Ayurveda aims at making the body strong rather than killing the microorganisms with antimicrobials. If the immunity of the body is good, it becomes difficult for organisms to attack and affect the human system. This can be well understood by the concept of seed and soil. Ayurveda makes the soil so fertile that fruitful and healthy plants out of a good seed grows and in healthy plant diseases refuse to occur.

Doshas are the functional entities with designated functions. They are also said to be subtle energies. These Doshas are three in number viz., Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Doshas are also called as Humors, which govern or control the functioning of the body. These are commonly called as Trigunas in health and Tridoshas in disease. These perform various important functions in a healthy human body so that processes like movements, digestion and holding the tissues together goes on. These three Doshas (Humors) remaining in perfect equilibrium maintain good health. A disturbance in their equilibrium amounts to diseases.

Ayurveda has described the structural components of our body as Dhatus. Seven Dhatus have been described and are popularly known as Saptadhatus. They are the Rasa (plasma/lymph), Rakta (Blood), Mamsa (Muscular Tissue), Meda (fats), Asthi (Bones), Majja (Bone marrow) and Shukra (i.e. sperm / reproductive facilitating tissue). These seven components maintain the posture, strength, and shape of the body and therefore they are rightly called Dhatus meaning - the components responsible for maintenance.

The last components which the body is made up of is the Malas or the excretory contents of our body. They are primarily three - Purisha (i.e. stools), Mutra (i.e. urine) and Sweda (i.e. Sweat). Although these are waste products still they are responsible to maintain health if they are retained and thrown out in time and in the quantity in which they are normally expected to. Increase or decrease in their quantity or if they are not retained and are thrown out very fast in huge quantities becomes a manifestation for several illnesses.

Along with Doshas, Dhatus and Malas, Sattva(Mind) is also an integral part of ones personality. Its role in health as well as disease is no longer a matter of controversy. It is also termed as Mann which means Mind or Psyche. This component is responsible for the thought, perception, knowledge, consciousness, likes or dislikes of human beings. Sattva has been divided into three types according to three specific characteristics viz. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. We always observe tremendous diversity of thoughts, behavior and attitude of people living in similar conditions. This is all decided by the state of Mind or Sattva

As there are three forms of matter like solids, liquids and gas, in the same manner Ayurveda has also postulated that a human body and every single part of his/her body is made up of five basic components called as Panchamahabhootas. Doshas, Dhatus, Malas and every other thing is made up of these five basic elements. These five basic components are Space (Akaash), Biological Air (Vayu), Biological Fire (Tejas), Biological Water (Jala) and Biological Earth (Prithvi). Akaash component makes up for the space that the body or its part constitute, Vayu is responsible for various movements, Teja is responsible for transformation and Prithvi is responsible for giving shape and Jala component is responsible for holding / binding various tissues together. Ayurveda further goes on to say that each and every component in this universe is made up of these five basic elements and therefore there is nothing is this universe which cannot be used as medicine.