Ayurveda or Ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional Indian medicine, native to the Indian subcontinent. Contemporary practices are derived from Ayurvedic traditions. Ayurveda is a discipline of the upaveda or "auxiliary knowledge" in Vedic tradition.

Ayurveda is a discipline of the upaveda or "auxiliary knowledge" in Vedic tradition. The origins of Ayurveda are also found in the Atharvaveda, which contains 114 hymns and incantations described as magical cures for disease.

There are also various legendary accounts of the origin of Ayurveda, e.g., that it was received by Lord Dhanvantari (or Divodasa) from Brahma Ayurvedic practices include the use of herbal medicines, mineral or metal supplementation (rasa shastra), surgical techniques and application of oil by massages.