Traditional Arabic Herbal Medicine

Traditional Arabic or Islamic medicine became known in India, where it is widely practiced, as Unani-Tibb. "Tibb" is an Arabic word meaning "medicine," while "Unani" is thought to be derived from "Ionian" (meaning Greek) - acknowledging the influence of the early Greek healing traditions on this system of medicine.

The system dates back to the 7th century, when the Arab-Islamic world adopted the traditions of Europe as it expanded into areas that had been part of the Greco­Roman empires. Medical practice and theory were then dominated by the works of the Greek physican Galen (A.D. 130-200) who studied anatomy and made use of numerous drugs.

The Muslims who invaded India in the 11th century brought their medicine with them, and the system is prominent today, particularly among Muslims, in India and its surrounding countries. It owes most to the work of the 10th-century Persian physician Ibn Sina, known in the West as Avicenna. A follower of Galen, he considered the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of health and developed a system of botanical medicine and dietetics for health.

Unani- Tibb has been influenced by Ayurvedic medicine, as well as influencing it. It is a holistic system that treats the imbalances that lead to disease and encourages the patient to adopt a balanced way of life. It incorporates the following concepts:

four elements, namely, earth and water (heavy) and fire and air (light)

nine temperaments, one equable (balanced) and eight nonequable and relating to hot, cold, wet, and dry

four humors, as in ancient Greek medicine - blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile - semigaseous vapors that maintain body fluids and balance digestion.

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