Iranian traditional medicine
Iranian traditional medicine also known as Persian traditional medicine, is one of the most ancient forms of traditional medicine.
it strongly focuses on prioritizing health maintenance and disease prevention over treatment. Experts of Iranian traditional medicine recommend that people should maintain health by adopting appropriate habits on diet, sleeping hours, mood, and other health-related issues.
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.
Mizaj (temperament)
Iranian traditional medicine is a holistic medicine based on individual differences, a concept known as “Mizaj”, or temperament. It is a set of physical and mental characteristics, defined by certain symptoms in the body and mind. According to ITM, everybody has a definite Mizaj which determines all physical or mental characteristics.Generally, Mizaj represents the excess or lack of warmness and humidity in one’s body, and is classified into four qualities: warmness ( transliteration: garmī), coldness ( transliteration: sardī), dryness, and wetness. Mizaj is a spectrum, and some have warmer Mizaj than others. No two individuals have exactly the same Mizaj, but they can resemble one another to some extent. It is believed that Mizaj is determined in the embryo. Consistently, the parents’ Mizaj can also be a determining factor in the child’s Mizaj.
While the Mizaj is forming, one or two of the four qualities can become dominant and determine the main Mizaj. Therefore, the tempers are classified into nine categories: warm, cold, wet, dry, warm and dry, warm and wet, cold and dry, cold and wet, and moderate—where none of the qualities are dominant.
There are no absolute good or bad temperaments, and as long as they are within their normal ranges—reflected in physical and mental health—they are in a balanced, or normal, state. As each person’s Mizaj differs from others, peoples’ lifestyles will be different; this is the main essence of ITM in maintaining health and treating illnesses.
By adopting the kind of lifestyle that fits their Mizaj, one should try to keep the inherent warmness and humidity of their body in certain range, as per their main Mizaj, and avoid possible “mal-temperament”.
Mizaj is not just confined to human beings. Every object, situation, and state in the world has a special and defined Mizaj.
Determining temperament
The tempers, or amzajeh, are classified into nine categories: moderate, warm, cold, wet, dry, warm and dry,[ warm and wet, cold and dry, cold and wet .
Some identifying behavioral and physical characteristics help to determine one’s temperament.
Frame
Being stout, sturdy, big-boned and prone to gain weight are signs of wetness, while not gaining weight and being thin are characteristics of dryness.
Body parts
Bigger faces, fingers, lips, noses, organs, and body parts are defining characteristics of people with wet Mizaj, whereas people with dry Mizaj have smaller body parts.
Complexion
A rosy and ruddy complexion is a sign of warmness and wetness, while having a yellow cast is sign of warmness and dryness; on the other hand, a light and fair complexion is a distinctive characteristic of people with wet and cold Mizaj. People with a dark complexion have a cold and dry Mizaj.
Hair
People with dry Mizaj have coarse, curly and coiled hair; warmness causes the hair to grow faster. People with warm Mizaj have thick black hair, with thick density and more volume. Silky, straight, smooth, thin and fair hair which grows slower is a distinctive characteristic of people with cold Mizaj. Wetness would cause the hair to easily hold a curl or style.
Skin
People with dry Mizaj have dry skin, and people with wet Mizaj have soft and squishy skin. People with cold Mizaj feel cold and run colder than other people, and the reverse is true for those with warm Mizaj.
Activity
Warmness brings about an increase in exuberance and energy levels, which boost speech and body movement, while coldness causes the reverse symptoms, as people with cold Mizaj do not have much energy and are generally slow, and do not spend their time speaking and acting as much as people with warm Mizaj.
Mental traits
People with warm Mizaj are normally more extroverted, sociable, and less patient, while people with cold Mizaj are more introverted, calmer, and more patient. People with warm Mizaj are more inclined to suffer stress and restlessness; however, people with cold Mizaj have a tendency to experience depression and melancholic thoughts and may have hallucinations or sometimes delusions.
However, one’s personality traits may be modified or changed due to various factors such as upbringing, religion, spirituality, and one’s striving to change their attitude. Therefore, one’s personality may not necessarily match their temperament.
Sensitivity
People with warm Mizaj are more sensitive to warmness (surrounding environment, foods and drinks); those with cold Mizaj are more sensitive to coldness; those who have dry Mizaj are more sensitive to dryness and those with wet Mizaj are more sensitive to humidity.
Sleep
Sleeping too much or sleepiness is a sign of wetness and needing less sleep is a defining characteristic of dryness.
Waste
Waste (e.g. urine, sweat, and feces) in those with warm Mizaj have strong color and odor while in people with cold Mizaj the waste matters do not have a strong color or odor.
Attari
Herbs, spices , natural soaps and plant extracts for traditional Persian medicine are often sold in a kind of specialized shop called an attari. Operation of such a drug store is regulated by the government.
Shopping for Iranian Traditional Medicines
As a tourist or expat going to traditional herbal and medicine markets in iran , you may be surprised about what you can see and about how cheaply you can buy the food and herbal medicines that are on sale. Iran has 8,000 medicinal plants, of which 2,000 grow exclusively inside the country, here we familiar with some of them .
Rosa damascene is cultivated in central Iran and known as Gole Sorkh. In Iranian traditional medicine, flowers, petals and hips are administered to treat insomnia. Coriandrum sativum is an herb which is currently cultivated in Iran. It is popularly referred as Geshniz in Persian. In addition to the extensive use of Coriander leaves in Iranian recipes, various parts of this plant such as seed, leaf, flower and fruit have been used in Iranian traditional medicine. Saffron stigma (Crocus sativus), is the world’s most expensive herb. It is cultivated in north east of Iran and called as Zafaran in Persian. Saffron stigma has traditionally been administered in order to prevent insomnia. Salvia leriifolia, which is known as Noruzak, is endemic to Khorasan province of Iran. It has traditionally been used for its various health benefits. It is generally thought that it can relive pain, decrease blood sugar and treat inflammation and insomnia.Salvia reuterana, which is commonly known as Mariam Goli Esfahani in Iran, has been mostly found in highlands of center of Iran. The aerial parts of this herb have been used in Iranian traditional medicine owing to its sedative and anxiolytic effects. Turmeric is a plant that has a very long history of medicinal use, dating back nearly 4000 years. In Southeast Asia, turmeric is used not only as a principal spice but also as a component in religious ceremonies. Because of its brilliant yellow color, turmeric is also known as “Indian saffron.” Modern medicine has begun to recognize its importance.