Ancient remedies for coughs and cough-related symptoms: analysis from Malay medical manuscripts
Cough, a common symptom with various underlying causes, may lead to debilitating consequences in terms of loss of employment, healthcare utilisation and psychosocial morbidity. This study aims to document information on coughs and cough-related symptoms from six Malay medical manuscripts. The inf...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Kulliyyah of Allied Health Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/93975/1/93975_Ancient%20remedies%20for%20coughs%20and%20cough-related%20symptoms.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/93975/ https://journals.iium.edu.my/ijahs/index.php/IJAHS/article/view/746/638 |
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| Summary: | Cough, a common symptom with various underlying causes, may lead to debilitating
consequences in terms of loss of employment, healthcare utilisation and psychosocial morbidity. This
study aims to document information on coughs and cough-related symptoms from six Malay medical
manuscripts. The information is related to terminologies, symptoms, list of materials, method of
preparation, method of administration and dosage. The materials were then compared with
contemporary studies on their relevant therapeutic action. It was found that batuk, lelah and esak are the
most common terms related to coughs and cough-related problems in the Malay manuscripts. Coughs
can then be categorised into five types: wet cough, dry cough, cold-induced cough, asthmatic cough
and physiological coughs. Asthmatic cough has the greatest number of prescriptions (n=30) than other
types of coughs. In total, 62 formulations have been documented involving about 93 plant species, 6
animals and 2 minerals. Fenugreek or Trigonella foenum-graecum is the common material prescribed for
all five types of coughs. Honey, gandarukam and mustaki are also commonly prescribed for all coughs
except dry cough. Future study may investigate the effectiveness of these traditional formulations and
their therapeutic benefits to treat coughs and cough-related problems. With proper recommendation,
practice and guidelines from health practitioners, health authorities should consider the availability of
local materia medica in treating coughs as an advantage to improve the quality of life for the community
at large. |
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