TEHRAN – Alberto Quintero, the director of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC), in a meeting with representatives of Iranian knowledge-based companies in the field of medicinal plants, emphasized the need to cooperate with Iran.

The meeting was held on Thursday in Tehran on the sidelines of the 6th National Festival and Exhibition of Medicinal Plants, Natural Products, and Iranian Traditional Medicine.

A delegation of Venezuelans participated in the event to expand the technological interactions between the two countries, with Carolina Eser, the Vice President of Science and Technology of Venezuela in attendance.

Due to being located in a specific geographical area and connecting the south of the country to the northern part of the Amazon, Venezuela has many different plant species, Quintero said, adding, therefore, it is possible to conduct much scientific research in the field of medicinal plants in Venezuela.

Iranian traditional medicine strongly focuses on prioritizing health maintenance and disease prevention over treatment.But we did not work as we should in this field. Therefore, according to these climatic conditions, there is a good opportunity for Iranian companies, he suggested.

At the end of this meeting, Iranian knowledge-based companies had negotiations for cooperation with Venezuela, and technological interactions and discussions took place between Iranian companies and the Venezuelan side. The presence of the Venezuelan delegation in this period of the exhibition was on behalf of their government.

The 6th National Festival and Exhibition of Medicinal Plants, Natural Products, and Iranian Traditional Medicine was held on November 1 to 4, with the presence of 240 companies.

Business delegations from Russia, Serbia, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Venezuela, Oman, India, and Gambia are present at the exhibition.

Iranian traditional medicine

Iran ranks fourth worldwide in the production of science in the field of traditional medicine, and the remarkable achievement will improve in the coming years, Nafiseh Hosseini Yekta, the director of the health ministry’s Persian medicine office, has announced.

Over 17,000 books have so far been published about Persian traditional medicine, which has been recognized by the World Health Organization, she noted.

Iranian traditional medicine strongly focuses on prioritizing health maintenance and disease prevention over treatment.

It is one of the most ancient forms of traditional medicine. It is grounded in the concept of four senses of humor: phlegm (Balgham), blood (Dam), yellow bile (Safra'), and black bile (Sauda'). The concept of the four senses of humor is based on the teachings of Rhazes and Avicenna in an elaborate medical system.

So far, about 30,000 plant species have been identified in the world, with Iran's share of about 8,000 species which is more than the whole of species found in Europe.

Some 2,300 species of medicinal plants have been identified in the country, accounting for one-third of the medicines used in human societies, the share of world trade in these products is about $124 billion and Iran’s share is $570 million, which is only 0.5 percent of the total.

The per capita consumption of medicinal plants in Iran is about one kilogram of dried plants, in other words, 83,000 tons of medicinal plants worth 1.2 trillion rials (around $4 million) are consumed in the country, while in Europe this amount is 900 grams and in the United States is 2.5 kilograms.

FB/MG