TEHRAN –The second national congress on Persian medicine is scheduled to be held from November 12 to 14 in Tehran.

The event will bring together experts in Persian medicine, traditional pharmacy, and the history of Iranian traditional medicine, the health ministry reported.

It will serve as a platform for experts to share knowledge and expertise and discuss the latest achievements in this field.

The second congress will be centered around Preventive medicine and lifestyle medicine; Personalized medicine, precision medicine, reticulotype and Persian medicine; Food, nutrition, medicinal cuisine; Traditional, herbal, natural medicines, and pharmaceutical formulations; Rational prescription of drugs in Persian medicine; Technology, diagnostic and therapeutic tools; manual therapy techniques; Persian medicine tourism;

History of Persian medicine and medical sciences; Persian medicine and the art of living; as well as Integrative and complementary medicine.

The first national congress was held in May 2024. The main goal of the congress is to promote a better understanding of traditional medicine and to boost collaboration between specialists in different fields of medicine. It also aims to globalize Iranian medicine by showcasing the latest achievements and findings to scientific communities worldwide.

Iran ranks third in traditional medicine trials in ICTRP

According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), Iran ranks third in traditional medicine trials in the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), highlighting the country’s status as one of the world’s pioneers in traditional and complementary medicine.

China and India rank first and second, respectively, the health ministry’s website reported.

The share of clinical trials in traditional and complementary medicine in Iran makes up about three percent of all clinical trials registered in the country, while just about 0.3 percent of the healthcare staff are experts in traditional and complementary medicine. The report shows the high capacity of Iranian researchers to move towards evidence-based medicine.

Persian 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.

Around 500 Persian medicine experts are providing health and medical treatment services across the country. More than 1,000 general practitioners who have passed the Persian medicine courses approved by the health ministry are also offering services, Mehr news agency quoted Nafiseh Hosseini-Yekta, the director of the health ministry’s Persian medicine office, as saying.

Training Persian medicine experts has always been at the top of the Persian medicine office’s agenda. Therefore, different skill courses have been developed and held under the supervision of the health ministry.

MT/MG