Field Data on Folk Mdicine from the aramawt

Author(s): Mikhail Rodionov

Source: Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, Vol. 26, Papers from the twenty-ninth
meeting of the Seminar for Arabian Studies held in Cambridge, 20-22 July, 1995 (1996), pp. 125
-133
Published by: Archaeopress
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41223576
Accessed: 28-05-2015 17:41 UTC
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Field Data on Folk MedicinefromtheHadramawt

MikhailRodionov

Summary:Folk remediesfromHadramawthave been studiedby R.B.Serjeant,

W.Dostaland Sacid B Yamn.Medicineandtheherbalin Yemenwereexamined
and laterbymodernscholars,R.Ganora,J.Fleurentin
undertheRasulidpatronage,
has
and J.-M.Pelt,A.Schopen,D.Varisco and cAli B Dhb. S.Frantsouzoff
on sorceryin mediaeval
extractedfromthe writtensourcessome information
to thepracticeofmedicine.
andDhofarwithspecialreference
Abyan,Hadramawt,
In addition,I wouldliketo discussmyresearchin Hadramawtas a memberofthe
andmyselfbeganto studythe
RussianJointExpedition.In 1990 Pavel Pogorelsky
near
medicine
of
traditional
state
Ghayl B Wazir (village al-Sidc,
present
cUmarSacld B Dab) and amongtheB Tays tribeon theplateauB
informant
Tays above Wadi cAmd.In 1991 I studiedthe mashyikhfamilyof Ibn Ishq
(Wadi Kasr) and thearchivesof al-Mukall,and in late 1994 I workedin Say^n
andTarm.
I investigated
thecurativepoweroftheoral/written
word,theuse of incense
as a last
and
as
well
as
diet,phlebotomy, cauterisation
against'unseenforces',
of diseases showsthatmedicallore is stillalive,
resort.Traditionalclassification
ofevil
withitsnotionsofthefourhumours,
in modernHadramawt,
at leastpartly,
be
healer
etc. The role of theHadrami
winds,of worldharmony,
may compared
withthatof themediatorin a tribalconflict:in bothcases thepurposeis to reestablishlostbalance.
*******
Since I am nota specialistin medicine,thepurposeof thispaperis just to
worldoutlookof Hadramls.1
sketchouttheplace of medicallorein thetraditional
In modern Hadramawta traditionof medical lore is still maintainedby
of all social strata.The sdah and mashyikhare reputedto be
representatives
effectivein world therapy,i.e. in recitingthe Qurn over a sick personand

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126

Fielddataon FolkMedicine

certainversesor formulae
to be wornas protection
writing
againstevil spiritsand
charms.Some of thesdah and mashyikh
are said to have healedill personsby
Ibn Ishq,by
placingtheirhandsovera patientor,as in thecase of themashyikh
theirbreath. The qabDilare knownas healersof woundsand snakebites,the
hirthnspecialisein simples,the akhdamin phlebotomy,
and all of themhave
diet.
recourseto cauterisation
(kayy)andpreventive
humanailmentsare divided into internal
Accordingto our informants,
diseases (includinglm al-bqtn,or stomachaches; lm al-sadr,chestpains;
lm al-zahr,backpains;lm al-safr,thepainsofbodilyweakness;lm al-rih,
thepainsof 'wind', i.e. fevers); diseases of theextremities
and skin( including
and
and
mental
diseases
whenpatients
fractures,
dislocations,sprains, wounds);
aretreatedas possessedbyevil spirits.
'
All thediseasesare causedby 'disordersin thehumanstructure
(al-haykal
ai-insani,i.e. the humanbody). These disordersare broughtby 'bad winds',
imbalanceof thefourhumoursof thebody,i.e. blood,yellowand blackbile,and
al-mirrahal-sawda,balgham),of thehotand
phlegm(dam,al-mirrahal-safr0,
thecool, by physicaldisorderor damage,by the influenceof thejinn,etc. This
of differing
social strata,age
conceptis shared,or known,by all myinformants
bin
B
Bakr
and education,e.g. SayyidHusayn
(Wadi Dawcan, about
Shaykh
fiveyearsold, no formaleducation);ShaykhAhmadbin Ishq (Wadi alsixtyAhmadb.Mansr
Kasr,twenty-one
yearsold, a highschool student);tribesman
B Tays (Sawt B Tays,overeightyyearsold, no formaleducation);qarawl, or
and well-to-dopeasants. MuhammadJabdalof merchants
the representative
Shaykh B Ya^sht (Wadi al-Kasr, about fortyyears old, primaryschool
education);Dcf Ahmad Qahrn (Wadi al-Hajarayn,about sixtyyears old,
illiterate
shib al-hijmah,or 'specialistin cupping'),etc. The same views are
of theamateurethnologist
fromal-Mukall,Said
sharedalso by theinformants
cAwadB Yann.2
It is curioushow ourinformants
who,withone exception,have neverheard
ancientnotionsand ideas.3I haverummaged
andGalen,reproduce
ofHippocrates
and al-Mukallforsamplesof written
in theHadramiarchivesin Tarm,SayJn,
Thereare morethana dozen
whichstillexistin the country.
medicaltradition
on medicine,rangingfromIbn Sin's al-Qnnflal-tibb(theMS of
manuscripts
cA
to al-Kmilsinc al-tibbbyIbn Sin's predecessor,
633 in twoparts,#260)4
b. cUmaral-Habshi,
b. cAbbsal-Mahmsi(froma privatecollectionof cAydars
al-Ghurfa,
#437),to al-Bayn asrar al-tibbby his successor,Yahy b. cIs b.
Jazlah(Tarim,Maktabatal-Kf,#9).
The medicalencyclopaediaTashilal-manfv
bythe
fi al-tibbwa-al-hikmah
YemeniphysicianIbrahimb. cAbdal-Rahmnb. cAbi Bakr al-Azraqsince the

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Rodionov

127

9th/
15thcentury
has beenfamousin Hadramawtand in thenorthof Yemen.5Its
at RibtLibrary
MS dated 1115/1703is now in the Maktabal-Ahqf,formerly
written
sourcesofthe
(#250).Actually,thistreatisewas one ofthemostimportant
local oraltradition
on thefourhumours.
Variouscompendiums
also formpartof theHadramlmedicallore,suchas
13thcentury
physicianrAl*al-Dn rAIb. Abi alal-Mjaz al-tibbbythe7th/
Hazm Ibn al-Nafs (Tarm, MS # 301) or al-Rizq fi al-tibb,an anonymous
Mahd al-Sabr,and
compilationfromthe worksof Ibn al-Gaythal-Kamarari,
Ibnal-Jawzi(al-Habshicollectionfromal-Ghurfah,
#379).It is worthmentioning
and medicalterminology
an anonymouslexiconof medicaments
Tafslrasma3alMaktabatal-Kf,#15).
adwiyahwa-al-alfzfi al-tibb(Tarm,former
come to Hadramawtfromsuch areas of the Islamic
Medical manuscripts
worldas Arabia,Westand East,CentralAsia and India,etc. Local librarieshave
the worksof Najlb al-Dn al-Samarqandi(7th/13th
century,Tarm,Maktabat
thesame
(9/15thcentury,
WaqfAI Ibn Yahy,#88), Nafsb. cAwadal-Kirmri
thesame
collection,#138). Ahmadb. Muhammadal-Haytami(10th/16th
century,
collection,# 87). Da^d b. cUmar al-Antkl (10th/16thcentury,the same
collection,#103). One ofthemostcelebratedHadramlmedicalworksis al-Zull
al-s wa-al-daw0alshfi by rAbdal-Rahmnb. Ahmad B Kathir(died
1045/1635,the same collection,# 133). To make the picturemorecompleteI
shouldnametreatisesby Ms b. rAjilal-Yamrii(the same collection,# 172),
Ahmadb. Ibrahimb. Abi-Khlid(MS #423 in Tarm,the al-Habshicollection
#552 in al-Mukall,Maktabal-Shacb),as well as severalworks
fromal-Ghurfah:
#
on talismen(anonymousMS #25; #409 by Ahmadal-Brii,7th/13th
century,
#416, vol 115thcentury,
405 byAbd al-Rahmnb. Muhammadal Bustml;9th/
12th/18th
and
2, byIbrahimb. Muhammadb. Ismail al-Amlral-Sancrii,
century)
7th/13th
on chemistry
(MS #461 by cAbd al-Rahmnb. Ibrahimb. cUthmn,
##
century; 343 and 424 by Muhammadb. <Izz al-Dn al-Jaldak,8th/14th
century.6
(cUmarSacid B Dabb, 44 yearsold,thekhatib
Onlyone ofmyinformants
healerfromal-Sidrvillage) claimedthathe had
of the mosque and hereditary
above. Mostof theinformants,
someidea of thetreatisesmentioned
nevertheless,
seem to have been aware of theircontents.In my view,thisfurther
provesmy
is
no
clear-cut
there
cultural
tradition
Hadrami
that
in
opposition
suggestion
and
betweenthe oral and the writtendiscourse,the two being interdependent
or
to
when
Thus,
quotes
referring cauterisation, kayy,everybody
complementary.
is thelast medicine'(al-kayykhiral-tibbal-cilj)
an expression'Cauterisation
whichwas called 'a popularsaying'(qawl al-cmmah)at least a thousandyears
ago.7

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128

Fielddataon FolkMedicine

So whatis thefirstmedicine?It is thetreatment

of an illnessby meansof
words. Many healersuse theirverbal power of persuading,effectively
apply
Islamicformulasto make a patientrelaxedand moreoptimistic.
Greatmagicoare attachedto thefamousyatal-kursl,or theverseof the
therapeutic
properties
Throne{Srah II, Al-Baqarah 255), of the Qurn. The words 'His throne
includeth
theheavensandtheearthand He is neverwearyofpreserving
them'are
as
the
follows.
of
his
never
tires of
God, by
explained
might
knowledge,
or granting
humanhealth.This yah is consideredto be thebest for
protecting
tardal-jinn,i.e. forexorcisingan evil spiritoutof thepossessedor counteracting
thedangersoftheevil eye.
are supplemented
textsplaced intosilver,
Oral,recited,formulas
by written
powermaybe givenonlyby the spirits
copperor leathertalismans.Temporary
who serveGod butalso bythejinnwhowentastray.Thus,theahi al-talsim(the
peopleoftalismans)werea sobriquetto theBritishin local politicalpoetryduring
the'30s ofthe20thcentury.
The jinn,subdividedinto'good Muslims,neutraland evil', are believedto
be able to takeon the shape of humanbeings,animals,birdsor insects.They,
in thecase of the lattertwo,are connectedwiththe aerial element,
particularly
with'bad/goodwinds'. Harmfulwindsand spiritsare banishedfromthe body
(laban; Boswellian carterii
throughincense burning,includingfrankincense
Birdw.),myrrh
(CammiphoraSell), dragon'sblood resin(Dracaena cinnabari
dried
Balfour),
aloe-juice(Aloe vaccilans Schw.), etc8. A famousremedyfor
sold
evil spiritsis hiltitgum(Ferula asafoetidaL.) whichis frequently
exorcising
at themarketof Sayn.It is said to be just as helpfulin drivingout helminths,
ascaridesand otherworms.Sacrificesof freshhen-eggs,a youngblack goat or
rametc.,also seemto pleasethejinn.
wordand by food as well. A Hadrami
treatment
is done through
Primary
proverbstates, 'The best medicine is dinner' (afdal al-dawa3 ghada0). So
dietprescribesoptimalfoodbalanceaccordingto the season and the
preventive
Each edible item has its propertiesas hot/cold,dry/wet,
condition.
patient's
etc.Forexample,pancakesodhura (Sorghum
light/heavy,
purgative/constipated,
to
durrd)dough are believed give strength
(quwwa) with an explicitsexual
connotation.That is why when dhura-breadhad been partiallyreplaced by
importedrice as a staplefood half a centuryago, the bedouinof Hadramawt
in rice,as thereis no chivalryin a Hindu'
coineda saying'Thereis no strength
The feelingthateverymodernchange
(Ma ruzquwwakamafhindimurwwd).
moralsandhealthis verystrongamongtheHadramis.
in dietcorrupts
The curativequalityof local honeyis well known.It is used to treatgastritis
and gastriculcers,liverand kidneydiseases,diabetes,anaemia,freshwoundsetc.
When added to meat,it servesas an aphrodisiac(muqw),a factrecordedby

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Rodionov

129

D.Ingramssixtyyearsago.9 Berriesof the cilb-tree( Zizyphusspina Christi

Willd.)as well as cloves,gingrandraisins,arealso believedto makea man'safe
and sound'.
Goafs meatbroth(maraq) is a good remedyforanaemia,generalweakness,
Dates have a febrifugal
effect;sugaris 'hot'.
bleeding,overheating,
thermoplegia.
Fish dishesare 'cold' and 'wet'. Sharlkh,a hotbeveragemade fromcoffeehusk
and groundginger,stimulatescardiac activity,etc. This list may be easily
extended.
Incensehas alwaysbeenregardedas an uniqueagentof purification.
Myrrh,
/
and
blood
resin
are
burnt
to
and
aloes
or
frankincense,
Dragon's
perfume purify
visitorsand guestsas well as theair indoors.Poundedfrankincense
keepswater
fresh.The dilutionof myrrh
withwaterreducesstomachcolic and itspowderhas
an astringent
Freshaloes-juicewithhoneyand oil treatspulmonary
property.
a purgative,
and a cicatrising
dilutedwithwaterit is a disinfectant,
tuberculosis;
is
still
like
blood
Dried
resin,
employedfortreating
agent.10
aloes-juice,
Dragon's
to
and boils,to inducemenstrual
anaemia,haemorrhoids,
discharge,
haemorrhage
a
is
burnt
as
oil
Sesamum
cause abortion,
etc.Sesame (jiljil;
disinfectant,
indicum)
mother.
The
banian
child
and
its
to
a
new-born
{Ficus religiosa)
especially purify
shellacservesthesame purposeas incenseor,dilutedin water,is used to extract
gastricgases fromthebaby.
of variousplantshave beenused in Hadramlfolk
The therapeutic
properties
medicine for many centuries.Thus, decoction of the qarad tree's cortex
tree{Ficus vasta
{Euphorbiagarad) is givento diabetics,thatof thetlq/tlaq
Forsk.) is said to cure cancer{sic!), whereasthe infusionof its cortexcures
and diseases of the liver. A rue {Ruta chalepensis)
oedamata,rheumatism,
and cardamom
infusionsoothespainsin theknees;poundedruewithfrankincense
a
little
into
is
bag ( cuks)suspendedon a bride's
{Elettariacardamomum) placed
role at weddingsis
dressin orderto protectheragainstevil. The same protective
so our listwill
playedby henna.The local herbalincludesmorethan130 items11
alwaysbyincomplete.
It is usuallymaintainedthatsaffron{usfur;Crocus sativus)'renovatesthe
cosmeticsalso have curative
liver'. Hadramlphysiciansbelieve thattraditional
qualities; for example,antimony'sharpensone's eyesightand protectsone's
eyeballsagainstthesun'; hurd{Curcumalonga) andwars{Mamecylontinctorum)
make the body clean, and indigo {havlr; IndigoferaSch.) safeguardspeople
againstcolds.
A widely practiced form of traditionalmedicine in Hadramawtis
The hajjm,or specialistin hijmah(blood-letting),
or blood-letting.
phlebotomy,
The age of the patients
local settlements.
can be met in mostof the important
consideredfitforphlebotomy
rangesfrom14 to 60 yearsold. The operationis
for
used
plethora,fever,kidneydiseases, diseases of the pleura, angina,

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130

Fielddataon FolkMedicine

etc. The
furunculosis,
headaches,asthma,coughs, opthalmia,haemorrhoids,
a conic
with
makes
a
cut
and
i.e.
a
a
coppercylinder
hajjm
applies cup (mihjam),
endandhandle.
the tool of whichis a
Sometimesthe hajjm also exercisescauterisation,
cUmarB Daba demonstrated
cautery(mikw)ofdifferent
shapes.Ourinformant
or thelong,(b) with
fourofthem:a) mustaqim,
orthestraight,
b) and c) mustatil,
the sharpcurvedend, (c) withthe flatroundend, and d) murabba c , or the
for
withthecrossshapedend (see figure.
fourfold,
1.). Each shape is determined
of theeye by firingdotsat the
specialcases. Cauterya) is used to treattraumata
skinaround;cauteryc) is used forthesame purposeto cauterisean area behind
theear.Cauteryb) treatschestpains,cauteryd) is usedforstomachaches,etc.My
informant
b) and
Husaynbin ShaykhB Bakremploysonlytwotypesof cautery,
c) (see figure2). The othercauses, shapesand areas of cauteriesemployedare
shownin a schemeofcurativecauterisation
byW. Dostal (see figure3),12whichI
havecheckedand slightly
enlargedduringmyresearch.This schemeprovedto be
almostuniversalfortheinnerandouterHadramawt.
and dislocations.
bone fractures
The local healersare good at treating
Accordingto myfield data nobody
Specialistsofthiskindarecalledmujabbirln.
now. In thisfieldeven traditional
is engagedin surgery
physiciansare likelyto
fromtheChinesedoctors,whose
takeadvicefrommodernmedicine,particularly
hadbeenveryhighintheHadramawt
duringthelate'80s.
reputation
In conclusion,I would state thatmedical lore is still alive in modern
Hadramawtas it was centuriesago. The role of the Hadramphysicianmaybe
comparedwiththatof themediator(wasll) in a tribalconflict.In bothcases the
theworld'sharmony.
lostbalanceandto maintain
purposeis to re-establish

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Rodionov

131

Figure1. Shapesof cauteriesusedby cUmarB Dab (nearGhaylB Wazir):

a) mustaqil. b) andc) - mustal d) - murabbac. (See Pogorelsky,
Op.cit.fig.5,p57)

Figure2. ShapesofcauteriesusedbyHusaynbinShaykhBu Bakr(Wadi Dawcan).

The thirditemfromtheleftis a dentalextraction
forcepsnotinuse nowadays.
(M.Rodionov,Op.cit.,, figure93)

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132

Fielddataon FolkMedicine

( see W.Dostal,Op.cit, figure44, pi 14) slightly

Figure3. Schemeofcurativecauterisation
enlargedandrevised
1.
2.
3
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Splenicdiseases
Lungdiseases
Stomachdiseases
Anaemia,generalweakness.
Pleurisy;cordialdiseases.
Smallpox,skinirritation.
Asthma;backtrauma.
andmiscarriage.
Back painsinmales;haemorrhage
Rheumatic
pains
Blood pressureimbalance.
Bladderandkidneydisease.
Eye suppuration.
Severeheadaches;mentalproblems.
Shoulderpains.
Nausea

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Rodionov

133

Notes:
1

Some aspectsoftheproblemweredealtwithin TraditionalWorldOutlookofthePeoples

Asia (Moscow, 1992),(in Russian),byS Frantsuzov,
arid
'Superstitions
of Western
in
South
Arabia
13th
Centuries
Rites
to
15th
al-Shihr,
)Abyan,Hadramawt,
Sorcery
'Some TraitsoftheTraditional
MedicineofHadramawt',
Dhofar)',7-19; byP.Pogorelsky
undHandwerkerkstechniken
in Tarlm(Gottingen,
W.Dostal,Handwerker
1972),
ethnicalculture(Moscow, 1994), 132-136,fig.26, 93.

See Sacid 'Awad B Yamn,'Al-Tibbal-sha<bal-qadm'(MS, 70-105),(al-Mukall,

27: 'Dirastal-astfwa-al-hikyt'
1989),cataloguenumber

Medicalloreis likelyto surviveinmodernHadramawt

as itwas inmediaevalYemen
in
'Medicine
and
the
Herbal
Medieval
to
Yemen', Yemen:3000
according D.Varisco,
in
Art
and
Civilisation
Arabia
ed.
W.Daum
& Frankfurt/Main,
Felix,
(Innsbruck
yearsof
312.
1987),

Tarim,former
Libraryofal-Ribat, nowinMaktabatal-Ahqaf.Hereandbelowthe
aregivenaccordingto: cAbdallahMuhammadal-Habashi,Fihristalcataloguenumbers
mahtutat
fi HadramawtAden,1975).
al-yamaniyyah

are:
CompareD.Varisco,Op.Cit.,312. The fourhumours'characteristics
blood:
hot& wet connectedwithair foundinvessels
dominant
in spring
-"-"-"with
in
in
bile:
hot
&
fire
the
head
summer
dry
yellow
-"- withearth -"- inthespleen
-"- inautumn
blackbile:
cold & wet
-"- withwater -"- inthelungs
-"- inwinter
cold & wet
phlegm:

All MSS are fromtheHabshicollection,al Ghurfah,

exceptMS #25 whichbelongsto the
al-Kfcollection,Tarim.

c
E.g. Abu al-Qsim(albucasis)Khalafibn Abbasal-Zahrwi(ca. 936-1014).KitabalTasrlfli-mancajaza canal-talifTreatise#30, Ch.1.

Foraloes and Dragon'sbloodon Socotra,see M.-C.Simeone-Senelle,

'Aloe and Dragon's
uses on theislandof Socotra',NewArabian
Blood,somemedicinalandtraditional
'
Studies,2 (1994), 186-198;on aloes inYemen,see Ali SlimB Dhib,al-Nabttaltibbiyyahal-Yaman(Sanc3,1991),90-91.On magicandtherapeutic
practiceon
medicinein SouthArabia,see M.Socotrawithgeneralconclusionson traditional
dansl'le de Soqotra:le MdecinC.Simeone-Senelle,
'Magie et pratiquesthrapeutique
inProceedingsoftheSeminarforArabianStudies,25 (London,1995), 117- 126.
gurisseur',

A TimeinArabia(London,1970),38-39.
D.Ingrams,

10

CompareM.-C.Simeone-Senelle,
Op. cit. 187.

11 See
P.Pogorelsky,
Op.cit.,54.
12

undHandwerkerkstechniken
in Tarim(Gottingen,
W.Dostal,Handwerker
1972),fig.44, 114.

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