The extant text has eight '''' (books), totalling 120 chapters. The text includes a table of contents embedded in its verses, stating the names and describing the nature of the eight books, followed by a listing of the 120 chapters. These eight books are •
Sutra Sthana (General principles) – 30 chapters deal with general principles, philosophy, definitions, prevention through healthy living, and the goals of the text. It is divided into quadruplets of 7, making it 28 with 2 concluding chapters. •
Nidana Sthana (
Pathology) – 8 chapters on causes of diseases. •
Vimana Sthana (Specific determination) 8 chapters contain training of a physician, ethics of medical practice, pathology, diet and nourishment, taste of medicines. •
Śarira Sthana (
Anatomy) – 8 chapters describe embryology & anatomy of a human body (with a section on other living beings). •
Indriya Sthana (Sensory organ based prognosis) – 12 chapters elaborate on diagnosis & prognosis, mostly based on sensory response of the patient. •
Cikitsa Sthana (Therapeutics) – 30 chapters deal with medicines and treatment of diseases. •
Kalpa Sthana (
Pharmaceutics and
toxicology) – 12 chapters describe pharmacy, the preparation and dosage of medicine, signs of their abuse, and dealing with poisons. •
Siddhi Sthana (Success in treatment) – 12 chapters describe signs of cure, hygiene and healthier living. Seventeen chapters of
Cikitsā sthāna and complete
Kalpa sthāna and
Siddhi sthāna were added later by Dṛḍhabala. The text starts with
Sūtra sthāna which deals with fundamentals and basic principles of Ayurveda practice. Unique scientific contributions credited to the include: • a rational approach to the causation and cure of disease • introduction of objective methods of clinical examination
Physician, nurse, patient and medicines The text asserts that there are four important parts to medical practice – the patient, the physician, the nurse and the medicines. All four are essential to recovery and return to health, states the text. The physician provides knowledge and coordinates the treatment. He is who can "explore the dark interior of the body with the lamp of knowledge", according to the text and Valiathan's translation. The patient is responsible for being positive, have the ability to describe how he or she feels, remember and respectfully follow the physician instructions. The text, in chapters 8 and 9 of the Vimana Sthana dedicates numerous verses to discussing the code. It mandates that the physician must seek consent before entering a patient's quarters, must be accompanied by a male member of the family if he is attending a woman or minor, must inform and gain consent from the patient or the guardians if the patient is a minor, must never resort to extortion for his service, never involve himself in any other activities with the patient or patient's family (such as negotiating loans, arranging marriage, buying or selling property), speak with soft words and never use cruel words, only do "what is calculated to do good to the patient", and maintain the patient's privacy. There is no end in the knowledge of medical science, claims verse 3.8.12 of the Charaka Samhita, and the physician must constantly learn and devote himself to it. The text asserts that a physician should discuss his findings and questions with other physicians because "when one discusses with another that is possessed of a knowledge of the same science, such discussion leads to increase of knowledge and happiness". The verses that follow an outline that discussions can be hostile or peaceful, the former are unproductive, the latter useful; even if one faces hostile criticism, one must persuade with gentle words and manner, asserts the text.
Religious ideas The Charaka Samhita, like other ancient Hindu literature, the text presents its knowledge within a traditional framework in which divine figures such as
Indra are described as sources of medical wisdom, reflecting the integration of spiritual and medical knowledge in early Indian thought. Thus, states Glucklich, the text presumes proper goals to include both spiritual and physical health. three
Guṇas (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas) as constituent forces innate in a human body, and others. The text in Charak Samhita is based on philosophical concepts found in Hindu thought, including the idea of
Atman(self), it is immutable and views health as a balance between bodily, mental, and existential factors, and hence thereafter the text defines physical and mental diseases as caused by a lack of correlation and imbalance in body, or mind, or both, because of external factors (Prakriti, objects of senses), age or a want of correlation (appropriate harmony, equilibrium) between the three humors or the three
Gunas. The Sushruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita have religious ideas throughout, states Steven Engler, who then concludes, "Vedic concepts play a central role in shaping the theoretical foundations of the text.". The text integrates empirical observations with philosophical and spiritual concepts, reflecting a holistic approach in which physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of health are interconnected. There is a close relationship between the philosophic presuppositions and the approach to medicine in Caraka Samhita. The Charaka Samhita is notable for its systematic approach to medicine, including detailed discussions on diagnosis, preventive care, ethics, and the importance of individualized treatment.
Nutrition and diet Charaka Samhita dedicates Chapters 5, 6, 25, 26 and 27 to "Aharatattva" (dietetics), stating that a wholesome diet is essential for good health and to prevent diseases, while unwholesome food is an important cause of diseases. {{Blockquote| The tastes are six. They are sweet, sour, saline, pungent, bitter and astringent. Properly used, they nourish the body. Improperly used (excess or deficient), they verily lead to the provocation of the
Dosha. The
Dosha are three:
Vata,
Pitta and
Kapha. When they are in their normal state, they are beneficial to the body. When, however, they become disorganized, verily they afflict the body with diseases of diverse kinds. The text suggests that foods are source of heat, nutritive value as well as physiological substances that act like drugs inside human body. Charaka identifies the three humors in the human body: Vata (linked with motion), Pitta (linked with metabolism), and
Kapha (linked to structure). Imbalances or displacements of these three is the root of all diseases and malfunctions of the human body. Furthermore, along with medicine, Charaka Samhita in Chapters 26 and 27, states that proper nutrition is essential for expedient recovery from sickness or surgery.
Meat for diebetics and medicine The Charaka Samhita suggests a regimen of
Mamsa Rasa (meat soup) during pregnancy from the 6th month onwards. Freshly cut meat is also recommended by the text for treatment of poison: the cut meat is pressed against the affected part or spot of insect or reptile bite to absorb the poison. Ray et al. list medicinal substances from over 150 animal origins that are described in Charaka Samhita, and the chapters these are found in. These range from meat of wild animals such as fox and crocodile, to that of freshly cut fish, fish oil, eggs of birds, bee's wax. Additionally, the text describes hundreds of formulations (gruel) it asserts to be of medicinal value from a mixture of animal products and herb or plant products, as well as inert minerals such as various salts, soots and alkalis.
Ancient pharmacy Numerous chapters in the Charaka Samhita are dedicated to identifying and classifying seeds, roots, flowers, fruits, stems, aromatic leaves, barks of different trees, plants juices, mountain herbs, animal products ranging from their milk to their excretory waste after the animals eat certain diet or grasses, different types of honey, stones, salts and others. The text also describes numerous recipes, detailing how a particular formulation should be prepared. A typical recipe appears in the Chikitsa Sthana book of the Charaka Samhita as follows: {{Blockquote|
Anu Taila recipe Take a measure of sesame seeds. Macerate them in goat's milk. Then pound them in goat's milk. Place the pounded product on a piece of clean cloth. Place the product and cloth over a vessel filled with goat's milk. Apply mild heat to the vessel. Let vapors from heated milk slightly boil the sesame paste. Mix the boiled paste with pulverized liquorice, adding an equal measure of goat's milk. Press the oil out of the mixed product. Add this oil to the (standard) decoction of ten roots in the ratio of one to four. To this oil mix, add paste of
Rasna,
Madhuka and
Saindhava salt in the ratio of four to one. Boil all these together. Filter. Extract and collect the oil. Repeat the root-paste-salt-oil combining and boiling process ten times. The resulting oil is called
Anu-taila. The text, thereafter, asserts that this
Anu-taila is to be used as a rubbing oil and as a nasal drop for a certain class of ailments. Glucklich mentions other medical texts from ancient India which include the use of Anu-taila in skin therapy.
Sexual health The Charaka Samhita discusses sexual diseases as well as its theory of treatment of sexual dysfunctions and virility (
Vajikarana). The text emphasizes methods of body cleansing, sexual health-promoting conduct, behavior and diet. Certain herb and mineral combinations are part of its regimen. The text asserts that obesity and a lifestyle lacking exercise is linked to sexual dysfunctions (Kṛcchra Vyavāya), dedicating many verses to this. The text, states Arnold, contains many verses relating to women's sexual health, suggesting "great antiquity of certain methods and therapeutic agents used in the treatment of gynecological cases", for example, the cautery, pessaries, and astringent washes.
Medical education Chapter VIII of the Charaka Samhita's Vimana Sthana book includes a section for the student aiming to become a physician. When the teacher accepts a student as his apprentice, asserts the Charaka Samhita, he should in the
presence of fire initiate the student with the following mandates during the period of apprenticeship – "thou shalt be a
brahmacharin, wear beard and mustache, thou shalt be always truthful, abstain from meat and unclean diet, never harbor envy, never bear weapons, thou shalt do anything I say except if that may lead to another person's death or to great harm or to a sin, thou shalt behave like my son, never be impatient, always be attentive, behave with humility, act after reflection, and always seek whether sitting or standing the good of all living creatures". ==Commentaries==