Hui Medicine Practice in Qinghai Kangle Hospital during the Period of COVID-19 ()
1. Introduction
The Hui nationality is one of Chinese people with Muslims faith. Hui medicine is an important cultural heritage on the ancient Silk Road. This ethnic medicine is the crystallization of the combination of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine in ancient China, and it is the specific manifestation of the Sinicization of Islamic Arab medical culture. It is also the fruit of Hui-Han national unity in China ( Zhang et al., 2023 ).
The Sinicized Islamic nationality (including Hui, Sala, Dongxiang, and Baoan) is a Chinese Muslim national community formed in the long history of the Silk Road. Its common characteristics are: believing in Islam; advocating Chinese civilization, especially Confucian culture; using Chinese characters; Chinese as a mother tongue. Due to historical reasons, it is relatively concentrated in Northwest China, but it also forms the distribution characteristics of large dispersion and small aggregation in whole China ( Li et al., 2018 ). Hui medicine is inherent to the Sinicized Islamic nationality. It is a traditional national medicine gradually formed by combining the Islamic Arab medical system with traditional Chinese medicine in the formation, survival, reproduction, and growth of the Hui nationality and the continuous struggle against diseases for a long time. It is also an important part of the traditional medicine of the Chinese nation.
Traditional Chinese medicine is the general term of Chinese national medicine. There are 22 kinds of ethnic medicine which include traditional Chinese medicine1, Tibetan medicine, Mongolian medicine, Uygur medicine, Dai medicine, Korean medicine, Miao medicine, Kazakh medicine, Hui medicine and so on. At present, there are only five kinds of ethnic medicine of the traditional Chinese medicine, Tibetan medicine, Mongolian medicine, Uygur medicine, Dai medicine which have passed the national standards for practicing physicians, and other medicines are attached to the scope of practice of traditional Chinese medicine (Liu et al., 2017 ). Although Hui Medicine is striving for the medical practice exam, it is an excellent one in the Chinese medical family. Hui medicine and traditional Chinese medicine are mostly derived from natural plants, animals and minerals, but mainly plants. The source of Hui medicine is different from the theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine is guided by Taoist philosophy ( Chew et al., 2011 ; Ma, 2005 ). Hui Medicine is guided by Sinicized Islamic philosophy. It is characterized by the emphasis on the halal concept of drugs and the emphasis on aromatic drugs ( Zhang et al., 2023 ; Yu et al., 2022 ).
The “Zhenyi (True one)”, “Vitality”, “Yin and Yang”, “Qixing” were believed as four major systems in their philosophy theory. There were seven living Elements including Water, Fire, Air (Qi), Earth, Gold, Wood. There were four body-fluid theories of black, red, yellow and white body fluid, Cold, Heat, Dryness and Humidity of four nature theories, and, viscera Qi mechanism theories, etc ( Yu et al., 2022 ; Zhang, 2018 ; Shan, 2005 ). There are different effects on the acquired human temperament due to invasion of adverse factors such as geographical environment, modern biomedical etiology, microbiology, physics, chemistry, etc., even during the mother’s womb; The second is acquired factors ( Yu et al., 2022 ; Zhang, 2018 ; Shan, 2005 ).
Hui medicine is guided by this unique theory and philosophy, and its efficacy has been recognized by both Muslim and non-Muslim believers in all the parts of China especially the Northwestern. Qinghai Kangle Hospital takes Hui medicine as its characteristic discipline. This Hospital is located in Chengdong area which is a Hui nationality majority area of Xining City of capital of Qinghai Province. According to the 6th census results 112,248 Hui people’s and occupied 31.21% population in Chengdong area ( Yu et al., 2022 ; Zhang, 2018 ), but only 16.2% in Xining city2,3, and just only 0.7% Hui person in China4. The reason of our choose Kangle Hospital was that there were many Hui nationality with Muslim faith. In this article, we collected the inpatients during the period of the worst COVID-19 pandemic in nearly a century, the combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine has become a highlight of China’s anti-epidemic plan, effectively playing a positive role and achieving strategic results. Kangle Hospital of Qinghai Province is a tertiary hospital with the characteristics of recycling medicine. According to Hui medicine in the prevention of the main treatment of non-disease, help serious and critical illness treatment, promote disease recovery and avoid sequelae has played an important role. The “Fragrant distemper Decoction” and “Aromatic distemper pill” developed by the Institute of Hui Medicine of Qinghai Province passed the approval of hospital preparations by the Qinghai Provincial Drug Administration in March 2020, and obtained good curative effect. So it attracted a lot Hui (Muslim-believers) and non-Muslim believers inpatients ( Zhang et al., 2023 ; Yu et al., 2022 ; Zhang, 2018 ; Shan, 2005 ).
In here, we reported the Kangle hospital inpatients during the January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023 during this worst COVID-19 pandemic period. We found there were not differences of the inpatients both Muslim believers and non-Muslim believers during this horrible period. Religion may not important for the inpatients of Kangle hospital.
2. Data Collection
This study aims to identify and describe the perception of Islamic medicine among patients in the Kangle Muslim population during the period of the horrible COVID-19 pandemic. We collected all the cases of inpatients who are admitted to Qinghai Kangle Hospital from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023. During this 2 1/2 years period, the total number of the inpatients is 38,173 cases, among them 30,059 cases of non-Muslin and 8114 case of Muslim.
Separately, there are 11, 497 inpatient cases from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, there are among them 2427 cases of Muslim, and 9070 non-Muslim cases; there are 11,322 inpatient cases from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021, there are 2373 cases of Muslim, and 8949 non-Muslim cases; 8676 inpatient cases from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, there are 1890 cases of Muslim, and 6786 non-Muslim cases; 11, 322 inpatient cases from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021, there are 2373 cases of Muslim, and 8949 non-Muslim cases; 6678 inpatient cases from January 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, there are 1424 cases of Muslim, and 5254 non-Muslim cases (Figure 1(a)).
To compare the differences between the Muslim and non-Muslim inpatients in Qinghai Kangle Hospital. SPSS 22.0 software was used to analyze the complex data. The discussion was defined and divided into Muslim believers and non-Muslim believers.
3. Results
3.1. Qinghai Muslim Faith Population
Islam is the world’s second largest religion, representing nearly a quarter of the global population. Here, in order to understand how Islam as a religious system shapes medical practice, and how Chinese Muslims view and experience medical care. Islam has generally encouraged the use of science and biomedicine for the alleviation of suffering, with Islamic authorities having a crucial supportive role. Muslim patients are encouraged to seek medical solutions to their health problems. For example, Muslim couples who are infertile throughout the world are permitted to use assisted reproductive technologies.
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Figure 1. The inpatients between Muslim-believers and non-Muslim believers in Kangle Hospital by yearly.
3.2. Kangle Hospital Staffs Inpatients
Qinghai is multiple nationality Province in China which is located in Northwest area. The main ethnic groups include Han, Hui, Mongolian, Salah, Tibetan, Tu and so on. Qinghai Kangle Hospital is located in Chengdong (Eastern parts of city) area of Xining city which is a capital city of Qinghai Province. There are 364 total number of staffs in the hospital. Among them, Hui nationality is 61, account for 16.7%; Han nationality are 246 person, account for 67.7%. Other ethnic minorities: 57, account for 15.6%; Tibetan 24, Manchu 2, Mengmiao 3 Miao 1 Sala 12 Tu 15. Muslims make up 21.26% of the inpatients.
The Hui nationality is a minority nationality in China, mainly distributed in the Northwest region represented by Ningxia, Qinghai and other area. The Hui population in China is about 7.8 million, accounting for about 0.7% of the country’s total population. Xining is a typical multi-ethnic and multi-religious immigrant city, and it is also the only provincial capital city with a population of more than one million on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. According to the data of Xining Municipal Bureau of Statistics, the city’s permanent resident population was 2, 475,600 at the end of 2021. The urban population of the city is 1,963,900, accounting for 79.33% of the permanent population; the rural population is 51.17 million, accounting for 20.67% of the permanent population. Now look at the overall population of each ethnic group. There are 611,600 ethnic minorities in Xining City, accounting for 25.8%. Among them, 383,000 were Hui people, accounting for 16.2%. In 2020, the highest proportion of the permanent minority population in Xining is Hui, accounting for 58% of the total minority population. In second place is the Tibetan population, accounting for 23% of the total permanent population of ethnic minorities. The third is the Tu ethnic group, which accounts for 9.4% of the total permanent minority population. The population of other ethnic minorities is relatively small, and the gap in numbers is not large.
In this article, we compared the inpatients of Kangle hospital between the Muslim believers and non-Muslim believers by yearly. During this 2 1/2 years COVID-19 period, the total number of the inpatients are 38,173 cases, among them 30,059 cases of non-Muslin and 8114 case of Muslim, accounting for 21.26% of the inpatients of Kangle Hospital which was much higher than the 0.7% of the country’s total population and 16.2% of the Xining’s total population, lower than 31.21% of Chengdong area of Xining City. This may relate the Hospital served the patients from all parts of only Qinghai Province. Separately, there are 11,497 inpatient cases from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, there are 2427 cases of Muslim, and 9070 non-Muslim cases Muslim, the proportion of Muslims is 21.11%; 11, 322 inpatient cases from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021, there are 2373 cases of Muslim, and 8949 non-Muslim cases, the proportion of Muslims is 20.96%; 10,566 inpatient cases from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, there are 1890 cases of Muslim, and 8676 non-Muslim cases, the proportion of Muslims is 21.78%; 6678 inpatient cases from January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023 among them, 1424 cases of Muslim, and 5254 non-Muslim cases, the proportion of Muslims is 21.32%. There are no significant difference between the Muslim believers and non-Muslim believers by yearly (Figure 1(b)).
The paper concludes that Hui medicine has a significant impact on both of Muslim and non-Muslim community. Respondents cited three factors as driving Hui medicine in China: 1) there are some famous physicians in Qinghai Kangle Hospital; 2) the Muslim community’s choice of alternative therapies due to dissatisfaction with traditional methods; 3) Hui medicine focuses only on the treatment of problems not really related to the spirit. The average view of respondents was that the role of Islamic medicine in the treatment of physical ailments was underestimated and that it was not suitable to replace the functions of modern health institutions.
4. Discussion
The Hui nationality is the second largest ethnic minority and one of the most widespread ethnic groups with Islamic faith in China. A study of the genetic architecture from nine Hui populations (Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Henan, Shandong, Sichuan, Yunnan) reported Hui populations indicated that these nine Hui populations can be divided into three groups: Hui populations from the northwest (NWH), Hui populations from Sichuan and Shandong (SSH), and Hui populations from Yunnan (YNH). The genetic analysis revealed that the Hui populations had close relationships with East Asian populations, especially Chinese Han population. Religion is very important for the Hui population. Mosques, Hui nationality school, Halal food and restaurants are everywhere in Xining city especially in Chengdong area. In here, our data showed there was no significant difference between the Muslim believers and non Muslim believers in the Hui Medicine practice in Kangle Hospital. The results may relate there are close relationship between Hui and Han peoples in China.
Hui medicine is based on Islamic philosophy and emphasizes the Heshun precision medicine model. Under the conditions of conforming to human vitality, self-healing and resistance, it guides the disease elimination ability of self-energy. The Heshun precision method also adopts the concept of minimum damage, minimum toxic and side effects, best curative effect, shortest time, and fastest recovery. It includes adjusting the maladjusted temperament and four body fluid balance, correcting shape changes and structural damage, specimen urgency, helping harmony and eliminating evil diseases, seven certain principles (according to time, place, person, disease, disease level, disease period and disease danger), and formulating safe and effective treatment plans.
Like other national medicine, Hui medicine belongs to the traditional medical system and is one of the important members of the Chinese traditional medicine family. China’s ancient silk road, one belt, one road, made the integration of Islamic Arabia medicine and traditional Chinese medicine into one. Therefore, it can be called the first combination of Chinese and Western medicine in our history. It is more advanced, safer and more reliable. If we make the silk road back to the drug brand bigger, we will go all the way to the world. In particular, it has a strong advantage to carry out medical and cultural exchanges with Muslim countries along the line. One belt, one road, can play an important role in constructing the whole area and make greater contributions to the rejuvenation of the country and the Chinese nation.
Hui medicine is made into a finished drug with the characteristics and advantages of small adverse reactions, convenient administration and low price. It is called “Silk Road Hui medicine”, and will become one of the most promising drugs in today’s pharmaceutical field.
In recent years, Qinghai Kangle Hospital has given full play to its own advantages and established a Traditional Chinese medical hall, Hui medical hall. Hui medicine (licking agent) ointment and traditional Chinese medicine patch therapy, Sanling acupuncture blood therapy, traditional acupuncture and other appropriate technology and Chinese medicine classic pharmacology applied.
In the process of diagnosis and treatment of patients, it has achieved a good effect and has obtained the general benefit of the patient group pass the approval. So many of patients of Muslim believers and non-Muslim believers have been enrolled this hospital. The patients received the medical service just focused on good effect and not the religion. In concluded that the religion is not important for medical service in Qinghai province.
In the future, the hospital will also pass the examination and treatment, health consultation, health education, conducting classes and teaching, teaching by teachers, experiencing and tasting, demonstrating techniques and other forms to promote Hui medicine
The inheritance and development of the pharmaceutical industry should truly realize the inheritance, utilization and development of the tradition
The cause of ethnic medicine inspires the young generation of medical talents to focus on the Chinese medical culture power, continuity, explosive power, to meet the traditional ethnic medicine blood continuation. The iteration of the medical meme is eternal.
5. Conclusion
Hui medicine is closely combined with traditional Chinese medicine, and its religiosity is diluted in China. The educational background of doctors (traditional Chinese medicine, Western medicine), the religious beliefs of patients receiving medical treatment in our hospital (distribution of Muslims and non-Muslims), Hui medicine is like a pearl embedded in the treasure house of Chinese medicine, brilliant, and will continue to make contributions to the health cause of all ethnic groups in China, and will make due contributions to the health cause of all mankind.
Author Contribution
Junming Luo and Jianqing Zhang designed the research; Li Lu, Qilong Tan, Xiaoling Wang, Hairui Ma, Chunshou Li and Faxiang Ye collected data and performed analysis; Junming Luo, Li Lu and Jianqing Zhang wrote the paper. Li Lu, Xiaoling Wang and Qilong Tan critically reviewed the manuscript content.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Key Research & Development and Transformation Program of Hunan Province Science and Technology Department (JML, 202101040667); Hunan scientific and technological research project (JML, 2021JJ30690), Qinghai scientific and technological research project (JQZ, 2021-SF-C34). All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
NOTES
1https://m.10jqka.com.cn/520934941.html.
2https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/465008820301871885.html.
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4https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/628426617963364892.html?fr=search&word=%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E5%9B%9E%E6%B0%91%E4%BA%BA%E5%8F%A3.