Ancient Greece (1200 BC – 600 AD) Unani medicine established its foundations in
ancient Greece.
Hippocrates (c. 460–380 BCE) constructed the
four-humor framework (blood (dam), phlegm (balg), yellow bile (safra), and black bile (sawda)), attributing the cause of disease to an imbalance of internal humoral and bodily composition.
Galen of Pergamon (born c. 129 CE) continued to elevate this humoral theory, contributing theories such as breath (pneuma) and "The Four Faculties of a living organism", consolidating the theoretical diagnostic structure that Unani Medicine would be built upon.
Islamic Golden Age (786–1258) During the
Islamic Golden Age (
8th–
14th centuries), Caliphs Harun Rashid and
Al-Mansur commissioned Arabic translations of Greek and
Sanskrit medical works via the
Bayt al-Hikma (House of Wisdom) in
Baghdad.
Al-Razi (c. 854–925 CE) built upon this information, producing the
Kitab al-Hawi (The Comprehensive Book), one of the largest medical encyclopedias of the medieval world which contained important clinical contributions, including the first recorded distinction between
smallpox and
measles. Following this,
Ibn Sina (or Avicenna, 980–1037 CE) synthesized the vast medical knowledge into the
Kitab al-Qanun fi al-tibb (The law of Medicine), finishing it in
Hamadan, where he died in 1037 CE. The Kitab al-Qanun fi al-tibb is a set of 5 large texts, which remained a foundational medical reference in both Arab and European institutions for centuries after.
Ibn Rushd (or Averroes, 1126–1198 CE) later produced the
Kitab al-Kulliyyat fi al-Tibb (Colliget), a theoretical framework for Unani medicine that extended its reach westward into
Al-Andalus.
Mughal period (1526–1857) Unani arrived in
India by the
12th century, carried by
Muslim scholars and grew its influence during court patronage throughout the
Delhi Sultanate and the
Mughal Empire. When the
Mongols invaded
Persia and
Central Asia, many Unani Hakims (physicians) were displaced, fleeing to India where some were appointed as court physicians. Furthermore, Emperors
Akbar (r. 1556–1605),
Shah Jahan (r. 1628–1658), and
Aurangzeb (r. 1658–1707) commissioned translations of
Persian medical texts, enriching the medical practices and knowledge in the Mughal Empire. One large document, The
Ilajat-I Dara Shikohi ('Ilājāt-i Dārā Šikōhī), is one of the largest written Persian medical manuals composed in Mughal India. This document written by
Nur al-Din Shirazi (Nūr al-Dīn Šīrāzī), compiled both Muslim and Indian medical arts and gave a vast overview of the knowledge circulating among Muslim physicians in the Mughal Empire. From the
18th century, Unani acquired a distinctly Indian character. The
pharmacopoeia began utilizing local herbs and minerals and the system of medicine passed down family-lineages, entering the vernacular literature.
British colonial period (1858–1947) During
British rule, Western medicine (referred to as
doctory) was prioritized over traditional systems throughout
the sub-continent, leading to a decline of traditional medical systems in British India. The dominant response and critique to Western medicine were Unani reformists who advocated for the legitimacy and retention of the Unani Tibb, considering it a distinct form of knowledge separate from Western medicine. Although they criticized the Western medical dominance, reformists emphasized adopting processes like the
scientific method to Unani medical research. In 1883, Hakim Abdul Majeed established the Madrasa Tibbia (now
Tibbia College) in
New Delhi, as an institutional response to the suppression of indigenous medical systems under British rule.
Hakim Ajmal Khan (1868–1927) continued to expand this institution, using it as a platform to resist a proposed British ban on indigenous medicine.
Post-colonial period (1948 – current) Following
Indian independence in 1947, Unani, among other traditional medicine systems, gained formal governmental recognition after their colonial marginalization. The Majeedi family of Delhi made significant contributions toward the modernization of the Unani drug industry during this time. Particularly,
Hakim Abdul Hameed (1908–1999) establishing the Institute of History of Medicine and Medical Research (IHMMR) in New Delhi in 1962, which developed into the
Jamia Hamdard (deemed to be university) in 1989. The Indian government identified the need for standardization of indigenous medicine systems, culminating in the Indian Medicine Central Council Act of 1970, which established the
Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM, succeeded by
National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) as the statutory body for maintaining uniform educational standards across Unani,
Ayurveda, and
Siddha programs nationally. The
Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), established in March 1978, serves as the apex government body coordinating scientific research into Unani
pharmacology, clinical practice, and drug standardization. In 2014, the Government of India elevated the Department of
AYUSH into a full ministry, formally situating Unani within the national health infrastructure of India (alongside Ayurveda, Yoga, Siddha, and
Homeopathy). Established in 1984, the
National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM) in Bengaluru serves as a pinnacle institution for postgraduate Unani education and research in India. ==Education and regulation==