Historical background of using vinegar to process natural materials in Persian medicine
Tārīkh-i pizishkī i.e., Medical History,
Vol. 17 (1404),
6 May 2025
,
Page 1-10
https://doi.org/10.22037/mhj.v17i.42349
Abstract
Background and Aim: Prolonged and difficult labor, as a potential complication of natural childbirth, can create numerous problems for both the mother and the newborn. Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM), as an ancient medical school, has extensively discussed topics related to pregnancy health and methods for facilitating childbirth. It has provided specific pharmaceutical measures and Materia Medica for the ninth month of pregnancy and during labor. These recommendations can contribute to an easier, safer and less painful delivery. This study aimed to prioritize the Materia Medica recommended in ancient texts by Iranian scientists and physicians for facilitating and accelerating childbirth.
Methods: This research has been done using the library method and content analysis based on the review of Persian medicine manuscripts. The reviews were carried out with the keywords like "Serkeh", "Khal", "Tadbir" and "Eslah". SID, Google Scholar, Scopus databases were searched to find recent scientific researches.
Ethical Considerations: Honesty and trusteeship were observed in reporting and publishing content.
Results: In Persian medicine, vinegar is prepared from various sources such as grape and dates and other compounds are added to it based on the therapeutic purpose. Pure vinegar used to treat lung, skin and other diseases and has been one of the important components of many compound medicines such as syrups and tablets. In addition, vinegar has been used to modify and process many plants and minerals such as cumin, squill, colocynth and pearls.
Conclusion: Vinegar is used to process medicinal substances in order to reduce toxicity or increase their effectiveness. Recent studies have also confirmed the effectiveness of using vinegar to process natural compounds. Further studies on the history and methods of processing medicinal substances in Persian medicine will clarify new aspects of traditional pharmaceutical knowledge in Iran.
- Vinegar
- Pharmaceutical application
- Persian medicine
How to Cite
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