Understanding the pathophysiology of Akhlāṭ (humor) and their predisposing factors

Abstract

Abstract Pathology deals with the study of disease or how the organism’s normal and healthy physiological functioning can become dysfunctional or altered. To understand humoral pathology is to recognize a departure from the normal state of health. According to the Unani medicine philosophy, we should be aware of the necessary constituents of the body. The normal physiology of the body and the normal state of its organs are defined under the heading of Umūr Tabī'iyya (seven natural factors). Therefore, pathology involves an imbalance, dysfunction, or breakdown of one or more of these seven natural factors. Out of these, mizāj (temperament/constitution) and akhlāṭ (humors) are of utmost importance for the maintenance and preservation of health in human beings. Unani physicians described that the right proportion and intermixture of akhlāṭ based on quantity and quality constitute health, whereas an imbalance in quantity or quality leads to disease. These akhlāṭ primarily provide nutrition to respective organs and serve various bodily functions. Various factors can alter the proper balance of these akhlāṭ resulting in disease. An attempt is made to organize and systematize the scattered factors responsible for humoral disproportion. Therefore, the present article examines and scrutinizes the aforementioned issues in a painstaking way.