ABSTRACT
Ayurveda attached the highest importance to food and drinks in the maintenance of good health and in the genesis and treatment of diseases. In regard to food and drinks, the students would learn all about eatables derived from vegetable and animal sources, their grouping in terms of physical properties such as heavy/light into 20 categories and their effects which may be wholesome or unwholesome. Physicians aspired to be appointed as royal physicians have a tent next to the King’s and ensure the safety of the raw and cooked food served to the King in his meals. As food and drinks cover a wide range of products of vegetables, animal, and mineral origin it is necessary to classify them for easier understanding. The time for harvesting grains, characterization of birds, animals and fish, caution on pollution, and many other details in the classification highlight the importance attached to food and drinks in Ayurveda.
