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Abstract Background The utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is experiencing a global surge, accompanied by the adoption of national CAM policies in numerous countries. Traditional Persian medicine (TPM) is highly used as CAM in Iran, and the ongoing scientific evaluation of its interventions and the implementation of evidence-based medicine (EBM) encounters various barriers. Therefore, comprehending the characteristics and interactions of stakeholders is pivotal in advancing EBM within TPM policies. In this study, we utilized both classical stakeholder analysis and social network analysis to identify key stakeholders and potential communication patterns, thereby promoting EBM in TPM policy-making. Methods A cross-sectional nationwide stakeholder analysis was conducted in 2023 using snowball sampling. The interviews were carried out using a customized version of the six building blocks of health. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Stakeholders were assessed based on five factors (power, interest, influence, position, and competency). The connections and structure of the network were analyzed using degree, betweenness, closeness centrality, and modularity index to detect clusters of smaller networks. Results Among twenty-three identified stakeholders, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) and the Public were the most powerful and influential. The Iranian Academy of Medical Sciences was the most competent stakeholder. Social network analysis revealed a low density of connections among stakeholders. Pharmaceutical companies were identified as key connectors in the network, while the Public, supreme governmental bodies, and guilds acted as gatekeepers or brokers. The MOHME and Maraji were found to be high-ranking stakeholders based on four different centrality measures. Conclusion This study identifies powerful stakeholders in the network and emphasizes the need to engage uninterested yet significant stakeholders. Recommendations include improving competence through education, strengthening international relations, and fostering stronger relationships. Engaging key connectors and gatekeepers is essential for bridging gaps in the network.

Background: Mizaj (Temperament) is a concept to express individual differences in Persian medicine and according to this theory, there is a relationship between Mizaj type and the abilities of different body organs. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between the type of Mizaj and the memory score (Quotient). Methods: The target population was the 18 to 38 years old students of Babol University of Medical Sciences. Mojahedi’s Mizaj questionnaire (MMQ) was used for determining the whole Mizaj. The physical Persian version of Wechsler Memory Scale III (WMS III) was used to assess memory score. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS Version 22 and the chi square (x2) and t-test were run and p- value 0.05 was considered as significant difference. Results: Forty-two of participants were females and 18 were males. The average age of them was 23.6 (21-27). The average of Memory Quotient (MQ) was 122.1 ± 5.7. The average of MQ in warm Mizaj was 125.46 ± 1.2 and in cold Mizaj was 118.79 ± 6.5. The difference between two groups is statistically significant (p< 0.001). The average of MQ in dry Mizaj was 124.16 ± 2.67 and in wet Mizaj was 118.40 ± 7.64. The difference between two groups is statistically significant (P= 0.005). Conclusion: The results showed there are significant relationship between memory score and warm/cold Mizaj and dry /wet Mizaj. It means students with warm or dry Mizaj had better memory score than students with cold or wet Mizaj. This relation was also detected between subtypes of memory and Mizaj expect between working memory and dry/wet Mizaj. These results are in accordance with theories in PM which indicate people with warm Mizaj and dry Mizaj have better memory and people with cold Mizaj and wet Mizaj have weaker memory and are more at risk of memory dysfunction.

Background: Introduction: Mizaj is the basis of attention to individual differences in Persian Medicine (PM). Regarding the importance of Mizaj for health preservation and treating diseases, it is necessary to achieve a standard tool for Mizaj identification. The purpose of this study was to design a standard self-reporting Mizaj identification questionnaire for elders. Methods: In this exploratory sequential study, criteria of Mizaj identification were extracted by reviewing PM literatures and interview with PM experts and elders. The primary questionnaire was designed and its validity and reliability were assessed, using weighted Kappa statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) assessment, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and determining the specificity and sensitivity of cut-off points. Results: Among the 101 items in the primary questionnaire, 73 items had acceptable reliability. The final 20-item questionnaire was obtained after the criterion validity and PCC assessment. The sensitivity and specificity of this questionnaire were 83% and 88% for warmness, 49% and 80% for moderate in warmness-coldness, 72% and 91% for coldness, 57% and 78% for wetness, 30% and 79% for moderate in wetness-dryness, and 81% and 67% for dryness, respectively. Conclusion: The first standard Mizaj identification questionnaire for elders was designed in this study. It is recommended as a supplementary diagnostic tool for clinicians and researchers in PM. Also, the people with age over 60 can use it to identify their own Mizaj and then, choose the suitable PM or Unani medicine lifestyle recommendations based on their Mizaj.

Persian Medicine (PM) is an ancient and holistic healthcare approach that has been practiced for thousands of years. While PM is often considered to be a traditional or alternative form of medicine, it has a rich history and a wealth of knowledge that can be of great value in contemporary medical practice. It encompasses a wide range of medical practices, including herbal medicine, dietary therapy, manual intervention, and lifestyle modification. Despite its long history and widespread use, there is a lack of standardized terminology in PM, which can lead to confusion and miscommunication among practitioners and patients. The Persian Medicine standard terminology provides a framework for understanding Persian medical concepts and terminology and can serve as a bridge between traditional and modern medicine. Therefore, to systematize the use of Persian medicine standard terminology, a working group was formed in the Persian Medicine Office of the Iranian Ministry of Health. After gathering opinions from experts in Persian medicine and the English language, a set of commonly used words was identified for the project. The first step of the project includes 100 standardized terms which are presented in this paper.

Introduction: One of the common problems of women in reproductive age is abnormal cessation or reduction of menstrual bleeding, which causes many complications and reduces the quality of life. The present study was conducted with aim to provide a treatment protocol of oligoamenorrhea (secondary amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea) within the framework of the basics of evidence-based Persian medicine and conventional medicine.Methods: In this study, information was collected in the form of narrative review by searching the contents related to cessation or reduction of menstrual bleeding from various Persian medical sources and searching in databases of Pubmed, Web of science, Google scholar, Iranmedex, SID, Magiran with related keywords in order to find evidence and documents. In the next stage, 10 sessions of group discussions on the topic of explanation and interpretation of menstrual disorders in Persian medicine and conventional medicine were held with the presence of experts in the field of Persian medicine and obstetrics and gynecology. Finally, consolidated treatment was presented in the form of a treatment protocol with emphasis on clinical evidences.Results: The principles of oligoamenorrhea treatment in Persian medicine include lifestyle modification, specially nutrition, physical activity, mental and sleep health, use of herbal medicines, and manual operations (which can be integrated with the treatment steps of some causes of this disorder in conventional medicine.Conclusion: Considering the existence of some problems in olioamenorrhea treatment in conventional medicine, the use of Persian traditional medicine in the treatment of oligoamenorrhea along with the protocols of conventional medicine can be helpful in the control and management of this disorder.

Background: Mizaj is an individualized viewpoint in Persian Medicine (PM) that is used for the prevetion of diseases and also treatment. Evaluating Mizaj in the two domains of hotness-coldness, and wetness-dryness, 10 criteria have been introduced, most of them are qualitative. To achieve valid and reliable questionnaires, the weight of these criteria must be determined in assessing the Mizaj. Methods: In a cross-sectional study with Delphi method, 10 indices were extracted from PM references and sent to PM experts via e-mail. They were asked to score the weight of each index in determining the Mizaj from 0 to 10. The scores ranked and comparing previous preliminary studies, criteria of major and minor were proposed. Results: Out of 147 invited PM experts, 122 completed the tables. Based on scores, physical functions, physique, and responsiveness of organs obtained the highest scores in the field of hotness-coldness. In wetness-dryness muscle/fat mass and sleep/wakefulness received the highest scores from the viewpoint of experts. Conclusion: Physical functions, physique (Anthropometry), responsiveness of organs and psychic function can be used as major criteria in Mizaj assessment methods in the hotness-coldness field. In the field of wetness-dryness, muscle/fat mass, sleep/wakefulness, tactile condition and physique (anthropometry) can be considered as major criteria.

Background: The process of diagnosis and treatment in Persian medicine (PM) are based on the concept of Mizaj (temperament). Among the indices of Mizaj determination, anthropometric indices are less influenceable regarding age change and other environmental factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between anthropometric indices and Mizaj. Methods: Four PM experts determined the Mizaj of 121 participants. Those who had ≥70% agreement in their Mizaj determination by the experts were selected and their anthropometric indices were measured. The best cutoff point of each index and its relationship with the defined Mizaj were extracted using Receiver Operative Characteristic Curve and Binary Logistic Regression. Results: 52 out of 121 participants entered the main study. The warm-Mizaj people had larger dimensions in height, shoulder, chest, palm and sole width, and head height. Cold-Mizaj people had smaller dimensions in weight, height, shoulder, chest and head. High levels of BMI, chest depth and head dimensions had the highest correlation with the wet Mizaj and lower dimensions of these indices had the highest correlation with the dry Mizaj. Conclusion: Among the anthropometric indices, chest, palm, sole dimensions, head height and weight had the highest correlation with warmness/coldness and BMI, head width and chest dimensions had the highest correlation with wetness/dryness. The BMI which is more closely related to the soft tissue, only correlates with the wetness/dryness, while, bone dimensions are associated with warmness/coldness. Further studies are needed to metricize the anthropometric indices for Mizaj determination.

Introduction: Abnormal uterine bleeding occurs as a disturbance in the quantity, duration, regularity and schedule of menstruation, which has been a significant problem. The present study was performed with aim to summarize the recommendations of Persian medicine in the treatment and management of abnormal uterine bleeding. Methods: In this narrative review article, the key words related to abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in the sources of Persian medicine, which is called "Efrate tams", were reviewed and the items related to nutritional measures and treatment of this disease were extracted. Keywords "Menorrhagia" or "Menometrorrhagia" or "Abnormal uterine bleeding-AUB" or "Poly-menorrhea" or "Herbal medicine" or "Nutritional treatment" and "Efrate tams" were searched in SID, PubMed, Scopus, Web of science, Science direct and Google Scholar databases, and finally the cases which had scientific evidence were presented in the form of nutritional measures and treatment. Results: A significant part of the recommendations of Persian medicine for the treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding has practical clinical evidence. These include the use of foods which reduce bleeding and fast digestion, avoiding the consumption of heavy foods, lifestyle modification, the use of herbal medicines, and also the prescription of appropriate medical treatments according to the patients' conditions. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the use of simple solutions of Persian medicine in the treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding along with common medicine protocols can help in controlling this disease and contribute to the health of women as much as possible.

Background: Gastric disorders are one of the most common human ailments, which impose a huge economic burden on countries. In Persian Medicine (PM), it is possible to predict the susceptibility to gastric diseases with diagnosis of gastric Mizajes (temperaments) and dystemperaments. The semiology of gastric dystemperaments has been investigated in PM textbooks, although the value of each sign and symptom is not mentioned. Consequently, this research is designed to determine the major and minor criteria for classifying gastric dystemperaments on the basis of valid manuscripts and with the help of PM specialists in the present era. Methods: This was a consensus-based study consisting of four phases. In the first phase, reference PM textbooks were studied. Symptoms and signs of gastric dystemperaments were collected and listed in four groups. In the second phase, semi-structured interviews with a sample of PM experts were carried out. Phase three included a focused group discussion with experts. Eventually, findings were integrated from the three study phases in a two-day meeting in Sari City. Results: Selected criteria included eight major and eight minor criteria for hot-cold dystemperament, as well as six major and eight minor criteria for wet-dry gastric dystemperament. Conclusion: Modern lifestyles and the interfering factors are responsible for some changes in diagnostic signs and symptoms according to PM. This was the first step to coordinate PM diagnostic criteria for gastric dystemperaments. Further studies are recommended to reach a unique protocol in the field of PM diagnostics. The next step includes design and validation of national diagnostic tools.

Background: One of the principles of Persian medicine (PM) is the individualized approach that is presented with the concept of Mizaj. In this viewpoint, Mizaj is determined for every person based on 10 criteria, which is a result of the Mizaj of the main organs, including the brain, liver, and heart. There is no standard diagnostic tool for Mizaj assessment in the elderly. The purpose of this study is to explain the method of Mizaj assessment and data analysis in the elderly in the second phase of the Amirkola health and aging project (AHAP) in Iran. Methods: In this study, a novel Mizaj assessment method in two phases is presented. In the first phase, 1541 elderly were assessed by a PM expert and typical diagnoses were determined. At the second phase, an expert panel including 5 PM experts evaluated the cases. The paraclinical and metric data of the elderly whose Mizaj agreed in the expert panel was used to assess its correlation with Mizaj. Conclusion: In the lack of valid and reliable questionnaires to assess the personalized viewpoint of PM, a new expert-based method has been introduced that can be used in similar studies. The result of the Mizaj assessment in this way will be used to obtain objective values for the Mizaj assessment.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is one of the most common causes of disability in diabetic patients. Applying a method to achieve the highest therapeutic effect in patients is desirable. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of leech therapy on diabetic neuropathy of lower limbs in comparison to gabapentin as a standard method. This randomized controlled parallel-group clinical trial was conducted among 40 patients with type II diabetes who were diagnosed with lower limb diabetic neuropathy and referred to specialized outpatient clinics in Babol, Mazandaran province, Iran from 23 September 2020 to 17 March 2021. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. One group was treated with leech therapy and the other group was treated with gabapentin as the standard method. The severity of neuropathy was assessed every 15 days until the 45th day. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Neuropathy Symptom Score (NSS), Neuropathy Disability Score (NDS), and Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV), and Electromyography (EMG) were used for assessing the study outcomes. The repeated measure and Friedman tests were used by SPSS.V.23. The results of our study indicated that pain (P value:0.03), numbness (P value˂0.0001), and paranesthesia (P value:0.01) significantly reduced in patients undergoing leech therapy versus patients taking gabapentin on the 45th day. The total NSS (P value˂0.0001) and total NDS (P value˂0.0001) improved significantly for patients with leech therapy over 45 days compared to the patients with gabapentin. The results of our study showed that using leech therapy for patients with diabetic neuropathy was more effective in improving clinical symptoms and the functions of lower limb muscles and nerves in comparison to gabapentin. The severity and symptoms of neuropathy greatly improved for the patients treated with leech therapy versus patients taking gabapentin.

Objective (s): In Persian Medicine (PM) diabetes mellitus is known as a dystempramental diseases (Su-e-mizaj) and is divided into two main types, hot and cold. Achieving agreed diagnostic criteria among PM experts for standardizing such criteria for identification of ‎two types of diabetes and its management is essential. This study aimed to examine diabetes mizaj criteria via consensus of PM physicians. Methods: This was a cross sectional survey and conducted by the Delphy method. Diabetes mizaj symptoms was collected from PM literature, and patient and PM experts interview. Sixteen PM experts were requested to evaluate quantitative and qualitative value of these symptoms during 3 rounds of Delphi. Results: Based on the results of third round; thirst, touch condition of hand and kidney, impressibility of air and food and face puffing, were considered as major criteria and urine color and smell and face and eye color were considered as minor criteria for identification of diabetic children Mizaj or Su-e-mizaj Conclusion: This study extracted the agreed criteria for determining the diabetic children Mizaj. These criteria, can be used to diagnose, different Su-e-mizaj of hole body and organs and so two types of diabetes (hot and cold) in diabetic children. Quantifying the intended criteria might lead to more exact diagnosis of the patients’ mizaj.

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the use of herbal medicines. Quality control and safety are two critical principles to be considered in the production process of herbal medicines. This review study aimed to investigate the condition of the countries other than Iran in terms of observing the safety principles, quality control, and meeting the standard of herbal drug use. In this systematic review, references were selected using the search terms "health-care quality" and "challenges of herbal medicine usage" from the databases "Web of Science" and "PubMed" published between 2000 and 2019. To select the resources among the selected literature, confirmation was accomplished by two researchers and Cohen’s kappa coefficient (κ). The selected papers were classified based on publication year, journal, country, reference standards, regulation, toxicity evaluation, quality control, efficacy, safety, and adverse effects in herbal medicine. From 1532 retrieved papers, 27 papers with an estimated Cohen’s kappa coefficient of 0.81 were confirmed and included in the study. Based on the analysis, the main findings of the papers were thematically classified into seven subcategories as follows: reference standards in herbal medicine, regulation of herbal medicinal products, toxicity evaluation for herbal products, quality control of herbal medicine, efficacy, adverse effects of herbal medicine, and safety. Given the significance of the effects of herbal medicines on health care quality, it is essential to codify guidelines on the proper use of these drugs.

Abstract Background Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) have recently become more popular and accepted worldwide. One principal step to identify the status and organize strategies of CAM is evaluating the manner and the prevalence of its usage among people. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of CAM modalities usage by the people of Babol, a central city in the North of Iran, in 2018. Methods Using the original International CAM Questionnaire (I-CAM-Q), a questionnaire was redesigned in Persian (Farsi) with some changes such as adding special modalities in Iran and its validity and reliability were assessed. Six hundred households were evaluated using a cluster sampling method in 2018 spring by 12 trained interviewers. Results Finally, 1770 questionnaires were correctly completed. A total of 110 participants (6.21% of the completed questionnaires) had visited CAM therapists in the last year, 109 persons (6.15%) had received prescriptions from physicians and paramedics to use CAM, and a total of 1032 people (58.30%) used herbs and herbal medicines in the last 12 months. Also, 1265 individuals (71.46%) had used CAM throughout their lives. The most popular methods were herbal medicine (65.76%), Persian Medicine (13.78%), water therapy (10.45%) and music therapy (8.36%). The use of CAM was more popular among women. Conclusions The general use of CAM in Babol was similar to other studies, but there were fewer visits by CAM therapists and less frequent adoption of common methods including homeopathy, acupuncture, and energy therapy. It was found that CAM was mostly used for non-serious diseases such as cold and transient gastrointestinal disorders, a pattern that is different from other studies in this field.

An individualized viewpoint in Persian Medicine is introduced with the concept of Mizaj (temperament). Accordingly, every individual is placed in a unique point among a spectrum ranging from extreme hotness to extreme coldness. The whole-body Mizaj is mainly determined by three organs of heart, brain, and liver. This study investigates the relationship between whole-body and three main organ Mizajes with some hormonal and biochemical factors. In 324 healthy volunteers between the ages of 20 and 40, whole-body Mizaj and Mizajes of heart, brain, and liver were determined in two sessions with an expert panel method. Any disagreement between experts and the moderate diagnosis was excluded. Finally, 72 healthy volunteers (including 40 hot Mizaj individuals and 32 cold Mizaj) entered the second phase. In this phase, some hormonal and biochemical factors were evaluated. In whole-body Mizaj, FBS, Hgb, Hct, MCHC, WBC, and Monocytes, were higher in people with hot Mizaj than cold Mizaj. Besides, relating to the Mizaj of the liver, FBS, cortisol, TG, Hgb, Hct, MCH, MCHC in hot Mizaj were higher than cold Mizaj. Also, in the heart, MCV and MCH were higher in hot individuals and in the brain FBS, Hgb, Hct, MCV, MCH, lymphocytes were significantly higher in hot Mizaj. It seems that FBS and Hgb as the factors involved in metabolism have the most important role in the whole-body Mizaj. Also, the association between cortisol with the hotness of the liver can be suggested by increasing sympathetic activity as one of the hotness/coldness theories.

Objective: Thirst (Attash) is a diagnostic sign of diseases from the perspective of Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM).The purpose of this study is to provide a functional definition for the concept of thirst and its causes in ITM. Methods: In this study, we used the concept analysis (hybrid model) which has three phases; in the theoretical phase, the content related to the definition of thirst and its causes were searched in ITM books and an efficient definition of thirst was presented. In the fieldwork phase, main themes were obtained after semi-structured interviewing of 16 ITM specialists. In the final (analytical) phase, the results of the two previous phases were compared to each other to present the final definition for thirst. Results: The thirst is defined as the need for water and any food that is cold and wet, and the increase and decrease in thirst is a sign of disease. For its examination, it is necessary to pay attention to the change in the degree of thirst and the amount of consumed water or cold/wet foods. It is important to differentiate between drinking water as recommended, drinking water as habit, or drinking water because of dry mouth with thirst. Different characteristics of thirst can be used to diagnose the affected organs. Conclusion: In this study, using the concept analysis method, a functional definition of the thirst as a symptom was presented and its causes were investigated. The low number of studies on thirst and lack of access to some ITM specialists were some of the limitations of our study. It is recommended to investigate the prevalence of thirst in patients and its relationship with dystemperament in future studies.

Context: Traditional medicine information system (TMIS) is a substructure founded on the targeted application of technology. It also serves as a tool supporting the decisions in traditional medicine (TM). However, due to following a different approach in the treatment process, the TM has faced some challenges. Aims: To review the universal progresses and challenges in TMIS. Methods: This study was conducted using systematic search and review. The resources were retrieved through searching the key words related to the TMIS in the available databases including Science Direct, WOS, ProQuest, PubMed and IEEE. The findings were classified in to two distinct categories of progresses and challenges relating to the TMIS. Results: As many as 28 studies conducted from 2000 to 2017 were included in this research. The majority of the studies were related to 2010 or after 2010 conducted in China. Progresses identified in this TMIS were categorized into four types including the development of the database, universal standardization of the TM, development of the clinical data warehouse, and application of information technology in the TM. The challenges were classified into four distinct categories, namely the lack of treatment protocols in TM, the necessity of developing a universal unified terminology, the necessity of creating a medical ontologies and the necessity of ensuring the data quality. Conclusions: Information technology forms a significant aspect of the TM modernization. To develop both the TMIS and the knowledge sharing tools, it is necessary to remove the problems and challenges involved in the data record process in the TM.

Persian Medicine (PM) references contain valuable information which can be useful for health preservation, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and can promote health in society. Introducing this school of medicine to the medical community requires a set of valid English equivalents to communicate PM’s fundamental concepts. This study gathers the most frequent words in PM in three forms: Persian name, English or Latin name and Persian name with English spelling, and finally a uniform English and Persian name is suggested for every word. “Iranian Scientometric Information Database – ISID” were used to find those researchers in PM and Persian pharmacy who have a PhD degree and an H-Index equal or more than 4. Then all of their review articles about PM indexed in Scopus were analysed to pinpoint the frequent words of basic principles in PM. An expert panel of five including PM and Persian pharmacy specialists, and an English language specialist decided about the best word as the final suggestion for each concept. There were 17 researches with 478 articles 77 of which were review articles. Totally 62 words were taken out of these articles. In addition, the experts decided to add 18 more words to the list. This study provides a fairly exhaustive list of words of basic principles in PM. Using these words in future studies can contribute to the uniformity of the key vocabulary in PM articles.

Myths are truth-based narratives that exist in most nations with a lot of similarities and, of course, with minor differences. These stories are studied for recognition of the opinions, beliefs and the culture of a horde. Since the late nineteenth century, mythology has been recognized as one of the branches of science. In many tribes such as ancient Iran, the belief of vegetation of human and animals can be seen. The mythology of creation is based on the contrast between the noble Ahuraei and the devilish evil forces. At first, Ahuramazda creates all the universes in health and perfection; sky, water, earth, plant, animal and human. Ahriman attacks these creatures and causes illness and death. Ahouramazda, rose up to contradict and the plant grew up from mythical cattle organs and Mashya and Mashyaneh also grew up from Kiomars sperm. These materials can be traced and examined from three perspectives of first-hand sources such as Bun-Dahišn, Vazidagiha-i-Zaddisparam, etc., mythological sources and later research. According to these sources, and with a look at the myths of creation in ancient Persia, the creation of animals and humans from the vegetation can be deduced. In ancient Persia, like many other tribes, there existed a belief of creation of humans and animals from plants.

Background: Functional gastrointestinal diseases are common in general populations and comprise more than 40% visits to gastroenterologists. Treatment options of gastrointestinal diseases have been limited. There are a few medications for functional gastrointestinal diseases and some of medications are not available in the market or in the place where the patient lives. Traditional Persian medicine (TPM) is a branch of alternative and traditional medicine based on individual viewpoint and humoral theory, focuses on lifestyle modification and uses natural products to manage the patients. Methods: In this study, a set of compound drugs known as digesters (jawarishes) and other applications are described based on main TPM text books. Results: Jawarishes have different formulations containing various medicinal herbs used for better food digestion and improved gastric functions and also used for other disorders including reinforcing the brain, heart, liver and some therapeutic approaches. Conclusions: By reviewing medieval Persian pharmaceutical manuscripts, we can conclude that many herbs are effective in different systems of the body and improve gastric functions. Zingiber officinalis and Piper nigrum are mixed together to get various formulations. The variety of jawarishes formulations and their different clinical applications can indicate continuity of their use.

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a highly prevalent condition with high impact on healthcare costs. Considering the complimentary therapies options like phytotherapy, this study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of Nardostachys jatamansi (D.Don) DC. extract in sixteen FD patients. The subjects received capsules of 500 mg N. Jatamansi, 3 times daily before meals for 30 days. The severity of early satiation and postprandial fullness were assessed by self-report of improvement at least 50% of symptoms and other FD symptoms assessed by Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) before intervention and at end of treatment. The mean GSRS score level decreased significantly after intervention among study population. Five patients had chief complaint of early satiety and post prandial fullness who all of them reported 50% improvement. According to the results N. jatamansi seems to be effective in patients with refractory FD. Randomized clinical studies seem to be required.

Research is considered axis of each progressing and scientific development. Scattered studies without any logical plan won’t lead to the desired results. Research prioritization in Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) is more necessary because of limited resources and manpower.This study was conducted in four phases with Delphi’s pattern of study. At the first stage, it was consulted from TIM departments at universities in Iran about research priorities. Conclusion of these priorities due to scoring to them was sent for 160 experts and assistants of traditional medicine, in two phases. For the last step, results of previous steps and conclusion of two phases of scoring were reviewed by the outstanding masters of TIM. The result was categorized, concluded and then presented in table form.81 topics were determined as research priorities after the conclusion of all comments. These topics are categorized in 4 areas. 3 topics in the area of “Hefz-al-Sehhah” (Maintaining the health), 12 subject in the area of “effective factors on sustainable development of Traditional Medicine”, 3 topics in “Basics of TIM “ and 65 subjects in the field of “diseases”.It is proposed that the arrangement of research priorities be considered in “Hefz-al-Sehhah”, “effective factors on sustainable development of Traditional Medicine”, “Basics of TIM” and “diseases” consequently. We recommend that research groups in the proposed areas to be formed, designing a research strategy for each area by sequential studies to achieve definite goals. It is suggested that research policy-making entities in the field of TIM and also related scientific associations, use these research priorities as the basis for moral and financial support.

Although Mizaj (temperament) as a basic concept is introduced by ten criteria in Persian Medicine (PM), methods of assessment and priorities of these criteria are unclear. Having expert teams with an acceptable consensus in clinical diagnosis is one of the basic requirements to design and standardize Mizaj diagnostic scales. In this cross-sectional study, three PM specialists assessed the Mizaj of 150 healthy volunteers. At the first step of this study, each participant was separately visited by raters to determine warmness-coldness and wetness-dryness. To assess the agreement between experts, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), weighted kappa (wk) and Spearman correlation Coefficient (r) were calculated. At the second step in an expert panel discussion, agreed criteria in 10 criteria of Mizaj identification were extracted. ICC between expert was 0.62 (CI: 0.53-0.73) in warmness-coldness and 0.64 (CI: 0.56-0.72) in wetness-dryness. Wk and r between every two experts were in the range of 0.41-0.60 and 0.58-0.67, in warmness-coldness and in the range of 0.49-0.61 and 0.58-0.69 in dryness-wetness, respectively. In determining warmness-coldness of Mizaj, psychic function, impressibility speed, muscle and fat mass, physical functions and touch condition were mostly used. In addition, muscle and fat mass, touch and sleep condition were mostly used in regard with dryness-wetness aspect of Mizaj. The agreements between three experts seem acceptable. It can be concluded that the weights of 10 criteria for Mizaj assessment in PM are not equal. The aims of the future studies in this field can be weighing these criteria.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM), named Ziabites in Persian medicine (PM), was categorized as hot or cold Ziabites according to the Mizaj of patients. This study aimed to compare the Mizaj of patients with newly diagnosed type 1 DM (T1DM) with chronic cases and healthy children. Materials and Methods: In a case–control study, three groups including chronic T1DM patients (n = 31), newly diagnosed T1DM patients (n = 37), and healthy children as the control group (n = 80) were recruited. Mojahedi Mizaj Questionnaire was used to measure two subscales, hot/cold and wet/dry, of Mizaj for participants. The mean scores of the Mizaj subscales were compared between the groups. Cutoff values were determined using receiver operating characteristic analysis, and the corresponding odds ratio (OR) for each subscale was identified. Results: Overall 148 participants, with a mean age of 10.0 ± 6.2 years, were enrolled in the study. Analysis showed that the mean total heat and total dryness scores were significantly higher in new T1DM than that of chronic patients and healthy children (19.59 ± 1.7 vs. 16.6 ± 2.1 and 18.17 ± 1.9,P < 0.001 for hot/cold and 4.70 ± 1.0 vs. 4.09 ± 0.9 and 4.31±0.8,P= 0.02 for wet/dry). “Extra heat” based on the cutoff value of >18.5 was found to be a risk factor for T1DM (OR = 3.62, 95% confidence interval = 1.52–8.63). Conclusion: New T1DM patients have higher frequency of hot and dry Mizaj, which is consistent with the concept of hot Ziabites in PM. Most importantly, we found that “extra heat” in children can be considered as a risk factor for T1DM.

Introduction: Sexual health is one of the key factors to sustain marital life and having a good sexual function. On the other hand, temperament affects sexual function. Training is also one of the basic foundations for promoting sexual health. Therefore, the researcher has designed and implemented a study (2017) aimed “determining the study of educational package on sexual function in cold temperament women of reproductive age.” Methods: This randomized clinical trial study was performed on 80 women in two groups (40 in each group). This study was done, in available method, on no pregnant women aged 20–40 years old that referred to health centers in Mashhad. DASS 21 sexual function and determining temperament questionnaires were completed in two groups before intervention. At first, the sexual function training package was held by the researcher at 6 sessions (twice a week for 3 weeks) that was based on nutrition, sport, and lifestyle axes. The control group also received routine care. A week after intervention finished, all the units completed a sexual function questionnaire. The results were analyzed by these techniques as SPSS software (version 16) and statistical tests such as Independent t-test, T-pair, Mann–Whitney, Chi-square, and Fisher's exact test. Results: At the beginning of the study, there was no statistically significant difference between the personal characteristics and the mean score of sexual function and all its dimensions in the two groups. The mean sexual performance score and all its dimensions after intervention were significantly different in intervention and control groups P < 0.001. Sexual function and all its dimensions were improved after intervention in the intervention group. Conclusion: Giving sexual function package has improved the sexual function of cold temperament women. So, for routine caring of cold temperament women, it is better that health center employees consider this training package as an effective, easy, available, nonpharmacological, and economic intervention.