Tanqiya wa Tadeel (Evacuation and Rejuvenation): The Unani Concept as Evolutionary Basis for Conventional Stroke Management

Abstract

The treatment of stroke has always been a challenge for all systems of medicine. The modern medicine has substantially been capable to treat and control both, the haemorrhagic and ischemic strokes in emergency situations. The current approach of modern medicine relies on thrombolysis, antithrombosis, neuroprotection and rehabilitation. While the former two approaches yield significant mortality and morbidity reduction with available thrombolytic and antithrombotic agents but the latter two approaches have limited success with prevalent neuroprotective agents and physical therapy. While the Unani medicine approach in treatment of stroke strongly resemble to that of modern medicine, the action of thrombolysis and antithrombosis exerted by Unani drugs; however, remains undesirably slow in acute stroke and may lead to relatively extended damage to brain tissues in comparison to significantly effective control achieved by modern medicine. The latter part of stroke recovery in the form of rehabilitation remains tardy with available modern approaches, however, several studies done in stroke rehabilitation, following the principle of Tanqia and Tadeel of Unani medicine, have shown promising results in relatively rapid recovery from various post stroke disabilities. Unani drugs used in various dosage forms under the rubric of tanqia and tadeel possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and neuroprotective properties represented by Muhallil (Resolvent), Mulattif (Demulcent), Munaqqie Dimagh (Brain Cleanser), Mufatteh Sudad (Deobstruent), Muhallile Auram (Anti-inflammatory) and Jali (Cleanser) terminologies, used for drug actions in Unani medicine. The explicable reason of early recovery during rehabilitation appears to be the rapid improvement in neuroplasticity of brain exerted by various active constituents of Unani drugs used in various combinations and permutations in different dosage forms. The term tanqia stands for evacuation of morbid material and tadeel for rejuvenation. The principle of tanqia and tadeel of Unani medicine offers all therapeutic approaches for various forms and stages of stroke and therefore provides theoretical and practical bases for the evolution of modern medical approaches in stroke management.
 Keywords: Falij; Istefragh; Munzij; Mushil; Nuzj