Unani medicine, also called Tibb, is a traditional system of healing with roots in the Greco-Arabic tradition and a long history of practice across South Asia. It is one of the recognised AYUSH systems in India, with its own colleges, practitioners (called Hakims) and pharmacopoeia.
At its heart is the idea of balance. Unani describes health in terms of temperament (mizaj) and the body's natural humours; illness is understood as a disturbance of that balance, and treatment aims to restore it. Diagnosis traditionally gives weight to pulse, and to a person's overall constitution and lifestyle.
Unani places strong emphasis on the "six essentials" of healthy living — air and environment, food and drink, movement and rest, sleep and wakefulness, elimination, and mental state. Much of Unani care is therefore preventive and lifestyle-led before it is medicinal.
When remedies are used, they are largely derived from herbs, minerals and other natural sources, often as classical formulations. Regimental therapies such as massage and dietary regulation also feature prominently.
As with all traditional systems, Unani formulations should be sourced from verified sellers and, ideally, used under the guidance of a qualified Hakim — especially for chronic conditions or when combined with modern medication. Understood this way, Unani offers a coherent, lifestyle-centred philosophy of health that many find complements conventional care.