What is Unani medicine? History and principles explained

Unani medicine is one of the traditional systems of health care that India recognises under the Ministry of Ayush. This review explains what the system is, where it comes from and how its main ideas are described by official sources, including the Ministry of Ayush ^[1], the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine, or CCRUM ^[3], and Ayush Next ^[2]. It is general information, not advice for any one person.

1. Introduction

Unani medicine, also called Tibb, is described by the Ministry of Ayush as a medical system that offers preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative health care, meaning care aimed at preventing illness, promoting health, treating illness and helping people recover ^[1]. The Ministry notes that the system developed in many parts of the world by drawing on observations and experiments from many civilisations ^[1].

In India, Unani is one of the traditional systems grouped together under the name Ayush ^[1]. The Ministry of Ayush was created on 9 November 2014, and Unani is among the Ayush systems in its mandate ^[1]. This article does not claim that any Unani therapy can treat or prevent a particular disease. It describes the system as official bodies present it.

2. Origins and history

The Ministry of Ayush says Unani medicine has roots in Greece ^[1], and that it developed in many parts of the world by absorbing the observations and experiments of many civilisations ^[1]. CCRUM's overview of Unani therapeutics mentions Greek and Arab physicians among those who shaped its methods. It describes how Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi wrote a 30-volume medical work whose last volume was devoted to surgery ^[3]. The Ministry also links the framework of the system to the Hippocratic theory of four humours ^[1], which is explained below.

Unani Day is observed on the birth anniversary of Hakim Ajmal Khan, and Ayush Next reports that Minister Sarbananda Sonowal credited him and other scholars with the contributions that preserved this medical system ^[2]. CCRUM itself was established on 30 March 1978 as an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Ayush. Its research covers clinical research, drug standardisation, literary research and the survey and cultivation of medicinal plants ^[1].

3. Basic principles

The Ministry of Ayush describes several core ideas ^[1].

Four humours

The framework rests on the Hippocratic theory of four humours, which are liquid substances said to support the body's life processes such as nutrition, growth, sensation and movement. They are blood (Dam), phlegm (Balgham), yellow bile (Safra) and black bile (Sawda) ^[1]. According to this theory, a disturbance in the balance of the humours is linked with disease, and treatment aims to restore the balance ^[1].

Temperament

The Ministry calls temperament (Mizaj) the core principle of the system. It sorts people, foods and medicines into four qualitative types: hot and dry, hot and wet, cold and wet, and cold and dry ^[1]. A person's temperament is commonly named after the dominant humour, giving the types sanguineous, phlegmatic, choleric and melancholic ^[1]. These are traditional descriptions, not laboratory measurements.

The body's natural healing power

Unani texts also describe a guiding power called Medicatrix Naturae (Tabiat Mudabbira-i-Badan), which is said to control the body's functions, give resistance against disease and help natural healing ^[1].

4. How care is described

CCRUM states that when prevention is not enough, Unani describes four main kinds of treatment: regimenal therapy, dietotherapy, pharmacotherapy and surgery. Regimenal therapy and dietotherapy are preferred, while pharmacotherapy and surgery are used when needed ^[3].

• Regimenal therapy (Ilaj bil Tadbeer) is mostly non-drug methods such as massage and cupping ^[3].
• Dietotherapy means using particular foods or changing the amount and type of food ^[3].
• Pharmacotherapy means medicines, mostly made from plants, but also animal and mineral sources ^[3].
• Surgery (Ilaj bil Yad) has a long place in the history of Unani texts ^[3].

The Ministry also describes the "science of maintaining health" (Hifzan-i-Sihhat), with guidance for seasons, age groups, pregnancy and travellers ^[1].

5. Unani in India today

Official figures show how Unani is used in India. As on 1 April 2024, there were 269 Unani hospitals with 4,086 beds and 2,227 Unani dispensaries. The Ministry's report also lists 53,126 registered Unani practitioners as on 1 January 2024 ^[1]. The National Institute of Unani Medicine in Bangalore was set up in 1984 and is described as the first NABH-accredited Unani hospital ^[1]. NABH is India's national hospital quality accreditation body.

6. Safety and using Unani with modern medicine

Traditional does not automatically mean safe. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health advises people to tell all their providers about every health approach they use, and not to use an unproven approach to delay seeing a provider ^[4]. It adds that "natural" does not necessarily mean "safe", and that the quality of a product and the training of a practitioner both matter ^[4]. CCRUM's own public advice says to consult a registered Unani physician before using recommended measures ^[5].

NCCIH adds that many questions about complementary approaches remain unanswered, and it advises being wary of exaggerated claims and of anything that sounds too good to be true ^[4]. Treat any claim that Unani can fix a named disease with caution.

7. When to see a doctor

See a doctor, and do not delay, if you have new, severe, worsening or unexplained symptoms, if you are pregnant, or if a child or older person is unwell. Do not stop a medicine that your doctor prescribed in order to try a traditional one. Tell your doctor about any Unani medicine, diet or procedure you use.

In an emergency, call your local emergency number (112 in India, 911 in the United States).

8. Conclusion

Unani medicine is a long-standing traditional system, rooted in Greek ideas of humours and temperament, and supported in India by official institutions, standards and registered practitioners. Its descriptions are traditional, and its place beside modern medicine depends on safe use. Speak with a registered practitioner, and keep your own doctor informed.