Pharmacy

Pharmacy in Unani Medicine has acquired the best wisdoms of the east and the west beginning as inaccessible and simple to pompous profession of pharmacy. In Greek civilization Hippocrates made and used formulations, gargles, pills lozenges, ointments. Arabs contributed in Pharmaceutics like dosage form, Processing, inclusion of new formulations.

Discorides (50-100 AD) was the Greek Physicians of Rome, Who was an authority on Materia Medica and Pharmacy, Pharmacy was mixed with medicine in his period. Galen (131-210 AD) given the distinct identity to the art of pharmacy. He was the originator of the formula of cold cream and ointment and inventor of Qarabadeen “Decomposition Medicamentorum” is the first systemic Qarabadeen organized by Galen in the history of Ilmul Saidla.

Arabs started to develop Unani System of Medicine and especially of Pharmacy. First pharmacy was opened in Baghdad (850 AD) sublimation and calcinations. Yuhanna Bin Masowayh (777-857 AD) wrote Qarabadeen “Medicianarum Particularium” in Arabic translated into Latin served as model for the first London Pharmacopocia. Ibne Sina (980-1037 AD) wrote Al-Qanoon containing teaching from Hippocrates, Galen and Aristotle, 760 drugs and their antidotes. He introduced coating procedure on pills and tablets by sugar, silver and gold foil.

Ibn Abi Nasar Al-Attar Israili (1260 AD) gave attention to the important practical aspects of Pharmacy and good management.

Al-Hussain Al-Shifai is a Pharmacist, composed a Pharmacopocia called “Tibb-e-Shifai”.

Hakeem Kabiruddin wrote “Bayaz-e-Kabir”, in his book he described the formulations, processing technics, compounding and dispensinring of drugs.