Currently availably ancient Ayurvedic works are Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, Ashtanga Sangraha and Ashtanga Hridaya. They are compiled between 1500 and 900 years.These works explained in details how to diagnose and treat a patient in its totality.

These books listed  over 7000 herbs, 150 therapeutic techniques, 120 surgical instruments and 300 surgical procedures. Ayurveda in fact introduced plastic surgery roughly 1200 years back. Sushruta Maharshi, the master, is still remembered for his contributions to surgery by an Americal surgeon's association. Apart from that he implimented artificial feeding, ingections, artificial limbs etc in his practice.

The above books are only complied during 1500-900 years. The practice and wisdom were already existed in its complete form for decades. It is not surprising given that the Indian culture was in its full glory for 60,000 years.

The complexity of ayurvedic herbology is understood when we read that a herb can be prepared in over 40 different forms such as juice, powder, paste, tablet, pill, herbal wines, tinctures of various strengths, fats, millks etc, which were then applied in different conditions of the same disease. Toxic metals were successfully oxidised and used safely. There are hundreds of examples for how much they new about life, human body, herbs, minerals, seasons, foods etc.

Gradually various subcultures developed their own ayurvedic system based on land, time, flora, fauna etc. Unani (Islamic),  and Sidhha (Tamil) are some examples.