Role of Unani Medicine in Prevention and Treatment of Waba (Epidemics) including COVID-19: A Review

Abstract

Mankind has faced many hardships like natural disaster, drought and epidemics. Study focuses on epidemics caused by microbes.Unani medicine has a long experience in treating epidemic diseases because its history is as old as the history of human being itself. More or less entire of the civilisations throughout the history became the basis for evolution of Unani medicine. Hippocrates (460-380BC) regarded it asbothart and science, discussed the epidemics and wrote a book on Epidemics. Body is assumed healthy when the humours are balanced. So, Unani scholars have rightly said Fa’il (Active agent) is not able to produce any change (Actions & Reactions) in the body without the prior presence of Munfa’il(Pertinent) having the capacity to accept it like in Waba(epidemic). The aim is to explore the fundamental concept of Waba from the Unani literature and understand COVID-19 in reference to existing literature of Unani medicine. The literature of Unani medicine was surveyed for concept of Waba(Epidemic) & related concepts. Internet was used to access indexed papers using search engines like Medline, PubMed, Science Direct, etc. Logical preventive strategies like quarantine, and useof fumigants, prophylactic drugs are mentioned in Unani literature that have been used in epidemics with flue like symptoms. This knowledge and experience may be used for achieving methods for prophylaxis, cure or add on therapeutic measures for COVID-19 epidemic.