JOURNAL OF ISLAMIC AND IRANIAN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
Year:2018 | Volume:9 | Issue:1 (33) |Papers Count:13

Background and Purpose: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder which is an ordinary type of dementia in the elderly. It impairs memory and cognitive ability. Different kinds of treatment have been presented to cure AD or reduce its progression, most of which are based on inhibition of acetylcholinesterase enzyme. According to traditional Persian medicine, the bay laurel fruit has been applied for different medical purposes such as improving mind and memory function. The aim of the presented study was to evaluate the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of fixed and essential oil of Laurus nobilis L. fruit. Methods and Materials: Dried fruit of Laurus nobilis L. was subjected to hydro distillation for obtaining the essential oil, then the fixed oil of fruit was extracted by a Soxhlet apparatus (n-hexane as a solvent). Ellman method was employed to evaluate the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of bay laurel fruit. Results: Both fixed and essential oil exhibited acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity which the percentage of inhibition for fixed oil (1. 35 mg. mL-1) and essential oil (1. 8 μ g. mL-1) was 34. 33 ± 2. 4 and 50, respectively. Conclusion: According to the results obtained from the present study, the effect of bay laurel on mind and memory can be relevant to its acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity.

Background and Purpose: Climate is one of the most effective structural elements of the planet earth. Undoubtedly, nature, human and all the aspects of life are widely influenced by climatic conditions. Climate, as an old discipline, is related to other disciplines and affects agriculture, forestry, hydrology, biology, transportation, urbanization, health, psychology, medical geography, diseases and many other disciplines related to the environment and daily lives of human beings. This important knowledge can control many human needs such as food, energy, health, physical and especially mental health. The special attention to climate has been considered by sages such as Hippocrates from ancient times. In his famous thesis, Hippocrates draws the attention of physicians to the role of climatic conditions of each region in the diseases, besides other individuals, social and cultural factors. Methods and Materials: The study was conducted using the library study method. Based on the title and keywords below, 16 sources of traditional medicine books and eligible articles on each one of the climatic components, such as air pressure, temperature, solar radiation, moisture, wind, and rain on health, and mental and psychological illnesses were studied. Conclusion: It can be said that climate which consists of different elements such as wind, rain, snow, etc., can play an important role in spirits and moods of human beings. Since these natural phenomena have different effects on our lives, identifying them would help us to provide better mental conditions in our lives.

Background and Purpose: Cholera is a contagious infectious disease that has caused many problems for human societies throughout the history. While various epidemics of this disease in different parts of the world and in our country have been observed, it has not been eradicated yet. The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic and therapeutic characteristics of cholera from the viewpoint of Persian medicine experts. Methods and Materials: This research is a descriptive library review study reviewing the literature and historical articles of Persian medicine and conventional medicine as well as databases such as SID, Noormags, Iran medex, Irandoc, Google Scholar, and PubMed. Results: According to the views of Persian medicine scholars, the creation of the "fever of Vaba" is due to the bad change in air and water and blending of bad vapor from the earth with the air. The reasons for the development of this whether have been mentioned as the lack of air movement among the trees and cemeteries, the presence of stagnant ponds and swamps, the stagnation of the dead bodies after the wars and the corpses of the dead patients, and the temperament change of the seasons. The Iranian “ Vaba” fever is beyond the disease that we know as choleric fever and includes several communicable diseases such as cholera, plague, smallpox, and measles. Conclusion: Considering that Persian medicine has a high capacity to provide sanitation and therapeutic solutions, it is necessary to evaluate the health and medical recommendations of Persian medicine to use its potential abilities.

Background and Purpose: Alzheimer’ s disease is one of the most important neurodegenerative diseases resulting in free radicals and oxidative stress production. Since Cyperus rotundus plant contains anti-oxidant components, the effects of Cyperus rotundus tuber hydroalcoholic extract on learning and memory improvement in the Alzheimer model rats was investigated. Methods and Materials: In this experimental research, Intracerebroventricular streptozotocin injection in the rats created a suitable model of Alzheimer. Rats were divided into 7 groups: control, sham, Alzheimer, Alzheimer + extract treated, and normal + extract treated groups. Treated groups received the extract with dosages of 100 and 200 mg/kg in 21 days. The rate of rat's learning and spatial memory was investigated using passive avoidance learning and Y-maze methods. Results: In the rate of IL (Initial Latency), there was no difference between groups (p>0. 001). There is a different meaning in the rate of STL (Step through Latency) between different groups (p<0. 001). Considering the Y-maze examination, there was no significant difference between the groups (p>0. 001). Conclusion: Results of STZ injection showed significant decrease in memory and learning. Treatment with Cyperus rotundus extract could increase the capability of consolidation and recall.

Background and Purpose: Trichomoniasis is a protozoan and protozoan progenitor disease which can cause transmitted infections through sexual contact in humans. Trichomoniasis is one of the common non-viral diseases of genital organs caused by flagellate Trichomoniasis vaginalis. Vaginal Trichomoniasis is common in women and has symptoms such as pruritus and abnormal discharge. This is a sexually transmitted infection which is often asymptomatic in men. Treatment is done using imidazoles, such as tinidazole, clotrimazole, and metronidazole. Metronidazole and Tinidazole are two selective drugs for the treatment of trichomoniasis however, potential carcinogenesis and teratogenic effects on fetuses in addition to resistance to metronidazole have been reported. Due to the cytotoxic effects of medicinal plants such as pune, peppermint, and tobacco on microbial organisms, this study was carried out to evaluate the effects of these three plants on Trichomoniasis vaginalis. Methods and Materials: In this experimental study, hydroalcoholic extracts of pune, peppermint and sorghum were prepared by the soaking method. Then, different concentrations of hydroalcoholic extracts of pune, peppermint and sardinia, and the double and triple mixture of extracts of these three herbs were added in test tubes containing parasite culture medium. In the ninth tube, 50 μ g of metronidazole was added to the culture medium. Only DMSO was added to the tenth tube while 50 μ l of the culture medium was added to the 11th tube. Then, 104 Trichomoniasis parasites (constant concentration of the parasite) were added to all environments kept in the incubator with the temperature of 37 ° C. In order to investigate the growth rate of the parasites, the samples were cultured at 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours later, each time 10 μ l of each tube was removed and the number of parasites was counted and statistically analyzed. Results: Antiparasitic power of pune, peppermint and sourgean herbs and both binary mixtures in concentrations of 5, 8, 10 and triple mixture of extracts in concentrations of 4, 5, 8 and 10 mg/ml showed excellent inhibitory effect on Trichomonas parasites, similar to the effect of metronidazole. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the triple mixture of hydroalcoholic extract of pune, mint and sardinia has a strong inhibitory effect on Trichomonas Vaginalis and can be considered as an alternative drug.

Background and Purpose: Traditional medicine in Iran is based on Temperamentology. Temperament is a significant factor in the individual characteristics of humans. The purpose of this study was to compare warm and cold temperaments with aerobic power. Methods and Materials: A descriptive study was conducted on 90 healthy volunteer men aged 18 to 22 years old using a temperament standardized questionnaire. They were divided into 6 groups: sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic, choleric, warm and cold. The aerobic power level of these subjects was judged by the Queen Stair test. Results: The maximum oxygen consumed in the test was significantly different when contrasting sanguine group with melancholic group, and phlegmatic with choleric group (p=0. 01). This significant difference was also observed in warm and cold tempered people (p=0. 01). The aerobic power of the groups was statistically significantly different with each other (p<0. 01). Conclusion: It seems that the aerobic power of melancholic people is more than those of sanguine people and phlegmatic people more than choleric people and ultimately cold-tempered people more than warm-tempered people.

Background and Purpose: Since it has not been comprehensively addressed to the role of environmental health effects on human health from the viewpoint of human focus in medicine and architecture, this research intends to use the hypothesis that the revenues of medical knowledge are used in Iran's health-oriented architecture; revising the links between traditional medicine and architecture in the field of healthy environments. Methods and Materials: The method used in this research is interpretive-historical in the field of information gathering (using documentary sources and comprehensive software of traditional medicine, version 1. 5) and is qualitative in the field of information analysis. Results: The findings of the research showed that the ancient pattern of the quads, from which the universe and whatever is in it is based on it, is the unifying factor of science, and the linking of medicine and architecture with the aim of temperamental balance and human health considering its habitat environment. The golden points of this link can be divided to four sections: holistic approach to science, ancient pattern of quadrangles, physicians' safeguards on the power of healthy places, and the climatic knowledge of physicians to identify the characteristics of air and its accessories as the first and the most important factor of “ six essentials” which should be evaluated. Conclusion: The results showed that the health and preventive approach of physicians and their health and education measures to protect human health and the health of their habitat environment can be used to achieve strategy, criteria and standards for choosing healthy places, improving the quality of unhealthy environments and having health-based architecture.

Background and Purpose: Volume III articles of Medical Encyclopedia of Islam and Iran were published. The present research analyzes the content of articles in this Medical Encyclopedia making a comparison between the articles of first volume with the articles of second and third volume. Methods and Materials: This research is a descriptive research and the method of content analysis was selected as the research method. The study population included the only published volume of Medical Encyclopedia of Islam and Iran (volume 3) which contains 254 articles. Due to the limited volumes published by the Encyclopedia, sampling was not performed in this research and all of the articles of volume 3 were examined. For data collection, the articles were studied and the needed data, including the degree of authors, was inserted in the checklist that was formulated based on the research questions. Results: The research was done on 254 articles. Most of them (62%) have a master's degree and men (51%) were involved more than women (49%) in the production of articles. Also, most of the authors (83%) had Iranian nationality. Among 254 reviewed articles, 242 articles (95 %) had been written originally and 12 articles (5%) had been translated; 47% was belonged to the subject of “ specific issues” , 28% to the subject of "persons", 13% had the “ general” subject, 10% had the “ books and writings” subject, and 2% to the “ miscellaneous issues” . Each article contains an average of 2 pages of encyclopedia with an average of 17 citations used per article. In these reviewed articles, a total number of 98 pictures had been used in 62 articles and 192 articles were lacking picture. Checking the status of citations that had been used in the encyclopedia articles, from 4544 citations in volume 1, the most citations (52%) were in Farsi language and 48% of the citations were non-Persian in general. The highest rate of citation was found to be in the Arabic language including 35% of the citations. As for the date, 55% had solar date citations while 34% were on the date of A. D. and 5% on lunar date. The highest frequency of the cited author in the articles was Muhammad ibn Zakariya Razi, with the frequency of 97 and the highest frequency of the cited source was Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb (in Farsi language) by Ibn Sina, with the frequency of 51. Conclusion: It seems that there was a significant relationship between the number of citations and the nationality of authors; however, there is no direct and significant relationship between the time of publication and citation frequency.

Bā dranjbū ye is one of the most applicable medicinal plants in Persian medicine and administered by Persian medicine scholars as a euphoric, brain tonic, memory enhancer, cardiotonic and anti-dyspnea agent. There are various opinions about its botanical definition in Persian medicine literature however, there is no unique concept about its identity. In this paper, all plant species related to Bā dranjbū ye were investigated and their botanical definitions were compared with each other to see what is told about their identity in Persian medicine. Nowadays, three plant species including Melissa officinalis L., Asperugo procumbens L. and Dracocephalum modavica L. are proposed as Bā dranjbū ye. The investigation demonstrated that the definition of Bā dranjbū ye in Persian medicine mainly corresponds to characteristics of Melissa officinalis from the family of Labiatae and in some situations corresponds to Dracocephalum moldavica from the family of Labiatae. However, since Asperugo procumbens from the family of Boraginaceae was found enormously in the habitat of Melissa officinalis, the considerable amount of this plant inevitably exists with Melissa officinalis. Therefore, most of the samples from the herbal market belongs to Asperugo procumbens.