“Balanced energies, balanced state of fire, balanced tissues, and excretions, peace of soul, senses and mind this is called health.” – Susruta Samhita / sutra sthana xv 33

The health definition in Ayurveda, given few thousand years ago, includes all the modern medical knowledge adding the importance of the psychological and spiritual wellbeing.

Sama in sanskrit means balance which is different for each person according to their genes, and it is not simply a number like the value of blood glucose or cholesterol.

The energies are three, kinetic energy or vata, metabolic energy or pitta and homeostatic energy or kapha. Fires are all the enzymes, the hormones, neurotransmitters and in general all the substances that participate in the metabolism.

The tissues are 7 – rasa (plasma), rakta (blood), mamsa (muscles), medas (fat), asthi (bones), majja (bone marrow) and sukra (sperm / ovum)

Excretions are sweat, urine, menstrual fluids etc.

Peace of soul, senses and mind is the deeper state of psychological and spiritual balance in the human being.

All these constitute health.