The Charaka Samhita is believed to have arisen around 400-200 BCE. It is felt to be one of the oldest and the most important ancient authoritative writings on Ayurveda. It is not known who this person was or if indeed, this represents the work of a "school of thought." It could have been from a group of scholars or followers of a man known as Charaka or an original composition from a single person named Charaka.
This work is sometimes considered a redaction of older and more voluminous work, Agnivesha Samhita (46,000 verses), which is no longer extant. Dridhabala, living about 400 AD, is believed to have filled in many verses of missing text (perhaps up to 20%) in the Chikitsasthana and elsewhere, which disappeared over time.
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