Therapeutic Foods of Unani Medicine

Therapeutic Foods of Unani Medicine A  talk by Dr. Ghazala Shaikh at HELP on 23rd July on Unani Medicine. In this holy month of Ramadan, Dr.Ghazala Shaikh tells us about the choice of foods we ought to eat. A Unani phytotherapist, she starts with the quote that sums up the essence of Unani medicine: Let thy food be our medicine and let thy medicine be your food. -Hippocrates She then moves on to the foods that are therapeutic for this season: I)                    WHOLE GRAINS ·         Wheat ·         Brown Rice ·         Millet ·         Maize ·         Rye ·         Barley II)                  BEANS AND LEGUMES ·         LentilsLentils/pulses/beans ·         Mung beans: mild diuretic effect, cleansing and healing for the genitourinary tract.  ·         Black beans are strengthening to the kidneys ·          Adzuki beans are therapeutic in diabetes III)                Vegetables ……Pot herbs..alkalinizer ·         Root vegetables….Restorative e.g. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, Yam, beet, celery and parsley ·         Leafy vegetables…… build blood ·         Bitter green…e.g. dandelion, bittergourd, detox liver, increases bile flow ·         Spicy vegetables:  stimulates circulation, immunity and digestion….. IV)               fruits V)                 nuts and seeds ·         Almonds …..Rich source of Protein ·         Peanuts….. ·         Walnuts…… brain tonic ( doctrine of sign) ·         Pumpkin seeds…..good for prostate ·         Sesame seed…..lubricate bowels, nutritious and easily digestible ·         Black seeds….Kalonji…. Shouneez.. VI)               MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS ·         Milk… most cold, moist and phlegm forming ·         Cow’s milk…. heaviest, richest and hardest to digest ·         Yogurt ·         Cheese(fresh) ·         Butter VII)             MEAT POULTRY AND EGGS ·         Mutton ·         Beef ·         Chicken ·         Eggs ·         Fishes /seafood APITHERAPY  (honey and by products) ·         Honey…Ambrosia…Food of God ·         honey and honeybee products, like pollen, beeswax, royal jelly and propolis.  ·         Honey is lighter, dyer, and more heating than many other sugars and sweeteners ·         Soothing and demulcent, stimulates the stomach and digestion, and is a mild laxative ·         Famous for its antiseptic and antimicrobial properties..  She then concludes with the quote: “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”