The “hijama” whose Arabic name comes from the word “hajm” (to suck, absorb, aspire, extract) was a long time practiced by our hairdressers in the place “hajamine” when they were true “hajam” (blood extractor) and “tahar” (barber circoncisor and sometimes dentist as Mr Boujdaria) and not “hallak”. (hairdresser) devoting itself exclusively to the haircut.

Currently if Mustapha Ben Amira is among the rare people to perpetuate this ancestral curative tradition dating from the Pharaonic time which consists in relieving the patient of the bad blood bound with the back blocking circulation which can generate many diseases. The Prophet Mohammed “Salla allahou alayhi wa sallam” recommended many times the practice of this therapeutic to the Moslems.

Nowadays, perhaps by negligence or simple abandonment because of medicine progress, the rules of blood extraction were gradually forgotten and lost. There is also the fact that badly disposed people distribute many lies which pushed people to be abstained from using it.

Curative effect

Eminent medical and clinical tops Arab installed in Syria and Europe joined together under the leadership of the Instructor Abdul-Kadir John Alias Al-Dairan began scientific research on the “hijama” and led to mind-blowing results in the cure of many incurable diseases like cancer, the paralysis, the migraine. hemophilia, cardiovascular diseases, sterility, impotence and incapacity to procreate, asthma, rheumatism and ophthalmic diseases after having carried out tests on many patients.

The Syrian Arabic scientist, Mohammad Ameen Sheikho also revived this practice (sunna) in his orthodoxe rules.

The Mechanism

Initially when the patient enters to the “hajam”, he says in the popular jargon “nahili zouz dam” (I would like to take off bloods). In the same way when somebody is irritated he will say “Bach tnahili zouz dam” (will you remove me some bad blood).

The mechanism consists in sucking and extracting blood from the higher part of the back (scapulas) or from the nape of the neck by using special cups “Mghaïeth” which is made out of copper or glass, the back with a small and round opening of a diameter lower than that of the medium.

The “hajam” starts to burn a small piece of paper cut of a newspaper in the form of a funnel.
After having as a preliminary precaution made an incision using a razor blade, the “hajam” inserts the extreme cone in the cup and immediately plants the opening of the cup under the scapula; a great quantity of air flaring inside the cups issues pressure on the body to extract blood. When finished the two cups are withdrawn.

Well before the advent of the “mghaitehs” one told me that at the beginning of the last century one sucked bad blood using the mouth by means of “maçàçat” (nozzle-end which adapts to a tube allowing a high speed intake)

Nowadays the nozzle of blood becomes a pejorative term (which exploits the others). One also says to suck somebody blood until the bone!!

The"tachlitt" and "baghtane-al fasd "

The “tachlitt” is also an old therapeutic tradition used to primarily relieve migraine when “tabaâ el phil or echafi” (antalgic) where the “ghalfane” (hydrotherapy) do not give the anticipated results.

Contrary to the “hijama” which is exclusively practiced by the “hajam” the “tachlitt” is of less complexity which can be done by almost everyone.

It is enough to have a small razor blade soaked with methylated spirits to make a small incisions along the face or for most modern of the side incisions to the face to be really invisible.

One finishes the article by a badigennage of one onion skins “bsal” like disinfectant. some keep scars until today and have the rather old-fashioned look as “goôr barcha”.

There was also the “bagtane” practiced formerly by the “hajam”. the neck of the patient is well tightened by a scarf. the incisions are much deeper releasing enormous blood. This method is no longer available.

Mohamed Rebai
info@kairouan.org