Published by Charaka, a famous physician who lived around the first or second century AD, rewrote Agnivesa’s work and, over time, others also contributed to his new medical compendium, the Charaka Samhita.
The compendium has 120 chapters divided into eight sections: Sutra (pharmacology, diet, and philosophy), Nidana (eight main causes of disease), Vimana (nutrition and pathology), Sarira (anatomy and embryology), Indriya (diagnosis and prognosis), Cikitsa (therapy), Kalpa (pharmacology), and Siddhi (general therapy). Charaka Samhita also discusses the idea of rebirth.
Sushruta is said to have received the knowledge for his compendium, the Sushruta Samhita, direct from the god Dhanvantari, who also received them from Indra. However, historical analysis suggests that the text was in fact a compilation from various authors, including the sage, Nagarjuna. His compendium eventually had six sections: Sutra (the origins of medicine and medical training), Nidana (pathology, prognosis, and surgery), Sarira (embryology and anatomy), Cikitsa (therapy), Kalpa (dealing with poisons), and Uttara (children’s diseases, eye disease, dentistry, and demonic attack!). Two later texts, The Heart of Medicine, or Astangahrdaya, and the Tome on Medicine, or Astangasamgraha, probably compiled by Vagbhata around AD 600, brought all the strands together and first described Ayurveda as a complete system of medicine. These texts were translated into many languages, influencing Tibetan, Chinese, and Arabic medicine, and are still important today.
