• This article traces the historical, philosophical, and practical connections between Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM, to assert that Ayurveda not only predates but has significantly influenced Chinese medical thought and practice.

We had earlier shared Indian Origin of Tibetan Medicine.

In the vast landscape of traditional healing sciences, two of the most enduring systems are Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). While both continue to play vital roles in global healthcare today, Ayurveda, the ancient medical system of India, is often regarded as the foundational science from which many other traditions, including TCM, have drawn knowledge and inspiration.

With textual origins dating back to the second millennium BCE and deeply entrenched in Indian cosmology, Ayurveda laid the groundwork for holistic medicine as we understand it today.

This article traces the historical, philosophical, and practical connections between Ayurveda and TCM, drawing on scholarly evidence to assert that Ayurveda not only predates but has significantly influenced Chinese medical thought and practice.

Historical Primacy of Ayurveda

Ayurveda, translated as "the science of life," is rooted in the Vedas, particularly the Rigveda (c. 1500–1200 BCE), which contains hymns dedicated to the healing powers of herbs and rituals. The Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita, composed between 600 BCE and 200 CE, are the principal Ayurvedic texts that systematized knowledge of internal medicine, surgery, pathology, and pharmacology. These works form one of the earliest comprehensive bodies of medical knowledge in human history (Wujastyk, 2003).

In comparison, TCM’s foundational text, the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon), was compiled during the Warring States period into the Han Dynasty, between the 4th and 2nd centuries BCE (Unschuld, 1985). This places Ayurveda’s classical system several centuries ahead of TCM in terms of documented development.

Philosophical Convergences: Prāṇa and Qi, Tridoṣa and Yin-Yang

At the heart of both systems lies the belief in a vital life force—prāṇa in Ayurveda and qi in TCM. These energies govern the physical and mental processes of the human body and travel through subtle channels—nāḍis in Ayurveda and meridians in TCM. Salguero (2014) notes that early Chinese Buddhist texts, translated from Sanskrit, often equated prāṇa with qi, pointing to direct conceptual overlap.

Furthermore, both systems embrace elemental theories. Ayurveda is based on the pañcha mahābhūta (five great elements): Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether. TCM employs the Five Phases or wǔxíng: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Although the element sets differ, their application in diagnosis and therapy show similarities. The Ayurvedic concept of tridoṣa—vāta, pitta, and kapha—parallels the yin-yang balance and five-phase theory of TCM, where bodily health is a reflection of dynamic balance.

Channels of Knowledge Transmission: Buddhism and the Silk Road

The dissemination of Buddhist philosophy served as a vital conduit for the transfer of Ayurvedic knowledge to East Asia. From the 1st century CE, Buddhist monks translated Sanskrit medical texts into Chinese and Tibetan. Salguero (2009) provides extensive evidence of Ayurvedic ideas being embedded into Chinese Buddhist medical treatises, including concepts of humoral theory, diagnosis, and treatment.

The Silk Road, operational from the 2nd century BCE to the 14th century CE, provided an overland and maritime network for trade and cultural exchange. This route enabled the movement of Ayurvedic herbs, manuscripts, and physicians into Central Asia and China. Archaeological discoveries at Dunhuang and other oasis towns include multilingual medical texts that incorporate Ayurvedic, Chinese, Persian, and Tibetan knowledge. Read SCHOLAR Pilgrims from India to China-Sanskrit on the Silk Route

The Tibetan Bridge: Sowa-Rigpa as a Confluence

The development of Tibetan medicine, known as Sowa-Rigpa, reflects a synthesis of Indian Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, and Greco-Arabic practices. In the 8th century, King Trisong Detsen convened a medical synod at Samye Monastery, inviting healers from India, China, and Central Asia. The result was the formulation of the Four Tantras (rGyud-bZhi), a foundational text of Sowa-Rigpa that integrates tridoṣa theory with Chinese diagnostics and Greek pharmacology (Deshpande, 2001).

Tibetan medicine thus acted as a bridge, transmitting Ayurvedic ideas into East Asian contexts, especially in China’s border regions like Yunnan and Sichuan, where hybrid traditions developed.

Shared Medicinal Plants and Himalayan Herbology

One of the strongest material connections between Ayurveda and TCM lies in their shared use of Himalayan medicinal plants. Stewart (1972) documented how herbs such as Saussurea lappa (Kuth), Nardostachys jatamansi (Jatamansi), Picrorhiza kurroa (Katuki), and Terminalia chebula (Haritaki) were used in both Indian and Chinese medical systems. These plants, sourced from Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Tibet, were traded via the Silk Road and referenced in both Ayurvedic and Chinese pharmacopoeias.

TCM texts describe the arrival of herbal products from the "Western Regions," often denoting India or its sphere of influence. Ingredients like saffron, camphor, clove, and asafoetida were also imported into China, while Ayurvedic texts later included substances like rhubarb and cinnamon, native to Chinese ecosystems.

Converging Diagnostic and Therapeutic Practices

The diagnostic tools of Ayurveda and TCM show remarkable congruence. Pulse diagnosis (nāḍi parīkṣā in Ayurveda and mai zhen in TCM) involves assessing multiple pulse positions and depths to determine systemic imbalances. Tongue examination is another shared diagnostic tool, used to assess internal organ health and metabolic conditions.

Both systems emphasize individualized treatment through polyherbal formulations, categorized by taste, potency, and metabolic effect. Ayurveda’s use of six rasas (tastes) aligns with TCM’s categorization of herbs by five flavors and thermal properties.

Therapies also overlap. Ayurveda employs external techniques like abhyanga (oil massage), svedana (steam), and marma therapy (vital point stimulation). TCM parallels include tui na massage, moxibustion, and acupressure. The marma points of Ayurveda bear resemblance to the acupuncture points of TCM, hinting at either common roots or knowledge transfer.

Scholarly Affirmations of Influence

Historians of medicine affirm Ayurveda’s influence on East Asian systems. Paul Unschuld (1985) acknowledges Indian impact on early Chinese surgery and pharmacology. Vijaya Deshpande (2001) presents strong evidence of Ayurvedic concepts in Tang dynasty medical texts, including ophthalmological procedures like couching for cataracts.

C. Pierce Salguero (2014) emphasizes that the diffusion of Buddhist medicine included Ayurvedic anatomy, pathology, and treatment methods, many of which were adapted and localized in TCM. These scholarly affirmations strengthen the case for Ayurveda’s foundational role in shaping the early medical thought of China.

Honoring a Shared Heritage

Ayurveda's historical primacy, conceptual richness, and extensive documentation firmly establish it as the mother of Asian traditional healing systems. While TCM has developed its unique identity grounded in Daoist and Confucian principles, it bears undeniable marks of Ayurvedic influence, especially during its formative centuries.

Recognizing this shared heritage is not just an academic exercise but a step towards building integrative healthcare frameworks that draw on the best of both traditions. As global interest in holistic medicine rises, understanding the cross-cultural roots of traditional knowledge can pave the way for innovation in natural therapeutics, herbal conservation, and preventive health.

Ayurveda, with its rich philosophical depth and practical sophistication, predates Traditional Chinese Medicine by several centuries. From the hymns of the Rigveda to the surgical doctrines of Sushruta and the internal medicine principles of Charaka, Ayurveda laid the groundwork for a comprehensive system of health and healing.

Its theories of humoral balance, elemental energetics, diagnostic methods, and plant-based medicine not only influenced but directly contributed to the formation of other medical systems across Asia, including TCM.

The historical transmission of knowledge through Buddhist texts, the role of Tibetan medicine as a mediating framework, and the shared use of Himalayan herbs further reinforce Ayurveda’s foundational role. While TCM developed its own distinct identity shaped by Daoist and Confucian principles, its early formulations, diagnostics, and materia medica carry the unmistakable imprint of Ayurveda.

As we move towards a future of integrative and pluralistic healthcare, acknowledging Ayurveda’s primacy and its influence on TCM is essential-not only for academic clarity but also for the respectful continuity of global healing traditions.

Author Dr Chandan is Regional Director, National Medicinal Plants Board.

References

1. Wujastyk, D. (2003). The Roots of Ayurveda: Selections from Classical Indian Medical Texts. Penguin Books.

2. Unschuld, P. U. (1985). Medicine in China: A History of Ideas. University of California Press.

3. Salg7. uero, C. P. (2009). “Toward a Buddhist Ethnomedicine.” Asian Medicine, Brill.

4. Salguero, C. P. (2014). Translating Buddhist Medicine in Medieval China. University of Pennsylvania Press.

5. Deshpande, V. (2001). “Indian Influence on Chinese Medicine.” Asian Journal of Transcultural Health Studies, JSTOR.

6. Stewart, R. R. (1972). Annotated Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of West Pakistan and Kashmir. Rawalpindi.

7. JSTOR, PMC, and Pacific College of Oriental Medicine articles on comparative diagnostics and shared pharmacology.

Author Dr. Arun Chandan is a distinguished Ayurvedic medico-specialist, author, speaker, mentor, and scientific advisor on Ayurvedic Ahar (dietary medicine), based in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. He currently serves as the Regional Director of the RCFC-NR under the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. With over three decades of experience, Dr. Chandan has made pioneering contributions to the conservation and promotion of medicinal plants and holistic health systems. He has mentored numerous startups and young entrepreneurs in Ayurveda, phytomedicine, and herbal product development, empowering youth to build enterprises rooted in traditional knowledge and sustainable practices.

Dr Arun Chandan U Tube channel and Site

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