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Dominik Wujastyk, The roots of ayurveda: selections from Sanskrit medical writings, New Delhi, Penguin Books (India), 1998, pp. xvi, 389, Rs 250 (0-14-043680-4).
Ayurveda, "the knowledge or science for longevity" of the Hindus, is the most widely practised of the various medical systems that make up "Indian" medicine in India today, and it is now established as part of complementary medicine in the rest of the world. Written in Sanskrit, the cultural language of the Hindus, the oldest surviving texts are tentatively dated 200 BC-AD 200. From the very large number of manuscripts available, Wujastyk has selected passages from six authors, ranging in date from the earliest times to AD 1300, to illustrate a holistic system of a regimen and ethical advice for healthy living, adapted to the individual's constitution, his surroundings and the seasons, combined with the diagnosis and treatment of disease. His book carries a warning that the remedies described are for the purposes of study, and they are not to be put...