Hui Hui Yao Fang or Ibn Sina’s Canon of Medicine

huihuiyaofang

Ibn Sina (Avicenna) was one ofthe greatest scientists produced by the Muslim world. The impact of Ibn Sina’s Cannon of Medicine was not limited to the Islamic world and Eurpoe.  Much of Ibn Sina’s Magnus Opus was also translated into Chinese as  Hui Hui Yao Fang (Prescriptions of the Hui Nationality) during the time of the Yuan dynasty. It is not a full translation because the “translation” contains information from other Persian and Arabic sources as well. It is interesting to note that while a lot of Muslims are well-aware of the impact of medieval Islamic medicine on the development of Western medicine, the impact of Chinese medicine in the Islamic world and the impact of Islamic medicine on the Chinese medicine is not well known amongst the populance.

4 responses to “Hui Hui Yao Fang or Ibn Sina’s Canon of Medicine

  1. As Salam Alaikum wa Rahmatullah,

    Subhanallah!

    Within my own lineage of doctors (written about as the Menghe-Ding lineage in the book Currents of Tradition in Chinese Medicine) there were some Muslim doctors in the Ma family who were especially adept at treating exterior conditions and injuries. An interesting approach would be to examine the influx of medicinals from the Islamic world into the Chinese materia medica. Ru Xiang and Mo Yao come to mind immediately.

    Wa salam.

  2. Please note that in the Yuan dynasty, “Hui” did not refer to a “nationality” in the modern sense. At that time, the word “Hui” was used to refer to all Central Asians, Persians, and Arabs who practiced Islam. –Brendan Newlon

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