You are on page 1of 26

Contents

Name of Topic:

Page No.

Ayurveda . 2-10

Introduction 2
Definition . 2
History ..... 3-5
Source ...... 6-8
Contribution of Traditional Drugs to Modern Medicine 9-10

Unani ........ 11-17

Introduction . 11
Definition .. 11
History 11
Source .. 13-14
Contribution of Traditional Drugs to Modern Medicine . 15-17

Homeopathy 18-21

Introduction . 18
Definition .. 18
History 18
Source .. 19-21

Difference Between Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy . 22


Reference . 23

Ayurveda
Introduction
(Ayurveda= ayus: age, life, longevity, and veda=knowledge).
Ayurveda or Ayurvedic medicine is a system of Hindu traditional medicine
native to the Indian subcontinent.
Originated in prehistoric times, some of the concepts of Ayurveda have been
discovered since the times of Indus Valley Civilization and earlier. Ayurveda
significantly developed during the Vedic period and later some of the nonVedic systems such as Buddhism and Jainism also incorporated in the
system.

Balance is emphasized, and suppressing natural urges is

considered unhealthy and claimed to lead to illness. Ayurveda names three


elemental substances, the doshas (called Vata, Pitta and Kapha), and states
that a balance of the doshas results in health, while imbalance results in
disease. Ayurveda has eight canonical components, which are derived from
classical Sanskrit literature. Some of the oldest known Ayurvedic texts
include the Surutha Sahit and Charaka Sahit, which are written in
Sanskrit.

Ayurvedic

practitioners

had

developed

various

medicinal

preparations and surgical procedures by the medieval period.


Definition:
Ayurveda is a discipline of the upaveda or "auxiliary knowledge" in Vedic
tradition. The origins of Ayurveda are also found in the Atharvaveda, which
contains 114 hymns and incantations described as magical cures for
disease.

There are also various legendary accounts of the origin of Ayurveda. That it
was received by Dhanvantari (or Divodasa) from Brahma.
Ayurvedic practices include the use of herbal medicines, mineral or metal
supplementation e.g. rasa shastra; surgical techniques, opium, and
application of oil by massages.
History:
The origins of Ayurveda have been traced back to 5,000 BCE and earlier,
when they originated as an oral tradition. Some of the concepts of Ayurveda
have been discovered since the times of Indus Valley Civilization. The first
recorded forms of Ayurveda as medical texts evolved from the Vedas.
Ayurveda is a discipline of the upaveda or "auxiliary knowledge" in Vedic
tradition. The origins of Ayurveda are also found in Atharvaveda, which
contains 114 hymns and incantations described as magical cures for
disease. There are various legendary accounts of the origin of Ayurveda, e.g.
that it was received by Dhanvantari (or Divodasa) from Brahma. Tradition
also holds that the writings of Ayurveda were influenced by a lost text by the
sage Agnivesa.
Main texts
There are three principal early texts on Ayurveda include the Charaka
Samhita, the Sushruta Samhita and the Bhela Samhita. The
Sushruta Samhita is based on an original from the 6th century BCE,
and was updated by the Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna in the 2nd
century CE. The Charaka Samhita, written by Charaka, and the Bhela
Samhita, attributed to Atreya Punarvasu, are also dated to the 6th
century BCE. The Charaka Samhita was also updated by Dridhabala
during the early centuries of the Common Era.

The Bower Manuscript is also of special interest to historians due to


its inclusion of excerpts from the Bheda Samhita and its description of
concepts in Central Asian Buddhism. In 1987, A. F. R. Hoernle
identified the scribe of the medical portions of the manuscript to be a
native of India using a northern variant of the Gupta script, who had
migrated and become a Buddhist monk in a monastery in Kucha. The
Chinese pilgrim Fa Hsien (c. 337422 AD) wrote about the healthcare
system of the Gupta empire (320550) and described the institutional
approach of Indian medicine. This is also visible in the works of
Charaka, who describes about hospital and how it should be
equipped.
Other early texts are the Agnivesha Samhita, Kasyapa Samhita and
Harita Samhita. The original edition of the Agnivesha Samhita, by
Agnivesa, is dated to 1500 BCE, and it was later modified by Charaka.
Kasyapa Samhita includes the treatise of Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha and
is dated to the 6th century BCE. While Harita Samhita is dated to an
earlier period, it is attributed to Harita, who was a disciple of
Punarvasu Atreya. Some later texts are Astanga nighantu (8th
Century) by Vagbhata, Paryaya ratnamala (9th century) by Madhava,
Siddhasara nighantu (9th century) by Ravi Gupta, Dravyavali (10th
Century),

and

Dravyaguna

sangraha

(11th

century)

by

Cakrapanidatta, among others.


Illnesses portrayed
Underwood and Rhodes state that the early forms of traditional Indian
medicine identified fever, cough, consumption, diarrhea, dropsy,
abscesses, seizures, tumours, and leprosy, and that treatments
included plastic surgery, couching (a form of cataract surgery),
puncturing to release fluids in the abdomen, extraction of foreign
4

bodies, treatment of anal fistulas, treating fractures, amputations,


cesarean sections, and stitching of wounds. The use of herbs and
surgical

instruments

became

widespread.

During

this

period,

treatments were also prescribed for complex ailments, including


angina pectoris, diabetes, hypertension, and stones.
Further development and spread
Ayurveda flourished throughout the Indian Middle Ages. Dalhana (fl.
1200), Sarngadhara (fl. 1300) and Bhavamisra (fl. 1500) compiled
works on Indian medicine. The medical works of both Sushruta and
Charaka were also translated into the Chinese language in the 5th
century, and during the 8th century, they were translated into the
Arabic and Persian language. The 9th-century Persian physician
Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi was familiar with the text. The
Arabic works derived from the Ayurvedic texts eventually also reached
Europe by the 12th century. In Renaissance Italy, the Branca family of
Sicily and Gaspare Tagliacozzi (Bologna) were influenced by the Arabic
reception of the Sushruta's surgical techniques.
British physicians traveled to India to observe rhinoplasty being
performed using native methods, and reports on Indian rhinoplasty
were published in the Gentleman's Magazine in 1794. Instruments
described in the Sushruta Samhita were further modified in Europe.
Joseph Constantine Carpue studied plastic surgery methods in India
for 20 years and, in 1815, was able to perform the first major
rhinoplasty surgery in the western world, using the "Indian" method of
nose reconstruction. In 1840 Brett published an article about this
technique.

During the period of colonial British rule of India, the practice of


Ayurveda was neglected by the British Indian Government, in favor of
modern medicine. After Indian independence, there was more focus on
Ayurveda and other traditional medical systems. Ayurveda became a
part of the Indian National health care system, with state hospitals for
Ayurveda established across the country. However, the treatments of
traditional medicines were not always well integrated with others,
especially in allopathic hospitals.

Source:
Plant-based treatments in Ayurveda may be derived from roots, leaves,
fruits, bark, or seeds such as cardamom and cinnamon. In the 19th
century, William Dymock and co-authors summarized hundreds of plantderived medicines along with the uses, microscopic structure, chemical
composition, toxicology, prevalent myths and stories, and relation to
commerce in British India. Animal products used in Ayurveda include milk,
bones, and gallstones. In addition, fats are prescribed both for consumption
and for external use. Consumption of minerals, including sulphur, arsenic,
lead, copper sulfate and gold, are also prescribed. The addition of minerals
to herbal medicine is called rasa shastra.
6

Ayurveda uses alcoholic beverages called Madya, which are said to adjust
the doshas by increasing Pitta and reducing Vatta and Kapha. Madya are
classified by the raw material and fermentation process, and the categories
include: sugar-based, fruit-based, cereal-based, cereal-based with herbs,
fermentated with vinegar, and tonic wines. The intended outcomes can
include causing purgation, improving digestion or taste, creating dryness, or
loosening joints. Ayurvedic texts describe Madya as non-viscid and fastacting, and say that it enters and cleans minute pores in the body.
Purified opium is used in eight Ayurvedic preparations and is said to balance
the Vata and Kapha doshas and increase the Pitta dosha. It is prescribed for
diarrhea and dysentery, for increasing the sexual and muscular ability, and
for affecting the brain. The sedative and pain-relieving properties of opium
are not considered in Ayurveda. The use of opium is not found in the ancient
Ayurvedic texts, and is first mentioned in the Sarngadhara Samhita (13001400 CE), a book on pharmacy used in Rajasthan in Western India, as an
ingredient of an aphrodisiac to delay male ejaculation. It is possible that
that opium was brought to India along with or before the Mohammedan
conquest. The book Yoga Ratnakara (1700-1800 CE, unknown author),
which is popular in Maharashtra, uses opium in a herbo-mineral
composition prescribed for diarrhea. In the Bhaisajya Ratnavali, opium and
camphor are used for acute gastro-enteritis. In this drug, the respiratory
depressant action of opium is counteracted by the respiratory stimulant
property of Camphor. Later books have included the narcotic property for
use as analgesic pain reliever.
Cannabis indica is also absent from the ancient Ayurvedic books, and is first
mentioned in the Sarngadhara Samhita as a treatment for diarrhea. In the
Bhaisajya Ratnavali it is named as an ingredient in an aphrodisiac.

Ayurveda says that both oil and tar can be used to stop bleeding, and that
traumatic bleeding can be stopped by four different methods: ligation of the
blood vessel, cauterisation by heat, use of preparations to facilitate clotting,
and use of preparations to constrict the blood vessels. Oils are also used in
a number of ways, including regular consumption, anointing, smearing,
head massage, application to affected areas, and oil pulling. Liquids may
also be poured on the patient's forehead, a technique called shirodhara.
Eight Components
The canonical components of Ayurveda are derived from classical
Sanskrit literature, in which Ayurveda was called "the science of eight
components" (Sanskrit a ga).
The components are:

Kayachikitsa (general medicine): "Cure of diseases affecting the


body".
Kaumra-bhtya
and Bala Roga: Deals with the treatment of

children.
Shalya tantra: Deals with surgical techniques.
lkya-tantra (Ophthalmology): Deals with diseases of the
teeth, eye, nose, ear etc.
Bhuta-vidya: Deals with the causes, which are not directly
visible and not directly explained by tridosha, pertaining to
micro-organisms or spirits.
Agada-tantra: Deals with antidotes to poison.

Rasayana-tantra

(Geriatrics)

(Anti

Agings) :

Deals

with

rejuvenation.
Vajikarana tantra (aphrodisiacs): Deals with healthy and desired
progeny.

Contribution of Traditional Drugs to Modern Medicine:


There are several common features between the ayurvedic concept of cancer
and those currently practiced. These include surgery followed with
treatment with drugs derived from plants. Cancer medicine currently
practiced is meant to inactivate or activate specific molecules or cell
signaling pathways. Within the last three decades, cancer causing genes
called oncogenes, cancer-suppressing genes (tumor suppressor genes),
cancer growth factors (such as epidermal growth factor and vascular
endothelial

growth

factor),

cancer-promoting

enzymes

(such

as

cyclooxygenase [COX]-2, matrix metalloproteinase 9, inducible nitric oxide


synthase), and cancer-causing protein kinases (AKT, mitogen-activated
protein kinase [MAPK], protein kinase C) have been identified as targets.
Although these targets were not known 5,000 years ago, the components of
herbs used at that time now appear to target these molecules. For instance,
nuclear factor kB, which has been known to play a major role in
tumorigenesis, is targeted by the components of several herbal remedies
described in ayurveda. Similarly, several herbs have been described in
ayurveda that can suppress either expression of COX-2 or its activity
Development of new synergistic anticancer agents based on these herbs
would be beneficial for modern treatment modalities. The use of Vinca rosea
in the treatment of cancer is very well described in ayurveda. Modern
medicine has shown that vincristine, derived from the plant Vinca rosea,
can be used as a standard therapy for several cancers. Similarly, paclitaxel
10

for breast and ovarian cancers and arsenic trioxide for acute myelogenous
leukemia are being used after they were scientifically proven to be effective
by modern science.
List of Herbs Commonly Used by Ayurvedic Doctors for the Prevention and
Treatment of Cancer
Scientific Name
Abrus precatorius
Allium sativum
Aloe vera
Boswellia serrata
Curcuma longa
Datura metal
Plumbago zeylanica

Hindi Name
Gunja
Lasuna
Kumari
Shallaki
Haridra
Dhattura
Chitraka

English Name
Coral bead vine
Garlic
Aloe
Indian olibanum
Turmeric
Angels trumpet
Leadwort

11

Unani
Introduction
Unani-tibb or Unani Medicine also spelled Yunani Medicine is a form of
traditional medicine practiced in middle-east & south-Asian countries. It
refers to a tradition of Graeco-Arabic medicine, which is based on the
teachings of Greek physicians Hippocrates and Galen, and developed into an
elaborate medical system in middle age era by Arabian and Persian
physicians, such as Rhazes (al-Razi), Avicenna (Ibn Sena), Al-Zahrawi, and
Ibn Nafis.
Definition
An Islamic healing philosophy that incorporates major elements of ancient
Greek medicine (unani means Greek in Arabic), which assumes four
elementsearth, fire, water, airand four corresponding humours: Phlegm
(balgham), Blood (dam), Yellow bile (safra) and Black bile (sauda),
respectively.
History
12

Unani medicine first arrived in India around 12th or 13th century with
establishment of Delhi Sultanate (12061527) and Islamic rule over North
India and subsequently flourished under Mughal Empire. Alauddin Khilji
had several eminent Unani physicians (Hakims) in his royal courts. In the
coming years this royal patronage meant development of Unani practice in
India, but also of Unani literature with the aid of Indian Ayurvedic
physicians.
The first encyclopedia of medicine in Arabic language was by Persian
scientist Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari's Firdous al-Hikmah ("Paradise of
Wisdom"), written in seven parts, c. 860. Al-Tabari, a pioneer in the field of
child

development,

emphasized

strong

ties

between

psychology

and

medicine, and the need for psychotherapy and counseling in the therapeutic
treatment of patients. His encyclopedia also discussed the influence of
Sushruta and Chanakya on medicine, including psychotherapy.
The art of healing was dead, Galen revived it; it was scattered and disarrayed, Razi re-arranged and re-aligned it; it was incomplete, Ibn Sinna
perfected it.
Ali ibn Mousa al-Ridha
Ali ibn Mousa al-Ridha, the eighth Imam of shia (765-818), was at the
top of the scientists of his time in medical science, and his treatise in
medicine is regarded as most precious Islamic literature in the science
of medicine. It has been called the Golden Dissertation.
Ali ibn al-'Abbas al-Majusi
'Ali ibn al-'Abbas al-Majusi (died 982-994), also known as Haly Abbas,
was famous for the Kitab al-Maliki or Complete Book of the Medical
Art, his textbook on medicine.
13

Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi


Zakariya Razi, commonly known as Rhazes, was a Persian physician,
alchemist and chemist, philosopher, scholar, and a prominent figure
in Islamic Golden Age. He was the chief surgeon in many hospitals in
the cities of Rey and Baghdad, and he became an advisor to caliphs
and rulers of the time. Thanks to his authority and achievements in
medicine, he was considered as the father of Islamic medicine, "the
greatest physician of the Muslim World", as well as a respected
philosopher. He believed in the existence of God and the soul but
rejected prophetically revealed religion and ritualism, believing instead
that anyone could use reason to understand the world.

Source
Unani medicine is based on the concept of the four humours: Phlegm
(Balgham), Blood (Dam), Yellow bile ( afr') and Black bile (Saud'). The time
of origin is thus dated at circa 1025 AD, when Avicenna wrote The Canon of
Medicine in Persia. While he was primarily influenced by Greek and Islamic
medicine, he was also influenced by the Indian medical teachings of
Sushruta and Charaka.
There are various therapeutic approaches available to the hakim. Ilaj-bighiza, or dietotherapy, involves recommending a specific diet, which is the
simplest and most natural course of treatment by a hakim. For fever, for
example, Unani medicine stresses a nutrient-rich, low-roughage diet that
might include dalia (porridge) and kheer (a milk broth). Both the amount

14

and quality of food are taken into consideration. Relatively infrequent in


modern Unani therapy is ilaj-bi-misla, or organotherapy, a mode of
treatment that involves healing a diseased organ with the use of tissue
extracts from the same organ of a healthy animal. Ilaj-bi-dawa, or
pharmacotherapy, is the use of medicines by Unani hakims. This treatment
method is considered by hakims to be natural, eco-friendly, and less
intrusive and more effective than many other methods. The Unani systems
pharmacopoeia is vast, enriched with more than 2,000 medicines derived
from various herbal, mineral, and animal sources.
Unani medications are often processed by classical methods of preparation
as originally described in Greco-Arabic medicine. Unani medicines are used
singly or are compounded with other substances to achieve synergistic,
antagonistic, or detoxifying effects or simply as bases for effective ingestion
and assimilation.
In the 1920s Indian physician Ajmal Khan revolutionized Unani medicine by
advocating that research be conducted on various natural products that
were claimed by ancient physicians to effect miraculous cures. In the 1930s
Indian-born

scientist

Salimuzzaman

Siddiqui,

who

specialized

in

phytochemistry (the chemistry of plants), isolated potent constituents from a


plant known in India as chhota chand (Rauwolfia serpentina). Subsequent
pharmacological research determined that the plant was the source of a
bioactive substance known as reserpine, which found use in Western
medicine as a tranquilizer and as an antihypertensive agent (lowering
abnormally high blood pressure). Those uses supported some of the medical
applications that had been described by hakims. Siddiqui named the
derived medicines, which included ajmaline and ajmalicine, for Khan as a
tribute to his groundbreaking research efforts.

15

Having gained recognition from the World Health Organization (WHO) in


1976, the Unani system became increasingly accepted internationally as a
system of traditional medicine. In India several institutions engaged in Unani
teaching and research. The Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine
(CCRUM), an undertaking of the Indian government, for instance, facilitated
the translation of classical heritage, the organization of clinical trials, the
improvement of drug standardization, and the investigation of toxicological
and phytopharmacological properties of natural products that had long been
used by hakims.
Classical Unani medicine recommended established regimental therapies
(tadabeer) in the treatment of various chronic and acute diseases. Those
therapies include dalak (massage), hammam (bath and sauna), karat
(exercise), fasd (venesection, or opening a vein to let out blood), hijamat
(cupping, a process of drawing blood to the surface of the body by using a
glass cup or tube), and amat-e-kai (leeching, or bleeding a person by using
leeches). The essential function of all those regimens is to remove impure
blood or impurities from the body. Surgical interventions, or ilaj-bil-yad, are
a last resort. Their practice generally is beyond the realm of the hakims
expertise.

Contribution of the Traditional Drugs to Modern Drug


Drugs
Medical contributions made by Medieval Islam included the use of
plants as a type of remedy or medicine. Medieval Islamic physicians
used natural substances as a source of medicinal drugsincluding
16

Papaver somniferum Linnaeus, poppy, and Cannabis sativa Linnaeus,


hemp. In pre-Islamic Arabia, neither poppy nor hemp was known.
Hemp was introduced into the Islamic countries in the ninth century
from India through Persia and Greek culture and medical literature,
The Greek, Dioscorides, who according to the Arabs is the greatest
botanist of antiquity, recommended hemps seeds to "quench geniture"
and its juice for earaches. Beginning in 800 and lasting for over two
centuries, poppy use was restricted to the therapeutic realm. However,
the dosages often exceeded medical need and was used repeatedly
despite what was originally recommended. Poppy was prescribed by
Yuhanna b. Masawayh to relieve pain from attacks of gallbladder
stones, for fevers, indigestion, eye, head and tooth aches, pleurisy, and
to induce sleep. Although poppy had medicinal benefits, Ali al-Tabari
explained that the extract of poppy leaves was lethal, and that the
extracts and opium should be considered poisons.
Surgery
The development and growth of hospitals in ancient Islamic society
expanded the medical practice to what is currently known as surgery.
Surgical procedures were known to physicians during the medieval
period because of earlier texts that included descriptions of the
procedures. Translation from pre-Islamic medical publishings was a
fundamental building block for physicians and surgeons in order to
expand

the

practice.

Surgery

was

uncommonly

practiced

by

physicians and other medical affiliates due to a very low success rate,
even though earlier records provided favorable outcomes to certain
operations. There were many different types of procedures performed
in ancient Islam, especially in the area of ophthalmology.
Anesthesia and antisepsis
17

In both modern society and medieval Islamic society, anesthesia and


antisepsis are important aspects of surgery. Before the development of
anesthesia

and

antisepsis,

surgery

was

limited

to

fractures,

dislocations, traumatic injuries resulting in amputation, and urinary


disorders or other common infections. Ancient Islamic physicians
attempted to prevent infection when performing procedures for a sick
patient, for example by washing a patient before a procedure;
similarly, following a procedure, the area was often cleaned with wine,
wined mixed with oil of roses, oil of roses alone, salt water, or vinegar
water, which have antiseptic properties. Various herbs and resins
including frankincense, myrrh, cassia, and members of the laurel
family were also used to prevent infections, although it is impossible to
know exactly how effective these treatments were in the prevention of
sepsis. The pain-killing uses of opium had been known since ancient
times; other drugs including henbane, hemlock, soporific black
nightshade, lettuce seeds were also used by Islamic physicians to
treat pain. Some of these drugs, especially opium, were known to
cause drowsiness, and some modern scholars have argued that these
drugs were used to cause a person to lose consciousness before an
operation, as a modern day anesthetic would. However, there is no
clear reference to such a use before the 16th century. Muslim scholars
introduced mercuric chloride to disinfect wounds.
Human anatomy and physiology
It is claimed that an important advance in the knowledge of human
anatomy and physiology was made by Ibn al-Nafis, but whether this
was discovered via human dissection is doubtful because "al-Nafis
tells us that he avoided the practice of dissection because of the
shari'a and his own 'compassion' for the human body".

18

The movement of blood through the human body was thought to be


known due to the work of the Greek physicians. However, there was
the question of how the blood flowed from the right ventricle of the
heart to the left ventricle, before the blood is pumped to the rest of the
body. According to Galen in the 2nd century, blood reached the left
ventricle through invisible passages in the septum. By some means,
Ibn al-Nafis, a 13th-century Syrian physician, found the previous
statement on blood flow from the right ventricle to the left to be false.
Ibn al-Nafis discovered that the ventricular septum was impenetrable,
lacking any type of invisible passages, showing Galens assumptions to
be false. Ibn al-Nafis discovered that the blood in the right ventricle of
the heart is instead carried to the left by way of the lungs. This
discovery was one of the first descriptions of the pulmonary
circulation,

although

his

writings

on

the

subject

were

only

rediscovered in the 20th century, and it was William Harvey's later


independent discovery which brought it to general attention.
According the Ancient Greeks, vision was thought to a visual spirit
emanating from the eyes that allowed an object to be perceived. The
11th century Iraqi scientist Ibn al-Haytham, also known as Al-hazen
in Latin, developed a radically new concept of human vision. Ibn alHaytham took a straight forward approach towards vision by
explaining that the eye was an optical instrument. The description on
the anatomy of the eye led him to form the basis for his theory of
image formation, which is explained through the refraction of light
rays passing between 2 media of different densities. Ibn al-Haytham
developed this new theory on vision from experimental investigations.
In the 12th century, his Book of Optics was translated into Latin and

19

continued to be studied both in the Islamic world and in Europe until


the 17th century.

Homeopathy
Introduction
Homeopathy also spelled homoeopathy is a form of alternative medicine
created in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann based on his doctrine of like cures
like (similia similibus curentur), whereby a substance that causes the
symptoms of a disease in healthy people will cure similar symptoms in sick
people.
Homeopathy is pseudoscience. It is not effective for any condition, and no
homeopathic remedy has been proven to be more effective than placeb.
Definition
Homeopathy, or homeopathic medicine, is a holistic system of treatment that
originated in the late eighteenth century. The name homeopathy is derived
from two Greek words that mean "like disease." The system is based on the
idea that substances that produce symptoms of sickness in healthy people
will have a curative effect when given in very dilute quantities to sick people
who exhibit those same symptoms. Homeopathic remedies are believed to
stimulate the body's own healing processes. Homeopaths use the term

20

"allopathy," or "different than disease," to describe the use of drugs used in


conventional medicine to oppose or counteract the symptom being treated.
History
Historical context
Homeopaths claim that Hippocrates may have originated homeopathy
around 400 BC, when he prescribed a small dose of mandrake root to
treat mania, knowing it produces mania in much larger doses. In the
16th century, the pioneer of pharmacology Paracelsus declared that
small doses of "what makes a man ill also cures him". Samuel
Hahnemann (17551843) gave homeopathy its name and expanded its
principles in the late 18th century. At that time, mainstream medicine
used methods like bloodletting and purging, and administered
complex mixtures, such as Venice treacle, which was made from 64
substances

including

opium,

myrrh,

and

viper's

flesh.

These

treatments often worsened symptoms and sometimes proved fatal.


Hahnemann rejected these practices which had been extolled for
centuries as irrational and inadvisable; instead, he advocated the
use of single drugs at lower doses and promoted an immaterial,
vitalistic view of how living organisms function, believing that diseases
have spiritual, as well as physical causes.
Source
Homeopathy was founded by German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755
1843), who was much disturbed by the medical system of his time, believing
that its cures were crude and some of its strong drugs and treatments did
more harm than good to patients. Hahnemann performed experiments on
himself using Peruvian bark, which contains quinine, a malaria remedy. He
concluded that in a healthy person, quinine creates the same symptoms as
malaria, including fevers and chills, which is the reason why it is effective as
21

a remedy. He then began to analyze the remedies available in nature by what


he called provings. Provings of homeopathic remedies are still compiled by
dosing healthy adults with various substances and documenting the results,
in terms of the dose needed to produce the symptoms and the length of the
dose's effectiveness. The provings are collected in large homeopathic
references called materia medica or materials of medicine.
Hahnemann formulated these principles of homeopathy:
Law of Similars (like cures like)
Law of the Infinitesimal Dose (The more diluted a remedy is, the more
potent it is).
Illness is specific to the individual
Hahnemann's Law of Similars was based on thinking that dated back to
Hippocrates in the fourth century B.C. It is the same thinking that provided
the basis for vaccinations created by Edward Jenner and Louis Pasteur.
These vaccines provoke a reaction in the individual that protects against the
actual disease. Allergy treatments work the same way. By exposing a person
to minute quantities of the allergen, the person's tolerance levels are
elevated.
The Law of the Infinitesimal Dose has always caused controversy among
those outside the field of homeopathy. Hahnemann contended that as he
diluted his remedies with water and alcohol and succussed, or shook, them,
the remedies actually worked more effectively. In fact, diluted homeopathic
remedies may have no chemical trace of the original substance. Practitioners
believe that the electromagnetic energy of the original substance is retained
in the dilution, but toxic side effects of the remedy are not. It is this
electrochemical "message" that stimulates the body to heal itself.
Homeopathic practitioners believe that illness is specific to an individual. In
other words, two people with severe headaches may not receive the same
22

remedies. The practitioner will ask the patient questions about lifestyle,
dietary habits, and personality traits, as well as specific questions about the
nature of the headache and when it occurs. This information gathering is
called profiling or case-taking.
Homeopathic Remedies That Work:
Aconite

Commonly known as monkshood, aconite is highly


toxic. A nontoxic, diluted extract of aconite is used
in homeopathy to treat symptoms similar to that of

Allium cepa

poison.
Commonly known as red onion, homeopathic physicians use a dilute extract of red onion to treat
symptoms similar to that of red onionwatery eyes,

Apis

burning, etc.
Commonly known as the honeybee, apis as a
homeo-pathic remedy is made from the body of the
bee. It is used to treat symptoms similar to that of a

Arnica

bee stingredness, swelling, etc.


Commonly known as the mountain daisy, arnica is
used by homeopathic physicians to treat bruises,

Arsenicum album

sprains, and strains.


Also known as ars alb, arsenicum album is a diluted
form of arsenic, a metallic poison. It is used by
homeo-pathic physicians to treat symptoms similar
to the effects of arsenic poisoningdehydration,

Belladonna

Calcarea carbonica

burning pain, etc.


Commonly
known

as

belladonna

in

is

used

deadly

knightshade,

homeopathy

to

treat

symptoms of dry mouth, nausea, delirium, etc.


Also known as calcium carbonate or calc carb, it is
used

in

homeopathy

to

treat

symptoms

of
23

Ipecac

exhaustion, depression, and anxiety.


Ipecac induces vomiting and causes gastrointestinal
distress. Homeopaths prescribe it to treat similar
symptoms.

Difference Between Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy Medicine:


Ayurveda
Ayurvedic treatment

Unani
An Islamic healing

Homeopathy
Homeopathic remedies

uses vegetable drugs for

philosophy that

use various plant,

internal consumption

incorporates major

animal, synthetic

and external use.

elements of ancient

materials, and mineral

Greek medicine

substances and the


medicines are prepared
by diluting the
substance in alcohol or
24

The origins of Ayurveda

The time of origin is

distilled water.
Homeopathy was

has been found in the

thus dated at circa

created by Samuel

Vedic text, Atharvaveda.

1025 AD, when

Hahnemann in the late

Avicenna wrote The

18th century.

Canon of Medicine in
Persia.
Ayurveda believes in the Unani medicine is

Homeopathy believes in

balance of three key

based on the concept of

the vitalist philosophy.

components - wind, bile

the four humours:

and phlegm in the

Phlegm (Balgham),

human body.

Blood (Dam), Yellow bile


( afr') and Black bile

There are eight

(Saud').
Unani follow three

There are three

disciplines of treatment

different pattern.

principle of

involved in Ayurveda.
In India, Ayurveda is

It is widely use in the

homeopathy.
The Food, Drug, and

taught and practised by

Asia (Bangladesh, india, Cosmetic Act of 1938

professionals. The

Pakistan etc). Hamdard

recognized

Central Council for

is use as unani

homeopathicremedies

Research in Ayurveda

medicine all over the

as drugs. In the late

and Siddha (CCRAS) is

world.

1970s, homeopathy

a state sponsored

made a significant

institution involved in

comeback and sales of

research and promotion

some homeopathic

of clinical, literary and

companies increased

other aspects of

tenfold.

Ayurveda.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayurveda
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_in_the_medieval_Islamic_world

25

www.medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Unani+medicine
www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1899343/Unanimedicine/306595/Modes-of-treatment
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy

26

You might also like