Asia Sultana

Chronic non-healing ulcers constitute a major global health burden and are associated with significant morbidity, psychological distress, reduced quality of life, and risk of limb amputation. Epidemiological studies indicate that approximately 1–2% of the population may develop chronic wounds during their lifetime. In India, the prevalence was reported to be 4.8 per 1,000 populations in 2004. Despite advances in conventional wound care, many cases remain refractory to treatment. Irsal-i-Alaq (leech therapy), a classical regimen of Unani medicine, may offer a complementary therapeutic approach in such cases. To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of Irsal-i-Alaq in the management of a chronic non-healing ulcer. A 45-year-old male patient presented with a six-month history of a non- healing ulcer over the lateral malleolus of the left foot, associated with pain, swelling, discharge, and skin discoloration. Leech therapy was administered weekly for two months, and the ulcer was assessed at 15-day intervals using standardized clinical parameters. Progressive improvement in ulcer size, discharge, pain, and surrounding inflammation was observed, culminating in complete healing by the end of the treatment period. No adverse events were reported. Irsal-i-Alaq demonstrated significant clinical efficacy in this case of chronic non-healing ulcer and may serve as a cost-effective adjunct or alternative therapy. Further controlled clinical studies are warranted to validate these findings. Keywords: Irsal-i-Alaq, Chronic Ulcer, Leech Therapy, Unani Medicine, Non-healing Wound

Melasma is a cosmetic problem that sometimes cause great emotional suffering. One survey showed that melasma was associated with a significant impact on health related quality of life. It is defined as a disorder of pigment metabolism characterized by sharply demarcated, blotchy, brown maculae, usually symmetrical on the cheeks, forehead, sometimes on the upper lip and neck. In Unani Medicine, it is mentioned that Kalf is due to black bile homour and charred blood parts, which oozes out of capillaries and get accumulated under the skin. The present study was a Randomized, parallel group, comparative clinical trial. The present research was done to evaluate and to compare the clinical efficacy of a topical application made up of powdered cuttlefish bone and lemon juice along with oral Cascuta reflexa capsule which was compared with another group that is oral placebo with same topical application. The efficacy of the treatment was evaluated by MASI, skin color shades chart, Patient’s Global Assessment,  Patient’s Satisfaction Index and DLQI. Assessment of safety was done by clinical assessment, patients’ complains about any adverse effects i.e. itching, inflammation, rashes, eruptions etc., DLQI and laboratory parameters such as LFT, KFT, CBC and Hb%. At the end of the treatment all the efficacy parameters showed significant improvement when compared with baseline in both the groups; however the difference between the groups was not statistically significant. Thus, topical application had promising effects in melasma. Key words- Kalf, Unani formulation, hyper pigmentation, MASI, cuttlefish bone