The Unani medicine system was introduced to India about a thousand years ago by the Muslims and became indigenous to the country. It is now practiced in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. The Unani physicians who settled in India have added new drugs to the system and therefore the Unani system practiced in India is somewhat different from the original Greek form.
Unaani means Greek and Unani medicine is an ancient Greek system of medicine based on the qualities of four temperaments and four humors. Unani medicine recognizes the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical causes of illness or health and believes that each individual should take responsibility for their own well-being.
The threads that comprise Unani healing can be traced back to Claudius Galenus of Pergamum, who lived in the second century of the common era. The basic knowledge of Unani medicine as a healing system was collected by Hakin Ibn Sina (known as Avicenna) in 980 ce in Persia. Subsequently, Ajmal Khan, who was born in India in 1864, is generally acknowledged to be the most significant twentieth century contributor to Unani medicine in India (Magner 1992).
Unani medicine, like Western medicine, originated with Hippocrates and his followers. The Unani system of medicine is practiced widely in Persia, Pakistan, and India. It is also practiced in South Africa, England and other countries. The Unani system is sometimes called Hikmat or Unani-Tibb.
The Amchi system of medicine, also known as the Tibetan System, is practiced in northern India and some other regions of the Himalayas particularly by the Buddhists. This system traces its origin to Ayurvedic system to include treatments by herbs, minerals, animal organs, spring and mineral waters, puncturing of veins, mysticism, and spiritual powers.
Naturopathy (natural cure) is not only the system of treatment but a way of life. It is often referred to as drugless treatment of diseases. Naturopathy is based on the ancient practice of simple laws of the nature. This system is closely allied to Ayurveda as far as the fundamental principles are concerned.
Unani physicians give prime importance to diet and the state of digestion in a person, in both health and disease. Specific dietary regimens are recommended while treating patients according to their temperament. Proper diets are assumed to produce good humours while improper ones produce bad humours. Thus, the humoral imbalance can be corrected by medication coupled with proper diet. The physician prescribes the drugs according to the temperament of patient, causative humour, faculty of organ involved and severity of the disease. These drugs are classified as per the specific temperament and are graded in the first, second, third and fourth degree according to their potency.
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