Marham, Zimad and Tila (Unani Ointments): Four Words That Mean Lead
Marham means ointment, zimad means a paste you mix at the time of use, and tila means a liniment dabbed on: the three ways Unani medicine puts a drug on the skin. The form is ancient and mostly harmless. The one thing to learn before buying any of them is which four words on an ingredient line mean lead.
Before you start
- Marham: ointment; powdered drugs in a base of beeswax (mom) and oil, sometimes fat
- Zimad (dimad): dry powder sold to be mixed into a paste with water, rose water or oil just before applying
- Tila: a liquid or oil “smeared” on; in modern shops the word mostly means sexual-health liniments
- Names you’ll see: Marham Kafoor, Marham Hina, Marham Quba, Marham Dakhilyun, Marham Jadwar, Zimad-e-Muhallil, Zimad Rahat
- Lead words on a label: murdasang (litharge), safeda or isfidaj (white lead), sindoor or suranj (red lead), usrub
- Not a marham problem: burns, ringworm, diabetic foot wounds, spreading redness
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What is a marham, and how is it different from a cream?
A marham is a semi-solid for external use made by melting beeswax, or occasionally animal fat, into a warmed oil, stirring in finely powdered drugs and letting it set. That’s the whole recipe, and it is why old marhams are greasy, dense and slow to absorb. A modern cream is an emulsion of water and oil held together with an emulsifier, which is why it feels light and disappears. A marham sits on top of the skin like a seal; that occlusion is the point for a dry crack or a healing wound edge, and the problem when a wound is wet or infected.
Formularies note that marhams made with fat spoil faster than those made with wax alone. A rancid, sour-smelling marham has turned and goes in the bin.
- Warm the chosen oil (sesame, mustard or castor in most formularies) gently.
- Melt beeswax into it, roughly one part wax to several parts oil, until clear.
- Stir in the sieved drug powders a little at a time so nothing clumps.
- Keep stirring as it cools so the powder stays suspended rather than sinking.
- Pour into a tin or jar and let it set; store cool and closed.
A home beeswax-and-oil balm made this way, with nothing else in it, is the only version of the recipe worth copying. Mineral marhams are not a DIY project.
Zimad: the powder that becomes a paste
The definition that saves you money
A zimad is sold dry on purpose. Formulary definitions describe it as a powder that is always used in paste form after mixing with a specified liquid, water, rose water, vinegar or an oil such as roghan gul or roghan kunjad, at the time of use. Fresh mixing is the whole idea: the paste is wet, cooling and active for an hour, then it dries and flakes off. A pre-mixed “zimad” in a tub is a different product wearing a traditional name, and if it has stayed soft for months it contains preservatives or a fat base the formulary never meant. Buy the powder, mix a teaspoon with enough liquid to spread, use it once, and keep the rest dry.
Zimad-e-Muhallil (muhallil means resolving) is the best-known: a mix of softening and warming herbs applied over a hard swelling or a boil to bring it to a head. Sandalwood paste and ubtan are the cosmetic cousins and have their own page on chandan paste; the warm bundle for a knee is covered in the desi knee poultice post. A zimad for a boil is fine once; a boil that keeps coming back is a different question, answered in our recurrent boils and diabetes check.
Tila: the word that changed meaning
Tila comes from the Arabic for “to smear”. In the old books it meant any liquid dabbed on an outside part, including oils for the scalp. In today’s shops the word has narrowed almost entirely to liniments sold for men’s sexual complaints, and that whole shelf belongs with the warning in our mardana kamzori post. The short version: a weak erection is a medical sign, often of heart or sugar problems, and no liniment answers it. Tilas sold for that purpose have also been found to contain irritants that burn delicate skin. Nothing more on them here.
The marhams people search, decoded
Marham Kafoor
A camphor ointment sold for wounds, fistula and raw skin. The branded label lists camphor, safeda, white beeswax, mustard oil and egg white. Safeda is isfidaj, basic lead carbonate (white lead). Camphor is also absorbed through broken skin, which is where this ointment is meant to go. Two reasons it is not for children or broken skin over any area larger than a coin.
Marham Dakhilyun
A softening ointment of isabgol, linseed, marshmallow seed, fenugreek, castor and sesame oil and wax, sold for hard swellings and glands. The same label lists murdar sang: litharge, lead monoxide. It is the classic old-world ointment base and it is lead.
Marham Hina and Marham Quba
Marham Hina is a henna-leaf ointment for cracked heels and dry sores; the henna itself is harmless, so read the rest of the list. Marham Quba is sold for quba, ringworm. Ringworm is a fungus, and a greasy ointment with no antifungal keeps the patch warm and moist, which fungus likes. A pharmacist’s antifungal cream used daily for up to four weeks is the honest answer, with a doctor for scalp ringworm or anyone with diabetes.
Marham Jadwar, and the “wonder marhams”
Jadwar is a bitter root used in traditional pain and antidote formulas, and the ointment is a warming rub. Beyond the branded range sits a market of kamal marham, kesri marham and faqeeri marham, sold for “every skin disease” with no ingredient list. A product that claims to fix eczema, ringworm, acne and piles at once is making a claim no single ointment can meet, and in that category undeclared steroids are the usual explanation for a fast result and a rebound when you stop.
Lead in the pot: what murdasang and safeda are
A 2022 review of lead compounds in Unani medicine lists five preparations still described in the tradition: usrub (washed lead), isfidaj or safeda (white lead carbonate), suranj or sindoor (red lead oxide), murdasang (litharge, lead monoxide) and ithmid (galena). Their main use is external, in marhams, powders and liniments, and the review itself notes that these are lead and that improper exposure causes plumbism. The World Health Organization is blunter: there is no level of lead exposure known to be safe, children absorb four to five times as much as adults from the same dose, and traditional medicines and cosmetics are a recognised source. Sindoor has been measured at more than half lead by weight in one documented family poisoning.
Lead crosses intact skin poorly, which is why centuries of ointment use did not kill everyone. It crosses broken skin, gets onto fingers and into mouths, and in a child’s case gets licked. So the rule for any marham whose label carries one of the four lead words is simple: not on children, not on broken or weeping skin, not over a large area, not for weeks on end, and wash your hands after. If the label carries no ingredient list at all, treat it as if it did.
Burns: no marham, no ghee, no toothpaste; cool running water for 20 minutes, then a clean non-fluffy cover, and hospital for anything deep, larger than your palm, or on the face, hands or genitals (our kitchen burn first aid post explains why). Ringworm: antifungal cream, not grease. Diabetic foot wounds: any cut or sore on a diabetic foot that is not healing, or has red skin around it, needs a doctor the same day; occlusive ointments can hide an infection that costs toes. Spreading redness, heat, pus, fever or a red line up a limb: that is a spreading infection, not a swelling to “resolve”. Lead-containing marhams: never on children, broken skin or long term. Pregnancy: avoid lead and camphor ointments entirely. Patch test every new marham or zimad on the inner forearm first.
Questions people ask about marham, zimad and tila
Marham meaning in English?
Marham means ointment: a semi-solid made of powdered drugs in a wax and oil base for use on the skin. The Urdu word is used for any ointment today, including pharmacy steroid creams, which is why the search results are so mixed.
What is marham in Unani medicine?
It is the Unani ointment form, made by melting beeswax into oil and stirring in powdered drugs. Traditional marhams were used on wounds, cracks, boils and swellings, and many classical recipes included lead compounds as the drying agent.
What is zimad in Unani medicine?
A zimad is a powder meant to be mixed into a paste with water, rose water or oil just before it goes on the skin. It is the traditional poultice-paste form, used for swellings, boils and joint pain, and it is sold dry on purpose.
What is a tila?
Tila means a liquid or oil smeared on an outside part. In shops today the word has narrowed to men’s sexual-health liniments, which are a warning category rather than a treatment; the symptom they are sold for needs a doctor.
Marham kafoor ke fayde?
It is a camphor ointment for raw skin and wounds, and tradition rates it soothing and drying. The branded label also lists safeda, white lead, and camphor absorbs through broken skin, so it is not for children, large areas or long use.
Marham quba uses for ringworm, does it work?
Ringworm is a fungal infection, and a greasy ointment without an antifungal tends to keep the patch warm and damp. A pharmacist’s antifungal cream used daily for up to four weeks is the proven route; see a doctor for scalp ringworm or if you have diabetes.
Marham hina uses?
A henna-leaf ointment for cracked heels, dry sores and minor skin irritation. Henna is harmless on skin; check the rest of the ingredient line for lead words before using it on children.
What is marham dakhilyun?
A softening ointment of mucilage seeds (isabgol, linseed, marshmallow, fenugreek) in castor and sesame oil and wax, sold for hard swellings and glands. Its label also lists murdar sang, which is litharge, a lead oxide.
Are kamal marham, kesri marham and faqeeri marham safe?
They are unregulated ointments sold for every skin disease at once, usually without an ingredient list. A fast result on eczema or psoriasis followed by a rebound when you stop is the pattern of a hidden steroid. Avoid them, and look for an enlisted product with a full label instead.
Do traditional marhams contain lead (murdasang)?
Many do. Murdasang (litharge), safeda (white lead), sindoor (red lead) and usrub are classical ointment ingredients, and two mainstream branded marhams list one of them. Lead crosses broken skin and gets onto hands and into mouths, so keep these off children, wounds and long-term use.
Zimad e muhallil uses?
It is a resolving paste of warming and softening herbs mixed fresh and applied over a hard swelling, a boil or a stiff joint to soften it. Fine for a single boil; a boil that recurs, or any swelling with fever or spreading redness, needs a doctor.
Can a marham be used on a burn?
No. Cool running water for 20 minutes is the only first aid; ointments, ghee and toothpaste trap heat and make assessment harder. Cover loosely with clean non-fluffy material and get medical help for deep, large or facial burns.
Can I use a Unani marham on my child?
Only one whose full label shows no lead words and no camphor, on intact skin, after a patch test. A plain beeswax-and-oil balm is as far as home use should go. Anything for a wound, a boil or a rash on a child should be seen by a doctor first.
Bottom line
Marham, zimad and tila are the Unani topical forms: a wax-and-oil ointment, a mix-fresh paste, and a dabbed-on liquid. The forms are sound; the risks sit in the ingredient line, where four words mean lead and where unregulated “wonder marhams” hide steroids, and in using any of them on burns, ringworm, diabetic wounds or spreading infections that are not ointment problems. Read the list, keep lead off children and broken skin, and link the symptom to the right help. The other Unani forms are decoded in Unani & Herbal, Decoded.
Sources
- Mustehasan and Azhar, Usrub (lead) and its compounds used in Unani Medicine: overview, Asian Journal of Research in Chemistry, 2022
- World Health Organization, Lead poisoning and health fact sheet
- Vassilev et al., Case of elevated blood lead in a South Asian family that has used sindoor for food coloring, Clinical Toxicology, 2005
- NHS, Burns and scalds: treatment
- NHS, Ringworm
- Diabetes UK, Diabetes and your feet