Ayurveda or Ayurvedic Medicine is an ancient system of health and wellness practices emerging from India and is practiced worldwide today.  Ayurveda is a mind, body and spiritual healing art which relates to life and knowledge and has been passed down through the ages.  Ayurveda had a major influence on the practice of Chinese and Tibetan Medicine.  According to the National Institutes of Health’s group known as The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) which is the Federal Government's lead agency for scientific research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), Ayurveda is considered a type of CAM and a whole medical system.  NCCAM states… As with other such systems, Ayurveda is based on theories of health and illness and on ways to prevent, manage, or treat health problems. Ayurveda aims to integrate and balance the body, mind, and spirit (thus, some view it as "holistic"). This balance is believed to lead to contentment and health, and to help prevent illness. However, Ayurveda also proposes treatments for specific health problems, whether they are physical or mental. A chief aim of Ayurvedic practices is to cleanse the body of substances that can cause disease, and this is believed to help reestablish harmony and balance.