The ancient medicine of India (ayurveda) is a broadly conceptualized anthropology embracing the whole human being without the Western body/soul dualism. A symptomatology based on careful observation leads, in conjunction with etiology, pathogenesis and pathology, with constitutional and personality features, to a differentiated nosology. This broad concept is matched by multidimensional therapy embracing pharmacologic, surgical, psychotherapeutic and "paramedical" measures. Ayurveda ("life knowledge") is a combination of religious, philosophical, anthropological, medical and psychological concepts. It is impressive how accurate the knowledge and description of psychiatric diseases already was 2,500 years ago, and how little these phenomena have changed with time. The therapeutic armamentarium (paramedical, psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic) of ayurveda psychiatry has not yet been sufficiently studied by scientific methods.