Unani

Origin and Development

The Unani System of medicine owes, as its name suggests, its origin to Greece. It was the Greek Philosopher-physician Hippocrates( 460-377 BC) who freed Medicine from the realm of superstition and magic, and gave it the status of Science. The theoretical framework of Unani Medicine is based on the teachings of Hippocrates. After Hippocrates a number of other Greek scholars enriched the system considerably.

Of them Galen (131-210 AD) stands out as the one who stabilised its foundation, on which Arab physicians like Rhazes (850-925 AD) and Avicenna (980-1037 AD) constructed an imposing edifice. Unani medicine got enriched by imbibing what was best in the contemporary system of traditional medicine in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Persia, India, China and other Middle East and Far East countries.

In India, the Unani System of medicine was introduced by the Arabs. Soon it took fIrm roots in the soil. The Delhi Sultans, the Khiljis, the Tughlaqus and the Mughal Emperors provided state patronage to the scholars and even enrolled some as state employees and court physicians. The system found
immediate favour with the masses and soon spread all over the country.

During the British rule, Unani Medicine suffered a setback and its development was hampered due to withdrawal of governmental patronage. But since the system enjoyed faith among the masses it continued to be practised. An outstanding physician and scholar of Unani Medicine, Hakim Ajmal Khan (1868-1927) championed the cause of the Unani system in India.

The development of Unani Medicine as well as other Indian systems of Medicine gained considerable momentum after independence. Even prior to independence a Health Survey and Development Committee was appointed in the Year 1943. The Committee underscored the future role to be played by the indigenous systems of medicine of India.

At present the Unani system of medicine, with its own recognized practitioners, hospitals and educational and research institutions, forms an integral part of the national health care delivery systems and is the world leader.

Fundamentals

Unani Medicine, is based on the principles put forward by Hippocrates. He was the first person to establish that disease was a natural process, that its symptoms were the reactions of the body to the disease, and that the chief function of the physician was to aid the natural forces of the body. He was the first physician to introduce the method of taking medical histories. His chief contribution to the medical realm is the humoral theory.

The Humors

The humoral theory presupposes the presence of four humors - Dam (blood), Balgham (phlegm), safra (yellow bile) and Sauda (Black bile) - in the body. The temperaments of persons are expressed by the words sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric and melancholic according to the preponderance in them of humors - blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile, respectively. The humors themselves are assigned temperaments - blood is hot and moist, phlegm cold and moist, yellow bile hot and dry, and black bile cold and dry. Every person is supposed to have a unique humoral constitution which represents his healthy state. To maintain the correct humoral balance there is a power of self -preservation or adjustment called quwwat -e-Mudabbira (medicatrix
naturae) in the body. If this power weakens, imbalance in the humoral composition is bound to occur which causes disease. In Unani Medicine, great reliance is placed on this power. The medicines used in this system, in fact, help the body to regain this power to an optimum level and thereby restore humoral balance, thus restoring health. Also, correct diet and digestion are considered necessary to maintain humoral balance.

Diagnosis

Another distinctive feature of the Unani system of medicine is its emphasis on diagnosing a disease through Nabz (pulse), a rhythmic expansion of arteries which is felt by fingers.Other methods of diagnosis include examination of Baul (urine), Baraz (stool) etc.

Prevention of Disease

Unani system of medicine recognizes the influence of surroundings and ecological conditions on the state of health of human beings. The system aims at restoring the equilibrium of various elements and faculties of the human body. It has laid down six essential prerequisites for the prevention of diseases and places great emphasis, on the one hand, on the maintenance of proper ecological balance and, on the other, on keeping water, food and air free from pollution. These essentials, known as 'Asbab-e-Sitta Zarooriya', are air, food and drinks, bodily movement and repose, psychic movement and repose, sleep and wakefulness, and excretion and retention.

Therapeutics

In Unani system of medicine various types of treatment are employed, such as llaj bit-Tadbeer (regimental therapy), Iiaj bil-Ghiza (dietotherapy), Iiaj bid-Dawa (pharmacotherapy) and jarahat (surgery).

The regimental therapy includes venesection, cupping, diaphoresis, diuresis, Turkish bath, massage, cauterization, purgin & emesis, exercise, leeching etc. Dietotherapy aims at treating certain ailments by administration of specific diets or by regulating the quantity and quality of food, whereas pharmacotherapy deals with the use of naturally occurring drugs, mostly herbal, though drugs of animal and mineral origin are also used. Similarly, surgery has also been in use in this system for quite long. In fact, the ancient physicians of Unani medicine were pioneers in this field and had developed their own instruments and techniques. In Unani Medicine, single drugs or their combinations in raw form are preferred over compound formulations. Further, the materia medica of Unani medicine being vast, the medicines are easy to get for most of them are available locally. The naturally occurring drugs used in this system are symbolic of life and are generally free from side-effects, and such drugs as are toxic in crude form are processed and purified in many ways before use. Some Unani single dmgs drawn from nature.

In Unani medicine, although general preference is for single drugs, compound formulations are also used in the treatment of various complex and chronic disorders. The medicines administered go well with the temperament of the patient, thus accelerating the process of recovery and also eliminating the risk of drug reaction.