CONCEPT OF PEPTIC ULCER IN UNANI MEDICINE: A COMPREHENSIVE APPRAISAL

M. H. M. Hafeel*, A. Mobeen, Abdul Azeez Rizwana and Mohammad Ali

ABSTRACT

Peptic ulcer disease remains a common health problem, despite all the progress made in the diagnosis and treatment, both medical and surgical, of this condition. The incidence of gastroduodenal ulcer disease is approximately 1 to 2 per 1000 inhabitants per year. Two thirds of patients with ulcers are male. The predominant age at which duodenal ulcers occur is between 20 and 50 years, whereas gastric ulcers most commonly occur in patients more than 40 years old. The risk of recurrent disease after initial healing is high; more than 50% of patients have a recurrent ulcer within 12 months of healing in the absence of treatment. Maintenance acid suppressive therapy reduces this recurrence rate, but only therapeutic measures that remove the underlying cause of the ulcer are able to prevent nearly all ulcer recurrences. Ancient eminent physicians of Unani system like Ibne Sina, Razi, Abul Mansoor Qumri and Ibn Hubl Baghdadi have described extensively about GIT ulcers and its causes, clinical features, treatments and its consequences in their treatises. GIT ulcers are described according to the organ affected by ulcer namely Oesophageal Ulcer as Qarahe Mari, Stomach Ulcer as Qarahe Medi and Duodenal Ulcer as Qarahe Mevi. Later on the term “Qarahe Hazmia” coined for peptic Ulcer by Unani Scholars. There are various single drugs as well as compound formulations mentioned in the manuscripts of renowned physicians for the treatment of GIT ulcer. The drugs possessing major properties of Munaqqi(cleansing), Mudammil (healing) and Mumbit Lahm(tissue forming). Keeping these facts in consideration, a systematic literary survey on this topic form renowned ancient text of Unani Medicine was carried out.

Keywords: GIT ulcer; Peptic ulcer; Qarahe Hazmia; Unani Medicine.