Ayurveda, the ancient Indian holistic healing system originating over 5,000 years ago in the Indian subcontinent, is one of the world’s oldest systems of medicine. The term comes from the Sanskrit words “ayus” (life) and “veda” (knowledge), meaning “the knowledge of life.” Rooted in the Vedic traditions, Ayurveda was initially passed down orally and later compiled into key texts. These texts established foundational principles, including the balance of doshas or elements and the balancing of agni, or digestive fires.
Ayurveda has long known what recent scientific studies on plant communication and consciousness are discovering. The findings pertain to the essence of Ayurveda: how plants interact with their environment, each other, and, in turn, within our bodies. Ayurveda was established recognizing the deep connection between plants and their therapeutic potential, emphasizing intuitive and observational practices that modern scientific findings are concluding.
Recent studies reveal that plants use a variety of sophisticated signaling mechanisms to interact with each other and their environment (Scott & Kiers, 2025). Plants communicate distress through a sophisticated array of biochemical, acoustic, and underground signaling mechanisms, with recent research revealing collaborative and deceptive strategies. Again, these findings stress that prana, or chi, or whatever we call Life in yoga, is present in all creatures, and each is trying to reach its full potential. In this case, plants exhibit intelligence that humans had not yet discovered or fathomed about, though yogis have stressed that one life energy flows through us all.
Chemical Signaling via Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Plants emit VOCs—airborne chemical compounds—to warn neighbors of threats like herbivores or pathogens. For example, petunias detect specific sesquiterpene VOCs through specialized receptors, enabling preemptive defense activation (Scott & Kiers, 2025). These signals act as “immunization,” priming nearby plants to allocate resources efficiently (Dudareva et al., 2024). However, deceptive signaling may also occur where plants sometimes release false alarms to trick competitors into wasting energy on unnecessary defenses; a strategy evolutionarily favored over altruism (Scott & Kiers, 2025). Centuries ago, this knowledge was innate in Ayurvedic practitioners, who identified that the type of soil, temperature, biodiversity of the ecosystem where the plants grow, etc., all contribute to how the plants behave with one another and within the human system as medicine.
Underground Fungal Networks, Acoustic Signals & Real-Time Stress Detection
Approximately 80-90% of plants are interconnected via mycorrhizal fungal networks, dubbed the “wood wide web.” These networks facilitate resource sharing and stress signaling, such as transferring nutrients or alerting kin to impending threats (Guerrieri & Rasmann, 2024). For instance, stressed plants involuntarily broadcast biochemical “blushes” that neighboring roots detect, enabling rapid communal responses (Guerrieri & Rasmann, 2024). Ayurveda cannot be teased apart from yoga, and here, plants demonstrate what yogis and vaidyas have known for years – plants are interconnected with other plants under the soil. A sophisticated communication mechanism allows them to thrive or perish based on their communication abilities and external situations.
Stressed plants emit ultrasonic popping sounds (20–150 kHz) when damaged, detectable by animals and potentially other plants. A 2023 study found that tomato and tobacco plants increase these noises under drought or physical harm, suggesting a universal stress language (Hadany et al., 2023). A 2025 breakthrough in wearable plant technology introduced a leaf-attached electrochemical patch that monitors hydrogen peroxide—a key biochemical distress marker. This innovation allows early intervention for threats like pests or drought (Dong et al., 2025).
Evolutionary Motivations
Contrary to earlier assumptions of altruism, plants often prioritize self-interest. Mathematical models show that dishonest signaling (e.g., false alarms) reduces competition by misleading neighbors into costly defenses, a strategy more evolutionarily stable than cooperation (Scott & Kiers, 2025). These discoveries highlight plants’ dynamic communication systems, blending cooperation and competition to survive environmental challenges. Just like all life wishes to survive, plants are no different. They are not simply ‘there’ for us to utilize. A complex web of intelligence flows through them, and this intelligence can change course as needed for survival.
While humans and plants seem different in many ways, their genetic similarities highlight common ancestry and shared evolutionary processes at the molecular level. Humans share about 60-70% of their genes with Arabidopsis thaliana and roughly 30-40% with other plants, with many core biological processes like DNA replication and metabolism being highly conserved across eukaryotes. About 75-80% of the genes involved in essential cellular functions are similar between humans and plants, reflecting their common evolutionary ancestry. Many fundamental biological processes, such as DNA replication, gene expression, and cellular function, are conserved across all eukaryotes, providing a strong link between plants, humans, and other organisms.
In conclusion, modern scientific findings are finally discovering Ayurveda’s deep understanding of plant communication and medicinal potential. These findings highlight the intricate and intelligent systems plants use to interact with their environment. Recognizing these complex processes, from chemical signaling to underground networks, brings to the fore the timeless wisdom of Ayurveda and its connection to the broader life force that unites all living organisms.
References:
Dong, L. et al. (2025). Wearable plant sensors. ACS Sensors.
Douillard, J. (2023). Ayurveda’s take on intuition. John Douillard’s LifeSpa. https://lifespa.com/intro-ayurveda/ayurvedic-philosophy/ayurveda-intuition/
Dudareva, N. et al. (2024). VOC-mediated plant communication. Earth.com.
Guerrieri, A., & Rasmann, S. (2024). Belowground plant communication. Science.
Hadany, L. et al. (2023). Ultrasonic stress signals in plants. Science Alert.
Kerala Ayurveda. (2023). Ayurvedic plant medicine: A consciousness based science. https://www.keralaayurveda.us/courses/blog/ayurvedic-plant-medicine-a-consciousness-based-science/
Purusha Ayurveda. (2023). The language of plants: Intuitive communication and healing in Ayurveda.
Purusha Ayurveda. (2024). The profound connection with herbs.
Scott, T., & Kiers, T. (2025). Evolutionary dynamics of plant signaling. PNAS.