Ayurved is an ancient Vedic system of healing with a recorded history of 5000 years. Vedic texts suggest that this science was revealed by the Creator himself when the first human beings were created. The word Ayurveda is derived from two Sanskrit roots: ayu’ah, or life, and Ved, or science. Ayurveda thus translated from Sanskit means 'the science of life.' Thousands of years before the arrival of the modern systems of medicine, Ayurveda had been the only means of healing on the Indian subcontinent. With the arrival of modern systems of medical practices over the past century, Ayurveda has withstood the test of time due to its definite advantages. The basic principle of Ayurved relates to the three vital elements in the human body: Vata, or the wind element, Kapha, or the water element, and Pitta, or the fire element. Ayurvedic medicine maintains that all ailments of the human body arise from an imbalance in the proportion of these three vital elements. Ayurved also uses the knowledge and wisdom attained from yoga and astrology for diagnosis and cure, as these three sciences share a lot of common ground and purpose. Treatment is usually based upon medicines extracted from natural herbs and medicinal plants. All herbal medicine used in Ayurvedic healing has virtually no side effects, and the cure is permanent, gentle, and quick. There is a misconception that Ayurved is meant for curing only simple ailments, when in fact it is very potent in curing serious disorders. Ayurvedic medicine does not use surgery for treatment of even complicated diseases, and healing is brought about through the use of natural medicines, yoga, regulation of diet, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Ayurvedic healing is the epitomy of the old adage 'Prevention is better than cure,' as it is directed toward implementing solutions on how to avoid ailments from plaguing the body.