ingredients in any herbal medicine, as some Ayurvedic practitioners may regard certain toxic ingredients as safe[1]
  • not taking a preparation from a friend or relative if its origin or ingredients are unknown[1]
  • telling your doctor about any Ayurvedic treatment, and never stopping or changing conventional medicines without your doctor's agreement[1]
  • remembering that most complementary medicines have not been tested in pregnant or breastfeeding women or in children[1]
  • being aware that panchakarma can be harmful when given by an inexperienced practitioner.[1]

Cancer Research UK says that cleansing methods such as forced vomiting and drawing blood can be harmful and are not used by most therapists, and that some herbal medicines may interact with cancer drugs or radiotherapy.[3] NCCIH advises people who are pregnant or breastfeeding to talk to their health care provider, as some Ayurvedic products may contain harmful substances.[2]

If you think you have had a side effect from an Ayurvedic or similar medicine, the TGA asks that you speak with a health professional and report it to the TGA, as these reports help it find and respond to safety problems.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 "Ayurveda". Better Health Channel, Department of Health, State Government of Victoria. Reviewed 10 July 2023 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth". National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health. Last updated January 2019 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 "Ayurvedic medicine". Cancer Research UK. Last reviewed 14 June 2022 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "HLT52615 Diploma of Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultation". National Training Register, training.gov.au. Current; release 5, 22 December 2025 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "HLT62615 Advanced Diploma of Ayurveda". National Training Register, training.gov.au. Current; release 5, 22 December 2025 (accessed 11 October 2026).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Therapeutic Goods Administration. "Brahmi Vati tablets (Ayurvedic medicine)". Safety advisory, Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, published 10 December 2025 (accessed 11 October 2026).

Further reading

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