Ayurveda is a traditional indigenous system of medicine, which is a part of rich and vast Indian heritage. Ayurveda is derived from two words viz. Ayu means life and Veda means ancient repository of knowledge. Ayurvedic pharmacy (Bhaishajaya-Vigyan) proposes five basic dosage forms like swaras, kalka, hima and phant. Other dosage forms like churna, avaleha, ghrita, sandhanakalpa are prepared from them. Mostly all of them are ayurvedic formulation. Problems with drug-resistant microorganisms, side effects of modern drugs, and emerging diseases where no medicines are available, have stimulated renewed interest in plants as a significant source of new medicines.A number of synthetic drugs have adverse and unacceptable side effects. There have been impressive successes with herbal medicines. Considerable research on pharmacognosy, chemistry, pharmacology and clinical therapeutics has been carried out on ayurvedic medicinal plants. Most developing countries have relied and wil continue to relay on traditional natural medicines due to deterrence of high costs of modern allopathic medicines.