TEHRAN – Surveys show that more than 80 percent of people in the country intend to benefit from Iranian traditional medicine, Nafiseh Hosseini-Yekta, the director of the health ministry’s Persian medicine office, has said.

Their interest in traditional medicine has never faded, she said, adding that traditional medicine is being taught in universities, ILNA reported on Sunday.

Traditional medicine has its roots in the culture, customs, and traditions of Iranians and has always been of interest to them, the official highlighted.

With over 500 graduates in the field and numerous research articles that have been published, the country has been able to improve its position by being ranked fourth in the production of science in the field of traditional medicine in the world, following China, India, and the United States.

She went on to say that traditional medicine and conventional medicine are complementary. Each of these medicines has unique capabilities that can be used together.

But it can only be prescribed by someone who has fully mastered both fields.

Unfortunately, extremists threaten people's health by either misusing their interest in traditional medicine or depriving them of the right to use the indigenous medicine of the country along with conventional medicine.

Iran helps developing draft on traditional medicine strategy

In November 2023, Iran attended the World Health Organization’s consultative sessions on developing a draft of a new traditional medicine strategy as the only representative from West Asia.

The event took place from November 27- 30, 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland, IRIB reported.

Arman Zargaran, Iran's advisor to the traditional medicine office at the Ministry of Health, participated in the event at the invitation of the WHO headquarters in Geneva.

The International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines Unit of WHO, WHO-IRCH, invited 20 experts in the field of traditional medicine from all over the world to develop a draft of traditional medicine strategy for the period 2025-2034.

The invited experts were from China (3 representatives), Australia, Canada, Switzerland, (2 representatives each), Iran, Malaysia, England, South Korea, South Africa, Ghana, Norway, Thailand, Philippines, Brazil, and India (1 representative each).

Within 3 days of intensive work, the entire initial draft was reviewed in the presence of Rudi Eggers, WHO Director of Integrated Health Services, and Kim Sungchol, head of the WHO Traditional Complementary and Integrative Medicine Unit.

The rest of the work would be carried out remotely by the volunteer representatives after the end of the sessions based on the determined issues.

Zargaran assessed the level of the meetings as very high and the discussed topics of fundamental importance for the future integration of traditional medicine in the health system of the member countries of the World Health Organization.

He also considered the presence of Iran in this meeting as the only representative from West Asia to be important both from the point of view of Iran's global reputation in traditional medicine and also as a unique opportunity to apply the viewpoints of Iran and Iranian medicine in preparing the most important universal draft of traditional medicine strategy.

It should be noted that WHO’s current document of traditional medicine strategy (2014-2023) has been extended until 2025, and the document being written would be reviewed for approval after its finalization in the upcoming General Assembly of the World Health Organization.

Persian traditional medicine

For the time being, 48 government-owned and 19 privately-owned traditional medicine centers are offering services, Hosseini-Yekta noted, saying that more than 32,300 individuals referred to the centers last Iranian calendar year (March 2022-March 2023).

More than 100 research and technology projects on the development of traditional medicine have been implemented in the country.

In this line, the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology has supported the printing and publishing of books and encyclopedias on Iranian traditional medicine, IRNA reported.

Previously, she said 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.

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.

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.

Iran holds 40% share of market for medicinal plants

Iran holds some 40 percent share of the market for medicinal plants in the neighboring countries, an official with the Ministry of Health said in October 2023.

“A large volume of pharmaceuticals, supplements, food products, and beverages are exported to Iraq, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and Afghanistan,” IRNA quoted Hamidreza Banafsheh as saying.

Iran is among the leading countries in the field of medicine and health technology, supplying 98 percent of pharmaceutical items to the domestic market, the official noted.

“Nearly 450 out of 1,400 knowledge-based companies are active in the field of herbal medicines, biotechnology, and food industries.”

He went on to say that the National Institute for Medical Research Development aims at expanding exports of medicinal products.

Since most of the raw materials for the production of herbal medicines are native to the country, these products can internationally compete with those of the other countries, he added.

Besides, some 15 to 20 percent of Iran's herbal medicines are unique in the world. Iran has the capacity to introduce new herbal medicines to the world, he highlighted.

Producing and commercializing pharmaceutical plants are the best ways to introduce the rich resources of herbal medicines which, in addition to making foreign currency revenues for the country, will lead to the scientific authority of Iran in this field, he concluded.

According to the chairman of the Union of Medicinal Plants Exporters of Iran, the country’s export of medicinal plants can be increased through meeting world standards.

Mohammad-Ali Rezaei Kamal-Abad stated that world standards are increasing due to the health-oriented consumption of herbal products, and failure to comply with these standards will lead to the return or destruction of these products.

“In the past years, poisons have entered the country, which is not only not used in other countries, but has also caused water and soil pollution in our country”, he lamented.

MT/MG