Food-Based Strategies for Depression Management From Iranian Traditional Medicine Resources

Abstract

Background:Considering the increasing prevalence of depression in contemporary societies, general tendency for safer treatments with fewer side effects has recently been a subject of interest.Objectives:Food-based strategies, which are one of the outstanding medical solutions in Complementary and Alternative Medicine including Iranian Traditional Medicine have been investigated.Materials and Methods:In this review study, firstly some important sources of Iranian Traditional Medicine including Kamel al-Sanaat al-Tibbyyah, Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb and Zakhireh Kharazmshahi were reviewed. Next, a literature search was performed on PubMed and Magiran databases with the keywords “depression”, “depressive”, “mood”, “antidepressant”, “antidepressive”, “nutrition”, “nutritional”, “diet”, “meal”, “food”, “functional food”, “healthy food”, “healthy diet”, “medicinal food” and scientific and English terms of all singular foodstuff and some combined foodstuff which are introduced in this paper.Results:Food-based strategies for depression management in Iranian Traditional Medicine resources involving both prevention and treatment parts have been classified under three headings singular foodstuffs, combined foodstuffs, and nutrition rules with the separation of prohibition and prescription items. Among the prescribed or the prohibited singular and combined foodstuffs in Iranian Traditional Medicine manuscripts, only the effectiveness of fish, garlic, milk, oregano, mint, and spinach on depression has been examined by modern medicine methods.Conclusions:The presented food-based strategies in this study introduce a precise management for depression benefiting from Iranian Traditional Medicine Resources.

Efficacy of Jollab in the Treatment of Depression in Dyspeptic Patients

“…[31][32][33] Complementary and alternative medicine modalities, especially traditional Persian medicine, have introduced numerous food and herbal preparations for treatment of depression for a long time. 34,35 The current study was designed and performed to assess the effectiveness of a traditional preparation named jollab in the treatment of depression among patients suffering from functional dyspepsia. The preparation is well known by traditional Persian practitioners and has been administered for a variety of ailments since a long time.…”

Review of local herbal compounds found in the Iranian traditional medicine known to optimise male fertility

“…Anxiety disorders and panic attacks ( S. aromaticum, Cinnamomum, Z. zerumbet and P. emblica ), obsessive/compulsive disorder ( S. aromaticum and Cinnamomum ) and depressed mood and psychosis ( Z. zerumbet, M. fragrans, P. emblica and Cinnamomum ) can improve in infertile males during the treatment process by selective group of herbs (Ceric & Mehic‐Basara, ; Tavakkoli‐Kakhki et al., ). Libido enhancer drugs can also increase sensorimotor functions and visual acuity: P. emblica , Z. officinalis, L. officinale, P. nigrum, A. calamus, F. persica and B. niger (Shahabi et al., ).…”

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Cholesterol Have a Main Role in Antidepression Diet of Iranian Traditional Medicine

“…Based on this diet, beef, pork, and most of the game meats have been banned because they are supposed to be black bile producing, and on the other side, lamb and some poultry meats have been recommended because they are digested to good chyme. 12 This diet is completely different from those previously studied, and no investigations have been done on it, yet. In this study, we tried to clarify the logic of traditionally recommended diet through the study of its nutritional elements.…”

“…11 Iranian traditional medicine suggests a therapeutic diet for this kind of disease. 12 The footstone of this diet is to abstain from heavy, salty, salt-cured, and black bile–producing (melancholic) foods; and to recommend light and black bile–expellant foods. 11 This diet has a special consideration on the role of meats in prevention or treatment of melancholic-based diseases.…”