Cancer and its management in unani medicine-An appraisal

Abstract

The word “cancer’ is derived from the word “cancrum” which means crab. In the Unani System of medicine, cancer is described in the name of “Sartan’ which is stand for cancer. According to Unani philosophy, it occurs due to the dominance of abnormal Sauda (black bile). Cancer is the world’s second-largest cause of death. Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. While significant progress has been made in the treatment and control of cancer progression, there are still significant defects and room for improvement. During chemotherapy, a number of unfavorable side effects might arise. Natural therapies, such as the Unani System of Medicine, which is based on three sources (i.e., plant, mineral, and animal). The use of plant-based formulations in cancer treatment has the potential for negligible side effects. A few plants (Aftimoon, Kalonji, Sadabahar, Amla, Bisfayej, Bhui Amla, Habbul Neel, Kharbaq, etc.) are used for the management of different types of cancer, along with different regimes (e.g., Ishal, QAI, FASD, Hijama, etc). The aim of this review is to explore the benefits of Unani drugs, on their scientific parameters to reduce the burden of cancer.