Unani

Unani Tibb (Unani=Greek; Tibb=medicine) is an amazing bridge between Eastern and Western medical approaches. Our modern medical system has its roots in Unani medicine and its concepts have influenced not only medical herbalism but also our language. We still use the terms ‘temperamental’ and ‘melancholic’ for example. This module will take the student through the basic concepts of Unani medicine and then explore Unani food energetics in detail. The following is a brief overview of what will be covered in this module:

• The four elements and the four states of matter
• The four humours
• The four temperaments
• Balance and imbalance
• Concept of Tabiat
• The faculties
• Importance of the innate heat and its connection to Western medicine
• The six tastes
• The four stages of digestion
• Classification of foods into hot, cold, dry and moist
• The four degrees of strength of foods
• Light and dense foods
• Unani classification of the macronutrients
• Diets to balance the humours and temperaments