Unani or the science of health and healing is a system of medicine that has blended with India’s tradition and has made it one of the leading countries practicing this form of medicine. The Unani System of medicine originated in Greece around 2500 years ago, and its foundation was laid by the Hippocrates. A tradition of Graeco-Arabic medicine, Unani medicine has a herbo-animo-mineral foundation. In addition to being an original science of medicine, the Unani is also a rich storehouse of philosophies and principles of medicine that holds value to the field of medicine and science in general.
The Arabs are the ones who rendered the Greek Literature of the medicine into their own enhanced system of medicine through their contributions. For the same, they incorporated the concepts of Pathology, Therapeutics, Physics, Chemistry, Anatomy, Physiology, Botany, and Surgery. The Unani system of medicine was enriched by Middle East countries and Asian countries owing to the contemporary form of the traditional system. It was the Arabs who introduced the Unani system to India which acquired strong roots within no time. The Delhi Sultans provided patronage Unani Scholars hired some of them as court physicians and state employees.
However, the system suffered a major setback during the British Rule, with the introduction of the Allopathic system. This further resulted in the downfall of the Unani System of medicine, with respect to its education, practice, and research. For about two centuries, the effectiveness of this system faced neglect, just like other traditional forms of medicine. It was the efforts of the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Azizi family in Lucknow, and the Sharifi family in Delhi; that Unani medicine survived the British period. The system saw its revival during the freedom struggle with Hakim Ajmal Khan, who established an Ayurvedic and Unani Tibbia College and Hindustani Dawakhana in the year 1916. It was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi on February 13, 1921, and the Unani system was then patronized by various Princely states. After independence, the Unani system witnessed a boost, along with other forms of traditional medicine. The Government of India took various measures towards the all-round development of this system and established various research institutions, educational institutions, testing laboratories, and hospitals, and hired recognized practitioners. At present, India is one of the leading nations that practice the Unani system of medicines and has the largest number of institutions that focus on Unani education, research, and healthcare. The Unani system of medicine provides treatment of diseases of the entire human body. Unani has proved to be highly effective for treating chronic ailments and diseases of the liver, skin, reproductive systems, musculoskeletal and immunological disorders.
Last updated on June 5th, 2021 at 01:29 pm