[A brief introduction of Ayurvedic medical classics]

Ayurveda can be traced back to 3000BC. It is the principal part of traditional medicine in India and other South Asian countries. It was divided into four historical periods according to the academic circle in India, ie. the Vedic period, the Samhita period, the Sangraha period and the modern period. The literature in the Vedic period mainly included Vedic Samhitas Brahmanas, Ramayana, Mahabharata. In the Samhita period, the "BrihatTrayee", namely, Caraka Samhita, Susruta Samhita and Astanga Hrdaya Samhita were published, indicating that Ayurveda had developed into a full-fledged medical system. In the Sangraha period, the "Laghu Trayee", namely, Madhava Nidana, Sarangadhara Samhita and Bhava Prakasa were published. At this time, a large number of annotated texts for these medical books emerged, which kept driving Ayurveda improvements. Since the modern period, Ayurvedic classical works were rearranged, edited and translated into different languages as cultural heritage, drawing attention worldwide. While the research to these works has been conducted widely in China, they are still short of systematic and professional translation and in-depth studies. This paper attempts to introduce the literature related to Ayurveda systematically, to pave the way for further research of Ayurvedic literature in the field of traditional Chinese medicine.