Aging is a dreaded prospect for the youth. It takes away the agility and strength of the youth. The vigor and vitality of truth gives way to thoughts of niggles disease and death.

Ayurveda the Ancient Indian system of medicine was among the first one to have a compact geriatric care design called Rasayana. But the concept of Rasayana is not just to treat the diseases of the aged, but to postpone the signs of aging for maximum possible years. In other words, it is a rejuvenator therapy for your deteriorating cells. The term Rasayana does not only refer to a drug or a therapy, but to a comprehensive discipline which may of course include a therapy.

Susruta, considered the father of Surgery defines Rasayana as a measure which prolongs longevity, develops positive health and improves mental faculties and provides resistance and immunity against diseases.

Aging affects your body in different ways – the most obvious ones are changes in skin tone leading to wrinkles, creaking joints leading to arthritis, reducing visual ability caused by presbyopia or cataract, reduced hearing loss, reduced mental faculties made obvious by diseases, such as dementia or in more serious cases Alzheimer’s disease among some. These faculty loss is accentuated by the various life style disorders of today such as Diabetes Melitus, heart disorders, respiratory disorders and various cancers.

Ayurveda looks into all these factors when selecting the mode and medicine for Rasayana. Hence we have Rasayanas which can be started at the end of the age of forties called as Kamya Rasayana used in healthy persons of maintenance and promotion of positive health. Rasayana therapy in the management of specific diseases and conditions of aging are known as Naimittika Rasayanas.

Medicines like Triphala (A combination of fruit pulps of Indian Gooseberry, Chebula Fruit and Bellerica fruit) which can be used to prevent the occurrence of cataract, found to improve the functioning of pancreas thereby, resisting onset as well as damaging effects of diabetes and also found to prevent cancer causing free radicals.

Similarly there are medhya rasayanas (Memory preserving drugs). Examples include plants like Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) or Gotukola (Centella asiatica) currently touted for their neuro-protective effects. There are also among Rasayana drugs such as Aswagandha or Indian Ginseng which has proven effects on protecting bone collagen and hence joints.

Apart from the drug or lifestyle modification therapy Rasayana also involves a rigorous form of rejuvenation therapy known as Kuti-Praveshika Rasayana. It is an intensive indoor therapy in which the patient is kept in a specially prepared three layer room without direct ventilation or lighting. The patient enters the Kuti or the room after undergoing a cleansing of the body system using extensive therapies called Panchakarma. In the room he has to follow a strict regimen and medicinal food for at least one month. It has the ability to drastically affect the process of aging and make you rejuvenated like magic.

Rasayana isn't just a medical care with drugs, however, it's a specialized procedure practiced with a variety of rejuvenating recipes, dietary program, and special health promoting activities. There are scientific evidences that prove the efficacious role of Rasayana remedies in the management of chronic lifestyle related diseases and degenerative changes. It has been reported that the 'Rasayanas' are rejuvenating, nutritional supplements, holds strong antioxidant activity and antagonistic actions on the oxidative  stressors.

Rasayana is the preventive therapy described in Ayurveda, which is helpful to maintain health, delay the process of aging and improves the immune system to fight against infectious diseases. Rasayana is incredibly useful to maintain and preserve healthy body and mind in today's environmental condition and lifestyle.