Drug and its action according to Ayurveda

Abstract

Animate objects evolved out of inanimate objects and owe their very existence to a constant and continuous exchange of matter and energy out of the physical environment consisting of inanimate objects like oxygen, nitrogen, carbondioxide in air, hydrogen in water and minerals in the earth. The role of carbondioxide cycle and nitrogen cycle may be recalled in this respect. Air, water, earth and things produced out of them like various inorganic salts such as nitrates, phosphates, etc., light, and heat - all these contribute to the emergence, growth and sustenance of life that vibrates in the animate objects. These things of nature by themselves are not enough, as without some sort of ability or capacity of enduring nature to turn them to its benefit, phenomenon of life would not perhaps have been possible. This is obvious from the fact that a dead body does not demonstrate any sign of life, despite the perennial and plentiful presence of all these things in and around it. At the outset, life appeared in the simple unicellular form, and gradually evolved into multicellular forms of varying degrees of complexity. Whatever be its form, presence of life is evident from some of its basic activities commonly noticed in all its forms. Growth and reproduction of its kind are two common basic activities of life.