Glossary

A small lexicon of Ayurvedic words.

Some of these words have travelled for five thousand years. Here are the ones you will meet most often, kept simple.

A

Abhyangaअभ्यङ्ग: The daily warm-oil self-massage. A grounding ritual that nourishes the skin, calms Vata, and lubricates the joints.
Agniअग्नि: The digestive fire. In Ayurveda, the strength of Agni governs every aspect of health — too low and food becomes toxin (ama); too high and tissues are consumed.
Aharaआहार: Food — but understood broadly as everything the senses take in: nourishment from food, breath, light, sound, and impression.
Amaआम: Undigested matter — the residue left when Agni is weak. The root of many imbalances.
Amalakiआमलकी: Indian gooseberry — one of the most revered rejuvenative fruits in Ayurveda. Cooling, rich in vitamin C, and a key ingredient of Triphala.
Apana Vayuअपान वायु: The downward-moving aspect of Vata. Governs elimination, menstruation, and birth — the body's letting-go.
Asanaआसन: A yoga posture. Literally 'seat' — originally referring to the steady seated position for meditation.
Ashwagandhaअश्वगन्धा: The 'smell of horse' — a Vata-pacifying root revered for resilience, restful sleep, and the rebuilding of strength after illness or stress.
Ayurvedaआयुर्वेद: The science (veda) of life (ayur) — a five-thousand-year-old Indian system of medicine and living rooted in the rhythms of nature.

B

Balaबल: Strength — physical, mental, and immune. Ayurveda recognises three kinds: that which is innate, that which arises with the seasons, and that which is cultivated.
Bastiबस्ति: Medicated enema — one of the five Panchakarma therapies. Considered the most effective treatment for stubborn Vata disorders.
Brahma Muhurtaब्रह्म मुहूर्त: The hour before dawn — roughly 4:30–5:30 a.m. The texts call it the most sattvic time of day, ideal for meditation, study, and waking.
Brahmiब्राह्मी: The herb of the mind — used to sharpen memory, calm anxiety, and support meditation. Cooling to Pitta.

C

Chakraचक्र: Wheel — a centre of subtle energy along the spine. Seven principal chakras are recognised, each governing a layer of body and mind.
Charaka Samhitaचरक संहिता: One of the two foundational texts of Ayurveda (circa 1st century CE). Focuses on internal medicine, prevention, and the philosophy of health.

D

Dhatuधातु: The seven tissues that build the body, in order of refinement: plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, marrow, and the reproductive essence.
Dinacharyaदिनचर्या: The daily routine — a sequence of small acts (waking, scraping the tongue, oiling, eating, sleeping) timed to the rhythm of the sun.
Doshaदोष: One of the three elemental energies — Vata, Pitta, Kapha — that govern body and mind. Everyone is a unique weaving of all three.

G

Ghritaघृत: Ghee — clarified butter. The sacred fat of Ayurveda, said to carry herbs deep into the tissues and to feed both body and intellect.
Guduchiगुडूची: Also called Giloy or 'the heavenly elixir' — a creeper used to restore immunity, cool inflammation, and clear ama.

H

Haridraहरिद्रा: Turmeric — the golden anti-inflammatory rhizome. Used in food, in golden milk, on the skin, and in nearly every Ayurvedic formula.

I

Indriyaइन्द्रिय: The senses. Ayurveda counts ten — five of perception (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) and five of action (speech, hands, feet, organs of elimination and reproduction).

J

Jala Netiजल नेति: Nasal rinsing with warm saline using a small pot. A daily Ayurvedic-yogic practice for clearing the sinuses and calming the head.

K

Kaphaकफ: The dosha of Earth and Water. The keeper of structure, lubrication, and steadiness. In balance: calm and grounded. Out of balance: heavy, congested, slow.
Karmaकर्म: Action — and the seeds an action plants. In Ayurveda often used to describe the action of a herb (e.g. its cooling or warming karma).
Kitchariखिचड़ी: The most healing food in Ayurveda — a soft porridge of split mung dal and rice, gently spiced. Easy on Agni and suitable for all doshas.

M

Manasमनस्: The mind — specifically the faculty that receives sense impressions and weaves them into thought. Distinct from Buddhi (intellect).
Marmaमर्म: A vital point on the body — a junction of bone, muscle, vessel, and prana. Ayurvedic massage and yoga both work with the 107 marmas.
Mitaharaमिताहार: Moderate eating — the practice of leaving the stomach one-quarter empty, eating with awareness, and stopping before fullness.

N

Nadiनाडी: A subtle channel through which prana flows. Three are principal — Ida (lunar), Pingala (solar), and Sushumna (central). Also the term for the pulse.
Nasyaनस्य: Medicated oil drops in the nose. A daily practice for clearing the head, sharpening the senses, and pacifying Vata in the upper body.
Neemनिम्ब: The 'village pharmacy tree' — bitter, cooling, and antibacterial. Used for skin, scalp, oral care, and as the wood of choice for daily combs.

O

Ojasओजस्: The subtle essence of vitality — the fine product of well-digested food and a balanced life. The Ayurvedic measure of immunity and radiance.

P

Pancha Mahabhutaपञ्च महाभूत: The five great elements — Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth. Every substance and every Dosha is a particular combination of them.
Panchakarmaपञ्चकर्म: The five cleansing therapies of Ayurveda — Vamana, Virechana, Basti, Nasya, Raktamokshana. Used to clear deep-seated imbalance.
Pittaपित्त: The dosha of Fire and Water. Transforms food, thought, and experience into clarity. In balance: focused and warm. Out of balance: irritable, inflamed.
Prakritiप्रकृति: Your innate constitution — the unique Dosha balance you were born with. Knowing it is the start of an Ayurvedic life.
Pranaप्राण: The life-force that animates the body. Carried on the breath but not identical with it — Ayurveda also speaks of prana in food, water, and sunlight.
Pranayamaप्राणायाम: Breath as practice — conscious regulation of the breath to steady the mind and balance the doshas.

R

Rasaरस: Taste — and the essence of an experience. Ayurveda recognises six rasas: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. A balanced meal contains all six.
Rituऋतु: Season. Ayurveda recognises six ritus in the year, each with its own qualities and recommended foods, herbs, and routines.
Ritucharyaऋतुचर्या: Seasonal regimen — the practice of adjusting diet, sleep, herbs, and exercise as the year turns. The companion of dinacharya.

S

Sandhiसन्धि: A junction — between two bones, two seasons, or two times of day. Sandhis are vulnerable moments where small care prevents large imbalance.
Sattvaसत्त्व: One of the three gunas — the quality of clarity, light, and harmony. The aim of Ayurvedic living is to cultivate sattva in food, action, and mind.
Shatavariशतावरी: The 'hundred husbands' herb — a cooling, nourishing root deeply restorative for the female reproductive system and for Pitta in general.
Snehanaस्नेहन: Oleation — the application or ingestion of oil (often ghee or sesame) to soften and lubricate the tissues. Always paired with Swedana in cleansing.
Srotasस्रोतस्: The channels of the body — through which nutrients, waste, prana, and consciousness flow. Sixteen are recognised; their flow or blockage shapes health.
Sushruta Samhitaसुश्रुत संहिता: The second foundational Ayurvedic text (circa 600 BCE). Focuses on surgery, anatomy, and the description of marmas. Sushruta is often called the father of surgery.
Swedanaस्वेदन: Therapeutic sweating — herbal steam to open the channels, mobilise toxins, and prepare the body for cleansing. Follows Snehana.

T

Tamra Jalताम्र जल: Water that has rested overnight in a copper vessel — said in Ayurveda to balance all three doshas and to be naturally antimicrobial.
Tejasतेजस्: The subtle essence of fire — the inner radiance that powers digestion, intellect, and discernment. The Pitta counterpart of ojas and prana.
Triphalaत्रिफला: The 'three fruits' — Amalaki, Bibhitaki, and Haritaki. A foundational Ayurvedic formula for gentle daily cleansing of the digestive tract.
Tulsiतुलसी: Holy basil — sacred to Vishnu, planted in courtyards across India. An adaptogen for stress, the lungs, and clarity of mind.

V

Vataवात: The dosha of Air and Space. Governs all movement — thought, pulse, breath. In balance: creative and light. Out of balance: anxious and scattered.
Vikritiविकृति: Your current imbalance — how you are deviating, today, from your innate Prakriti. The thing daily practice gently corrects.
Viryaवीर्य: The potency of a substance — its essential heating or cooling action on the body, beyond its taste or post-digestive effect.

Y

Yogaयोग: Union — of body and breath, of self and Self. Ayurveda's sister science: where Ayurveda tends to the body, yoga tends to the consciousness within it.