Ayurvedic treatment lies in restoring the balance of the disturbed humors (doshas) through regulating diet and correcting life routine and behavior along with the administration of drugs. The preventive nondrug therapies known as panchakarma (five processes) and rasayana (rejuvenation) therapy are done for treating various diseases. Before starting the treatment, many factors such as the status of tissue and end products, environment, vitality, digestion and metabolic power, body constitution, age, psyche, body compatibility and type of food consumed are taken into consideration.

The treatments are of different types:

1. Pathya Vyavastha: In this type of treatment, certain indications and contraindications are suggested with respect to diet, activity, habits and emotional status.
2. Nidan Parivarjan: This type of treatment emphasizes on avoiding known causes or situations leading to the disease or disease aggravation.
3. Satvajaya: This type of treatment emphasizes on restraining the mind from the desires for unwholesome objects.
4. Rasayana: The therapy deals with the promotion of strength and vitality. Examples are antistress and rejuvenation drugs and adaptogens including immunomodulators.
5. Shodhana therapy: This therapy provides purificatory effect through which therapeutic benefits can be derived. This type of treatment is considered useful in neurological and musculoskeletal disorders, certain vascular or neurovascular status, respiratory diseases, and metabolic and degenerative disorders.
6. Shamana therapy: This therapy involves restoring normalcy in the vitiated doshas (humors). This is achieved without causing imbalance in other doshas. In this treatment, use of appetizers, digestives, exercise and exposure to sun and fresh air are employed.
7. Dipan and Pachan therapy: Dipan (digestion) and pachan (assimilation) enhancing drugs are considered good for pacifying the vitiated doshas. This therapy is supposed to dissolve the vitiated and accumulated doshas by improving the digestive power and restoring the deranged metabolic process. In severe conditions, this therapy has to be supplemented with purificatory processes such as panchakarma.
8. Panchakarma therapy: In this therapy, initially the accumulated vitiated dosha is liquefied by resorting to external and internal oleation of the patient followed by sudation (Swedhana) and elimination of the vitiated dosha through emesis (Vamana) or purgation (Virechana), Basti (enema—evacuating type) and Nasya (nasal insufflations).