Aisha Perveen

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is widely used as drug to promote health and fight disease from ancient time. In countries like India and other Asian countries, saffron is used very frequently in various alternative systems of medicine including Unani System of Medicine, Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, as it is considered  bitter, acrid, fragrant, stimulant, tonic, stomachic, aphrodisiac, anodyne, antispasmodic, emmenagogue, diuretic, laxative, galactogogue and is useful in bronchitis, pharyngopathy, cephalgia, vomiting, fever, melancholia, hepatomegaly etc. Because of its wide range of medical uses in traditional systems of medicine, the saffron has under gone extensive phytochemical and biochemical studies and some of the studies have shown that number of constituents including Crocin, Crocetin, Safranal are present, out of which crocetin is mainly responsible for pharmacological actions. This paper is an attempt to review the saffron on the basis of Unani System of Medicine and to discuss its recent phytochemical and pharmacological studies.

Lac (Laccifer lacca) is an Indian animal origin drug. In Unani medicine Lac is known as Luk (Arabic word). Its medicinal properties are well advocated in unani literature. That’s why its use for various ailments is commonly prevailed among unani fraternity since centuries. This drug is very famous among unani practitioner for its anti-obesity effects. Various Unani medicine formulations (compound drugs) are having Lac as a chief constituent are in market. One of its most famous and acceptable formulation “Safoofe muhazzil” is being prescribed profoundly to counter obesity. Unani Scholars like Ibn Sina (Avicena), Razi, Ibn Rushd, Rabban Tabri, Hakeem Abdul Hakeem, Najmul Ghani, Jurjani and Kabeeruddin etc., wrote extensively about the medicinal use of Lac for various diseases in their respective books and treatises. Apart from Unani System of Medicine lac is also being used as drug in other complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) system especially in Indian system of medicine namely Ayurveda and Siddha.