It is an established fact that throughout the history, colour has effect on human being. From time immemorial colours have been symbols of abstract ideas. For instance, Green as in the "Green Pastures" of the twenty third Psalm, suggests hope or good fortune. Red indicates passion or danger. White in the West is a symbol of innocence and purity. In the far east, white is a symbol of sadness and mourning, exactly as its opposite— black in the West. Yellow can stand for cowardice, except in its golden, sunny shades where it denotes power and glory.

Indian medicine is ancient. Its earliest concepts are set out in the sacred writings called the Vedas especially in the passages of the Atharvaveda which may possibly date as far back as 2nd millennium B.C.

From such old vedic writings it has been narrated again and again that the human body is made of Punch Tatvas i.e. five elements.
Earth
Water
Fire
Metal
Air
and designated Earth as green, Air as yellow, Fire as red, Water as blue.

In feudal times, officials used nine symbolic colours to emblazon armorial bearings.

• Yellow or Gold: Honour and loyalty 
 • White or Silver: Faith and purity 
 • Red: Courage, survival & procreation 
 • Blue: Piety, resolution, creativity and 
  self-expression 
 • Black: Grief 
 • Green: Youth, vitality and wisdom 
 • Purple: High rank 
 • Orange: Strength and endurance, immunity 
  from diseases and pleasure in life 
 • Violet: Passion, suffering and psychic 
  awareness.