ABSTRACT
Ayurvedic pharmacy and medicine has a dramatic impact on the development of pharmacy and medicine in Asia similar to the influence that ancient Ayurvedic pharmacy had in the development of Western pharmacy and medicine. Ayurvedic medicine and ancient Greek medicine share much in common and historians continue to speculate about how these two systems have mutually influenced each other. Although still viewed in the West as a form of alternative medicine, Ayurvedic medicine continues to make inroads in the West as people the world over still search for health and well being. Similar to Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese medicine remains timeless and competes with Western medicine. From its outset, with the legendary emperor Shen nung, the Chinese have attached great importance to drug therapy to treat illness and to this day the modern Chinese pharmacy carries a vast array of herbs and drugs that is unrivalled in the world.
