History of Unani

The Unani System of Medicine originated in ancient Greece, where the initial concepts of Medicine were adopted from Egypt and Mesopotamia and later systematized by the Greeks.

The Romans further developed these concepts and in the Middle Ages, the system spread to the Arab world, Central Asian countries and parts of Europe, where it reached great heights. In India, the Unani System of Medicine was brought by Arab and Iranian physicians and flourished to become a permanent part of Indian medicine. Today, India is a global leader in Unani System of Medicine, with increasing support and funding from the Government.

The Government has prioritized the development of the Unani System of Medicine and other traditional Indian systems of medicine for healthcare delivery, leading to significant advancements in education, research and healthcare in Unani Medicine over the past seven decades.

The Unani system of medicine, along with other traditional systems like Ayurveda and Homoeopathy, is under the Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. The country has an infrastructure of academic, research, and healthcare institutions for Unani Medicine, including 41 teaching institutions and 8 postgraduate programs in 15 specialties.

Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) and The National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM) has been established by the Central Government to conduct postgraduate education and research in Unani Medicine and develop standards of training and healthcare.

India is also promoting the Unani system globally due to its resurgence of interest and validation of its scientific strengths.

The education and practice of Unani System of Medicine is under the regulatory control of Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), which is a statutory body established through an Act of Parliament the Indian Medicine Central Council (IMCC) Act, 1970. Now known as NCISM National commission for Indian System of Medicine (2022). The Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) is in charge of the majority of Unani medicine research and development.

Over the past 35 years, the Council has established itself as the foremost organisation for publishing significant scientific findings and documents for use and reference in this area.

The contribution of CCRUM has been recognised on a global scale as a result of the insights gained in clinical research, pharmacological standardisation, survey and cultivation of medicinal plants, and literary study. The Pharmacopeial Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM) is functioning since 1970 as an appellate laboratory for testing of traditional medicines including Unani drugs and development of pharmacopeial standards under the purview of Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine (PCIM).