Difference between Ayurveda and Homeopathy

Key difference: Ayurveda uses herbs and minerals to bring and keep a body in balance. It also stresses a need for healthy metabolic system, good digestion, proper excretion, exercise, yoga, and meditation. Whereas, homeopathy follows the "laws of similars" which means that to rid a person of a disease one has to treat the person with drugs that produce the same symptoms as the disease.

Ayurveda and homeopathy are similar in the sense that they both use natural remedies. However, they are various key differences among them. Ayurveda is much older, almost 3,500 years older than the much recent homeopathy. A main difference is that ayruveda believes in preventing a disease while homeopathy believes in curing a disease. Ayurvedic medicine complements the scientific Allopathic medicines, where as homeopathy is against it.

Ayurveda believes that the health of a human body depends on the balance on the three key components, wind, bile and phlegm. It uses herbs and minerals to bring and keep body in balance. It also stresses need for healthy metabolic system, good digestion, proper excretion, exercise, yoga, and meditation.

Homeopathy, on the other hand, believes in the "vitalist" philosophy, that various external and internal causes disturb the "vital force" which negatively affects the health of a person. Homeopathy says that the diseases are already present in the body and that like cures like, i.e. that which can produce a set of symptoms in a healthy individual, can treat a sick individual who is manifesting a similar set of symptoms.

Another difference is that ayurveda, unlike homeopathy, makes use of some surgical procedures like “Kshar sutra” and purification techniques like “Panchkarma” for managing diseases. Additional differences:

	Ayurveda	Homeopathy
Origin	Developed during the Vedic period in India during mid-second millennium BCE.	Developed by Samuel Hahnemann in Germany at the turn of the nineteenth century.
Etymology	Ayur meaning “life” and Veda meaning “knowledge” – Ayurveda means “knowledge of life.”	Homeo meaning “similar” and pathy meaning “science.”
Belief	Prevention of disease	Curing disease
Philosophy	The body is healthy as long as it in balance, when imbalanced it will be unhealthy in various ways. Uses herbs and minerals to bring and keep body in balance. Also, stresses need for healthy metabolic system, good digestion, proper excretion, exercise, yoga, and meditation.	“Like cures like… that which can produce a set of symptoms in a healthy individual, can treat a sick individual who is manifesting a similar set of symptoms." Homeopathic medicine stimulates our immune system to fight disease.
Preparation of Medicine	Uses vegetable drugs, herbs, minerals like sulphur, arsenic, copper, lead, gold and animal products like milk, bones, and gallstones to produce medication.	Uses various plant, animal, synthetic materials, and mineral substances prepared by diluting the substance in alcohol or distilled water and shaken to pass the properties of the substance to the dilution. Final medicine contains only a small percentage of the original ingredients.
Issues of Safety	May incorporate toxic minerals such as lead, mercury and arsenic in small doses.	Contains only water and/or alcohol. In rare cases, has lead to arsenic poisoning and zinc poisoning.
Perception	Has been accepted in many western countries and is being promoted as a herbal alternative to modern medicine.	Is described as a deceptive form of treatment and yet, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 has recognized homeopathic remedies as drugs. Due to this, homeopathy is being integrated in to treatment methods all over the world.