Iranian traditional medicine (also known as Persian medicine) helps address difficulty sleeping. 

Can’t sleep?

Iranian traditional medicine (also known as Persian medicine) helps address difficulty sleeping. 

Drinking dragonhead herbal tea, also known as badranjboye in Persian, can help respond to sleep problems. The dragonhead is from mint family and has calming effects. 

In order to make the tea you can soak some 5 grams of the tea in hot water in a mug with a removable strainer and a lid for 15 minutes and drink it afterwards. 
People suffering thyroid disorder should take the tea with caution to avoid possible drug-plant interaction. 

Moreover, orange blossom extract can also aid sleep, however, it is weaker than dragonhead tea. 
Add 2 grams of dried orange blossoms to hot water in a mug with removable strainers and let it brew for 10 to 15 minutes, remove the lid and drink the tea. 

It is best to drink the herbal teas an hour before going to sleep.

Is drinking tea bad for you? 

Drinking tea is one of the hard habits to break for many of us. So what are the health benefits and detriments of drinking tea from Iranian traditional medicine point of view? 

The tea that is cultivated in Iran has milder color and fragrance compared with foreign brands. Iranian tea is full of antioxidant compounds. The kind of tea that, when brewed, produces a strong color, fragrance and taste has chemicals and more often than not unapproved food additives. 

It is better not to drink tea right after a meal. Tea that has a strong color, additives and unhealthy chemicals can cause acid reflux, however, the kind of tea that has a natural fragrance and color and does not contain harmful chemicals can also strengthen your sphincter muscle and relieve acid reflux symptoms. 

What kind of meat we should eat during summer?

People with warm temperament (Mizaj) are most prone to suffer health conditions sparked by warmness during summer. They are had better to avoid consuming food and drinks which lead to increased warmness and dryness in their bodies. 

Spices, such as pepper, ginger cinnamon, saffron, spicy sauces, mustard, and vegetables with pungent and sharp taste such as garlic, onion tarragon, mint, leek, cress and dill should be consumed with caution during summer.

Red meat, especially camel meat, has a warm temperament. Though poultry has much less warmer temperament than red meat quail and partridge are bird meats that should not be consumed much in summer. 

It’s better to replace red meat with chicken and fish during summer.
Fish has a cold and wet temperament provided that it is not deep fried with salt and spices. Simmering fish sounds a better option for a healthier diet during summer.

Sour cherry tea suits you during hot summer days 

Drinking sour cherry tea which has cooling characteristics will benefit you in hot summer days. However, people with cold temperament should take it with caution. 

Seyed Mahdi Mirghazanfari, MD, holds a PhD degree in medical physiology and is an Iranian-Islamic traditional medicine researcher. He is also an assistant professor in AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran.

MQ/MG