The Importance of Preserving and Promoting the Iranian Traditional Medicine School

Iran holds a significant place in the cultural and scientific heritage of the world. Unfortunately, our ancestors, for various reasons, lacked the desire and motivation to record and document their achievements. This has led to the responsibility of scientific historiography being largely handed over to foreigners. Many truths were not accurately documented and were incorrectly transmitted.

The current generation must recognize the rich heritage of the past using scientific methods. This heavy duty necessitates that our youth understand that their ancestors were the founders of significant branches of science, particularly medicine.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Since ancient times, humans have thought about maintaining their health. They became aware of the therapeutic properties of the plants and materials available to them. These efforts led to the “science of medicine” and took the first steps towards ensuring health.

According to the World Health Organization, complementary medicine includes diagnostic and therapeutic methods that differ from conventional medicine. In the 1970s and 1980s, these methods were recognized as “alternative medicine.” Gradually, the use of these methods alongside conventional medicine flourished.

Traditional Medicine

The World Health Organization defined traditional medicine in 1978 as a collection of theoretical and practical sciences. These sciences are used in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and are transmitted in written form from generation to generation.

Research Objectives

Traditional Iranian medicine is an important part of the history of medicine worldwide. Great Iranian physicians, such as Zakariya Razi and Avicenna, played a significant role in the development of this science. Unfortunately, their findings have often been recorded under the names of other scholars. Iranian researchers now must compensate for these oversights by examining ancient sources.

Teaching the Basics of Iranian Medicine

  • Teaching the concept and content of Iranian medicine
  • Extracting terms from Iranian medical manuscripts
  • Integrating traditional and modern therapeutic methods
  • Developing a glossary of Iranian medicine
  • Examining the medicinal forms used in ancient medicine
  • Comparing ancient medicinal forms with modern pharmacy
  • Describing the methods of preparing ancient medicinal forms
  • Collecting multiple manuscripts from ancient medical texts
  • Utilizing the latest findings from scientific research