Herbal medicinal oils in traditional Persian medicine

Abstract

Context: In Iran, conventional production methods of herbal oils are widely used by local practitioners. Administration of oils is rooted in traditional knowledge with a history of more than 3000 years. Scientific evaluation of these historical documents can be valuable for finding new potential use in current medicine. Objective: The current study (i) compiled an inventory of herbal oils used in ancient and medieval Persia and (ii) compared the preparation methods and therapeutic applications of ancient times to current findings of medicinal properties in the same plant species. Materials and methods: Information on oils, preparation methods and related clinical administration was obtained from ancient Persian documents and selected manuscripts describing traditional Persian medicine. Moreover, we investigated the efficacy of medicinal plant species used for herbal oils through a search of the PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases. Results: In Iran, the application of medicinal oils date back to ancient times. In medieval Persian documents, 51 medicinal oils produced from 31 plant species, along with specific preparation methods, were identified. Flowers, fruits and leaves were most often used. Herbal oils have been traditionally administered via oral, topical and nasal routes for gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and neural diseases, respectively. According to current investigations, most of the cited medicinal plant species were used for their anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Conclusions: Medicinal oils are currently available in Iranian medicinal plant markets and are prepared using traditional procedures for desirable clinical outcomes. Other than historical clarification, the present study provides data on clinical applications of the oils that should lead to future opportunities to investigate their potential medicinal use.

Preventive Care for Gastrointestinal Disorders; Role of Herbal Medicines in Traditional Persian Medicine

“…It is a good source of tonic, tendering, stubbing, varnishing, and astringent agents (8,15,38). Overall, 69 constituents of this plant, mostly phenolic compounds, have been analyzed and diverse functions including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiulcer effects have been confirmed (39,40). Mastic gum is also effective in eradication of H. pylori infection both in vitro and in vivo (41,42) and relives dyspeptic symptoms in patients with functional dyspepsia (43).…”

“…The efficacy of some herbal medicines for good function of GI system has been proved in modern medicine. For example, most of 51 essential oils discussed in TPM resources have GI usage for diverse disorders ranging from otitis to hemorrhoid in special dosage forms (40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46). Although the safety and the detection of mechanism of action in herbal preparations are always a matter of concern, the attention has been curved towards ancient medical systems and herbal medicines because of the adverse effects and increasing failure of contemporary drugs (47)(48)(49).…”

The wound healing effect of <i>Iris forentina</i> on full thickness excisional skin wounds: A histomorphometrical study

“…The potential of plant flavonoids and other hydrophilic natural compounds, some of which are found in I. florentina as well as xanthones and isoflavones, for the treatment of various skin disorders and skin injuries, carcinomas, aging, and etc. has been reported in previous studies; moreover, I. florentina extract also showed anti-oxidant activity (Hamedi et al, 2013;Modeer et al, 2000;Gangwar et al, 2014;Bahramsoltani et al, 2014). IF is rich in polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyans with high anti-oxidant action which is involved in anti-aging properties other than the skin healing effects (Mukherjee et al, 2011;Kumar et al, 2007).…”

Research with Chemistry and Pharmacology of Natural Products in Brazil: A Comparison with 70 Selected Countries from 5 Continents

“…The Egyptian Papyrus Ebers (c. 1600 BC), clay cuneiforms Tablets from the Ashurbanibal library (c. 650 BC), physicians like Hippocrates (460-377 BC), Galeno , Avicenna (980-1037 DC) and Paracelsus (1493-1541 DC), to name a few, described the therapeutic properties of medicinal herbs in their works. [58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66] In some cases, evidences have been based on chemical analyses (Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction) as on Tablets discovered onboard the Pozzino shipwreck (second century BC) 67 and on residues of four medicinal tubes dating form Pliny s era in the collection of the British Museum. 68 However, the use of natural products as therapeutic agents seems to be much older.…”