Unani Medicine | Origin and Historical Context

Unani Medicine is a traditional healing system based on humoral theory using natural drugs, diet, and lifestyle for health restoration.

Unani medicine, derived from Greek (Ionian) origins, was influenced by Hippocrates, Galen, Arabic, and Persian medical traditions.
It was further developed by Islamic scholars like Avicenna (Ibn Sina) and arrived in India in the 12th century, flourishing under Muslim rule.

Four Humors Theory (Akhlat-e-Arba’a):
- Dam (Blood) – Hot & Moist
- Balgham (Phlegm) – Cold & Moist
- Safra (Yellow Bile) – Hot & Dry
- Sauda (Black Bile) – Cold & Dry
- Health is maintained by balancing these humors; imbalance causes disease.
Temperament (Mizaj):
- Every individual, organ, and remedy has a unique temperament (hot, cold, dry, moist).
- Treatments are designed to restore the temperamental balance.
Tibb-e-Nabavi (Prophetic Medicine):
- Some Unani remedies integrate herbal treatments from Islamic texts.
Lifestyle Management (Asbab-e-Sitta Zarooriya):
- Health depends on six essential factors:
  - Air
  - Food and drink
  - Bodily movement and repose
  - Psychic movement and repose
  - Sleep and wakefulness
  - Excretion and retention

Ilaj bil Ghiza (Dietotherapy): Nutrition-based treatment.
Ilaj bil Dawa (Pharmacotherapy): Use of herbal, mineral, and animal-derived medicines.
Ilaj bil Tadbeer (Regimental Therapy): Physical therapies like cupping (Hijama), massage, leech therapy, and Turkish baths.