At the time that the Vedas were written, alcohol wasn’t known as a distinct concept. Madya originally referred to something providing exhilaration or intoxication.
In the Charaka Samhita, a foundational Sanskrit text for the Hindu medical system of Ayurveda, alcohol is described as either amrita, implying a medicinal substance, or visha, implying a poisonous one, depending on how it’s used. Consumed correctly in appropriate quantities alongside meals, it might alleviate mental anxieties and make it easier to exert strength. Drinking inappropriately, without constraints or when dehydrated, and it can be toxic.