مجله طب سنتی اسلام و ایران
سال یازدهم شماره 4 (پیاپی 44، زمستان 1399)

Background and Purpose:

Ethnopharmacology has been one of the important sources for drug discovery from ancient times. The principles of ethnopharmacology research include compiling a list of plants used by an ethnic group and explaining how these plants are utilized by individuals. Basht and Gachsaran regions in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, residence place of Bavi tribe, are the habitat of different plant species that used for therapeutic purposes.

Information was obtained via interviews and questionnaires from eleven local healers. Subsequently, the plant samples mentioned by local healers were collected by a researcher and identified by a botanist. The results were arranged in tables based on therapeutics uses, plant families, part of plant used, route of administration, and disease categories according to the 2019 International Classification of Diseases. Finally, the informant consensus factor was analyzed.

56 herbal therapeutic agents are used in Bavi tribe. Most therapeutical recommendations were for gastrointestinal diseases with a frequency of fifty herbs. Lamiaceae was recognized as the most used family with seven plants. The main plant parts used in this tribe were aerial parts. The most used mode of administration in this tribe was decoction with a frequency of 72 instances. The highest informant consensus factor in plant species was related to skin diseases with a value of 0.35 and the highest informant consensus factor in plant families was in the category of pregnancy, childbirth, or the puerperium with a value of 0.75.

Given the wide range of herbal medicine use in this tribe, the urgent need to preserve this indigenous knowledge, use it for the benefit of the ethnic group, and protect intellectual property rights of this knowledge for this ethnic group is essential. In this regard, it is recommended that appropriate cultural, legal, and regulatory actions be taken to preserve and expand the ethnopharmacology of ethnic tribes.

Background and Purpose:

The relationship between health of the heart, liver and brain, and nutrition is undeniable. A holistic medical school that lies on the basis of a multitude of several thousand years of experience, Persian medicine has studied the role of nutrition in health maintenance of the brain, heart, and liver. The purpose of this study is to describe and explain the role of foods and drinks in maintaining the health of these organs from the perspective of traditional Persian medicine.

The studied material included twenty reference books in traditional Persian medicine composed in different centuries (from the first to 14th century, AH), some of which were accessed from Noor software. Modern literature was also queried in well-known international databases (in English) within the period of 1999 to 2020. The searching process was conducted based on related keywords. Retrieved data were collected and analyzed by analytical-documentary method.

Useful principles in maintaining heart health include eating tender (latif), delicious non-drying foods and observing the principles in drinking water. To keep the liver healthy, it is recommended to eat foods that do not upset the balance of humors and do not cause dystemperaments. In maintaining the health of the brain, use of tender (latif) foods and drinks are recommended. Consumption of foodstuff that produces harmful vapors in the body, exposure to bad odors, and overeating are prohibited. Some of these findings were also observed in modern medicine research regarding the effects of Saffron and dried figs as well as principles of eating and drinking.

This study highlights the crucial importance of nutrition in improving functions of the liver, heart and brain, and protecting these organs from developing diseases. It seems necessary to conduct more research focusing on the effect of different types of foods and beverages on maintaining the health of these organs.

Background and Purpose:

Pregnancy has always been considered as a sensitive stage of life with various physiological changes. A separate chapter has been dedicated to pregnancy care in traditional Persian medicine books in order to maintain health and reduce complications. In this regard, exercise is of special importance as one of the principles of maintaining health. In this study, we intend to investigate the effect of exercise during pregnancy in the context of traditional Persian medicine.

In this review study, data was collected and categorized based on purposeful sampling of valid Traditional Medicine books such as Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb, Zakhireye Khwarazmshahi, Khulasat al-Hikmah, Mufarriḥ al-Qulūb, Kāmil al-Sinā`a al-Tibbīya, Al-Hawi fi al-Tibb, Tibb-i Akbari. These were compared with findings of modern research from Google Scholar, PubMed, Magiran, IranMedex, Science Direct, Scopus, SID databases between 2005-2021.

In pregnancy measures, maintaining the health of mother and fetus and eliminating body wastes is of crucial importance. Physical activity and exercise are considered as one of the methods of eliminating these wastes, for which different classifications and several benefits have been mentioned. Benefits and appropriate/inappropriate types of exercise during pregnancy have been discussed in this study regarding elimination of pregnancy complications.

Physical activity and appropriate moderate exercise in pregnancy, lead to improved maternal and fetal health and prevent many pregnancy complications. Moreover, taking precautions in exercising during pregnancy and personalizing physical activity based on pre-pregnancy habits is advised.

Background and Purpose:

The immune system has developed to protect the human body against pathogens and is mainly composed of two parts: cellular immunity and humoral immunity (antibody production). This study seeks clear concepts that indicate recognition of the immunity system in the historical texts of Persian medicine.

This research has been performed by descriptive and library study method using Persian medicine resources such as Al-Hawi fi al-Tibb, Kāmil al-Sinā`a al-Tibbīya, Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb, Qanuncheh fi al-Tibb, Al-Mūjaz fī al-Tibb, Khulasat al-Tajareb, Mufarriḥ al-Qulub, Zakhireye Khwarazmshahi, Khulasat al-Hikmah, and modern literature.

In the books of Persian medical scientists, such as Muhammad ibn Zakariyyā al-Rāzī, Abu Ali Sina, Sayyid Isma'il Jurjani, Aqili Khorasani, etc., we encountered views that are clearly indicative of knowledge of the immune system of the human body. There is great correspondence between part of the concept of "administrative nature" in Persian medicine resources and the concept of "immune system" and "homeostasis" in modern medicine. 

Considering the precise holistic view of Persian medical scientists, perhaps new theories can be presented to diagnose and treat diseases with more in-depth studies in these works.

Background and Purpose:

Medical Library and Information Sciences is an auxiliary field in medical sciences that have undergone significant development in recent years. Increasing generation of information in a variety of formats is a major challenge that demands referring to databases. Hence, information storage and retrieval systems seek to address these needs using tools such as thesauri. On the other hand, among the triad sources of Persian medicine, folk medicine had not received much attention so far. Therefore, the present study seeks to answer the need to develop a Persian folk Medicine Thesaurus.

This research, based on a descriptive-analytical method, attempts to show lack of attention to this branch of human knowledge while sorting the thesauri in the classification and the division of sciences. Also, it explains the theoretical and valid foundations of compiling controlled thesauri by searching reference texts in Library & Information Sciences.

A relatively large corpus of thesauri in different categories of science and technology (especially thesauri in the sub-categories of medical sciences, medical history, health promotion, first aid, etc.) has been prepared and compiled in Persian language, and software and hardware facilities and infrastructures has been provided to some degree. Nonetheless, lack of codified thesauri is very noticeable in the field of folk culture, anthropology and ethnography in Persian.

Compilation of thesauri in specific topics is foreseen and recommended in reference texts and thesaurus. Considering the increasing volume of information produced in Persian in the field of folk medicine and the availability of various infrastructures, it is necessary to compile a Persian folk medicine thesaurus.

Background and Purpose:

Gastrointestinal poisoning is a common type of poisoning caused by ingested foods, medicines and toxic substances. Considering the valuable sources of Persian medicine, this research has focused on classification, diagnosis and treatment of medical emergencies in gastrointestinal poisoning during the 3rd to 7th centuries AH in Persian Islamic medical texts in comparison with modern medicine.
 

This is a review study, in which relevant Farsi, Arabic and English keywords were searched in in the books Firdaws al-Hikma fi al-Tibb, Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb, Al-Hawi fi al-Tibb and Zakhireye Khwarazmshahi. Retrieved contents were taken notes of, filed and then studied and analyzed. Finally, the extracted results were summarized using a two-person team with traditional medicine and the history of medical sciences specialties, and results were reported.

The main results of this research indicate that traditional medicine physicians categorized gastrointestinal poisoning based on temperament, type of toxic substance (plant, animal and mineral), lethality and the essence of the toxic substance. Diagnosis methods included examination and close investigation of patients, body odor, examination of vomited substance and using pets and birds. In treatment of poisoning, general methods like taking quick actions, vomiting, drinking milk, enema or injection of fluid into the lower bowels; and specific treatments based on the type of toxic substance were used. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures were considered.

The findings of the present research show that the introduced patterns in the historical medical texts of Iran in classification, diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal poisoning have a lot in common with the modern views and approaches. Therefore, it is possible to achieve newer and easier methods with fewer side effects in treatment of gastrointestinal poisoning and promotion of present methods by reviewing traditional texts and researches and conducting clinical trials on properties of traditional medicines and contents.

Background and Purpose:

Alkali weed )Cressa cretica L.( is a halophytic plant that has a tremendous economic value, in addition to various therapeutic properties. This study aims to introduce and review the chemical composition and medicinal properties of this plant.

This research was a review study using the library and literature obtained from different resources such as Irandoc, Science Direct, PubMed, SID, Google Scholar, Research Gate, and JamiTib software version 1.5. Obtained data were collected, reviewed, and classified according to the subject.

Major studies on Alkali weed include phytochemical studies and medicinal properties. This plant contains valuable compounds, such as coumarins, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, sterols, etc. The investigated plant has also antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Also, Cressa cretica is used to treat tuberculosis, joint pain, leprosy, asthma, dyspepsia, intestinal worms, bloating, bronchitis, colic, skin disorders, and herpes. Moreover, it has mucolytic, laxative, appetitive, stomach tonic, anti-constipation, sexual stimulant, and hematopoietic activities. Alkali weed has also been reported to be a hepatoprotective, anticancer, anti-congestion, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antipyretic, and analgesic agent. Interestingly, this plant is used to make toothpaste in Madagascar.

Alkali weed is shown to have many valuable compounds, and can therefore be used as a potential source for many herbal remedies. Also, this medicinal plant can have other uses, such as regenerating saline soils and lost pastures, providing livestock fodder, oil industry, and biofuel production. Since the results of this study indicate the potential of this plant in the environment, pharmacy, and industry, clinical trials are suggested to be conducted on the medicinal properties of this plant.

Background and purpose:

The first scientific works in the fields of medicine and pharmacy, were translated from Greek, Egyptian, and Syrian texts. In Abbasid period the scientists of the day, in addition to translating books, began writing books in medicine and pharmacology, extending the scope of this movement to the farthest regions of the Islamic Empire. Among these scientists, an Egyptian pharmacist, Abū al-Munā Dāwud ibn Abī Nasr al- Isrāīlī al-Haruni, known as Kuhin al-Attar, wrote a book on herbs and other kinds of drugs in 658 AH, titled "Minhaj al-Dukkan wa-Dustur al-A'yan fi A'mal wa Tarakib al-Adwiya al-Nafi'a li'l-Abdan". The Persian translation of the book was published under the title Sharbatkade Attar Haruni.
 
Methods and Materials:

The present study is based on a library method. First of all, it was necessary to review the history of medicine and pharmacy. Therefore, ancient resources were examined. Then, for more information about the life and works of Kuhin al-Attar, related Persian and Arabic keywords were searched in scientific databases such as SID, Magiran, Irandoc and some international scientific databases such as Scopus, and Google Scholar. Query results were extracted and used in writing the article.

The author's main goal in compiling this book was to provide the reader with a comprehensive book, encompassing all existing knowledge. That's why the book was structured in the form of a textbook. The second chapter of twenty-five chapters is the most extensive one, and deals with the method of preparation of 142 types of syrups, describing them in detail.  

The writer has introduced more a hundred useful ethical points, which can be considered as ethical codes for professional pharmacists. In addition to pharmacologists, the book can be of interest to writers, sociologists, and researchers working in the field of history of science.