Visit the traditional Arabic doctor in BurJuman

The current DSS week dedicated to the UAE heritage gives the public a unique chance of getting acquainted with traditional forms of healing, such as alternative medicine.

The second floor of BurJuman Centre is hosting a display of herbs and spices, the use of which is explained by a traditional Arabic doctor.

Visitors to the mall are greeted by the indefinable fragrance which pervades the floor, emanating from the jars displayed on a carpet. Lots of people have already visited the traditional clinic, keen to discover the healing powers of herbs and plant extracts.

Shahida Abdullah Mohammed Moussa, a UAE national woman, acts as guide in this world of alternative medicine, describing one by one the numerous plants and seeds and their curative effects.

"Most of these seeds and herbs work as food, perfumes or medicines, according to the required use. The herbs and seeds come mostly from Iran and are used to heal the most common illnesses and pains,"she explained.

Shahida has lived all her life in Dubai and works as a traditional doctor. For the past five years she has been sharing her ancient knowledge of plants at the Dubai Heritage Village.

"The use of natural products in the UAE has an ancient history and its practice is far from dying. The elderly still refer exclusively to alternative medicine. They usually prefer using plants rather than chemical medicines, even if prescribed by doctors," she pointed out.

Herbs with medicinal value are known by different names according to their origin, with the scientific names unknown to users.

"There is a root which is used to obtain a tisane. It is given to pregnant women before delivery to relieve pain," Shahida explains.

"Ghist is a root good for treating pain in the liver when made into a powder and mixed in hot water and taken as a drink. For stress, one can use miramiyya, mixing it in hot water. If you have a bad cough, just chew a small spoonful of al habba as-sawda every morning.

"Makhloot, a mixture of several herbs and water, is an effective cream for healing haematoma and swellings. Helba drunk like a tea is a diuretic," she notes.

Young people stopping at the traditional clinic seem to be more confident about the healing powers of alternative medicine than might be thought. Most of them admit they trust alternative medicine and some of them are familiar with the use of most plants and herbs displayed.

Abdullah, a young national from Al Ain working with the Red Crescent Society, explains that the use of alternative medicine is still widespread among UAE families.

"I have been taught about these medicines by my family and we mostly use herbs when ill. Nowadays, people ingest a lot of chemicals through their food, which is full of hormones and preservatives. We should use natural products at least to heal our body, giving it relief from the chemical pollution we impose on it in our daily lives."

People worried about the ill effects of pollution and subsequent illnesses have turned to safer medical practices, avoiding the abuse of chemicals both in their nutrition and cure. This trend has led more people to turn to natural medicine.

"Alternative medicine remains very popular because it helps reduce costs and eliminates the side effects of conventional drugs," notes Mohammed, a young UAE national, after Shahida explained how to heal a headache through a special tisane.