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OBJECTIVE: To elicit symptoms, risk factors, and habits existing before or right after blood pressure elevation in newly diagnosed patients with hypertension from the traditional Persian medicine perspective. METHODOLOGY: This was a concurrent nested mixed-method study conducted in 2018. We included newly diagnosed cases of hypertension (BP≥140/90 mmHg in two consecutive screenings) in the study. In contrast, those who had a history of hypertension or used anti-hypertension medication were excluded. The participants were surveyed and interviewed to identify their temperament and extract their recent experiences with hypertension. The sampling followed the criterion-based purposive technique, and the sample size was defined based on qualitative data saturation. The recorded interviews were transcribed and coded according to Persian medicine until no new code emerged. RESULTS: Twenty participants were interviewed, and two themes were extracted: (i) primary or predisposing factors, such as warm temperament, change of residence, improper eating habits, abrupt cessation of exercise, psychological factors, and irregular sleep patterns, and (ii) early symptoms that occur at the first sign of rising blood pressure, including digestive complaints and changes in body excretion, psychological manifestations, and unclassifiable general symptoms. CONCLUSION: Physicians are advised to pay attention to these items when taking a history from patients to prevent hypertension and treat it at its early stages.

Abstract Human milk feeding can support premature infants to thrive. Yet those with premature infants can be challenged in human milk production. Considering this, and the use of potentially harmful human milk enhancers, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of orally consumed Lactuca sativa (L. sativa) syrup (lettuce extract) on human milk volume and subsequent weight gain in the preterm infant. Extracts from lettuce and other plants such as silymarin are already evidenced to be safe for use during lactation and have other therapeutic effects in humans. Yet this is the first study of its kind. This parallel randomized clinical trial included lactating participants with their preterm infants who were born at

Abstract Background and aims Human milk supports pre-term infants to thrive. Yet human milk production can be inhibited when infants are born prematurely. Pimpinella Anisum has been evidenced to increase milk production and infant weight gain in previous animal studies. The present study aimed to determine the effect of Pimpinella Anisum herbal tea on human milk volume and preterm infant weight in human populations for the first time. Methods Human milk supports pre-term infants to thrive. Yet human milk production can be inhibited when infants are born prematurely. Pimpinella Anisum has been evidenced to increase milk production and infant weight gain in previous animal studies. The present study aimed to determine the effect of Pimpinella Anisum herbal tea on human milk volume and preterm infant weight in human populations for the first time. Results There was a statistically significant difference in terms of milk volume in the first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh days between the three groups of intervention, placebo, and control (p

Objective: Tension-type headache is the most frequent type of headache. Considering the effectiveness of Valeriana officinalis (Valerian) in treatment of some types of headache, the effect of valerian root was studied in patients with tension-type headache. Materials and Methods: The current study is a double-blind randomized clinical trial that was conducted in Shams Hospital of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, from January to June 2018. We included 88 participants with tension-type headache and randomly assigned them to intervention and control group by block randomization in a 1:1 ratio. The intervention group received Sedamin® capsule (530 mg of valerian root extraction) while the placebo group received 500 mg of breadcrumbs both given as two capsules daily for a month -after dinner. The headache impact on activity of daily livings performance, headache disability, and headache severity were measured using questionnaires in baseline and one month after intervention in both groups. Results: The average age (±SD) of the participants was 34.9 (±8.7) years old. After one month, the impact of headache on daily livings performance, significantly reduced in intervention group (mean=51.2) versus the placebo (mean=57.0), (p Conclusion: The present trial showed that valerian capsule could reduce the headache impact on daily livings performance, disability and severity of tension-type headache.

Objectives: Regarding the increasing prevalence of hypertension and its associated disabilities, it is beneficial for physicians to build on the potential of other medical schools like Persian medicine (PM) as it can provide useful knowledge of the factors leading to hypertension by identifying its pathogenesis in another medical attitude. Thus, the present study aimed at applying a strategy to prevent and treat hypertension. Materials and Methods: The current qualitative brief report was initiated by reviewing valid databases. Subsequently, the risk factors of hypertension were extracted using keywords such as "hypertension", "high blood pressure", "prevalence", "epidemiology", and "predisposing and risk factors". Then, each of these factors was conceptually matched to the fundamentals (4 qualities or Mizaj) of PM by Avicenna in his book named "The Canon of Medicine. Results: The known risk factors of hypertension were prone to occur in an individual before the onset of clinical hypertension due to his/her increased coldness (six items) and increased dryness (seven items). Given a few reports taking hypertension more associated with the warmth quality, it is probable that the patients with hypertension have a basically warm temperament, but they experience hypertension upon encountering with factors that result in increased coldness and dryness. Conclusions: Overall, the etiology and pathogenesis of hypertension can be better understood according to four qualities in PM. Therefore, hypertension is preventable in risky people by making modifications in lifestyle, and hence, changes in body qualities and orientation toward a relatively balanced state.

Context: According to Persian medicine text, there are some topical herbal remedies for insomnia such as pumpkin oil as a nasal drop. Aims: To evaluate the effect of pumpkin oil (a Persian medicine product) in patients with chronic insomnia. Methods: This study was conducted as a randomized double-blind clinical trial on pumpkin oil efficacy in 74 patients with chronic insomnia. The participants received two drops of intranasal pumpkin oil or placebo every night for two weeks. The effects of pumpkin oil and placebo on the pattern of sleep and sleep quality were assessed at baseline and at the end of two weeks of treatment by Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaires. Results: The scores of the ISI questioner were statistically different between groups after two weeks of intervention and patients in the pumpkin oil group had fewer scores for ISI questioner (p

Significant dropping of infectious disease is owned greatly to antibiotic development industry. Due to prevalence of drug resistance organisms alongside with other problems, scientists are focusing on medicinal plants. Medicinal plants and their antimicrobial components are attractive alternatives for antibiotics. In the present project, the antimicrobial effects of methanolic extract and fractions of aerial parts of Euphorbia splendida Mobayen were evaluated against Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, and Candida krusei. Euphorbiasplendida samples were transferred to laboratory after confirmation. The plant samples were then shadow dried before being powder. Different extracts and fractions were prepared by standard methods. The extracts and fractions were kept under standard conditions until used. The antifungal assessment was performed by standard agar diffusion methods. The concentration of 1000 mg/ml of each of methanolic, hexanic, chloroformic and aqueous extract inhibitedC. krusei growth (15 mm).Themethanolic extract at 500 mg/ml displayed 15 mm inhibition zone C. albicans plate. The aqueous extract had inhibition zone of 14 mm, in C. albicans culture at 500 mg/ml. The methanolic extract at 500 mg/ml inhibited A. niger (15 mm). Meanwhile, methanolic extract at the same concentration allowed the growth of A. fumigatus only beyond 13 mm zone. we concluded that antifungal activities of total extract and fractions of Euphorbia splendida were considerable and more experiments were beneficial in drug development point of view.

This study investigated the anticonvulsant activity and possible mechanism of action of an aqueous solution of Dorema ammoniacum gum (DAG) which has been used traditionally in the treatment of convulsions.In this study, the anticonvulsant activity of DAG was examined using the pentylentetrazole (PTZ) model in mice. Thirty male albino mice were divided randomly and equally to 5 groups, and pretreated with normal saline, diazepam, or various doses of DAG (500, 700, and 1000 mg/kg, i.p.), prior to the injection of PTZ (60 mg/kg, i.p.). The latency and duration of seizures were recorded 30 min after PTZ injection. Pretreatments with naloxone and flumazenil in different groups were studied to further clarify the mechanisms of the anticonvulsant action. Phytochemical screening and thin layer chromatography (TLC) fingerprinting of ammoniacum gum was also determined. DAG showed significant anticonvulsant activity at all doses used. The gum delayed both the onset and the duration of seizures induced by PTZ. Treatment with flumazenil before DAG (700 mg/kg) inhibited the effect of gum on seizure duration and latency to some extent and administration of naloxone before DAG also significantly inhibited changes in latency and duration of seizure produced by DAG. The percentage inhibition was greater with naloxone than with flumazenil. This study showed that DAG had significant anticonvulsant activity in PTZ-induced seizures, and GABAergic and opioid systems may be involved. More studies are needed to further investigate its detailed mechanism.

Background: Constipation is a common and prevalent digestive problem. Forcing and straining due to constipation may have a negative effect on some parts of the body, including the heart. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of Ma'aljobon (a kind of whey) on functional constipation in hypertensive patients. Materials and Methods: The present double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial was a part of the study about the effect of Ma'aljobon on stage 1 hypertension, performed in 2017–2018. Hypertensive patients accompanying constipation were included in the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: Group A (n = 19) received 25 g of Ma'aljobon powder and Group B (n = 22) received 25 g of maltodextrin powder, twice a day for 6 weeks. The number and quality of defecation during a day were evaluated at baseline and at the end of the study within and between groups. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version: 17) using Chi-square or Fisher's exact test. P

To identify the antidiabetic plants of Iran, a systematic review of the published literature on the efficacy of Iranian medicinal plant for glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was conducted. We performed an electronic literature search of MEDLINE, Science Direct, Scopus, Proquest, Ebsco, Googlescholar, SID, Cochrane Library Database, from 1966 up to June 2010. The search terms were complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), diabetes mellitus, plant (herb), Iran, patient, glycemic control, clinical trial, RCT, natural or herbal medicine, hypoglycemic plants, and individual herb names from popular sources, or combination of these key words. Available Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) published in English or Persian language examined effects of an herb (limited to Iran) on glycemic indexes in type 2 diabetic patients were included. Among all of the articles identified in the initial database search, 23 trials were RCT, examining herbs as potential therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus. The key outcome for antidiabetic effect was changes in blood glucose or HbA1 c, as well as improves in insulin sensitivity or resistance. Available data suggest that several antidiabetic plants of Iran need further study. Among the RCT studies, the best evidence in glycemic control was found in Citrullus colocynthus, Ipomoea betatas, Silybum marianum and Trigonella foenum graecum.

To identify the antidiabetic plants of Iran, a systematic review of the published literature on the efficacy of Iranian medicinal plant for glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was conducted. We performed an electronic literature search of MEDLINE, Science Direct, Scopus, Proquest, Ebsco, Googlescholar, SID, Cochrane Library Database, from 1966 up to June 2010. The search terms were complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), diabetes mellitus, plant (herb), Iran, patient, glycemic control, clinical trial, RCT, natural or herbal medicine, hypoglycemic plants, and individual herb names from popular sources, or combination of these key words. Available Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) published in English or Persian language examined effects of an herb (limited to Iran) on glycemic indexes in type 2 diabetic patients were included. Among all of the articles identified in the initial database search, 23 trials were RCT, examining herbs as potential therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus. The key outcome for antidiabetic effect was changes in blood glucose or HbA1 c, as well as improves in insulin sensitivity or resistance. Available data suggest that several antidiabetic plants of Iran need further study. Among the RCT studies, the best evidence in glycemic control was found in Citrullus colocynthus, Ipomoea betatas, Silybum marianum and Trigonella foenum graecum.