TEHRAN – One of the plans of the Ministry of Health is to compensate for medical treatment using herbal medicines.

In this line, 60 items of herbal medicines have so far been covered by insurance, Nafiseh Hosseini Yekta, the director of the health ministry’s Persian medicine office has said.

One of the problems the patients faced was the high price of herbal medicine prescribed by medical experts, she stated, IRNA reported on Monday.

Stating that traditional medicine should be cheap and accessible to patients, she added that gradually, other herbal medicinal items will be added to the insurance coverage.

One of the general and basic policies of the Health Ministry is the development of Persian medicine tourism, and the necessary interactions with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts have been carried out in this regard, she announced.

2,300 species of medicinal plants

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.

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