Traditional Medicine in Oman
Traditional medicine in Oman is a vital aspect of the country's cultural heritage, employing a variety of plant-based remedies and techniques passed down through generations. The Omani people have a strong appreciation for their cultural practices, which include the work of traditional healers, known as hakims, who utilize knowledge acquired from family elders. These healers often draw from a rich tradition that resonates with ancient medical principles, such as the concept of balancing humors, akin to those found in Unani Tibb, an Islamic form of medicine.
Omani traditional medicine incorporates around thirty-three different plants, which are transformed into various formats, including pastes, decoctions, and infusions, to treat a range of ailments from common colds to chronic conditions like diabetes. Commonly used ingredients include limes, garlic, frankincense, and ginger, among others. Despite the availability of Western medicine, many Omanis prefer traditional remedies, with studies indicating that a significant percentage relies on these methods either exclusively or alongside contemporary treatments.
The government supports traditional medical practices through clinics offering free services, promoting the preservation of this invaluable aspect of Oman's identity. Techniques such as acupuncture and cupping are also employed, although plant-based treatments remain predominant. Overall, traditional medicine in Oman exemplifies a deep respect for cultural traditions and an enduring commitment to holistic health practices.
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Traditional Medicine in Oman
Traditional medicine in Oman refers to the use of plants, herbs, and other natural methods for the treatment of diseases as used in the Arabic country known as the Sultanate of Oman. Villages and towns around the country have traditional healers who use knowledge passed down from their ancestors to treat every sort of health problem. While this is true of many cultures, the Omani people take great pride in their cultural background and have established organizations to protect and preserve their traditional medicine. Many people in the country choose traditional medicine over Western medicine even when the cost for Western medicine is small.
Background
The Sultanate of Oman is a country of around three million people and approximately 119,500 square miles (309,500 square kilometers) located to the east of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf region of the Middle East. It is the oldest independent state in the Arab world and has traditionally avoided much of the hostilities in the area. It is known as a sultanate because it is governed by a sultan; sultan is a title for a royal leader such as a king in an Islamic country.
The people of Oman place great importance on their culture and have taken a number of steps to protect their physical monuments and historical objects as well as their intellectual and cultural heritage. This includes their traditional forms of medicine. Since 1988, the country has had government-sponsored traditional medical clinics throughout the country where people can go to seek treatment at no cost. The healers who practice at these clinics each have their own versions of herbal and plant-based liquids, salves, ointments, and other treatments that have been passed down from previous generations. This knowledge is carefully guarded and protected by both the healers and the government.
Overview
Practitioners of Omani traditional medicine generally receive their knowledge from family elders who are skilled in the practice. This knowledge is passed down verbally, and those to whom the knowledge is passed are acknowledged and revered as healers by others in their community. Much of this knowledge appears to be based on the same principles as the system of humors used in ancient Greek medicine.
The ancient Greeks believed that when a person was healthy, it was because four elements in the body were in balance. These elements were earth, water, fire, and air; in the body, these were represented by blood, phlegm or mucus, yellow bile, and black bile. If these elements were not balanced, the person would become sick, and restoring health depended on restoring balance between the elements. Aristotle and Hippocrates were among the ancient Greeks who promoted these and related theories of medicine.
Ancient Islamic practitioners of medicine adopted these teachings, along with similar ones that date back to the ancient Egyptians, into the Unani Tibb, a traditional form of Islamic medicine. Unani is an Islamic word for "Greek," and tibb means "medicine." Like these more ancient forms of medicine, Unani Tibb is based on balancing the humors.
To do this, practitioners known as hakim use a variety of plant-based treatments. Hakim translates to "wiseman" in Arabic. A study conducted in 2013 and 2014 by the Oman Medical Journal determined that most of these treatments are derived from thirty-three different plants. These plants are part of twenty-two different botanical families and are processed into a variety of formats including pastes, decoctions (liquids formed by boiling various plant parts), infusions (liquids formed by pouring boiling water over plant parts but not boiling them, much like tea is made), and inhalants (substances, often fine powders or smoke, that can be breathed in through the nose and/or mouth).
These treatments are most often used on relatively minor ailments, such as colds, headaches, sore throats, stomachaches, constipation, and pain from conditions such as injuries or arthritis. However, hakims also use them to treat chronic conditions such as diabetes and more serious infections. Some of the most commonly used plant treatments involve the use of limes, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, aloe, senna, frankincense, rose water, true myrtle, and a variety of trees and shrubs that are common in the local areas.
These may be used singly or combined to produce the desired result. Various parts of the plants can be used, including the leaves, roots, stems, bark, sap, and seeds. They may be crushed, boiled, burned, shredded, and mixed with other substances to either provide additional benefits (such as a cream to soothe skin irritations) or to help deliver the plant material to the right place in the body or to hold it in place. Some of these are combined with honey; although honey is produced by bees, it is plant-based in origin, since it is made from flower nectar. The hakims may also use cannabis, or marijuana, as a sedative or relaxant.
In some areas, hakims may also use crushed minerals, concoctions using broth or other substances derived from animals, along with massage and techniques such as acupuncture or cupping. Acupuncture involves the use of very thin needles placed in specific spots on the body; the technique is believed to stimulate the body's natural energy flow (known as qi) and promote health. Cupping involves using heated glasses placed upside down on the body to draw out toxins and stimulate qi. These techniques are more in keeping with Eastern medicine traditions such as those of China. While these techniques are practiced as traditional medicine, they are not as common in Oman as the plant-based treatments are.
Many of the Omani people continue to use these traditional methods of healing even though their country does offer contemporary Western-style medicine. The country has a number of modern medical facilities and pharmaceuticals; these are widely available for free or at very minimal cost (less than $5 for a medical visit, treatment, and medications). A study performed by the Omani Ministry of Health in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009 determined that nearly 53 percent of all surveyed Omani households had a traditional remedy in the home. The study also found that almost 10 percent of Omanis relied exclusively on traditional treatments, and more than 81 percent used traditional medicine at least some of the time. These alternative treatments included cupping and acupuncture as well as a traditional form of medicine that involves using thin hot rods to create small burns over the affected areas of the body.
Bibliography
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Divakar, Madhu C., et al. "The Practice of Ethnomedicine in the Northern and Southern Provinces of Oman." Oman Medical Journal, vol. 31, no. 4, July 2016, pp. 245–52.
"Household Survey on Medicine Use in Oman." Directorate of Rational Use of Medicines, Ministry of Health, Sultanate of Oman, Nov. 2009, apps.who.int/medicinedocs/documents/s17055e/s17055e.pdf. Accessed 12 Dec. 2017.
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