General Medicine UNANI SYSTEM OF MEDICINE- INTRODUCTION AND CHALLENGES AHMAD HUSAIN* G.D. SOFI* TAJUDDIN** RAMAN DANG*** NILESH KUMAR*** The Unani System of Medicine pioneered in Greece and Syria. It is also called Arab medicine. Unani is still and was developed by Arabs into an elaborate medical popular in many Arab and East Asian countries. In fact science based on the frame work of the teaching of Unani medicine and herbal products are gradually more Buqrat (Hippocrates) and Jalinoos (Galen). Since that being used in many countries where modern medicine time Unani Medicine has been khown as Greco-Arab is easily available. India has accepted it as one of the Medicine. This system is based on Hippocatic theory of alternative health care system and has given it official four humours viz. blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black status. bile, and the four qualities of states of living human body Practices of traditional medicine vary greatly with like hot, cold, moist and dry. They are represented as country and region, as they are influenced by factors earth, water, fire and air, the Greek ideas were put by such as culture, history, personal attitudes and philoso- Arabian physician as seven principles (Umoor-e-Tab- phy. In many cases, the theory and application of tradi- biya) and included, element (Arkan), temperament tional medicine are quite different from those of (Mizaj), humours (Akhlat), organs (Aaza), sprit (Arwah), conventional medicine. Based on the therapies, tradi- faculties (Qowa) and functions (Afaal). In this system is tional medicine can be categorized as medication and it believed that, these principles are responsible for the non-medication. body constitution and its health, as well as, diseased Traditional medication involves the use of herbal conditions (1). medicines, animal parts and minerals. Non medication The World Health Organization (WHO) has recog- involves various techniques, primarily without the use of nized the Unani System of Medicine (USM) as an alter- medication. They include, for example, acupuncture and native system to cater the health care needs of human related techniques, chiropractic, osteopathy, manual population. Alternative medicine is being practiced therapies, qigong, yoga, and other physical, mental, reg- worldwide. imental, spiritual and mind-body therapies. Unani is one of the most well known traditional medicine systems and draws on the ancient traditional Situation as regards the use of traditional medicine systems of medicine of China, Egypt, India, Iraq, Persia Traditional medicine is widely and increasingly being used in both developing and developed countries. *From National Institute of Unani Medicine Kottegepalya, Bangalore. ** From Department of Ilmul Advia, AMU, Aligharh, India. Up to 80% of the population in Africa and 65% in India ***From Department of Pharmacognosy Al-Ameen College, Bangalore. depend on traditional medicine to help meet their health Medical Journal of Islamic World Academy of Sciences 18:1, 27-30, 2010 27 UNANI SYSTEM OF MEDICINE-INTRODUCTION AND CHALLANGES HUSAIN, SOFI, TAJUDDIN, DANG, KUMAR care needs. Elsewhere, in Asia and in Latin America, which has got information related to the number of historical circumstances and cultural beliefs mean that herbs, quantity used, and preparation of bases and populations continue to use traditional medicine. In powder size of each constituent. Along with these stan- many developed countries, certain complementary and dards, the dosage and use has been enumerated. alternative medicine therapies are popular; the percent- The standard preparation usually is used fresh and the age of the population that has used complementary and time period of its use is generally given. Certain prepara- alternative medicine at least once is 48% in Australia, tions are to be stored up to 6 months so as to stabilize 70% in Canada, 70% in USA, 40% in Belgium and 49% them and the practitioners can then only use them. in France. However, comprehensive and reliable data and information about the global use of traditional medi- Type of compound Drug Formulations used in cine are not available (2). Unani System of Medicine (9): The disease state is caused by the derangement of 1. Solid formulations: Powder, tablets and pills etc temperament or humor and retention of health is carried 2. Semi Solid formulations: Electuaries, Aperients, out by applying the various measures to render balance Jwarishat, Khamerajat etc. in the polar dimensions of six essential prerequisites of 3. Liquid formulations: Syrups, decoctions, linc- health. The applied aspect of USM deals with the vari- tuses, eye and nasal drops etc ous measures to maintain or restore health (3, 4). 4. Gaseous formulations: Snuffs, Shamoom, notukh, lakhlakha etc. Sources of drugs The principal sources of drugs in USM are, Standards used in compounding of drugs 1. Plant origin drugs The official formulary of USM has enumerated cer- 2. Animal origin drugs tain general principles for compounding various drug 3. Mineral origin drugs (5, 6) preparations. They can be categorized into two parts. Crude drugs when used one at a time is called Ilaj 1. Principles related to routine process: it includes bil Mufrad (treatment by single drug). When two or more the basic hygiene of pharmacy unit. It describes how to than two drugs are combined together, it is called Ilaj bil enter into a pharmacy unit and how to handle various Murakkabat (treatment by compound drugs) (7). Various instruments of the unit to ensure cleanness. drug formulations are used in Unani medicine. Dosage 2. Specific process: these include: Process of pow- forms are used for (8) dering a drug to the required particle size. Concept of Sehque Baleegh (very fine powder) has been described 1. Easy access in every Unani pharmacopoeia in detailed and how to 2. Enhance or decrease rate of absorption identify whether drug has been powdered to required 3. Preservation fineness 4. To increase life of drugs 3. Qiwaam requirement: base for Unani formulation 5. To use in situation where single drug therapy can is honey, sugar, vinegar or alcohol. Required viscosity not yield the desired results (Qiwaam) has to be developed in the base substrate in 6. To moderate the potency/efficacy of a drugs which the ingredients are to be mixed. Unani pharma- 7. To detoxify of a drugs copoeia has described various methods to identify the 8. To eliminate any side effects of a drug required level of qiwaam of the base substrate. 9. To decrease dosage form of drug 4. Principles of good storage: different methods of Various poly-herbal formulations are manufactured storage mentioned like air tight container closer system, with the help of the process as described by the refer- glassware, plastic containers and china clay for storage ence books called The Quarabadeen (pharmacopeias) of some medicines. 28 Medical Journal of Islamic World Academy of Sciences 18:1, 27-30, 2010 UNANI SYSTEM OF MEDICINE-INTRODUCTION AND CHALLANGES HUSAIN, SOFI, TAJUDDIN, DANG, KUMAR 5. Empirical shelf life of drug formulations: Unani nerable to a number of interpretations which equally pharmacopoeias have mentioned the shelf life of vari- qualified as a truth statement. It needed self-correcting ous formulations, which is empirical. Keen observation methods to avert controversies. Human history took and use of these formulations from centuries has made another two centuries to develop these methods now it possible to evaluate the life of formulation for its use. so called scientific methods. Sciences of this modern On the basis of authority, the expiry dates of various age is quite newer and sophisticated, like claims of drugs have been mentioned in classical literatures of expiration dates of Unani formulations was based only USM (10). on organoleptic characteristics e.g. colour, odour, taste It may serve as an example. and consistency, along with these in modern pharma- 1. Powders: not more than one months (10) ceutics, specific precise analytical techniques are used 2. Tiryaque akbar: Upto thirty years and more (11) to evaluate the Physical, Chemical and Microbiological 3. Tiryaque faruq: ten to twenty years stability studies. 4. Barshasha has retain their potency for five years (12). 3. Standardization of single and compound drugs Standardization of crude drugs and the compound Present challenges for Unani medicine formulations as described by Unani experts is based on experience. Documentation of the same seems to be 1. Validation of Empirical claims only statements of various authorities. Although they Classical Unani practitioners mentioned a lot from seem to be very accurate, yet these cannot be taken at their experience regarding the identification of crude par with a scientific statement. These claims need to be drugs, their authentication methods, and about their validated and the drugs need to be standardized on clinical efficacy. They also mentioned the method of more precise scientific parameters. compound drug formulations, and their possible expira- tions dates. The present challenge for Unani scholars 4. Drug dosage forms is to validate these claims applying scientific method- Dosage forms of Unani single and compound ologies. drugs are mentioned in our classical literatures. They 2. Usage of technology are not changed from their ancient periods so need for The era of classical Unani system dates back till Dosage forms evaluations on the basis of modern tech- the last two centuries, With the use of technology pre- niques is a major challenge for Unani system, so as to vailing in those days Unani physicians and scholars left make it acceptable and pleasant to all. It needs to go to no stone unturned to make this system empirical, sys- the basics of experimentation and requisite research. tematic and rational one. The measure breakthrough was that it tried to solve concrete, physical and testable 5. Stability studies research statements. These statements formed the Stability studies of drugs are necessary for better- core knowledge base. They used keen observation, ment of patients for clinical efficacy of formulations and experience of trial, upon trial of various drugs in regard for drug regulatory requirements.