Prevention of COVID-19 Through Optimization of Tabi’at: A Unani Medicine’s Perspective

Background: Unani System of Medicine (USM) is one of the traditional systems of medicine practiced in India and the Indian subcontinent. It is a holistic system of health care based on inceptive principles applied by Hippocrates, Galen, and Ibn-e-Sina, the founders of present-day medicine. USM encompasses a distinct way of looking at the human body and it considers health to be the result of natural dynamic harmonious balance within the body. USM also recognizes the presence of inherent wisdom which is responsible for controlling all physiological functions, maintenance of health, restoration of health, and self-healing. This intrinsic ability of the body to restore health and the mechanism that activates the body’s healing process is called Tabi’at/ physis. The ultimate goal of prevention of disease can be obtained by optimization of tabi’at/physis, increasing the host defense. It can be achieved through the implication of asbab-e-sitta zarooriyah which includes some Unani Regimenal Therapies also, fostering change in lifestyle habits resulting in good health. Aims: In this raging pandemic all the therapeutic strategies are based on destroying the agent, breaking the means of transmission and immunization. Although we are leaving behind a huge gap in maintaining the host defense even though it has a crucial role in disease dynamics. In this paper, we have attempted to highlight the concept of tabi’at/Physis and its optimization to prevent this disease and its transmission. Methods: The authors had gone through classical Unani medical textbooks books related to the concept of tabi’at, asbab-e-sitta zarooriyah, and various modalities that help in health promotion and host defense. Important Unani medicine textbooks like Al Qanoon, Kamilus Sana’at, Kitab-al- Hawi, Al-asbab wa Alamat, Moalijat Buqratiya, Firdausul Hikmat and Kitabul Mansuri in addition to other published literature on the concerned subject was also reviewed for further clarification on the topic. Keywords: Unani System of Medicine, Tabi’at (physis), Host defense & Asbab-e- Sitta zarooriya