Caraka Saṃhitā

The Caraka Saṃhitā is a foundational text of Ayurvedic internal medicine, attributed to the physician Caraka (c. 1st–2nd century CE) and later revised by Dṛḍhabala. It is based on the older Agniveśa Saṃhitā by Agniveśa, which Caraka revised and renamed. It systematically covers diagnosis, pathology, therapeutics, and preventive health through the lens of tridoṣa theory.

Content

The text is organized into eight sections (sthāna) addressing topics from basic principles and anatomical knowledge to pharmacology, formulation, and the ethics of medical practice.

Significance

It remains the primary reference for Ayurvedic physicians, particularly in the northern Indian tradition, and is noted for its integration of philosophical reasoning with clinical observation.

Verification

Text attested in multiple recensions; extensively cited in later Ayurvedic commentaries. Current scholarly consensus places its final compilation in the early centuries CE.

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