Kayachikitsa is the branch of Ayurveda that deals with general medicine. The total treatment procedure is called Kaya Chikitsa (internal medicine), where kaya means ‘body’ and chikitsa means ‘treatment’. The Charaka Samhita is the most important scripture on kayachikitsa. It discussed the basic principles of treatment, various types of therapies and purification or detoxification methods. This natural alternative medicine recognizes that the body of a person is the product of the constant psychosomatic interactions. The imbalances in the three doshas of vata-pitta-kapha occur sometimes by the mind and sometimes by the body’s dhatu (tissues) and mala (toxin deposits). Hence, the kayachikitsa branch of this system of herbal and holistic medicine, delves deep into ascertaining the root cause of the illness. The entire Ayurvedic therapeutics is based on the concept of Agni. The concept of Kaya (Agni) is unique and is responsible for bio- transformation. As it is known that energy can neither be created nor it can be destroyed. In human body Kaya provides the necessary energy for all bodily activities. The energy changes it form from one form to another and our body derives energy from the food we eat and the air we breathe. The biological system transforms this energy to the energy, which is utilized by the cells.
The section of Nidana Sthana of Charaka Samhita deals with etiology, pathogenesis and diagnosis of an illness. Six stages of the development of disease are enumerated as aggravation, accumulation, overflow, relocation, build up in a new site and manifestation into a recognizable disease. In kayachikitsa there is always an opportunity to stop the disease at each stage preventing its full manifestation. One of the significant methods of treatment under kayachikitsa is panchakarma. This is a method of reversing the disease path from its manifestation stage back into to its site of original development through special forms of emesis, purgation and enema etc. Another unique aspect of kayachikitsa is rejuvenation called kaya kalpa. The term kaya kalpa means renewal of body. According to Ayurveda the human body is made of seven types of dhatu or tissues-structures they are as follows: plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, marrow and reproductive fluids. To prolong the youthfulness of the body kayachikitsa applies several physical and mental disciplinary methods with special medicinal preparations, to rebuild the body’s cells and tissues after the initial process of detoxification, through panchakarma. Kaya Chikitsa deals with the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of general diseases like skin disorders, diabetes, tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis and such other disorders.