‘Blood Circulation’ in Ayurveda Literature
Kishor Patwardhan
Professor, Department of Kriya Sharir, Faculty of Ayurveda, Institute of Medical
Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

Blood Circulation

Who? When? Proposed what ?
Egyptian Physicians
in Medical Papyrus
1500 BC Arterial pulse, its character and force
in understanding health
Hippocrates 460 BC –
370 BC
A clear description of the ventricles,
the vessels (recognizing the difference
between arteries and veins), and the
semi-lunar valves is found in his
writings. He also does recognize the
property of the valves that allow for
only uni-directional flow.
Recognized contributions: Blood Circulation

Who? When? Proposed what
?
What was the error?
Aristotle 384 BC –
322 BC
Described that
the heart was
central,
mobile, and
well supplied
with structures
which served
to
communicate
between it and
the rest of the
body.
The heart had three
chambers, and there were two
significant vessels connected
to it: the vena cava and the
aorta.
The right chamber had the
hottest blood and the most
abundant blood; the left
chamber had the coldest
blood and the least abundant.
The middle chamber had the
purest and thinnest blood in
the body and a medium

Who? When? Proposed what ? What was the error?
Erasistratus 304 BC -
250 BC
Air, attracted by the
Lungs, passed into the
pulmonary veins, from
there into the left
ventricle, and from
the left ventricle it
passed into the
arteries, which
distributed it to all
parts of the body.
He proposed the existence
of two systems: One that
carried air (arterial or air
system), and the other
that contained blood
(venous or sanguiferous
system).

Who? When? Proposed
what ?
What was the error?
Claudius
Galen
129 AD
-217
AD
Arteries
contain
blood, not
air.
The ‘Chyle’ was carried by veins into the
Liver, and there it was converted into Blood.
Liver added ‘Natural Spirit’ to the blood. The
veins that originated in the liver, carried
blood to all peripheral parts of the body. The
‘Vital spirit’, ‘Pneuma’, was derived through
the act of respiration and was mixed with
the blood in the left ventricle, and a portion
passed through the septal pores into the
venous blood of the right ventricle. Inter-
ventricular septum was perforated.

Who? When? Proposed what ? What was the error?
Ibn al-Nafis 1213 -
1288
Stated that the inter-ventricular
septum was not porous and
proposed the existence of
pulmonary circulation.
Did not know about
the greater
circulation.
Leonardo
da Vinci
1452-1518 He established through
experiments that air doesn’t
enter heart from lungs. He also
proved conclusively that the
valves allowed the blood to pass
in only one direction, and
prevented its regurgitation.
Believed that the
inter-ventricular
septum allowed the
passage of contents
between the two
ventricles.
Andreas
Vesalius
1514 –
1564
Inter-ventricular septum is not
perforated
Maintained that veins
carried blood towards
periphery.

Who? When? Proposed what ? What was the error?
Michael
Servetus
1553 Described pulmonary
circulation
Did not know about the
greater circulation
Realdus
Columbus
1515 –
1559
Independently discovered
the pulmonary circulation.
He also discovered that the
heart’s four valves
permitted flow of blood in
only one direction.
Believed that the veins
originated in the liver
and convey blood to
periphery.
Andreas
Caesalpinus
1593 Described the passage of
the blood from the right
heart through the lungs to
the left heart, and used
the term ‘Circulation’ for
this process.
Believed that the inter-
ventricular septum was
perforated.

Who? When? Proposed what ? What was the
error?
Fabricius
d’Acquapendente
1574 Discovered the valves in
the veins and noticed
that these valves
opposed the movement
of the blood from the
heart.
Knew nothing about
the circulation.
William Harvey 1628 Explained the complete
process of circulation
Though he proposed
the existence of
capillaries, he could
not establish the
presence as he did
not have access to
microscope.

Who? When? Proposed what ? What was the
error?
Marcello
Malpighi
1661 Established the presence of
capillaries with the help of
microscope. He hypothesised
that capillaries were the
connections between arteries
and veins that allowed blood to
flow back to the heart, thus
completing the gap in the
knowledge of circulation.
-

No Ayurveda literature listed!
 Chyle – Rasa
 Blood – Rakta
 Prana- Breath
 Vata-Pitta-Kapha : Wind-Bile-Phlegm
Inaccurate translations:

 रसवहानाां स्रोतसाां हृदयां मूलां दश च धमन्यः ॥ (चरक सांहहता,
ववमान स्थान, ५/७)
 व्यानेन रसधातुहहि ववक्षेपोचचतकमिणा ।
युगपत् सवितोऽजस्रां देहे ववक्षक्षप्यते सदा ॥ (चरक सांहहता,
चचककत्सास्थान, १५/३६)
 ककां वा रसतीतत रसो द्रवधातुरुच्यते, तेन रुचधरादीनामवप द्रवाणाां
ग्रहणां भवतत ।
(चक्रपाणण on चरक सांहहता, चचककत्सास्थान,१५/३६)

 सन्तत्या भोज्यधातूनाां पररवृविस्तु चक्रवत् ।
(चरक सांहहता, चचककत्सास्थान, १५/२१)
 ध्मानाद्धमन्यः स्रवणात् स्रोताांसस सरणात्त्सराः । (चरक
सांहहता, सूत्रस्थान, ३०/१२)
 तद्ववशुद्धां हह रुचधरां बलवणिसुखायुषा ।
युनत्तत प्राणणनां प्राणः शोणणतां ह्यनुवतिते । (चरक सांहहता,
सूत्रस्थान, २४/४)

 हृदो रसो तनःसरतत तस्मादेवां च सविशः ।
ससरासभहृिदयां वैतत तस्मात्त्त्पत्प्रभवाः ससराः ॥ (भेल सांहहता,
सूत्रस्थान, २०/३)
 स (रसः) श्ब्दाचचिजिलसन्तानवदणुना ववशेषेणानुधावत्येवां शरीरां
के वलम् ॥ (सुश्रुत सांहहता, सूत्रस्थान, १४/१६)

 ....आहारस्य सम्यतपररणतस्य यस्तेजोभूतः सारः परमसूक्ष्मः स
रसः इत्युच्यते, तस्य हृदयां स्थानां, स
हृदयाच्चतुवविंशततधमनीरनुप्रववश्बयोध्विगादश
दशाधोगासमन्यश्बचतस्रश्बच ततयिगगाः कृ त्स्नां शरीरमहरहस्तपियतत
वधियतत धारयतत यापयतत चादृष्टहेतुके न कमिणा । (सुश्रुत
सांहहता, सूत्रस्थान, १४/३)
 कृ त्स्नदेहचरो व्यानो रससांवहनोद्यतः । (सुश्रुत सांहहता,
तनदानस्थान, १/१७)

 दशमूलससरा हृत्स्थाः सविं सवितो वपुः ।
रसात्मकां वहन्त्योजस्तत्न्नबद्धां हह चेत्ष्टतम् ॥ ( अष्टाङ्ग हृदय,
शारीरस्थान, ३/१८)
 स्थूलमूलाः सुसूक्ष्माग्राः पत्ररेखाप्रतानवत् ।
सभद्यन्ते तास्ततः सप्तशतान्यासाां भवत्न्त तु ॥ (अष्टाङ्ग हृदय,
शारीरस्थान, ३/१८-१९)
 रसस्तु हृदयां यातत समानमारुतेररतः । (शाङ्िगधर सांहहता, पूविखण्ड,
६/९)

 करस्याङ्गुष्ठमूले या धमनी जीवसाक्षक्षणी ।
तच्चेष्टया सुखां दुःखां ज्ञेयां कायस्य पत्ण्डतैः ॥ (शाङ्िगधर
सांहहता, पूविखण्ड, ३/१)

Thanks!