Tradition and Perspectives of Diabetes Treatment in Greco-Arab and Islamic Medicine

Despite the great progress in Western medicine, Greco-Arab and Islamic medicine has continued to be often utilized by people in most Arab and Islamic countries. Furthermore, the popularity of preparations based on Greco-Arab and Islamic herbal medicines has increased worldwide in the past three decades, probably because of the sustainability of this medicine over the years, that Greco-Arab–Islamic medicines are relatively inexpensive as well as the notion that herbal-based drugs is safer than synthetic drugs. The modern use of Arab-Islamic herbal medicines has historical roots in Greco-Arab and Islamic medicine, which was developed in the golden age (seventh to fifteenth century) of the Islamic civilization and written in Arabic. This medical tradition has influenced the fates and fortunes of countless human beings. As will be seen in the present and next chapter, however, Arab-Islamic medicine was not simply a continuation of Greek ideas but it was a venue for innovation and change. According to recent ethnobotanical surveys, the most popular herbal-based preparations are those utilized for the treatment of infertility, impotence, diabetes, obesity, skin diseases, and psychosomatic troubles. This chapter presents a systematic review on traditional Arab herbal medicine including the historical background, medical innovations introduced by Arab physicians, and a state-of-the-art description of traditional Arab herbal medicine.