Last update:
09-Sep-2020

In the systems of traditional medicine, symptoms like renal colic, dysuria and haematuria were easily associated with the urinary system and urolithiasis. On the contrary, a modern symptom like hypertension could not be readily identified with a specific pathology. The investigation in the Greek, Ayurvedic, Chinese and Tibetan medical systems on the pathology, diagnosis and treatment of urolithiasis and hypertension was based on the classical texts and the long tradition of application. Although the causation of disease varied in the different medical systems, it was possible to detect similarities in both the theory and the treatment, some of which still play an important role in Greece, India and China. Several herbs present a widespread distribution of usage, common in most of the traditions studied. The careful examination of these data can contribute to a better understanding of medical thought in different civilisations, enlightening their similarities and differences. It could also reveal a possible and plausible materia medica for modern applications.

Key words: Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, Greek medicine, Hypertension, Urolithiasis, Tibetan medicine.