 My Greatest Influence Abu
Ali Al-Hussain Ibn Abdallah Ibn Sina Ibn Sina or Avicenna as he is more commonly kown in the West was born in Afghana near Bukhara which is now part of Uzbekistan. He is one of the foremost philosophers of the Golden Age of the Islamic Tradition and was born in an era of brilliant scientific culture. In the East, he was known as "Al-Sheikh al-Rais": leader of the Wise Men. While in the west, he was accorded the title "The Prince of Physicians" for his famous medicinal text "The Canon of Medicine": a book which was widely used in Medical Schools throughout Europe until the 16th century. He was educated at home by his father and is believed to have been introduced to many learned scholars from a young age. By the age of 10, he could recite the Koran in its entirety in Arabic and by the age of 17, his skills in medicine had become so widely known that the Ruled or the Samanid Tribe, Noor Ibn Mansoor, came to hear about him and summoned him to see if he could cure an illness which he been told was untreatable. When Avicenna cured him of his illness, he was rewarded with access to the Royal Library which him to greatly expand his knowledge. His two most important works are "The Book of Healing" and "The Canon of Medicine". "The Canon" is the most famous book in the history of medicine and its lists more than 700 herbs and their uses, many of which are still widely used in the field of Herbalism, Aromatherapy and medicine. Avicenna was not an Aromatherapist, but through his work he greatly enhanced the profile of many oils, especially his beloved Rose Oil, of which he wrote extensively. He was responsible during his lifetime for the rise to prominence of Eastern medicine and is considered, among other things, to be a great Medical Practitioner, Mathematician, Metaphysicist, Philosopher and Astrologer. During a period of time which is often remembered for its darkness, he was a leading light. While Europe lapsed into an epoch of ignorance between the 6th and 12th century AD, the Islamic World was flourishing and making significant discoveries in the sciences and arts. Avicenna is credited with being the first person to use the process of distillation to extract the essential oil from rose petals (rose centifolia),, however a 5,000 year old terracotta still on display in the Taxila Museum in Pakistan indicates that he did not in fact discover the distillation process, although most literature still attributes this discovery to him. He was certainly one of the earliest holistic thinkers. In "Canon", he lists the emotions; joy, fear, anger, hatred, sorry and delight, and the effects that they could have on the body. According to Avicenna, state was primary and disease secondary, as the specific disease that might affect a person would depend upon that person's general state of health, inherent weaknesses and related factors. He introduced several new medicinal herbs, exploited the antiseptic properties of alcohol and used mineral waters, especially Rose, on a large scale. He placed herbs in three classes:
* He prescribed ginger for "burning desire" and as a cure for male impotence, suggesting mixing ginger with honey and applying the mixture to the penis. He considered honey to be: "the food of foods, the drink of drinks, and the drug of drugs." Avicenna supported the Prophet Mohammed in his assertion that: "There is one organ in the body, which if it be well, the whole body is well and if it ill, the whole body is ill. And this organ is the heart." In "The Canon", Avicenna assesses the condition and state of the heart by eight means -
To Avicenna, the heart possessed a greater function than being simply a muscular pump and was greatly affect by our emotions. He recommended treating conditions of the heart with herbs, smelling salts, teas, food, pastes over the heart and perfumes. He believed that: "The vital power of the heart" is attracted to aromas. He was so convinced of the value of Essential Oils in treating heart conditions that he once remarked that "all aromatic oils are cardiac drugs." He was so taken with lemonbalm that he remarked that "it causeth the mind and heart to become merry" and his appreciation of Rose Petals, Rose Oil and Rose Water are well known because of the extensive writing he devoted to the rose. According to Christine Wildwood: "So advanced was his method that the apparatus for distillation has altered very little in 900 years." The Crusaders re-introduced the art of perfumery into Europe around the 12th century. It is recorded that there was a lower incidence of death due to Plague among perfumeriers. The first perfume they are known to have brought back was Rose Water: testimony to the influence of Avicenna. Avicenna was a very positive influence on the worlds of medicine, herbalism and Aromatherapy. He understood the importance of massage, traction, diet and the power of healing herbs and he left behind a lasting legacy which the Arab world can be justifiably proud.
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