Alum in Pharmaceutical Preparations: Between Past and Present

• Publish Date: 28 - June - 2009

Research Abstract:

The science of pharmacopoeias (Aqrabadhin) or compound medicines emerged before the Common Era, dating back to Dioscorides, Galen, and other physicians, evolving alongside other theoretical and applied sciences. Prior to this, medical prescriptions were compiled in handbooks where physicians recorded the names of diseases affecting the human body, listing alongside each ailment the appropriate simple and compound medicines in a manner that allowed for easy reference when needed. This practice continued until the appearance of the first Aqrabadhin in the 3rd century AH (9th century AD) by Sabur ibn Sahl. This work served as an official pharmacopoeia, containing compound medicines, their methods of preparation, preservation, and medicinal dosages. It subsequently evolved over the following centuries to include methods for testing and standardization. Consequently, a succession of pharmacopoeias appeared after the 3rd century AH, leading to the Aqrabadhin of Ibn al-Tilmidh in the 6th century AH, followed by those of al-Samarqandi, al-Qalanisi, and Kohen al-Attar. Each of these was considered a modified version of its predecessor, incorporating additions deemed necessary by the physician. Physicians did not merely provide prescriptions for compound drugs but also addressed the testing and preparation of these compounds, believing this to be a fundamental task that a pharmacist must perform prior to the final preparation of the medicine. This led to a diversity in the organization of pharmacopoeias; some arranged prescriptions according to the pharmaceutical dosage form, as seen in the works of Sabur, Ibn al-Tilmidh, and al-Qalanisi. Others organized them according to ailments or the affected organs, as in al-Samarqandi’s pharmacopoeia, following the earlier classification methods of Greek and Syriac physicians. In this research, we investigated and studied one of the pharmaceutical forms used at that time: the Ayarijat (Hiera). These are defined as compound pharmaceutical forms characterized by a predominant bitterness, intended for the detoxification of the head and brain. A historical and scientific study was conducted using a specific prescription as a case study—Hiera Pigra—which was considered a significant compound medicine appearing in the works of Sabur ibn Sahl and later Ibn al-Tilmidh. A comparative study of this prescription between the two authors was performed, representing the core of our research, and was further compared with later pharmacopoeias. Notably, the use of this pharmaceutical form declined over time, replaced by other forms, particularly as its efficacy was found to be greater when prepared as pills. Supporting this shift is the observation that Sabur’s pharmacopoeia contained five prescriptions for this form, whereas Ibn al-Tilmidh’s contained only two.

Publishers:

Mais Kataya