Schools of traditional medicine, dating back thousands of years, are rich in therapeutic experience and the general tendency towards traditional medicine and the use of natural products have increased in recent years. Although services of traditional medicine systems are not limited to drug therapy, traditional drugs (being herbal, organic or mineral) have attracted a great deal of attention of traditional medicine schools to itself. Valuableness of resources and experience of traditional medicine can be stated from two broad perspectives: a) the utilization of health care services in traditional medicine systems based on their specific concepts and ideologies, b) the significant role of these systems in discovering new drugs. Based on available evidence, human medicinal use of herbs dates back thousands years ago; and many modern drugs, inspired by the single therapeutic effects being used in systems of traditional medicine, have been produced.
Nowadays, according to the statistics of World Health Organization approximately 65% of the world’s population benefit from herbal treatments as one of the primary sanitary-therapeutic methods. Considering the tendency pace towards these treatment systems, it seems that these schools are the key to challenges of current pharmacotherapy such as drug-resistant microorganisms, non-response of equal treatment in all persons, experiencing side effects and the definitive non-cure of some diseases.
Many approved uses of medicinal plants are also in the direction of effects in question in sources of Iran traditional medicine. For example, nowadays, Artemisinin produced from Artemisia annua species is known to be effective in curing malaria; and also in Iran traditional medicine, the plant Artemisia is known to be effective in curing fevers, skin boils, swelling and ague. Other examples of this adaptation is seen in the therapeutic effects of traditional medicinial plants and the therapeutic efficacy of active ingredients obtained from them in modern medicine, in plants such as Glycyrrhiza glabra L, Papaver somniferum L, Tribulus terrestris L, Colchicum autumnale L, Salix sp.
Therefore, the richness of traditional medicine, such as Iran traditional medicine, is reliable for the increasing research, in addition, the more tendency towards this excellent system, not only in research field, it also provides the utilization of traditional pharmaceutical disadvantage and pharmacotherapy based on concepts and theories of traditional medicine. Nowadays, a broad range of pharmacological studies in Iran are based on therapeutic effects which are conducted in Iran traditional medicine; and it seems the future of many new drugs are now directed more towards the systems of traditional medicine, and drugs with natural origin, especially medicinal plants.
Zahra Memariani
Pharm.D.; Ph.D.