TEHRAN – The 3rd Persian Medicine Festival will be held in Tehran on January 24, 2023.

The event aims to identify and support top scientists and innovators, as well as create a platform for greater productivity from the research achievements, expansion of knowledge-based markets, and multilateral interaction between educational, research, and therapeutic centers of Iranian medicine, traditional pharmacy, and history of medicine, the first edition of which was held in 2019.

The third Persian Medicine Festival slogan is “Iranian medicine; The path of progress and scientific innovation”, due to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei's designation of the current Iranian year (March 2022-March 2023) as “The Year of Production: Knowledge-Based and Job-Creating”.

Strengthening knowledge-based companies are on the agenda, raising hope for reducing obstacles on the path to development.

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 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.

The export revenue of medicinal plants is estimated at $700 million, the Vice President for Science and Technology, Rouhollah Dehghani, said.

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

FB/MG