Vol. 9, Issue - 3, Part B (2025)

Background: Epilepsy (Ṣar‘) is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures due to abnormal brain activity. In Unani Medicine, Ṣar‘ has been recognized for centuries and understood as a multifactorial disease involving the brain, humors, and the vital spirit (Rūḥ-i-Nafsānī). Unani scholars developed detailed conceptual frameworks for its etiology, classification, symptoms, and treatment.

Objective: To review and analyse the classical Unani understanding of epilepsy, exploring historical definitions, etiopathology, classification, symptoms, and therapeutic strategies, including single and compound formulations.

Methods: A comprehensive literature review of classical Unani texts, including works by al-Rāzī, Ibn Sīnā, Najīb al-Dīn Samarqandī, Hakim Azam Khan, and others, was conducted. The disease concept, humoral theory, and regimens were examined and contextualized with current neurological understanding.

Results: Unani Medicine defines epilepsy (Ṣar‘) as a disturbance in the psychic organs due to humoral imbalance, mainly phlegmatic and melancholic obstructions. The condition is classified into cerebral and extracerebral types, and further into humoral categories such as phlegmatic (Balghamī), melancholic (Sawdāwī), sanguineous (Damawī), and bilious (Ṣafrāwī). Treatment strategies include body and brain purificati on (Tanqiya), temperament correction (Taʿdīl-i-Mizāj), regimental therapies (Ilāj bi’l-Tadbīr), and the use of single and compound herbal-mineral for mutations. Dietary and lifestyle guidelines are integral to management. Emergency and interictal care are also emphasized.

Conclusion: The Unani Medicine offers a comprehensive and holistic framework for understanding and treating epilepsy. Its diagnostic and therapeutic principles, deeply rooted in humoral pathology and psychic physiology, present valuable insights that may complement modern integrative neurological care.