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THE EMPERIAL METHOD OF FOLK MEDICNE OF THE PAMIRS AS THEBASIS OF
MODERN SCIENTIFIC MEDICINE
ZANJIRBEKOVA GULNOZ ISLOMBEKOVNA
Senor lector of History of the Tajik people department of Khorog State University named after
M. Nazarshoev, Khorog, Tajikistan
Annotation. This article gives an overview of ethnographical finds relating to the thematic of traditional medicine in Pamir. One of the main reasons for the increasing use of traditional medicine is a growing trend for patient to take a more proactive approach to their own health andto seek out different form of self- care. Having studied the works of a numbers of well-known scientists on this subject, also field working among the different social groups, the author offer her own interpretation of the issues. There were mentioned those herbals which were commonly used from the ancient time and which are still actual. By the reason, that the issuer of the traditional medicine of Pamirian people is the little investigate sphere, the importance of learningof this field becomes more essential. The subject of the article is very relevant in our time and need the intensive investigation.
Key words: Folk medicine, ethnography, Pamiri Tajiks, treatment, field work, herb medicine, illness.
Folk medicine of the Pamirs represent part of the cultural heritage and over the past few years usage a traditional medicine has gained popularity. Based on this, it can be emphasized that the study of the history of folk medicine of the Pamirs is paramount scientific and practical importance. The relevance of the study is determined by a large scientific and society interest over the long period of history and it became more popular when the expensive medicines andthe process of long lasting treatment stopped bringing good result. Due to financial constrain, some people turn to fork medicine service and products because of its affordability. Obviously, some of patients used both of the services for treatment.
Folk medicine of Pamirs is little researched field from folk culture. Perhaps, due to the historical premises and ambiguous approach of Soviet ideology to folk medicine and especially,to magic-mystically part of folk medicine (shamanic plotting and incantation) that were declared to the relic of the past and banned, the investigating in this area was stopped for long time. In addition, most of the medicine books in the local language were destroyed and many healers kept the local traditional medicine as a secret and acted without publicity. This all were the reason of non-publicity in folk medicine. Folk medicine of the Pamirs represent part of the cultural heritage and this sphere should be researched on time, because due to the social, economic and cultural changing a number of traditional features related to the healing in the coming years may be lost to science if they are not fixed in time.
Nowadays, the investigating of the theme become actual, because the increasing use of traditional medicine is a growing trend for patient to take a more proactive approach to their own health and to seek out different form of self-care. Therefore many people have turned to natural folk medicine practice and product by the reason that traditional is more natural and safety.
The difference between official and folk medicine is manifested in the education, knowledge and social status of those practicing folk medicine as well as their patients. The most common ways of treating were the treatment by use of herbs, magic and treatment based on religious beliefs. So, it is not of surprise, that folk medicine was the main form of treatment for inhabitants of the Pamir tajiks in the past. In addition to many herbalists, quack and religious officials who treated the patients with records, there also spell, i.e women who, by pronouncing various magic formulas, treated the patients. Each village had at least one person who practiced this type of treatment.
Based on the synthesis of the accumulated methods of treatment of the local healer andthe
use of method and knowledge description in the book of Avicena "Kanon of medical science "also based on the medical knowledge of Greek and Arab healers acquired during the passage of caravan of Great Silk Road, the people of the Pamirs fought diseases and epidemics duringa long historical era. Nevertheless, due to its isolation and uniqueness of the world of fauna and flora, the folk medicine of Pamirs retains its identity.
Based on the practical experience of many generations the medical knowledge in various fields or groups of folk medicine was developed. Depending on the variety of medical knowledge and characteristics of the diseases physician are divided into several groups: healer "tabib" and faith healer "mullo" ,bone-setter "usto", "pirzecha"( midwife). One of the fields of folk medicine is herbal medicine which includes the active ingredients made from plant parts, such as leaves, roots or flowers. The local healers from the ancient time had used the plants for the medicinal purposes. These healers had the knowledge of how to collect plant for drying and how to properly prepare decoctions, tinctures and how to dry plant correctly. Nowadays, the majority of healers-"tabibs" are educated in the field of medicine and pharmacology, which allow them to do their work more efficiently. For example, one of the famous local doctor is Davlatmamadov Shirinbek, who is well educated doctor also recognized as a "tabib" whose father was also the healers. Among these plants can be called those plants that are widely used as a medicines, for example, full, barberry, millennial, rose hips, plantain and mint. Beginning in the XX century, honey began to be widely used in the Pamirs as the best therapeutic remedy. In the Pamirs polyphyletic honey was widely used, which has stronger therapeutic, bactericidal and dietary remedies [3, p.14].
Animal medicine in traditional medicine appeared since the time when during hunting and fishing people began to notice that except to plants ,fat, blood, the internal organs of animals also have medicinal value. The famous healers of Pamirs Shahzadamuhhamad in his book "Shohsadamuhamad medicine" gave information about the usefulness and properties of 21 animals, wild and non-wild and he described their medicinal properties. Accordingly, the Tajiks of the Pamirs knew the anatomy of human, all the organs, their function and the arsenal of different medicine were increase after many years of practice [6, p. 21].
The most common medicine treatment from the animal medicine was the "divusk bust",( the snake skin) which was used for stomach diseases such colitis. The common used of old lamb lard "Kina dumba" for cold, abscess and pus. The investigation observed above than 70 sourceof animal based medicine. The bears lard also used as a medicine for many diseases. Asbittersweets it was used to treat colds and women's diseases. M. Andreev provided information about how in Khuf valley used bear lard as a magical remedy. If it was given to newborn, he could grow healthy and strong as a bear [1, p. 226].
Local folk healers gave the name to diseases either by organ or by symptoms of the disease. For example, "ugj dar", the kidney disease, or "surxakon", the measles. Some diseases were named for the cause of the certain disease, such "shito thovjin"(from cold).This classi frication also was described in the Avicenna treatise and this classification was observed amongthe most peoples of Central Asia. It is believed, that in Pamirs there was also anotherqualification of the disease, that means, the disease which was called by the name of the area where this disease the first time was discovered. For example,"rikhun dard "literally, means Rikhun diseases ,there Rikhun is the local district of Pamir.This disease affected all bones. To this category or classification of disease can also be attributed "Barvez dard", "Chosnud dard" and "Dardi kuhiston"(Literally denote the named areas where diseases were detected)
Our ancestors had the common use of method for treatment of disability. Those bone- setters were named "Usto" which translate as a master. There were some famous bone-setters such as Ayombek Aliyorov from Vamar and Navruzshoh Murodaseinov from Khorog . Ayombek Aliyorov had the practice when he cured one boy with disability and did it in this way:He put the boy in the basin with room temperature water soaked in the decoction of "jirmexs" (mallow) and changed the water after half minutes to warm and did this procedure until thebones became soft. Then he broke
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the wrong bones of the whole body and imposed a splint tothe whole body. After a time, the boy completely healed [2,p.187].
Women-healers were mainly as a current gynecologist and midwives and they not only took birth, but also treated others women's and children's diseases. Some healers in order to treat wounds and radiculitis used the skin of slain ram. They covered the wound with the skin of ram and sewn. With back pain or radiculitis the sick area was wrapped around the body with fresh animal skin.
№ Common local name of medicine Common name of medicine Perceived Medicinal Use Medicati on(sphere)
1 ragakwox plantain Stomach ulcer, gastritis wound herbal
2 Bojak park Walnut leaves Sick headache herbal
3 Kina dumba Old lamb lard Cold, abscess and pus Medicine animal based on
4 Divusk bust Snake skin Colitis, stomach disease Medicine animal based on
5 mumyoi mummy In the case of fracture, arthritis, cosmetics Medicine mineral based on
6 namak salt Dental plague Medicine animal based on
7 surma antimony Eye diseases Medicine mineral based on
8 zirdos yarrow Diarrhea herbal
9 sir garlic 70 diseases, as cancer, cold, colitis Herbal
10 Khirbij bust Frog skin Tuberculosis, cold Medicine animal based on
11 asal hony Cold, burn, wound Medicine animal based on
12 har Rose hip Kidney disease herbal
13 lojuvard lazurite Warts, ulcer, eczema Medicine mineral based on
14 mardjon coral Hart and nerve diseases Medicine based on jewel stone
tuxp Dry chees High pressure Medicine animal based on
The most common using of Folk Medicine products among the Pamirs people
Bloodletting treatment was widely known among the healers. This method was used mainly to treat a child who gets rid of harmful spoiled blood accumulated in his body. Especiallythis procedure did by women who also did burning "Thow" on the body and also diagnosed female diseases. This interesting technique of treatment still exists among 50% of pamirian people.
It also need to underline about magical method of treating such diseases, the cause of which is fright " khoj" or evil eye "chakhmi bad". Usually local people went to "mullo" for the special duo (verbal and in writing form) for using .Also there was a magico- mystically (shamanic plotting and
incantation) method treatment such "azoim" for expelling the devil or other creature.
Practicing mystic healers treat patients by convincing them with eloquent words, mainly as result of the impact on their mental world. Mystical physicians also have their own methods similar to physiology methods and one of them called-"folbin"(fortune teller)
Infertility was widely spread among women's diseases. This disease was treated withboth rational approach and magical. There was variety of magical methods for treating infertility that were co-righted by different rituals. Especially the used of ritual of visiting childless women of the local mazar " Oston" was common among the Pamirian as belief for spiritual force of stones and associated with ancient vestiges of the past. In some places women with childless went to holy trees. Women lay under the tree and waited for impetuous sleep. If she dreamed of children, it was believed that she would give birth to child. Such a tree was in the village Siyob of the Roshtkala district. The ethnographer Usufbekova gives a very unusual explanation for one ritual. According to this ritual a women suffered from infertility, rode on a swing (ulchak) made on the tree and during it she has physical contact with a tree, after which she can become pregnant. Author connects this to fertility cult, indicating to mulberry tree and tothe imitation of sexual intercourse with a tree [7, p. 74].
Moreover, It must be stressed here that folk medicine of Pamirs have a long history and this knowledge was passed orally from father to son or from mother to daughter or in some causes to other family member or relatives.
Therefore, the value of folk medicine was that as a result of empirical observations were formed material and basis for scientific research. Many drugs and medicines included in modern pharmaceutical chain are developed on the basis of the materials from traditional medicine.
Conclusion. Refer to the past ethnographical data of Russian researchers in folkmedicine and our own investigation during field work, we did the following analysis which has shown that folk medicine of the Pamirs is a important part of fork heritage, rich of variety spheres and rational methods of treatment which nowadays actual among the local people, needto investigate more and need to fixed in time.
Based on the result it is possible to conclude that folk medicine is a rich with its empirical experience and it was many remedies against diseases and it requires a lot of research work, which has showed in this study. This work is an overview information study showed a small part of this study, since in the volume of the one article is difficult to show.
LITERATURE
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2. Bakhtiyorov, M. The history of Rushan, Dushanbe,-2013, p.416
3. Davlatmamadov. Sh. Honey treatment and other beekeeping products. Dushanbe, 2013.
4. Zarubin, I. I. Materials and notes of ethnography of mountain Tajiks: Bartang valley // Collection МАЭ.- 1918.- V.5. -R.1.- P.97-48.
5. The Tajiks of Karategin and Darwaz, edited by Kislyakov. N.A. and Pisarchik. A. K. Dushanbe,-1970. 293 p
6. Shahzadamuhamad, U. The medicine of Shahzodamuhaad. Khorog, -1993. 170 p.
7. Usufbekova, Z. Family and family life of Shugnans (late XIX early XX th century)/ The ethnography of Tajikistan. Dushanbe.- 1985. P.13- 23.
