TEHRAN – Iran ranked fifth among all participating countries for publication of articles in the field of indigenous pharmacology, traditional medicine and medicinal plants in 2011-2018, according to the analytical report of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.

The report, entitled ‘The ethnopharmacological literature: An analysis of the scientific landscape’, was conducted by an international team of researchers from China, Britain, Portugal, Bulgaria, Germany, Poland, and Austria, the information was obtained from the Web of Science (ISI).

With 2,439 articles and 6.3 percent of articles published in this period, Iran ranked fifth worldwide in terms of traditional medicine publications.

According to the report, four of the top 10 most cited articles in the world in the field of clinical trials of traditional medicine and medicinal plants are related to Iranian researchers.

Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Islamic Azad University are among the top five educational and research institutes in the world in terms of the number of articles published in traditional medicine and medicinal plants and herbal products in this period.

The contribution of the Faculty of Iranian Medicine of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in gaining fifth place for knowledge production in traditional medicine and medicinal plants has played a significant role.

The Journal of Ethnopharmacology is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering the traditional medicinal use of plants and other substances. It is the official journal of the International Society for Ethnopharmacology. The journal is included in the Index Medicus (MEDLINE).

Mohammad Reza Shams-Ardakani, director of the department of Iranian traditional medicine at Ministry of Health, has said that the establishment of traditional health centers, enhanced cooperation to promote a healthy lifestyle based on traditional medicine, and flourishing of health tourism for Iranian traditional medicine are on the agenda.

In July 2019, Javad Mirarab an official with the Ministry of Agriculture said that medicinal plants are cultivated on some 188,000 hectares of lands in Iran.

He also said that exports of the aforesaid medicinal plants brought $450 million for Iran last year, and saffron with a value of $325 million constituted the largest share of exports.

Meanwhile, head of the natural products department at Food and Drug Administration Mahnaz Khanavi said that natural and herbal medicines constitute 4 percent of the total amount of medicines used in the country.

FB/MG