History and traditional uses of Tiryaq (Theriac): An important formulation in Unani medicine

Abstract

The history of Tiryaq is around 2000 years old and, since ancient times, has been regarded as a universal antidote. It was a complex compound consisting of many ingredients, originating as a cure for the bite of poisonous wild animals, mad dogs, or wild beasts. Tiryaq was not a usual antidote; it was not developed to cure or prevent a particular disease. It was a multi-medicine to protect against all poisons and treat different conditions, such as chronic cough, stomach-ache, asthma, chest pain, fever, colic, seizures, diarrhoea, and urine retention. The belief that Tiryaq could protect individuals from poisons and various maladies persisted well into the modern era, only gradually being dispelled by the progress of Western medicine founded on scientific principles. Tiryaq was taken off most formularies, although now it survived in India and a few European cities.