Establishing the Scientific Validity of Tridosha part 1: Doshas, Subdoshas and Dosha Prakritis

In traditional Ayurdev, basic concepts such as Tridosa are introduced didactically. Students of Ayurdeva learn to appreciate their practical value through experience; their validity is empirical. In an age where validity of concepts is judged by their scientific relevance, establishing the scientific validity of Tridosha is a program of significance. It requires translating concept and practical application into the idiom of modern biology and medicine. Four different complementary approaches have been proposed to do so: factor analysis of human physiology; systems analysis of organism function; correlation of Dosha and genomic variations - Ayugenomics; and correlation of Dosha and cellular function. Together these four independent approaches present compelling evidence that the family of Dosha based, Ayurveda fundamental concepts - the three Doshas, their fifteen subdoshas, innate Dosha balance in the individual (prakriti), and Dosha imbalances (vikriti) are scientifically valid. This paper concerns the first three. (I) The systems approach shows how Tridosha applies to every living organism from the first cells, and how it is inherited and diversified in the history of life. (2) Ayugenomics confirms Dosha's inheritance. (3) Each Dosha is responsible for regulating an essential aspect of organism function, connected to a recognised definition of life: Vata, Input/Output (homeostasis); Pitta, Turnover (negative entropy production); Kapha, Storage (inheritable structure).