TEHRAN – The Vice Presidency for Science and Technology has so far registered 120 national standards for medicinal herbs and traditional medicine.

One of the necessities of improving the quality of products in any industry is to obtain special licenses. The field of medicinal plants and traditional medicine is no exception, and due to dealing with the issue of individual and community health, licensing should be applied more strictly.

In the national document of medicinal plants and traditional medicine, special emphasis has been placed on organizing the processes and structures of monitoring and evaluation of all activists and activities in this field.

For this reason, the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, in cooperation with the relevant organizations, has taken effective measures to simplify and amend the relevant laws and regulations.

So far, 120 national standards for medicinal plants and herbal medicines have been registered, which leads to improving the quality of products, IRNA reported on Wednesday.

Approving instructions for registration of herbal and traditional medicine used in veterinary medicine, simplification and modification of rules for herbal products registration, are among the measures.

Earlier in September, ten national plans have been defined to promote the culture of production and consumption of medicinal plants by the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology.

Iranian traditional medicine 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 four senses of humor is based on the teachings of Rhazes and Avicenna into an elaborate medical system.

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

8,000 herbal species grow in Iran

So far, about 30,000 plant species are identified in the world, with Iran's share of about 8,000 species that its plant diversity is more than the whole of Europe.

Currently, about 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 $29 million at the official rate of 42,000 rials) are consumed in the country, while in Europe this amount is 900 grams and in the United States is 2.5 kilograms.

FB/MG