Unani System of Medicine

Overview of Unani Medicine.

1. UNANI MEDICINE

2. "Unani" or "Yunani medicine is the term
for Perso-Arabic traditional medicine as
practiced in Mughal India and in Muslim
culture in South Asia . The term Unani
means "Greek", as the Perso-
Arabic system of medicine was based on
the teachings of the Greek
physicians Hippocrates and Galen .

3. IMPORTANT PEOPLE
INVOLVED IN THE
HISTORY

4. HIPPOCRATES ( 460-370BC)
– H
– HI
– Hippocrates was the first to set forth the principles of the humoral theory.
– According to Hippocrates, the human body
has four humors : blood, bile, black bile,
and phlegm.
–Hippocrates (460-370 BC), freed Medicine from
the realm of superstition and magic,
and gave it the status of Science.
He was a dominating figure in the classical
period of Greek medical history.
The medical renegade
who came to be called the
“Father of Medicine”.

5. ROMAN SCHOLAR GALEN
(129-200 AD)
•Roman scholar GALEN(129-200 AD) stabilized the
foundation of this science.
• Arab and Persian scholars and
physicians like RABBAN TABARI (725-890 AD),
AL-e-RAZI (865-925 AD)
and IBN -e-SINA (980-1037 AD)
raised Unani System of Medicine
to the great heights

6. BABYLONIANS
•Babylonians also played an
important role in the
history of unani medicine.
•During asclepain period (1200
BC) the Greek developed this art
of medicine drawing upon the
medical knowledge of Egyptians
and Babylonians.

7. Unani medicine in India
The first Unani physician
who came to India was
from Afghanistan (Herat).
His name was Hakim Diya
Uddin. He entered the
Court of Khusrow Malik –
the Ghaznawi ruler at
Lahore in 1160 CE.

8. Arab and Persian elaborations upon the
Greek system of medicine influenced the
early development of Unani.
The medical tradition was introduced to
India in the 13th century by the Delhi
Sultans and it took its own course of
development during the Mughal Empire,
influenced by Indian medical teachings
of Sushruta and Charaka.

9. During the pre-independent India, it was
pursued by two families of Unani physicians
viz the Aziza family of Lucknow known as
Hakims of Jhaawai Tola and the Sharifi
family of the eminent Hakim Ajmal Khan of
Delhi. In independent India it was
preserved and researched by Hakim Abdul
Hameed, descendents of Hakim Majeed of
the famous Hamdard Dawakhana in Delhi.

10. PRINCIPLE OF TREATMENT
The system is based on two theories such as:
1] The Hippocratic theory of four humours.
The four humours are blood, phelgm, yellow bile, and
black bile.
2] Pythagorian theory of four proximate qualities.
The four qualities are the states of human body like
hot, cold, moist and dry.
These are represented as earth, water, fire , and air.

11. Finally, each humor was associated with certain
qualities
•Black Bile: Cold and Dry
•Blood: Hot and Moist
•Phlegm: Cold and Moist
•Yellow Bile: Hot and Dry
If it was a fever--a hot, dry disease--the culprit was
yellow bile. So, the doctor would try to increase its
opposite, phlegm, by prescribing cold baths. If the
opposite situation prevailed (as in a cold), where
there were obvious symptoms of excess phlegm
production, the regimen would be to bundle up in
bed and drink wine.

12. The Greek ideas were put by arabian physicians as
seven working principles
1)Elements (Arkan)
2) Temperaments (Mizaj)
3)Humours (Akhlats)
4)Organs (Aaza)
5)Spirits (Arawh)
6)Faculties (Quo)
7)Functions (Afal)
All these factors are taken into account before
diagnosis and prescribing treatment.
The diseased condition is considered to be due to
the imbalance between humours and
accordingly treatment is given.

13. DIAGNOSIS
•Diseases are mainly diagnosed with the help of
pulse (nubz), physical examintion of the urine
and stool.
•The Unani system of medicine aims at treating
the cause of the disease and not its symptoms.
•For this purpose, history of the patient is
recorded in addition to his pulse, urine, stool
examinations.

14. TREATMENT
Diseases are treated in the following ways:
1)Ilajbil Tadbeer (Regimental Therapy) :
It includes various drugless regimens for treatment of ailments that are
exercise, massage, hamam (Turkish bath), Douches (cold and hot)
and regimen for geriatrics.
2) Ilajbil Ghiza (Dietotherpy): Different diets are recommended for
patients of different diseases.
3) Ilajbil Dava (Pharmaco therapy) :
It involves the treatment of cause of the disease due to environmental
factors or imbalance of humours through
a)Drugs of opposite temperament to the temperament of the disease
b)Drugs of similar temperament as of the temperament of the disease.
4) Ilajbil Yad (Surgery)

15. UNANI DOSAGE FORM
1.Safoof powder -Aristotle has been credited with discovery of safoof
Uses: Meant for external and internal use
2.Majoon +semi solid-This are prepared from the quiwam of white sugar or honey and
a medicinal sufuf
Preparation
The simple method of making quiwam( simple syrup) is to add sugar to purified water
and heat the mixture over a low flame till it acquire the required consistency
Then add the sufuf into qiwam progressively with continuous stirring
3.Khameera
A type of majoon obtained by mixing decoction of drugs in a base made of purified
honey sugar or jaggery
Preparation
Make the decoction of the ingredients and is seived through 40 no mesh
The decoction is next heated with sugar to the boiling point then add citric acid and
when qiwam is ready the sodium benzoate dissolve in little water is added and the
qiwam is allowed to boil once again
After which it is allowed to cool and stirred till it whitens

16. 4.Jawarish
A type of majoon prepared by mixing coarse powder of drug to the
base of purified honey
Jawarish is the adjunctive of gawarish which means pleasant tasting
5.Laooq
Means a linctus or lincture
It is a kind of majoon that is taken orally by licking with the tounge
Generally they are employed as remedial medicine for lungs throat
and allied ailments .Jalinoos is the inventor of laooq
6..Marham ( semisolid)
Prepared by fine powder
The dried medicine are ground sieved through mesh after which oil n
wax are placed in a pan and warmed on fire
When wax melt and mix with oil the pan is taken off the fire and the
sufuf is added and the mixture stirred vigorously
7.Sharbat
A sharbat is conc. Liquor which is made from decoction of fruit juice by
addition of sugar there to yield qiwam
The origin of sharbat is buried in antiquity it's invention has been
attributed to pyhtagoras