WHAT IS UNANI ?
"Unani is the oldest yet the most ignored form of medicine "
Fundamentals of Unani
Unani Medicine is rooted in principles introduced by Hippocrates, emphasizing that disease is a natural process with symptoms reflecting the body's response. The core principle is "temperament" (Mizaj), categorizing humans, diets, and drugs into four types: Hot & Dry, Hot & Wet, Cold & Wet, and Cold & Dry.
Each temperament has distinct characteristics, such as a lean built and excessive anger associated with Hot & Dry. Diseases stem from shifts in temperament, treated by restoring balance through opposite-temperament drugs or diets.
Seven factors - Elements (Arkan), Temperament (Mizaj), Humours (Akhlat), Organs (A'da'), Pneuma (Arwah), Faculties (Quwa), and Functions (Afal) - form a human being's totality. Disease arises from imbalances, disorganization, and structural issues. The system revolves around the four Humours: Blood (Dam), Phlegm (Balgham), Yellow Bile (Safra), and Black Bile (Sawda).
Human temperament is denoted by the dominant humour. Disturbances cause diseases, with treatment aiming to restore equilibrium using opposite-temperament factors. The system also acknowledges the supreme power of medicatrix naturae, governing physiological functions and disease resistance.
Humoral imbalances are corrected through tailored diet and medications. Physicians prescribe drugs based on patient temperament, causative humour, organ involvement, and disease severity. Drugs are classified by temperament and potency.
Individuals have a unique humoral constitution representing their healthy state. To maintain balance, the body relies on medicatrix naturae. Unani Medicine places great emphasis on strengthening this power through medicines, helping the body regain optimum balance and retain health. Proper diet and digestion are crucial for maintaining humoral balance.
Principles of Unani Medicine Treatment:
Principles of Unani Medicine Treatment: In the Unani System of Medicine, the following fundamental principles guide the management of diseases based on the pathology involved:
Removal of Causative Factor (Izala-i Sabab): Identifying and eliminating factors causing the disease are crucial for effective management.
Normalization of Morbid Temperament (Ta dil-i Mizaj): Correcting simple morbid temperament involves modifying the patient's lifestyle based on essential and non-essential factors in Unani literature.
Evacuation of Morbid Material (Tanqiya): Accumulated morbid material is expelled through various therapies like cupping, venesection, leeching, purgative therapy, expectoration, diuresis, and diaphoresis.
Heterotherapy (Taj bi'l-Didd): Administering drugs with a temperament opposite to the disease corrects morbid temperament and aids in curing the illness.
Holistic Approach: Systemic diseases are managed by considering the patient's entire lifestyle, including habits, habitat, physical and emotional states, temperament, humoral status, and the condition of the involved system/organ.
Surgical and Para-surgical Procedures (Taj bil-Yad): Diseases affecting structure and continuity are treated with suitable operative and para-operative techniques.
Psychiatric Treatment (Taj Nasani): Psychiatric and psycho-somatic diseases are addressed using drugs, sleep modification, and psychotherapy, with a focus on drug treatment due to the discovery of the 'substance of mind.'
Spiritual Treatment (Taj Rühani): Recognizing the role of spiritual health, Unani Medicine acknowledges spiritual treatment through religious and spiritual counseling by spiritual authorities. Physicians may provide spiritual counseling, emphasizing a healthy lifestyle and stress reduction.
Three Primary Sources of Drugs (Mawalid Thalätha): Medicinal substances in Unani Medicine are derived from herbal, animal, and mineral sources in their natural form, either singly or in compound formulations, without altering their natural character.
These principles guide the application of natural substances and holistic approaches to promote health and address various ailments in Unani Medicine.