Indigenous practices among Palestinians for healing eye diseases and inflammations

This paper briefly describes the state health services in general, and eye care in particular for Palestinian Arabs under the British Mandate (1917-1948). The paper will also discuss the environmental and cultural origins of the prevalence of eye diseases among Palestinian Arabs. The second part of the research describes in detail indigenous practices of traditional medicine for healing trachoma and other eye diseases, inflammations that were prevalent in Mandatory Palestine

Urinary diseases and ethnobotany among pastoral nomads in the Middle East

This article is derived from a broad, twenty-year study of ethnobotany and folk medicine among pastoral nomads in the Middle East which took place from 1984 to 2004. The article presents examples of different treatments of diseases and disorders of the urinary tract carried out by healer herbalists. The preparation of remedies includes boiling infusions, extraction of dry or fresh leaves, flowers, seeds or whole plants. Some of these plants were used both as food and as medicine, by ingesting different parts of the plants, such as leaves, flowers, fruits, and so on, either while soft, cooked or dried. Data were collected by using unstructured interviews and by observation. These plants were identified by healers, patients, and university botanists. This paper identified eighty-five plant species, which belong to thirty-six families. The most representative families are: Asteraceae (8), Brassicaceae (6), Poaceae (6), Umbelliferae (6)

Bedouin health services in mandated Palestine.

Donated by Klaus KreiserReprinted from : Middle Eastern Studies, Vol.41, No.3, 2005

Dreams, Shrines and Mystic Sufi in Palestine

This paper describes common Sufi beliefs regarding dreams and shrines in Palestine during the 20th century. These beliefs developed during joint and private seasonal visits (ziara). Gaining insight into the sociology of the Sufi cult of saints can enrich our understanding of similar cults in other places and shed light on the reasons for their absence in other societies. The research examines the phenomenon of true dreams at saints’ shrines, and explores the historical and contemporary scope of dream pilgrimages to these shrines. Ceremonies that involve visiting saints’ shrines have encouraged socio-cultural and psychological-therapeutic dependence of the pilgrims with regard to these shrines. This dependence relationship is deeply rooted in their collective psyche and reinforced and legitimized through Palestinian folklore. This paper is based on primary and secondary sources, interviews with Sufi and people who have been active in participating in these rituals, as well as archival and documentary material, a review of published and unpublished materials, books, and scientific journals

Indigenous practices among Palestinians for healing eye diseases and inflammations

This paper briefly describes the state health services in general, and eye care in particular for Palestinian Arabs under the British Mandate (1917-1948). The paper will also discuss the environmental and cultural origins of the prevalence of eye diseases among Palestinian Arabs. The second part of the research describes in detail indigenous practices of traditional medicine for healing trachoma and other eye diseases, inflammations that were prevalent in Mandatory Palestine