Evaluation the ethno‐pharmacological studies in Iran during 2004–2016: A systematic review

• Published in: Journal of cellular physiology Vol. 233; no. 2; pp. 914 - 923
• Main Authors: Sadeghi, Zahra, Akaberi, Maryam, Sobhkhizi, Alireza, Sahebkar, Amirhossein, Emami, Seyed Ahmad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.02.2018
• Subjects: Animals; Cultural Characteristics; Data processing; Diabetes mellitus; Drug development; Drug discovery; Drugs; Ecological monitoring; Ethnopharmacology; Flora; Folk medicine; Herbal medicine; Humans; Illnesses; Indigenous knowledge; Iran; Iranian folk medicine; Medicinal plants; Medicine; Medicine, Traditional; Pharmacology; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - classification; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Plants (botany); Plants, Medicinal - classification; Respiratory function; Reviews; Traditional medicine; Iran; Iranian folk medicine; medicinal plants; ethnopharmacology; traditional medicine
• ISSN: 0021-9541; 1097-4652
• DOI: 10.1002/jcp.25803

Although Iran has a deep history in herbal medicine and great heritage of ancient medical scholars, few efforts have been made to evaluate ethnopharmacological aspects of medicinal plants in this country. In the present study, the authors have reviewed all important literature about the ethnopharmacological investigations on medicinal plants used in the last decade in Iran. All provinces of Iran were categorized according to a phytogeographical division. Information was collected through bibliographic investigations from scientific journals and books. Afterward, the data were analyzed through the construction of specific ecological regions of the country. Fifty‐five references reporting medicinal plants in five ecological zones were retrieved. The Irano‐Turanian subregion has produced the greatest number of publications in this field among others (47%). Results illustrate that the most reported botanical families were Lamiaceae and Asteraceae (28.57% and 27.73%, respectively). Among various illnesses reported for these plants, gastrointestinal (30.15%), respiratory problems (14.28%), diabetes (11.11%), and cold/flu (11.11%) were the most cited. The most frequently cited medicinal uses were attributed to decoction and infusion preparations. Iran has a rich history of knowledge about phytotherapy and has also a diverse geographical regions, and a plant flora that is a good candidate for drug discovery. Documentation of indigenous knowledge about herbal medicine used by Iranian tribes is vital for the future development of herbal drugs. Ethnopharmacological studies of Iranian folk medicine with quantitative analytical techniques are warranted to find drug candidates, and also to preserve the precious knowledge of the Iranian folk medicine. This is the first ethno‐pharmacological survery of medicinal plants used in the treatment of different diseases in Iran.