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Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a form of alternative medicine in use primarily in the Indian subcontinent. The word "Ayurveda" is a compound of ayus "life" and veda "knowledge", and would roughly translate as the "Science of Life". Ayurveda deals with the measures of healthy living, along with therapeutic measures that relate to physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony. Ayurveda is also one among the few traditional systems of medicine involving surgery. It is very important to note that the mainstream scientific community has produced almost no support for the claims of Ayurvedic practitioners, while they have found strong evidence that using Ayurvedic medicine involves potentially serious risks. Ayurveda was first described by Agnivesha, in his book Agnivesh tantra. The book was later revised by Charaka, and renamed to Charaka Samhita. Another early text of Ayurveda is the Sushruta Samhita, which in addition to the Charaka Samhita, served as the textual material in the ancient Universities of Takshashila and Nalanda.

Ayurveda was practiced during the time of the time of the Buddha (around 520 BC) , and in this period the Ayurvedic practitioners were commonly using Mercuric-sulphur combination based medicines. In this period Mercury and sulphur and other metals were used in conjunction with herbs to prepare the different medications. The knowledge of Ayurveda progressed a lot during this period; and is therefore termed as the Golden Period of Ayurveda. After emerging victorious at the Kalinga War, Emperor Ashoka (304 BC-232 BC) influenced by the Buddhist teachings, banned any bloodshed in his kingdom in 250 BC. Therefore many Ayurveda practitioners, who were practicing surgery along with medicine, left the surgical intervention and adopted totally new medicinal treatments. In this period, Ayurveda flourished with the invention of new drugs, new methodology and new innovations. The practice of the accompanying surgery slowly died out. During the regime of Chandragupta Maurya (375-415 AD), Ayurveda was part of mainstream Indian medical techniques, and continued to be so until the invasion of Alexander, the Mughals and the English. Ayurveda was preserved by the people of India as a traditional "science of life", despite increasing adoption of European and other medical techniques.

In the earlier days of its conception, the system of Ayurvedic medicine was orally transferred via the Gurukul system until a written script came into existence. In this system, the guru gave a solemn address where he directed the students to a life of chastity, honesty, and vegetarianism. The student was to strive with all his being for the health of the sick. He was not to betray patients for his own advantage. He was to dress modestly and avoid strong drink. He was to be collected and self-controlled, measured in speech at all times. He was to constantly improve his knowledge and technical skill. In the home of the patient he was to be courteous and modest, directing all attention to the patient's welfare. He was not to divulge any knowledge about the patient and his family. If the patient was incurable, he was to keep this to himself if it was likely to harm the patient or others. The normal length of the student's training appears to have been seven years. Before graduation, the student was to pass a test. But the physician was to continue to learn through texts, direct observation (pratyaksha), and through inference (anumana). In addition, the vaidyas attended meetings where knowledge was exchanged. The doctors were also enjoined to gain knowledge of unusual remedies from hillsmen, herdsmen, and forest-dwellers.

Ayurveda teaches two main principles: (1) Preservation of health - how to maintain health and what to do to keep the human body healthy and fit to avoid sickeness; (2) Methods, medicine, and tactics for management of diseases and ailments to cure and procure a return to normal health.

Ayurveda believes that various materials of vegetable, animal, and mineral origin have some medicinal value. The medicinal properties of these materials are time tested and have been used for centuries in ayurvedic medicines to cure illness and/or help maintain health. Ayurvedic medicaments are made from herbs or mixtures of herbs, either alone or in combination with minerals, metals and other ingredients of animal origin. The metals, animals and minerals are purified by individual processes before being used for medicinal purposes. Impurified materials are not allowed to be used as medicine. Every writer or compiler of Ayurveda classicals Charaka, Sushruta, Vagabhatta, Bhav Mishra, Shaligram and others has written about the qualities, charecteristics and medicinal uses of the herbs, mineral, metals, chemicals, animal parts, cooked food articles, natural foods, fruits etc. Among them, the best details of the medicinal properties of all the above mentioned categories is considered to be in Bhav Prakash Nighantu, written by Bhav Mishra.

Ayurvedic physicians were traditionally supported by their patients and the communities they worked in, with a minority gaining royal patronage. Under the centralized governmental systems established by the Mughals and subsequent British rule in India, many Ayurvedaic physicians were paid small stipends by the state. But when the British government in India began to establish hospitals and organised state-wide health-care institutions (which lead eventually to the Indian Medical Service), Ayurveda was not included. In the early 20th century, Ayurvedic physicians began to organize into professional associations and to promote their case for national recognition and funding. This began to become a reality after Indian independence in 1947. Today, Kerala is the state in India that promotes research and practices Ayurveda the most.

Today, Ayurveda is gaining lots of interest in the western world. The most commonly practiced Ayurvedic treatments in the west are massage, and dietary and herbal advice, due to the strong regulations surrounding medical practice in Europe and America. Ayurveda classifies patients by body types, or prakriti, which are determined by proportions of the three doshas. Contrary to scientific understanding of germs, viruses and genetic faults, Illness and disease are considered to be a matter of imbalance in the doshas. Treatment is aimed at restoring harmony or balance to the mind-body system.

Ayurveda is gaining prominence as an alternative to western allopathic medicine. However, the traditional methods of teaching Ayurveda, such as undergoing a rigorous study of Sanskrit in Gurukul, are discarded and the education and training of Ayurveda is now taught as an integrated course both with the subjects of modern medical sciences and Ayurvedic sciences. All over India, these integrated courses are taught in five and half years degree course i.e. B.A.M.S. (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) with extra one year internship in hospital for practicals. All the standard medical science subjects are being taught along with Ayurvedic subjects i.e. Maulik Siddhant, Materia Medica, Kayachikitsa etc. in Ayurvedic medical colleges. The Legal status of the Ayurvedic practitioners is the same and equal as of the other medical sciences practitioners.

Research in Ayurveda is under taken by the Government statutory body Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha (CCRAS), which have national network of research institutes. Besides this, a large number of non-government organisations are conducting research work on different aspects of Ayurveda. This research expands diagnostic tools and speeds the innovation of new medicines. Ayurvedaic practitioners have been appointed to Honorary Ayurvedic Physician to the President of India. Every year on the occasion of Dhanvantari jayanti, a prestigious Dhanvantari Award is conferred on famous personality of Medical Sciences including Ayurveda.

In an article published by the Journal of the American Medical Association it was found that 20% of Ayurvedic medicines contained dangerous traces of heavy metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic; similar studies have been done in India. Some practitioners of Ayurveda are of the opinion that "[h]eavy metals are integral to some formulations and have been used for centuries. There is no point of doing trials as they have been used safely and have mention in our ancient texts." However, these metals are known to be toxic and there have been reported cases of poisoning from Ayurvedic medicine - including "kidney and liver damage due to mercury deposition, nerves and abdominal problems due to lead."