Preventive Care for Gastrointestinal Disorders; Role of Herbal Medicines in Traditional Persian Medicine

Abstract

Context: Preventive care is a basic rule in current medical practice and traditional Persian medicine (TPM) scholars have introduced a large amount of publications in this valued field. According to TPM principles, healthy stomach has a significant role in providing a fit body and herbal medicines are capable of helping stomach perform this role. Evidence Acquisition: A wide-ranging search in main TPM books and web engines was performed to compare preventive care in gastrointestinal (GI) diseases through a librarian review study. Results: There is a close interaction between GI system and other body systems; any ailment in a system could result in dysfunction of stomach and vice versa. There are various herbal medicines that help achieving a healthy stomach following a seven-part preventive rule and in this article, we briefly reviewed some of them such as amla, clove, lemon, black mustard, saffron, ginger, aloe, and mastic. Conclusions: Following a simple seven-part rule of healthy stomach will result in balanced GI function and a healthy body. Properly consumption of recommended TPM herbal medicines could reinforce the stomach and a healthy GI system through preventive mechanisms.