Although the concept of nephroprotection is relatively new but evidences are accumulating to demonstrate that the drugs described to be useful in various renal disorders because of their nephroprotective and nephrotonic effect as described in Unani or other traditional medicines, have diverse therapeutic uses and can be used to manage many renal diseases and their complications or at least to arrest their progression. The traditional systems of medicines would offer some novel drugs, which may be effective in different pathological conditions of the kidney. The drugs of traditional systems of medicines are frequently used to protect the renal function and to delay the progression of renal diseases to CKD and ESRD. In recent past it has been shown that a number of drugs from herbal medicine possess promising nephroprotective effect. The researchers are keen to develop an effective, safe and low cost drug from alternative medicine. However, the drugs identified to be effective in renal diseases on the basis of age-old practices of traditional medicines and few scientific studies need to be evaluated for their pharmacological profile and wide therapeutic potential. This paper gives a detailed account of the traditional drugs useful in renal diseases and the scientific studies conducted so far to validate them.

Kabab chini (KC) (Piper cubeba) is an important drug in Unani Medicine, widely described to be effective in renal diseases, and physicians are using it as a protective and curative agent in various renal disorders from ancient times. The present study was designed to evaluate the nephroprotective effect of KC against gentamycin-induced nephrotoxicity in Wistar rats. This was studied in two different sets of tests, in which both the protective as well as the curative effects were evaluated in groups of albino rats. The powder of the test drug was administered orally in a dose of 810 mg/kg and 1220 mg/kg, in suspension form, in the pre- and post-treated models. The nephroprotective effect was assessed on the basis of biochemical estimation of serum urea and creatinine levels and histopathological examination of the treated kidney. The effect observed in the pre-treated and post-treated groups was compared with plain as well as negative control groups using one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's multiple pair comparison test. The findings of the two tests demonstrated that KC produced a significant nephroprotective effect in both pre-treated and post-treated groups. The results of our study indicate that KC possesses significant benefit against gentamycin-induced nephrotoxicity.

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ABSTRACT

Gout is a potentially progressive and debilitating form of chronic inflammatory arthritis caused by the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in synovial fluid and other tissues, characterized by sudden & severe episode of pain, warmth and swelling in a joint. People suffering from recurrent attacks frequently experience pain and disability, reduced health-related quality of life and productivity and increased morbidity. NSAIDs, colchicines, glucocorticoids, uric acid lowering agent like uricostatic drugs (allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor), Uricosuric drugs (Probenecid) are very effective but risky in patients having pre-existing renal, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders. Cupping (Al-Hijama) is a widely used therapeutic regimen of Unani system of medicine with high acceptance in Egypt and Arab countries. It is used for the treatment of various inflammatory and painful conditions like sciatica, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, pain of knee, removal of deep swelling, disease of liver and skin etc. It is a minor surgical excretory procedure related scientifically to the principles of renal glomerular filtration and abscess evacuation where a pressure-dependent excretion of causative pathological substances occurs. Cupping is thought to act mainly by increasing local blood circulation and relieving the painful muscle tension. It acts by improving microcirculation, promoting capillary endothelial cell repair, accelerating granulation, and angiogenesis in the regional tissues. It is the best deep tissue massage which normalizes the patient's functional state and progressive muscle relaxation. In Unani system of Medicine, this is a simple and economic treatment, effectively treating diseases with different etiologies and pathogenesis.