Alcohol Abuse, Consequences and Treatments from the Perspective of Traditional Iranian Medicine: A Review Study

Background: Alcohol use has always been prevalent in human societies, but in many Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, national laws prohibit the consumption of this substance. Methods: In this study, reference books on traditional Iranian medicine and electronic documents from Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus were searched for entries about the consequences and treatments of alcohol abuse. Findings: Seminal books of traditional Iranian medicine refer to alcoholic beverages using two terms, namely, “khamr” and “sharâb” (wine). These sources indicate that the temperament of “sharâb” is generally warm but may vary depending on color, taste, concentration, and age. Traditional Iranian medicine views wine as a cause of multiple adverse effects on health. Conclusion: Traditional Iranian medicine advocates the beliefs that no level of alcohol use is beneficial for health and that physicians should advise against alcohol consumption even in small amounts. Scholars of indigenous medical practices have long been opposed to the adoption of wine as a remedy or otherwise, as they believe that the benefits of alcohol are dwarfed by its harmful effects

Consequences of Opioid Abuse and their Treatments in Persian Medicine: A Review Study

Background: Drug addiction is a major health problem for modern human communities. The earliest historicalevidence of opium use can be found in the writings of Theophrastus in the 3rd century BC. Since then, opiumuse and abuse has spread to all corners of the world, specifically the Eastern countries. This study aimed toinvestigate the consequences of opium use and their treatments according to Persian medicine.Methods: In this narrative review, primary sources of Persian medicine and modern medicine databases ofPubMed, Google Scholar, PsycINFO, the American Academy of Medical Sciences, and the United NationsOffice on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) were searched with relevant keywords.Findings: In Persian medicine, the Persian equivalent of the word “Opium” is “Afioon”, which refers to thesap of “Khashkhaash” or Papaver somniferum, traditionally used as a recreational drug as well as a sedative.Opioid use can cause social and psychological anxiety, muscle and tissue degradation, irritability, stomachweakness, loss of skin softness, and change in facial features.Conclusion: Opium addiction is generally harmful to the body’s faculties. The repeated use of opium,disregarding circumstances and dosage of use and without the simultaneous use of its modifiers, can harmthe entire body and even lead to fatality

Efficacy of combination of Viola odorata, Rosa damascena and Coriandrum sativum in prevention of migraine attacks: a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Background: Migraine is the second most common type of headache after tension headaches. In Iranian traditional medicine several herbal drugs are used for the treatment of headache. Including, a product of Iranian traditional medicine, a combination of Viola odorata L. flowers, Rosa damascena L. flowers and Coriandrum sativum L. fruits. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a combination of Viola odorata flowers, Rosa damascene flowers and Coriandrum sativum fruits on severity, duration and frequency of migraine headaches. Methods: This randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed on 88 patients who had migraine and visited Besat Neurology Clinic No. 4 at Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran, from September 2016 to march 2017. Patients were randomly divided into the intervention (n=44) or placebo group (n=44). The intervention group received a product of Iranian traditional medicine, a combination of Viola odorata L. flowers, Rosa damascena L. flowers and Coriandrum sativum L. fruits in 500 mg capsules three times a day and propranolol 20mg tablet twice a day, and the control group received placebo capsules (500mg) three times a day and propranolol 20mg tablet twice a day for four weeks. Patients were asked to report the frequency, duration and severity of their headaches in designed forms at home. Then at the end of the 2nd and 4th weeks of treatment, patients were followed for clinical efficacy. Results: In terms of duration, frequency and severity of headaches between the two groups of herbal medicine and placebo, the behavior of the two protocols was changed over time (p<0.001). During the 4 weeks, the time and drug interactions, were significant (p <0.001). In other words, the pattern of changes to the two protocols over time, was different. Also, at the end of the 4th week, there was a significant difference between the two groups (p<0.001). Conclusion: The study findings suggest that the Iranian traditional product combination of Viola odorata flowers, Rosa damascena flowers and Coriandrum sativum fruits may be effective in improving headaches in patients with migraine. Electronic physician Page 6431 Clinical trial registration: The trial was registered at the Iranian registry of clinical trials (IRCT: www.irct.ir) with registered NO. IRCT 2016110830776N1. Funding: The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this articl