For over two and a half millennia Ayurveda was the mainstream healthcare programme in the Indian subcontinent. However, what was once seen as indispensable, is now often officially described as 'alternative medicine'. Moreover, there seems to be a lack of proper understanding of the specific culture from which Ayurveda emerged. This is because existing works on the subject have mostly been mere compilations of Ayurvedic practices and focused on classical texts.