Abstract
Ayurveda is an Indian traditional medicine coming down from ancient times. In the past, it was propagated with Buddhism, and had a great influence on the medicine in East Asia. At present, it is getting a lot attention as an alternative medicine. A variety of researches on ayurveda are being done all over the world, but its domestic research situation is still insignificant, especially rare to find any consideration about its origin. Accordingly, this research arranged and considered the contents on the origin of ayurveda that have already been discovered. The origin of ayurveda can be reviewed roughly in three aspects. First, at a mythological viewpoint, it's possible to trace the origin of ayurveda from Brahma which is described as a fount of all sciences and also the Ruler of the Universe. According to "Sushruta Samhita" and "Charaka Samhita", Brahma made 100,000 g$\={a}$th$\={a}$ in 100 chapters, and then reduced them to 8 lessons. Next, tracing documentary origin, ayurveda is known to originate in veda-Aryan's sanctuary, especially Atharva veda. However, practically considered, the present ayurveda can be judged to form from the 3 major classics in the Brahman period- "Charaka Samhita", "Sushruta Samhita", "Ashtanga Sangraha", of which "Charaka Samhita" is the most ancient and prestigious literature. Lastly, a lot of scholars are explaining the ancient Indian civilizations in connection with ayurveda at a historical viewpoint as "a 5-thousand-year-old history", but ayurveda originated in Aryan's sanctuary-veda; thus, it's impracticable to include the Indian medicine before their migration to India in the origin of ayurveda. Accordingly, it is necessary for scholars to do research by distinguishing the ancient Indian medicine before veda from ayurveda.
