A survey on Diuretic Medicines based on Iranian Traditional Medicine

There is a special notice on waste material excretion and water circulation in Persian medicine. According to Persian medicine, diuretic remedies are used for excretion of some waste humors from circulation and tissues. The target organ for this function is kidney. Diuretics excrete the fine water soluble materials and by this mechanism help to improve diseases. Diuretics in modern medicines act by water and electrolytes excretion and in this way; they are administered for conditions such as congestive heart failure, pulmonary edema, anasarca and hypertension. Each diuretic drug in Persian medicine act on a special humor. In this review, the concept of diuretics, indications, contraindications and cautions about their administration are extracted and classified based on Persian literatures. A comparison is also carried out between the diuretic mechanism in modern and Persian traditional medicines. The results of this study might expand reader’s insight about diuretic herbal remedies and help them in optimal administration of these drugs if they work based on Persian medicine.