ABSTRACT
Herbs have been used for thousands of years, either in their crude forms or as herbal teas, syrups, infusions, and powders in the treatment and prevention of all known diseases. Owing to a statement (Hadith) by Prophet Mohammad Peace Be Upon Him (PBUH), “The one who sent down the disease sent down the remedy,” and “For every disease, God has given a cure,” every Muslim is encouraged to search for those remedies and use them with skill and compassion. With the high prevalence of tumors in modern times, it is worthwhile looking back in history to the views of famous ArabMuslim scholars in medicine, such as Al Razi (known as Rhazes, ad 860-930), Al Zaharawi (known as Alucasis, ad 936-1013), and Ibn Sina (known as Avicenna, ad 980-1037). Razes described most types of cancers known at his time and suggested several treatments based on his belief that cancer was a result of excess of burned black bile in the affected tissue. Therefore, he recommended evacuation of the organ from black bile by excessive vomiting and laxatives and using cold medications and food. The Andalusian scholar Albucasis was the rst who conducted classic removal of the cancerous breast. He recognized that cancer can be treated surgically only in its early stages when complete removal is possible. Like Rhazes and the ancient Greeks, Avicenna understood cancer to be an
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 49 Historical Background .....................................................................................................................50
