Siman Mufrit: Concept, Pathophysiology and Management in Unani System of Medicine, A Review

In Unani literature obesity is termed as siman mufriṭ and farbahῑ by Unani scholars. Siman Mufrit is classified as a balghamῑ (phlegmatic) disease. Literally siman mufriṭ means excess of shaḥm (fat). Excess of shaḥm is due to burūdat (coldness) and ruṭūbat (wetness). The factors which increase the burūdat and ruṭūbat in the body are cold foods and drinks, cold medicines, rest, sleep, excess of food, moderate degree of pleasure, ḥammām especially after meals etc. According to Jālῑnūs, farbahῑ is caused either due to innate cold temperament or due to excessive adoption of bārid tadābῑr (cold regimens). He mentioned that, the māddῑ (material) cause of excessive body fat is presence of dusūmat (viscous substances) in blood and fa‘ila (active) cause is burūdat due to which dusūmat of blood, solidifies and gets deposited in the form of shaḥm. Almost every great Unani scholar has devoted some pages to this old age enemy in their classical texts. They have given detailed description and discussion of siman mufrit and its various pathological conditions, pathophysiology along with its management.