Journal of - International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine

Hijamah (Cupping): A Graeco-Islamic Perspective Therapy
M. Manzar ALAM, A. MANNAN, Misbahuddin SIDDIQUE
and Ahsan ILAHI
Precautions after cupping induction
1. One should not take eggs just after cupping.
2. Heavy meal intake should be avoided just after cupping.
3. If the patient is weak and of hot temperament then after
hijamah, the types of drugs which empower the vital
organs should be used e.g: Tiryaq-e-Farooq and Dawaul-Misk
etc.
4. If the patient is of cold temperament then chicken curry
or pigeon curry should be advised after cupping.
5. It is better to use sour things for eating after cupping.
6. Patients should be advised to take Arq Ghulab, Arq Kasni
and Sharabat Anar etc in case of choleric temperament.
7. Hammam may be advised after 2 hours of invasive cupping
5,13-14].
Hijamah-bila-Shurt (Non invasive cupping)
Application of Mahjama (cups) without making an incision
(shurt) is known as hijamah-bila-shurt. It is applied on
affected areas by creating negative pressure inside the cups
either by holding a small flame inside the cups (Mahjama-
Nari) or by using vacuum pump (Mahjama-Ghair-Nari). It
is specially indicated when absorption is required without
induction of istifragh-e-dam. Mahjama-Nari is more beneficial
when morbid matter is relatively thicker [4,10].
There are following conditions in which non invasive
cupping is useful [1,5,6, 13,14].
1. When transfer of matter is needed from one part to
other part of the body then mahjama should be applied
at the same part where the transfer is needed e.g.
hijamah-e -pistaan is recommended in excessive menstrual
bleeding conditions.
2. When natural absorption or retention is needed e.g. cupping
is done at the epigastric region to control vomiting.
3. When all therapeutic measures fail to treat swelling in
deeper parts then hijamah-bila- shurt should be done on
the affected area, which makes swelling appear on the
surface and thus it may be treated by local application
of specific drugs.
4. In case of deep pustulated wounds, it is difficult to clean
them hence; non invasive cupping is done to draw the
pus easily.
5. In the case of the inflammation of a vital organ, cupping
should be done over the surface area of a minor
organ in order to transfer the morbid material (Imtilae-mawad)
from the vital organ.
6. To warm any organ affected by excessive cold, mahjama,
especially mahjama nari is applied which provides
warmness by increasing flow of the blood.
7. Hijamah-bila -shurt, especially Non invasive cupping
with fire (mahajjama-nari) is more effective for softening
the excessive air perfusion (ghalba-e-riyah) in the
conditions such as Qoolanj-e-reehi etc.
8. Hijamah-bila-shurt is also beneficial for lessening the
dislocations of the organs, e.g. cervical vertebral dislocation
and fractured ribs dislocations.
9. Hijamah provides instant relief from severe pain by
dissolution of the causative matter or transfer of the
causative matter towards the less sensitive area and increased
the muscles strength, e.g. in Irq-un- Nisa (sciatica)
pain is relived by induction of non-invasive cupping
on the medial or lateral aspect of the thigh, low back
ache, fibrofaceaitis, muscular strain, frozen shoulder,
lumbo-sacral and cervical spondolitis.
10. When it is needed to increase the size of any organs
then hijamah-bila-shurt should be directed on that organ.
11. Hijamah-bila-shurt is also effective for reduction of size
of any organ, in this situation mahjama (cup) should be
applied around that specific organ.
12. Abul Qasim Zahrawi has described that hijamah-bilashurt
should be advised especially for such type of areas
where shurt (incision) cannot be tolerated, such as
the surface areas of liver, spleen, breast, kidney, umbilicus
etc.
13. According to Ibn-e-Hubal Baghdadi, Hijamah-bilashurt
is also effective in inguinal hernia, when mahjama
is applied at the lower abdomen to pull the intestine
above from the scrotum.
14. Jurjani has described following six major advantages
of the hijamah-bila-shurt (non-invasive cupping). It
plays an effective role in changing the direction of the
matter e.g. Hijamah-e-pistaan is beneficial in excessive
menstruation; similarly hijamah should be done on the
abdominal area to check the epistaxis.
15. It is beneficial to return the displaced organ to its normal
position, e.g. in shoulder dislocation the application of
mahjama can reduce it easily, it is also useful in inguinal
hernia to return the herniated contents to their normal
position. One specific advantage of non-invasive cupping
is that it causes the deep seated problems to become
prominent, e.g. in the case of internal piles, hijamah-emaq’ad
is very much effective to make it prominent so
that it should be treated properly. Hijamah-bila-shurt
ISHIM 2011-2012
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