According to Ayurveda, all matter is thought to he composed of five basic elements known as the Panchamahabhuthas -

Earth (Prithvi),

Water (Jala),

Fire (Tejas),

Wind (Vayu) and

Space (Akasha).

            These elements interact and exists in combination, in which one or more elements dominate. The human body is composed of derivatives of these five basic elements, in the form of doshas, tissues (dhatus) and waste products (malas).

             The Panchmahabhutas therefore serve as the foundation of all diagnosis and treatment modalities in Ayurveda.

         Ayurveda advocates that the primary and essential factors of the human body that govern our entire physical structure and function, is a combination of any two of the five bhutas with the predominance of one. This is the most fundamental and characteristic principle of Ayurveda and is called "Tridosha" or the Three Humours. They are categorized into Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

  Vata governs movement,

  Pitta is concerned with functions of heat, metabolism, and energy production and

  Kapha, governs physical structure and fluid balance.

                                     Thus in Ayurveda, disease is viewed as a state of imbalance in one or more of these doshas, and the treatments aims to establish the balance in these three fundamental qualities.