Development and Implementation of Ayurvedic and Unani Practices in the Delhi Sultanate
"India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition” (Mark Twain). Much like this quote, when describing India, many things come to mind, including: its rich culture, vibrant society, and innovative approach to problems. Since the establishment of the first tribes, civilizations, and settlements, India has been developing its economy, culture, religious aspects, and society (McLeod, 12). Among the multitude of developments happening to society and culture, medicinal practices were evolving from simple and ineffective treatments to more thought-out, complex, and effective practices. Though there were many different types of treatments, the most popular, traditional, and long-standing ones are Ayurvedic and Unani practices. As India is over 5,000 years old, many different empires and sultanates have ruled over various periods of time. Between the many empires and sultanates that ruled, over 15, one of the most influential was the Delhi Sultanate. The Delhi Sultanate was a Muslim-ruled empire from 1206 BC to 1526 BC who ruled before the medieval, early modern and colonial periods of India. It consisted of five major dynasties, Mamluk, Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, and Lodi, each contributing to different parts of India’s complex culture and society. This sultanate was especially important because through strong beliefs and regulations, it left long-lasting impacts on India in terms of having a unified religion, upholding important traditions, and the method of governance (Ray, 267). Among these long-lasting impacts, a significant one for the world of science and medicine was the creation and popularization of traditional and holistic medicinal practices. These practices were known as Ayurvedic and Unani medicine, and they became an integral part of what India was known and stood for. This essay argues the extent to which Ayurvedic and Unani practices were implemented and developed during the Delhi Sultanate, and were impacted by various things, including necessity, differences in value, and changes in societal structure and norms.
The culture of India is nothing to discount, as it is bright, welcoming, multi-faceted, and prominent. Many parts of this culture include tradition and religion, but one aspect in particular, innovation and great problem-solving abilities, is incredibly important. Without the innovative and out of the box mindset of Indian society, many advancements in STEM, philosophy, humanities, and most significantly, medicine, would not have been made. One example of these advancements is Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurvedic medicine is an exceptionally old and traditional practice that relies on Hindu scriptures like the Yajur Veda, Rig Veda, Sam Veda, and Atharva Veda (Jaiswal, 2). Not only were the medicinal practices based off of Hindu scriptures, but they were also heavily influenced by traditional and holistic values. “The Rig Veda is the most well-known of all the four Vedas and describes 67 plants and 1028 Shlokas. The Atharva Veda and Yajur Veda describe 293 and 81 medicinally useful plants. The practice of Ayurveda is based upon the knowledge gained from these Vedas” (Jaiswal, 3). As a result, many treatments using this practice included natural remedies, such as plants and herbs, as well as holistic and spiritual changes to life such as Pancha Karma, which translates to “five treatments” or “five actions”, “therapy applies various processes for the rejuvenation of the body, cleansing and enhancing longevity” (Jaiswal, 4). Finally, Ayurvedic medicine, unlike modern medicine, was created to genuinely try and allow people to live a better, more fulfilling life. “Their motive was compassion. Their purpose was to alleviate human suffering and their recorded precepts were for their disciples whom they trained for the service of humanity. The emphasis therefore in the texts is on the practical aspects of medicine” (Narayanaswamy, 3). It was created to improve the quality of life of patients, and the mental and work load of caregivers and parents. However, as impactful and complex as Ayurvedic medicine was, there was another practice invented that became just as prominent during the Delhi Sultanate.
The medicinal practices utilized in India during the Delhi Sultanate must only be from India, right? No. Unani medicine, a practice similar to Ayurvedic medicine, originated from Greece and was introduced first by Hippocrates, then by the Arabs into India later (Jaiswal, 4). The practice was coined as “Greco-Arab Medicine” and incorporates traditional medicine from many countries around the world, like China, Egypt, India, Iraq, Persia, and Syria. Similar to Ayurvedic medicine, Unani medicine focuses on the body as a whole. It is based on the Hippocratic theory of the four humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile (Munshi, 1). “The practitioners of Unani medicine, or hakims, rely on natural healing based on principles of harmony and balance, uniting the physical, mental, and spiritual realms. According to the principles and philosophy of Unani Medicine, disease is a natural process. The symptoms are the reactions of the body to the disease and the chief function of the physician is to aid the natural forces of the body” (Mazhar, 2). Compared to Ayurvedic medicine, Unani was more spiritual and philosophical, less focused on what to give the body and more focused on how to inherently change the body. As a result, the practice was founded upon seven principles: elements, temperament, bodily humors, organs and systems, vital spirit, faculties or powers, and functions (Mazhar, 2). As defined by the principles of Unani medicine, a person was healthy if their four key humors, blood and phlegm and yellow bile and black bile, and four temperaments, hot and cold and dry and moist, were balanced. If these humors and temperaments were not balanced, it led the way to weakness, disease, and unhealthiness (Mazhar, 3). The main difference between Ayurvedic and Unani medicine was one, the method of development and their origins, and two, their foundational and traditional theories. Ayurvedic medicine is founded on the doshas, vehicle Unani medicine is founded on the four humors (Narayanaswamy, 2). Similar to Ayurvedic medicine, Unani practices were developed by Muslim scholars to improve a patient’s daily living situation, as well as strive to protect them from any other ailments and diseases in their futures. Due to the importance of these medicinal practices, both Ayurvedic and Unani, they were both necessary to be implemented in society, hospitals and other medical facilities, during the Delhi Sultanate.
Though India was, and still is, a relatively smart country, sometimes intelligence is caught up in or influenced by prejudices and preconceived notions about various topics or ideas. In the case of this essay, many people were prejudiced and against the idea that there was a new way of treating those who had fallen ill or had disorders and diseases. Even now, in modern day, after countless studies and research have been done to prove the importance and value of these incredible and traditional practices, many people cannot see the value of the implementation of Ayurvedic and Unani practices in the treatment plans of various diseases, and think that modem medicine is far superior. One of the biggest concerns many people had with Ayurvedic and Unani practices was the accuracy and success of the medicinal plants and herbs used, as well as the safety and efficacy issues of using them as treatments. “…the descriptions of medicinal plants in these texts often lack of precise botanical identifiers, leading to inconsistencies in identification. For instance, Rehān (Ocimum bascilicum Linn) is one of the plants used in treatment of various diseases. Earlier record of this drug is found in Firdaus al- Ḥikmat by Rabban Ṭabarī who discussed its medicinal uses but did not give the morphological characters or synonyms of the drug” (Singh, 2). Evidently, one of the biggest concerns is that due to the age and traditionalism of Unani medicine, in which many of the treatments are based off of scriptures and principles, there aren’t clear directives for what medicinal plants are used and why. Another concern about these traditional medicinal practices, specifically against Ayurvedic medicine in modern day, is that there was too much “medicalization” of Ayurvedic medicine, as well as too much modernizing, which caused the whole holistic and spiritual aspect of Ayurvedic medicine to be lost (Mathpati, 3). The irony of this concern is not lost, as the holdup for many people is that on one hand, Ayurvedic and Unani medicinal practices are “too traditional” and don’t incorporate enough modern medicine, but on the other hand, they claim that Ayurvedic and Unani medicinal practices have lost their traditional aspects and have become too clinical.
Although these concerns, as well as the numerous others not mentioned above, about the validity of Ayurvedic and Unani medicinal practices are well-meaning, they highlight the unwillingness of many people to accept change, especially to a part of society that impacts everyone’s lives: medicine. But, contrary to what many people wanted, these practices were eventually implemented around India during the Delhi Sultanate. They were seen in hospitals, medical facilities, and used by many medical practitioners and doctors. “Delhi was made a key centre for administration and cultural development. More physicians and medical aspirants rushed to Delhi to take over their carrier” (Bose, 2). The Delhi Sultanate was already becoming more medicine and healthcare focused, and so a variety of medicinal practices were introduced throughout the span of a couple of decades. Unani medicine was first introduced by Unani Hakeems. The introduction of that medicine, a medicine that was similar to Ayurvedic medicinal practices, eventually led to an increase in attention for Unani practices, as well as skilled doctors who practiced with Unani principles (Bose, 2). Moving on, Ayurvedic medicine was implemented in different ways because it was already an inherently Indian practice, so there was less discourse on its origins and legitimacy during the Delhi Sultanate’s rule. The first way these practices were implemented was through advertisements and sheer public outcry for their necessity. As seen in the primary source, an advertisement in a newspaper for Pandit D. Gopalgmarlu’s World-Famed Ayurvedic Medicine, vital drops are being promoted as a part of Ayurvedic medicines. As seen in the advertisement, it says, “It, therefore, behoves, every person to preserve his system from the attacks of diseases by keeping it in a sufficiently strong condition”. Unmistakably, the advertisement is showing that the public felt as though the implementation of these Ayurvedic medicinal practices was a necessity. Finally, another reason Ayurvedic medicinal practices were implemented was due to the climate of India, something which foreigners and conquerors were unused to. They utilized Ayurvedic medicine due to the fact that their system of medicine was inadequate, and so they needed the experience and knowledge that the Ayurvedic medicinal practices offered them (Siddiqui, 2). Thus, ultimately, due to sheer necessity because of the changing world and foreign visitors, both Ayurvedic and Unani practices were implemented during the Delhi Sultanate and have been used ever since.
Rich history, overflowing culture, and unique society are all trademarks of India, whether it is modern-day India or pre-Independence India during the Delhi Sultanate. There are many examples of these wonderful traits, but a few worth mentioning are: India’s dominant religion of Hinduism, successful and demanding education system, and flavorful dishes. Among the impactful and influential events that happened, ideas that were constructed and things that were created, this essay focused on the novel advancements made in medicine through the development of Ayurvedic and Unani medicinal practices. Though these practices were important during the Delhi Sultanate, as well as pre-Independence India and medieval India, many of them are still used today in modern India. They are supported and promoted by the Ministry of AYUSH, standing for: Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Siddha, and Homeopathy. This ministry is in charge of these traditional practices, and emphasizing education and research (Sharma, 2). This is an important topic because there are still many incurable disorders and diseases now, even with the modern technology and drugs that have been developed. Because of the traditionalistic character of Ayurvedic and Unani medicine, there hasn’t been much use of it now, but there is significant potential to further research and drug development if modern Western technology and medicine were to be combined with the ancient, spiritual, and holistic Indian medicine.
