Unani — The Greco-Arabic Science of Healing

🌙 What is Unani Medicine?

Unani medicine — from the Arabic word 'Yunani' meaning Greek — is a classical system of healing that traces its origins to ancient Greece and was systematically developed and enriched by Arab, Persian, and Indian physicians over more than two millennia. The system is founded on the teachings of Hippocrates (460-370 BCE) and Galen (129-216 CE), later transformed into a comprehensive medical science by the Persian polymath Ibn Sina (Avicenna) in his monumental Canon of Medicine (Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb, 1025 CE) — a text that served as the primary medical textbook in both Eastern and Western universities until the 17th century.

Unani reached the Indian subcontinent with the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century and flourished under Mughal patronage, absorbing Ayurvedic knowledge and local Indian herbs to form a rich Greco-Arabic-Indian synthesis. Today it is officially recognised by the Government of India under the AYUSH ministry, with over 40 Unani medical colleges and a thriving practice across South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia.

⚗️ The Four Humours — Foundation of Unani Theory

The theoretical core of Unani medicine is the doctrine of four humours (Akhlaat-e-Arba). These are fluids produced in the body through the digestion of food, and each humour is associated with specific physical, emotional, and seasonal qualities. Health is the state of balance among the four humours; disease arises from their excess, deficiency, or corruption.

🩸 Dam (Blood) — The Sanguine Humour

Dam is hot and moist in temperament, produced in the liver from digested food. It nourishes all tissues, maintains body warmth, and is the seat of vitality and courage. Dominant in spring and in youth, a balanced Dam produces a ruddy complexion, cheerful disposition, generosity, and good memory. Excess Dam causes skin eruptions, nosebleeds, hypertension, and mania; deficiency leads to anaemia, weakness, and depression.

• Temperament: Hot and Moist
• Season: Spring
• Organ: Liver (primary), Heart (secondary)
• Excess signs: Skin rashes, hypertension, nosebleeds, plethora
• Deficiency signs: Anaemia, pallor, fatigue, weak pulse
• Balancing approach: Fasd (venesection), cooling diet, Arq-e-Gulab

💧 Balgham (Phlegm) — The Phlegmatic Humour

Balgham is cold and moist, produced from incompletely digested food. It lubricates joints and body cavities, aids peristalsis, and provides reserve nutrition. Dominant in winter and in old age. Excess Balgham underlies most chronic mucous conditions — sinusitis, bronchitis, oedema, hypothyroidism, obesity, and sluggish digestion. It is the humour most frequently implicated in chronic disease in Unani clinical practice.

• Temperament: Cold and Moist
• Season: Winter
• Excess signs: Congestion, oedema, obesity, slow digestion, lethargy
• Balancing approach: Warm spices (ginger, black pepper), dry cupping, Ilaj bil Riyazat (exercise)

🔥 Safra (Yellow Bile) — The Choleric Humour

Safra is hot and dry, secreted by the gallbladder. It aids digestion, stimulates peristalsis, cleanses the bowels, and produces courage and ambition. Dominant in summer. Excess Safra causes jaundice, biliary disorders, fever, acidity, skin yellowing, and irritability. Bitter, cooling herbs and purgative therapy (Mus'hil) are used to evacuate excess Safra.

🌑 Sauda (Black Bile) — The Melancholic Humour

Sauda is cold and dry, produced in the spleen from the sediment of blood. It strengthens memory, promotes deliberation and caution, and nourishes bone and spleen tissue. Dominant in autumn and in middle age. Excess Sauda causes melancholy, fear, obsession, skin darkening, splenomegaly, and chronic degenerative diseases. It is the humour associated with cancer in classical Unani texts.

🧬 Mizaj — The Unani Concept of Temperament

Mizaj (temperament) is the unique qualitative state of a person determined by the predominant humour in their constitution. Every individual, substance, food, herb, and environment has a Mizaj characterised by its degree of heat, cold, moisture, and dryness. The Unani physician assesses the patient's Mizaj to prescribe treatments whose temperament is opposite to the disease — a hot disease is treated with cold-temperament medicines, a dry condition with moist-temperament remedies. This is the fundamental principle of Unani pharmacology.

• Damawi (Sanguine): Hot and moist — enthusiastic, social, optimistic; prone to plethora and infections
• Balghami (Phlegmatic): Cold and moist — calm, patient, methodical; prone to mucous disorders and obesity
• Safrawi (Choleric): Hot and dry — ambitious, decisive, quick; prone to biliary and inflammatory disorders
• Sawdawi (Melancholic): Cold and dry — analytical, creative, sensitive; prone to neurological and degenerative diseases

🔍 Unani Diagnosis — The Six Essentials

Unani diagnosis rests on examination of the Asbab-e-Sitta Zarooriya — six essential factors that constantly interact with the body to maintain or disturb health. Assessment of these factors, combined with pulse examination (Nabz) and urine analysis (Baul), gives the physician a complete picture of the patient's condition.

• Hawa (Air): Quality and purity of air breathed — seasonal and environmental influences
• Makool wa Mashroob (Food and drink): Dietary habits, quality, and combination
• Harkat wa Sukoon Badani (Physical activity and rest): Balance of exercise and sleep
• Harkat wa Sukoon Nafsani (Mental activity and rest): Emotional state and psychological health
• Naum wa Yaqzah (Sleep and wakefulness): Quality and duration of sleep
• Ihtibas wa Istifragh (Retention and evacuation): Regularity of elimination and secretions

💊 Unani Treatment Modalities

⚖️ Ilaj bil Tadbeer — Regimenal Therapy

Regimenal therapy uses non-pharmacological interventions to restore humoral balance. It is always the first line of treatment in Unani medicine, often sufficient to resolve conditions without medication.

• Fasd (Venesection): Controlled bloodletting from specific veins to evacuate excess Dam or corrupt humours
• Hijama (Cupping): Dry or wet cupping to draw out corrupt humours from superficial tissues
• Dalak (Massage): Therapeutic massage with medicated oils to improve circulation and tissue nutrition
• Hammam (Medicated baths): Steam baths with herbal decoctions to open pores and eliminate toxins
• Riyazat (Exercise therapy): Prescribed physical activity to regulate humoral flow and strengthen organs
• Taliq wa Ilsaaq (Leeching and plasters): Topical treatments for localised humoral imbalances

🍽️ Ilaj bil Ghiza — Dietotherapy

Diet is central to Unani medicine. Foods are classified by their Mizaj (temperament) and their effect on humours. Treatment always begins with dietary correction — removing humour-aggravating foods and introducing humour-balancing ones. The physician prescribes specific foods not just for their nutrients but for their humoral effect: pomegranate is cooling and astringent (good for excess Dam), ginger is hot and dry (good for excess Balgham), and so on.

🌿 Ilaj bil Dawa — Pharmacotherapy

When regimenal and dietary therapies are insufficient, Unani pharmacotherapy is employed. The Unani materia medica (Advia Mufrada) includes over 2,000 single drugs from plant, animal, and mineral sources, classified by Mizaj, potency, and specific organ affinity. Compound formulations (Murakkabat) combine multiple ingredients to create synergistic effects.

• Qurs (Tablets): Compressed herbal formulations for internal use
• Sharbat (Medicated syrups): Sweet liquid preparations, often with rose water or honey base
• Arq (Distillates): Aqueous distillations capturing volatile constituents of herbs
• Marham (Ointments): Topical preparations for skin, joint, and wound conditions
• Habb (Pills): Small round preparations for precise dosing
• Majoon (Electuaries): Semi-solid preparations with honey or sugar base for strength and digestion

🌺 Landmark Unani Herbs and Formulations

🌼 Zafran (Saffron) — The Golden Medicine

Crocus sativus is one of the most prized substances in Unani medicine. Classified as hot and dry in the second degree, it strengthens the heart (Muqawwi-e-Qalb), lifts mood, sharpens intellect, and improves complexion. Modern research confirms saffron's significant antidepressant effects (comparable to fluoxetine in mild-moderate depression), anti-inflammatory properties, and potential in Alzheimer's disease management.

🌱 Mulethi (Liquorice) — Asl-us-Sus

One of the most-used herbs in Unani medicine, Mulethi is cold and moist — the ideal antidote to excess heat and dryness. It soothes the respiratory tract, heals gastric ulcers, supports adrenal function, and has potent anti-inflammatory effects. The active compound glycyrrhizin has been extensively studied for antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective properties.

🌳 Amaltas (Cassia fistula) — The Golden Shower Tree

Amaltas is Unani's premier purgative (Mus'hil) for evacuating excess Safra and Sauda. Its pulp is mild, non-griping, and safe for children and the elderly. It is a core ingredient in classical Unani laxative formulations and is used for constipation, skin disorders, fever, and hepatic conditions.

💛 Habbe Amber Momyaee — The Cardiac Tonic

This compound formulation containing ambergris, musk, pearls, gold, and cardiac herbs is the most famous Muqawwi Qalb (cardiac tonic) in Unani. It strengthens the heart muscle, calms palpitations, lifts depression, and improves circulation. Used for anxiety, cardiac weakness, and neurasthenia.

🔬 Unani and Modern Research

Several Unani formulations and single drugs have undergone clinical investigation with promising results:

• Saffron (Zafran): Multiple RCTs confirm antidepressant efficacy comparable to SSRIs with fewer side effects
• Majoon Jograj Gugal: Clinical studies show significant benefit in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
• Qurs Kushta Faulad (iron preparations): Efficacy confirmed in iron-deficiency anaemia
• Hijama (cupping): Evidence supports benefit in chronic back pain, migraine, and hypertension
• Neem (Azadirachta indica): Antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory effects extensively documented
• Mulethi (Liquorice): Hepatoprotective and anti-ulcer properties confirmed in multiple studies

👨‍⚕️ Finding a Unani Practitioner

In India, qualified Unani physicians hold a BUMS (Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery) degree from a recognised university. The Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) regulates Unani education and practice. Government Unani hospitals and dispensaries operate in most Indian states, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. For those outside South Asia, Unani practitioners are found in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and among diaspora communities in the UK, USA, and Gulf countries.