A Review Article About Some Herbs Affecting Vitiligo Based on Avicenna's Canon.

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is a pigmentary disorder characterizing by white macules due to loss of melanocytes. Vitiligo affects about 1 to 4% of people around the world. The treatment of vitiligo has a high cost and the long process of treatment in spite of no complete remedy. It has various psychological side-effects such as depression and anxiety affecting the quality of life seriously. Avicenna in his Canon treated these patients over a thousand years ago. This study aimed to introduce some herbal drugs in vitiligo based on the Canon of Avicenna besides the conventional medical treatments. METHODS: This is a review study, according to the Canon with the term Baras and also searching through the electronic websites with the keywords vitiligo, treatment, and herbal drugs. RESULTS: The study found some herbs affecting the vitiligo from the Canon. CONCLUSION: The researchers suggest conducting clinical trials on the patients with vitiligo based on the Canon besides the conventional techniques to obtain a better result in the treatment.

Earliest depiction of vitiligo in "Venus at a Mirror" (1615) by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640).

The 1615 painting of Venus at a Mirror by Peter Paul Rubens is considered a powerful example of the Flemish Baroque movement. Recently it has been identified that the Venus character in the image has a goitre, however on studying the image further, I note dermato-pathology in another of the painting's main characters; the dark-skinned female typically described as the Venus' maidservant who clearly demonstrates patches of skin pigment loss on her face and neck with a concurrent streak of white hair. Together these suggest the underlying diagnosis of vitiligo. There is also a goitre in this individual suggesting thyroid disease. This new finding may offer additional insight into the historical epidemiology of disease in northern Europe but also offers further understanding of the method, origin, and pathological associations of this prominent painting from a genius artist.

The Medical Treatment of Vitiligo: An Historical Review.

Discolorations of the skin, such as vitiligo, were recognized thousands of years ago. White spots caused by vitiligo and other disorders have caused significant social opprobrium to those disfigured by these pigmentary disorders, throughout history and still in the present day. Treatments have been desperately sought with only partial success. Recent advances suggest that vitiligo and other pigmentary disorders might soon be curable.

Análisis de la enfermedad dermatológica en 8 Cantigas de Santa María del Rey Alfonso X el Sabio. Parte I: introducción, el monje resucitado «lac virginis», el ergotismo y la lepra / Dermatologic Diseases in 8 of the Cantigas of Holy Mary of Alfonso X the Learned - Part 1: Introduction, the Monk Revived by the Virgin's Milk, Ergotism, and Leprosy

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Vitiligo: the historical curse of depigmentation.

Vitiligo has been mentioned in the tomes of every major religion, with its first description dating back more than 3000 years, to the earliest Vedic and Egyptian texts. Despite this ancient recognition, confusion with disorders such as leprosy has been a problem throughout the ages. This has lead to the stigmatization of vitiligo sufferers. This is a social problem that is still widespread in some, but not all, parts of the world. The ancients also practiced phototherapy for vitiligo. This practice only became common in the Western world with development of psoralen plus ultraviolet A and later ultraviolet B phototherapy in the latter half of the 20th century. In this article, the history of vitiligo up until the end of the 20th century is outlined, covering medical, scientific, and social aspects.

The medico historical perspective of vitiligo (Switra).

The history of Switra is as old as the human civilization. The earliest medical literature has given the description of Switra in rgaveda and Atharvaveda. Switra is also narrated in Mahabharat and in Vinayapitika. A Roman physician known as Celsus first introduced the term Vitiligo in the second century A.D. Vitiligo is also known as Leucoderma. The history of psychosocial repercussion was described in Vedic literature and it is also found in our society. A population-based study was presented to understand the social implication of this disease. The detailed description of etiological factors and modalities of treatment is found in all ayurvedic classics. Bakuci (Psoralia cordifolia) is still continuing as a photosensitizing drug in the treatment of Switra from the time of Caraka.

Medico-historical study of "Kilasa" (vitiligo/leucoderma) a common skin disorder.

The earliest known reference to Kilasa was in 2200 B.C. in the period of Aushooryan. In 1550 B.C. information regarding Vitiligo was noted in the Ebers Papyrus. Atharvaveda also carries the description of the disease Kilasa along with several herbal prescriptions. Buddhist literature (Pitikas) especially Vinaya Pitika carries the description of Kilasa. Old Testament also carries the description of white spots i.e. in the Leviticus chapter 13. In ayurveda the word Kusta was used for all types of skin diseases. Both Kilasa and Switra are mentioned together in ayurveda because of similarity in their aetiology. Kilasa is also called as Bahya (external) Kusta. It is classified into three types based on three Dosas. Prognosis of the disease was also described in ayurveda. This disease can be compared with Vitiligo/leucoderma in modern medicine. The Roman Physician Celsus first coined the term Vitiligo in the 2nd Century A.D. This article carries medico-historical references of Kilasa from ancient to modern literature.