As the Covid pandemic squeezes the globe, we learn that diseases have existed since the dawn of time. This is demonstrated even by an ancient myth about Dhanvantari, a manifestation of the god Vishnu who emerged from the kshir-sagara, the ocean of milk, carrying a vessel containing amrita, the divine beverage of immortality. According to mythology, Dhanvantari was the first doctor to practice medicine on earth and the physician of the gods. Although this myth is post-Vedic, knowledge of illnesses and their treatments dates back to the Vedas and even before.

People suffered from illnesses and wounds even in the Paleolithic Age, thus efforts must have been taken to treat them and speed up their recovery. We don't know what these earliest attempts looked like, but by the Bronze Age, ancient Egypt, Iran, India, Mesopotamia, and other parts of the ancient globe had developed medical practices and treatment systems that included surgery, the use of herbs, and spiritual practices.

Some Harappan seals and artifacts from the Harappan civilization, which flourished in India and Pakistan between 2600 and 1900 BCE, have been interpreted medically. Kenneth G. Zysk, an Indologist from the University of Copenhagen, has made the improbable claims that the Great Bath at Mohenjo-Daro may have been used for hydrotherapy and that the elaborate drainage systems in Harappan cities indicated "a concern for public health and cleanliness." On the other side, David Clark connects the Harappan drainage system with the development of water-borne diseases that led to the collapse of civilization in his book Germs, Genes, and Civilization.

Ailments and their treatment are discussed in the Atharva Veda and later Vedic Samhitas, particularly the Rig Veda. The Atharva Veda most likely dates to around 1000 BCE, whereas the Rig Veda can be dated to 1500 BCE or earlier. The Vedic literature refers to a treatment or medication as bheshaja; treatments included plants, water, and spells. From the time of the Rig Veda, a bhishaj or doctor is frequently mentioned.

The Ashvins, Varuna, and Rudra are referred to as bhishaj among the Vedic gods. One hymn in the Rig Veda (10.97) alludes to a doctor with his herbal remedies and therapeutic abilities. The two riders known as the Ashvins, who could cure the blind and the lame, bring back youth, and even replace a leg with a metal one, are described in the same source as the best healers. These miracle treatments might have been made up or based on myths and traditions from long ago. The Atharva Veda does not mention them when it discusses various ways to treat illness and disease. But by the time of the Rig Veda, the practice of medicine appears to have become a profession.

Among the Vedic gods, the Ashvins, Varuna, and Rudra are referred to be bhishaj. One hymn in the Rig Veda (10.97) refers to a physician with his herbal cures and healing skills. The best healers are said to be the two riders known as the Ashvins, who could restore youth, heal the blind and the lame, and even replace a leg with a metal one. These "wonder cures" may have been made up or based on old traditions and mythology. When the Atharva Veda covers numerous methods of treating illness and disease, they are not mentioned. However, it appears that the practice of medicine had evolved into a profession by the time of the Rig Veda.

Apart from this, however, the Vedic Samhitas, particularly the Atharva Veda, genuinely detail a great number of ailments; a few of these are given here.

Yakshma is a catch-all term for "sickness." Yakshma is a term for consumption in later writings, but it is not used in the Vedic Samhitas in that form. Yakshma, which causes discomfort, fever, and debility, has been observed in both adults and children as well as cattle.