Mā’ al-Laḥm (meat soup): a narrative review on Unani Pharmacopeial protein formulation dosage form
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20252442Keywords:
Mā’ al-Laḥm, Arq Mā’ al-Laḥm, Meat soup, Meat distillate, Unani system of medicineAbstract
In the Unani system of medicine, diet is an integral part of the treatment regimen, and dietary recommendations for health promotion have been practiced for ages. Special diets such as Mā’ al-Laḥm (meat soup), Mā’ al-Jubn (whey), Mā’ al-Asal (honey water), and Mā’ al-Sha‘īr (barley water), are the essential therapeutic agents in Unani medicine that can effectively and affordably address lifestyle disorders and malnutrition-related diseases. Among these, Mā’ al-Laḥm is a unique Unani Pharmacopeial formulation made with meat and herbal ingredients in the form of soup or distillate. It is a protein-rich liquid dosage form that revitalizes the body by strengthening organs and enhancing physical strength and energy. This natural remedy is used to treat various health issues, including anemia, cardiac weakness, liver and stomach problems, weak immunity, and general debility. Mā’ al-Laḥm combines the health benefits of both meat and medicinal herbs. Meat constitutes high-quality proteins, vitamins, minerals, bioavailable iron, and an assembly of beneficial bioactive compounds such as conjugated linoleic acid, glutathione, creatine, taurine, L-carnitine, carnosine, and bioactive peptides. The medicinal herbs contribute additional bioactive components, including carotenoids, coumarins, flavonoids, lignans, phthalates, plant sterols, polyphenols, saponins, and terpenoids, which offer various positive health effects. Unani medicine may offer much-needed and affordable nutritionally and therapeutically dense choice for consumers. This review article attempts to provide a comprehensive account of Mā’ al-Laḥm, covering its preparation methods, different formulations, therapeutic uses, and the characteristics of different types of meat. Nutritional composition and bioactive constituents of meat are also described to signify the nutritional and medicinal properties of Mā’ al-Laḥm.
Metrics
References
Islam A. Origin and development of Unani Medicine: An analytical study. Intellectual Discourse. 2018;26:23-49.
Ahmad A, Naqvi SB, Sultana N. Exploring the Roots: The Historical Journey and Evolution of the Unani System of Medicine. J Emerg Technol Innov Res. 2024;11:432-42.
Kumari P. The impact of ancient Greek medicine in India: the birth of Unani medicine. Int J Prof Stud. 2020;10:59-66.
Parveen A, Parveen R, Akhatar A, Parveen B, Siddiqui KM, Iqbal M. Concepts and Quality Considerations in Unani System of Medicine. J AOAC Int. 2020;103(3):609-33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5740/jaoacint.19-0284
Itrat M. Research in Unani medicine: Challenges and way forward. Altern Integr Med. 2016;5:1-4.
Medium.com. Health enrichment for children-Right recipe from Unani medicine. 2018. Available at: https://medium.com/@ccrum.socialmedia/health-enrichment-for-children-right-recipe-from-unani-medicine-9cee8ab5f430. Accessed on 12 May 2025.
Jairath G, Biswas AK, Mal G, Suman SP, Suman SP. Bioactive compounds in meat: Their roles in modulating palatability and nutritional value. Meat Muscle Biol. 2024;8:1-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.16992
Jain S, Purohit A, Nema P, Vishwakarma H, Jain PK. A brief review on nutraceuticals and its application. Asian J Dent Health Sci. 2022;2:7-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22270/ajdhs.v2i1.10
Standard Unani Medical Terminology. New Delhi: CCRUM. 2012. Available at: https://ccrum.res.in/ writereaddata/UploadFile/Standard%20Unani%20Medical%20Terminology_1430.pdf. Accessed on 12 may 2025.
Kabiruddin M. Bayaz-e-kabir. 2nd edition. Volume 3. New Delhi: Idara Kitabul Shifa. 2012;113.
Kabiruddin H. Al-Qarabadeen. 2nd edition. New Delhi: CCRUM. 2006;1024-35.
Ghani N. Qarabadeen Najmul Ghani. New Delhi: Idara Kitabul Shifa. 2019;905-15.
Government of India. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (Ayush) New Delhi. National Formulary of Unani Medicine. Part 6. New Delhi: CCRUM. 2011;119.
Qarabadeen Majeedi. New Delhi: All India Unani Tibbi Conference. 1986;251-2.
Kabiruddin M. Bayaz-e-kabir. 2nd edition. Volume 2. New Delhi: Idara Kitabul Shifa. 2012;141-4.
Ghani N. Khazain-ul-advia. 3rd edition. Volume 1 and 2. New Delhi: Idara Kitabul Shifa. 2011;343-80.
Baghdadi IH. Kitab al-Mukhtarat fit Tib. 1st edition. Part 1. CCRUM, translator. New Delhi: Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine. 2005;223-4.
Zuhr I. Kitab al Aghzia. 1st edition. CCRUM, translator. New Delhi: Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine. 2009;24-31.
Tabari R. Firdousul Hikmat. New Delhi: Idara Kitabul Shifa. 2010;349.
Nafees B. Kulliyat-e-Nafeesi. Part 1. New Delhi: Idara Kitabul Shifa. 1954;378.
Rushd I. Kitab al-Kulliyat. 2nd edition. CCRUM, translator. New Delhi: CCRUM. 1987;248-9.
Ahmad RS, Imran A, Hussain MB. Nutritional Composition of Meat. Meat Science and Nutrition. InTech. 2018. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.5772/intechopen.77045. Accessed on 12 May 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.77045
Mazhangara IR, Chivandi E, Mupangwa JF, Muchenje V. The potential of goat meat in the red meat industry. Sustainability. 2019;11(13):3671. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11133671
Lonnie M, Hooker E, Brunstrom JM, Corfe BM, Green MA, Watson AW, et al. Protein for Life: Review of Optimal Protein Intake, Sustainable Dietary Sources and the Effect on Appetite in Ageing Adults. Nutrients 2018;10:360. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10030360
Pereira PM, Vicente AF. Meat nutritional composition and nutritive role in the human diet. Meat Sci. 2013;93:586-92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2012.09.018
Williams P. Nutritional composition of red meat. Nutr Diet. 2007;64:S113-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-0080.2007.00197.x
Wood J. Meat composition and nutritional value. In: Toldra F, editors. Lawrie's Meat Science. 8th edition. Woodhead Publishing Limited, Duxford, UK. 2017;635-59. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-100694-8.00020-0
Dinh TT, To KV, Schilling MW. Fatty Acid Composition of Meat Animals as Flavor Precursors. Meat Muscle Biol. 2021;5(1):34-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22175/mmb.12251
Geletu US, Usmael MA, Mummed YY, Ibrahim AM. Quality of cattle meat and its compositional constituents. Vet Med Int. 2021;2021(1):7340495. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/7340495
Benjamin S, Spener F. Conjugated linoleic acids as functional food: an insight into their health benefits. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2009;6:36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-6-36
Godswill AG, Somtochukwu IV, Ikechukwu AO, Kate EC. Health benefits of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and their associated deficiency diseases: A systematic review. Int J Food Sci. 2020;3:1-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47604/ijf.1024
Aydin R. Conjugated linoleic acid: chemical structure, sources and biological properties. Turk J Vet Anim Sci. 2005;29:189-95.
Govari M, Vareltzis P. Conjugated linoleic acid in meat. J Hellenic Vet Med Soc. 2024;75(2):7513-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/jhvms.35159
Badawy S, Liu Y, Guo M, Liu Z, Xie C, Marawan MA, et al. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) as a functional food: Is it beneficial or not? Food Res Int. 2023;172:113158. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113158
Patil S. Unlocking the power of glutathione: exploring its mastery as an antioxidant and its impact on health and disease. Int J Med Sci. 2024;4(05):8-11.
Minich DM, Brown BI. A review of dietary (phyto) nutrients for glutathione support. Nutrients. 2019;11:2073. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11092073
Hristov BD. The role of glutathione metabolism in chronic illness development and its potential use as a novel therapeutic target. Cureus. 2022;14(9):29696. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.29696
Kulczyński B, Sidor A, Gramza-Michałowska A. Characteristics of selected antioxidative and bioactive compounds in meat and animal origin products. Antioxidants. 2019;8(9):335. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox8090335
Kreider RB, Stout JR. Creatine in health and disease. Nutrients. 2021;13:447. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020447
Ostojic SM, Prémusz V, Ács P. Creatine and cellular senescence: from molecular pathways to populational health. Exp Gerontol. 2025:112798. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2025.112798
Rais N, Ved A, Shadab M, Ahmad R, Shahid M. Taurine, a non-proteinous essential amino acid for human body systems: an overview. Arab Gulf J Sci Res. 2023;41:48-66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/AGJSR-04-2022-0019
Srivastava RN, Ara Z, Waliullah S, Singh A, Raj S, Mahdi AA, et al. Taurine is a future biomolecule for potential health benefits: A review. J Metabolomics Syst Biol. 2022;5:1-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5897/JMSBS2021.0026
Bae M, Ahmed K, Yim JE. Beneficial effects of taurine on metabolic parameters in animals and humans. J Obes Metab Syndr. 2022;31:134. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7570/jomes21088
Wu G. Important roles of dietary taurine, creatine, carnosine, anserine and 4-hydroxyproline in human nutrition and health. Amino acids. 2020;52(3):329-60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-020-02823-6
Alhasaniah AH. l-carnitine: Nutrition, pathology, and health benefits. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2023;30:103555. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2022.103555
Elantary R, Othman S. Role of L-carnitine in Cardiovascular Health: Literature Review. Cureus. 2024;16:1-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.70279
Baltic MZ, Boskovic M. When man met meat: meat in human nutrition from ancient times till today. Procedia Food Sci. 2015;5:6-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profoo.2015.09.002
Rather MA, Dar BA, Sofi SN, Bhat BA, Qurishi MA. Foeniculum vulgare: A comprehensive review of its traditional use, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and safety. Arab J Chem. 2016;9:S1574-83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2012.04.011
Al-Snafi AE. The pharmacology of Crocus sativus-A review. IOSR J Pharm. 2016;6(6):8-38.
Jahan T, Siddiqui D, Saleem MN, Alvi M. Ethnopharmacological Insights on Rubb-us-Soos (Glycyrrhiza glabra). Eur J Med Plants. 2025;36(2):156-76. DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/ejmp/2025/v36i21254
Mahboubi M. Rosa damascena as holy ancient herb with novel applications. J Trad Complement Med. 2016;6(1):10-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcme.2015.09.005
Vallée Marcotte B, Verheyde M, Pomerleau S, Doyen A, Couillard C. Health benefits of apple juice consumption: A review of interventional trials on humans. Nutrients. 2022;14(4):821. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14040821
Giménez-Bastida JA, Ávila-Gálvez MÁ, Espín JC, González-Sarrías A. Evidence for health properties of pomegranate juices and extracts beyond nutrition: A critical systematic review of human studies. Trends Food Sci Technol. 2021;114:410-23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2021.06.014
Muryana DY, Idhayanti RI, Chunaeni S. The Effect of Giving Green Bean Juice and Red Guava Juice on Hemoglobin Levels in Adolescent Girls. Midwifery Nurs Res. 2025;7(1):20-6.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
