COVID-19: Understanding pathology and management in Unani medical perspective

Abstract

The whole world is facing a big challenge to fight against COVID-19 as it is a novel disease, highly infectious and having no treatment yet. Traditional Unani medicine is reviewed with an aim to find some solution for this disease prevention, control and management. Unani medical literature is extensively reviewed and it is found that there are some presentations similar to this disease and management of those clinical syndromes could be applied in present scenario. Major symptoms like fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath and rhinorrhoea are reviewed from Unani medical text having similar aetiology and interlinked pathology. It is demonstrated that in cold & humid atmospheric conditions in persons having Fuzlat (waste) in their body, Nazla (fall) of Balghami Rutubaat (phlegmatic fluids) from head comes towards lungs, infected there resulting in Zatur Riya (pneumonia/pneumonitis) and Humma Mawazba (fever caused by abnormal humour Balgham) and /or Humma Mutbiqa (fever caused by abnormal humour Dam). The bad atmospheric condition favours spread of this infection to other people who come in contact with such patient. The detailed description of these Unani concepts & interpretation is given below.