Introduction

During the first half of the 20th century modern medicine and allopathy has made a tremendous progress in curing and controlling many chronic and acute diseases all over the globe. Today some of those diseases namely malaria, plague and small pox believed to have been eradicated is reemerging with increased intensity. At the same time certain new and more deadly disease are also emerging. Speedy economic growth and consequent Urbanization are inflicting another set of stress, environment and behavior-related disease. And, even, age-old ailments such as diabetes, infertility, impotency do not have complete cure from allopathy treatment. So, modern medicine is in the crossroads, today and is unable to answer for all these diverse range of human ailments while the world is entering the next millennium with a rapidly changing socio-economic system. Through out the world at this juncture, men/ women are turning towards alternative systems of medicine, particularly "Unani medicine" in search of answers to their sufferings.

According to Hakeem Hashmi, a prominent, Unani physician and researcher that 'Unani' stand apart from other alternative medical systems, because of its enlargement, way of approach and the well-developed treatment methods. Today the whole world recognized Unani as a unique system of medicine. The Unani system of medicine owes as its name suggests its origin to Greecen It was the great Greek philosopher-physician Hippocrates (460-377 B.C) who freed medicine from the realm of superstition and magic, and gave it the status of science. The theoretical framework of Unani medicine is based on the teachings of Hippocrates. After Hippocrates a number of other Greek scholars enriched the system considerably of them, Galen (131-210 A.D) stands out as the one who stabilized its foundation, on which Arab physician like Rhazes (850-925) and Aviceena (980-1037) constructed an imposing edifice. Thus Unani traveled from Greece, to Egypt, then to Spain from where it reached Baghdad. From Baghdad it came to Iran where it made tremendous progress and produced great physicians.

Unani medicine got enriched by imbibing what was best in the contemporary systems of traditional medicine in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Persia, India, China and other Middle East and Far East countries. It also benefited from the native medical system in practice at time in various parts of central Asia. That is why this system is known, in different parts of the world, with different names such as Greco-Arab medicine, Ionian medicine, Arab medicine, Islamic medicine, traditional medicine, oriental medicine etc.

In India, unani system of medicines has introduced by the Arabs, and soon it took firm roots in the soil. When Mongols ravaged Persian and central Asian cities like Shiraz, Tabrez and Geelan, scholars and physicians of unanimedicine fled to India. The Delhi sultans, the Khiljis, the Tughlaqs and the Mughal emperors provided state patronage to the scholars and even enrolled some as state employees and court physicians. During 13th and 17th centuries unani medicine had its hey-day in India. Among those who made valuable contributions to this system in the period were, to name only a few, Abubakar Bin Ali, Usman kashni, Sadruddin Damash Qui, Bahwa Bin Khwas khan, Ali Geelani, Akbar Azazani and Mohammed Hashim alvi khan.

An outstanding unani physician and researcher Hakeem Mehtabuddin Hashmi championed the cause of unani medicine in the northern parts of rural India. Hakeem Hashmi brought the benefit of unani from the courts of sultans, Nawabs and kings to the doorstep of common men to retrieve the masses from sufferings.

Unani system is based on the Hippocratic theory that a perfect balance of "Arkan" (elements), "Akhlata" (humors) and "Mizaj" (temperaments) helps the body and mind healthy.

Every individual has an inherent power of self-preservation called the "Quwat-E-Modabira". The theory pre-suppose the presence of humours in human body-"Dum" (blood) "Balgham" (phlegm), "Safra" (Yellow pile) and Soada (black bile) this system aims at restoring the equilibrium of various elements and faculties of the human body. It has laid down six essential prerequisites for the prevention of disease and also places great emphasis on the maintenance of proper ecological balance on the hand and on keeping water, food and air free from pollution. On the other, these essentials known as ' Asbab-E-Sitta-Zarooriya' are air, food and drinks, bodily movements and response, psychic movement and response, sleep and wakefulness, excretion and retention.

Treatment in unani system of medicine, According to Hakeem Hashmi, is done mainly through diet control for simple disease in the initial stages followed by the administration of single drugs, failing which compound preparation may be administrated. The various treatment such as 'Ilajbit-tadbeer' (regimental therapy) Ilajbit-Ghiza (dieto-therapy), Ilajbit-Dawa (pharmoco-therapy) and "Jarahat (surgery).

In pharmoco-therapy the physicians use naturally occurring drugs, mostly herbal, the advantage with naturally occurring drugs are that most of them do not have any harmful side effects. India is well known all over the world as "The home of herbals". The wide range in varieties species and genus of the flora exhibits its richness, which is perhaps not found anywhere else. This is possible because of its geo climates and ecological variations, which range from tropical to temperate zones, alpine to arid territories and a great deal of permutation and combination of factors such as relative humidity, temperature, monsoon, altitude, latitude etc.

The unani herbalism, which developed over a periods of millennia by physicians like Hakeem Hashmi who devoted their entire life in search of useful herbs, wandering all over the thickets and mountains of the sub-continent, had imbibed the practices adopted by the locals and tribals from various regions. This system is also based on close observations over several generations of the pharmacological aspects. With the help of modern research tools, pharmacological studies on herbs, physicians like Hakeem Hashmi, revived the old formulations and made potent and new drugs are researched. Unani institutions like Hashmi Unani Pharmacy to-day has grown into a leading institution, devoted to provide health for all through promotion and development of centuries old unani system of medicine all over the world.

Because of the pioneering and formidable works of Hakeems like Hashmi, Indian Unani Council has surveyed and collected 35,000 plants species so far, of which 23,000 have been provisionally identified. In India, today there are 32 under graduate and three postgraduate colleges in teaching unani medicine. There are more then 150 unani hospitals and 1500 unani dispensaries spread out in 18 states of India. It now forms an integral part of national health care delivery system, and is recognized by World Health Organization as one of the alternative system of medicine.

Thus unani brings hope for the millions of suffering souls through out the globe in the new millennium.