Hyderabad: People opt for allopathic treatment for any disease or ailment due to its quick nature, but apart from allopathy there are many other types of alternative medicine and treatments such as Ayurvedic medicine, Homeopathic medicine, etc, which have been proven successful in treating various diseases. Unani medicine is one such treatment which is being utilised in many countries. But, despite being a successful alternative, globally it is relatively less prevalent due to a lack of awareness.
World Unani Day is observed every year on February 11th to spread awareness among people about the utility and potential of Unani medicine in global healthcare. In the year 2023, this day is being observed around the theme "Unani Medicine for Public Health". The day is observed on January 11th, the birth anniversary of Ajmal Khan, a Unani physician from India who did a lot to revive and popularize the Unani system. The main objective of World Unani Day is to spread awareness about the usefulness of Unani medicine among various medical practices, and through this help people to lead a healthy life.
Significantly, the Unani system of medicine is kept under the category of an alternative system of medicine and it first originated in ancient Greece. It was run by Hippocrates and his followers, but Ajmal Khan, born in India in 1868, made a lot of efforts for the development and expansion of Unani medicine in India and gave an identity to Unani medicine. Presently this treatment system is being used in many countries including India, Pakistan, Persia, South Africa and England.
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The first World Unani Day was observed in the year 2017 at the Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM), Hyderabad. February 11th was selected to observe this day by the Ministry of AYUSH as a tribute to Hakim Ajmal Khan. Along with being a social reformer, Hakim Ajmal Khan was a spiritual healer, herbalist and a reputed Unani physician. He made a lot of efforts to make the general public aware of Unani medicine. He even got the Central College, Tibbia College and Hindustani Dawa Khana built in Delhi. Hakim Ajmal Khan was also one of the founders of Jamia Millia Islamia University.
Every year on the occasion of World Unani Day, an International Conference on Unani Medicine is also organized by the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine, Ministry of AYUSH. In the Unani system of medicine, the effects of the surroundings and environment on health, and the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical causes of disease are discovered. This medical method, along with the treatment of the disease, and its prevention in general is prioritized to keep the body healthy and to strengthen the body's immune system.
In the Unani system of medicine, patients are treated based on body fluids like phlegm, blood and yellow and black bile. Unani medicine believes that a balance in the "Four Humors" (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile) is important for keeping the body healthy. In Unani medicine, it is believed that the imbalance of air, earth, water and fire causes disease. In addition, environmental factors can also significantly affect health. The Unani system of medicine provides benefits in treating almost all types of health-related problems and diseases in different parts of the body.
