Unani View of Vitiligo (Bars)

It also called white spot disease or leukoderma, is a disease in which the skin loses its pigment due to the destruction of melanocytes.

Description

Melanocytes are pigment cells located in the surface layer of the skin called the epidermis and are responsible for producing melanin. Melanin is a dark pigment that gives skin its color and protects against ultraviolet radiation. When melanocytes stop producing melanin, the skin becomes pale, leaving areas of white patches - this is called vitiligo.

Vitiligo can start at any age, but it often occurs between the ages of 20 and 30. Vitiligo may begin on the face above the eyes, or on the neck, armpits, groin, hands or knees. Vitiligo may appear as a few small pigmented patches or spread over the entire body. In many cases, initial pigment loss will occur, then, after several months, the number and size of the light areas become stable and may remain so for a long time. Episodes of pigment loss may appear again later.

Vitiligo is present in about 1 percent of the population.

Causes

The actual cause of vitiligo is unknown, however researchers believe that there are many factors and/or conditions listed below that contribute to the disease:

• Heredity (over 30 percent of affected persons have reported vitiligo in a parent, sibling, or child)
• Exposure to chemicals such as phenol (disinfectant) or catechol (used in dyeing or tanning)
• Emotional or physical stress
• Autoimmune disorder is which the body may be destroying its own melanocytes
• Autotoxic response is which the melanocytes self-destruct leaving a toxic residue, that, in turn destroys new melanocytes
• Skin injury
• Burns
• Inflammatory skin disorders
• Associative disorders such as diabetes, pernicious  anaemia, hyper- and hypo-thyroidism, addison's disease(adrenal insufficiency), uveitis (inflammation of the eyes) or alopecia areata(patches of hair loss).

Symptoms

The symptoms of vitiligo are:

• Chalk white patches of skin often located symmetrically on both sides of the body
• White hairs within depigmented patches

Diagnosis

The medical history is important, but diagnosis can usually be made solely by observation of characteristic skin changes. For fair-skinned people, the doctor will use a special light, called a Wood's lamp, to shine on the skin in a dark room to identify the vitiliginous patches. In some cases, a skin biopsy may be required.

Single Drugs in Unani Medicine
Babchi- Psoralea corylifolia Linn.
Geru- Red earth
Zanjabeel- zingiber officinale
Roscoe Shahtara- Fumaria indica Pugsley
Karafs- Apium graveolens Linn.
Gandhak Amalsar- Sulpher
Gulnar Farsi- Punica granatum Linn.
Sarphoka- Tephrosia purpurea Linn.
Atrilal- Ammi majus Linn.
Satyanasi- Argemone mexicana Linn.
Kalonji- Nigella sativa Linn.
Chiraita- Swertia chirayita Buch.Ham.
Bhangra- Eclipta prostrata linn.
Gul-e-Surkh- Rosa damascena Mill.
Parsioshan- Adiantum capillus-veneris Linn.

 Compound Drugs In Unani Medicine

Safoof Bars
Itrifal Shahtra
Habbe Bars
Sharbat-e-Musaffi
Majoon Ithreral

Sharbat-e-Sandal

Restricted Food Item In Unani Medicine

Banana Beef Bottle gourd Brinjal Butter milk Cashew Curd Custard apple Egg Emblic myrobalan (Amla) Fish Gooseberry Groundnut GuavaIndian sorrel Lemon Lentil Lime Melon Milk Orange Pomegranate Prune Tamarind Tomato Unwholesome food (heavy and light food together) Watermelon Zizyphus (Ber)

 Recommended Food In Unani Medicine

Almond Amaranth Apricot Beetroot Bird’s flesh Bitter gourd Black pepper Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Chilies Coconut Common saltCondiments (masaley)Dates Drumstick Fenugreek FigGrapes Horse gram Indian millet (bajra) Mango Mutton Onion Pineapple Pistachio nuts Potato Pulses Pure ghee Rice Spinach Turnip Walnut Wheat