Avicenna's views on pest control and medicinal plants he prescribed as natural pesticides.

The present study aimed to introduce Avicenna's views on pest control and the medicinal plants he proposed as natural pesticides. Also, we addressed the strategies that he leveraged to formulate and prescribe them, and, finally, we put his views into perspective with modern science. The data were collected using Al-Qanun Fi Al-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine) as well as scientific databases. According to Al-Qanun Fi Al-Tibb, 42 medicinal plants are described as natural pest control agents. After introducing the pest control properties of each plant, Avicenna explained the appropriate strategies for use of these plants. These strategies or formulations included incensing, spraying, spreading, rubbing, smudging, and scent-dispersing, which are equivalent to the modern pesticide formulations of fumigants, aerosols, pastes and poisoned baits, lotions, creams, and slow-release formulations, respectively. This study revealed that Avicenna introduced the pest control approach with natural plants in his book Al-Qanun Fi Al-Tibb and, thus, harnessed the power of nature to control nature. Future research is recommended to find the pest control merits of the presented medicinal plants, in order to incorporate them into pest control programs and reduce environmental pollution resulting from the complications of current synthetic pesticides.

The clinical efficacy of Olibanum gum chewing in patients with Mild-to-Moderate Alzheimer disease: A randomized Parallel-Design controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder in elderly with progressive decline in cognitive functions. This study aimed to investigate the possible memory-improving effects of Olibanum on patients with Alzheimer's disease. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHOD: This double-blind, randomized clinical trial was carried out on 72 participants aged 50-75 years. The intervention group (n = 36) received 1.6 g/day of olibanum chewing gum for 18 weeks. The placebo group (n = 36) received chewing gum without olibanum. Neuropsychological assessments were performed at baseline, every 4 weeks, and after 18 weeks of the intervention. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between (MD: 0.84, 95%CI: -1.10 to 2.78, p = 0.392) at baseline. Both groups had linear improvements over time. There was no significant difference between two groups regarding the improvements after the intervention (F = 0.157, p = 0.693). There were no significant differences between the groups for MMSE score (Mini-Mental State Examination) after the intervention (F = 0.141, p = 0.708). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that 18 weeks of gum chewing with Olibanum did not change the neuropsychological status. More clinical studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Analyzing the biological traits of snakes in Avicenna's Canon of medicine and making a comparison with contemporary serpentology.

Snakes are a group of reptiles in the order of squamata that have been the subject of scientific research for years. This study aimed to determine the biological characteristics of snakes that were mentioned in Avicenna's Canon of Medicine to compare with modern serpentology. Data were obtained from the Canon of Medicine using keywords concerning snakes and also appropriate literature in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Scientific Information Database (SID), and IranDoc. Our results revealed that Avicenna divided snakes into three classes including highly, moderately, and slightly venomous snakes that are comparable to modern serpontology. Moreover, Avicenna clarified physiological factors such as age, gender, size, psychological state, hunger state, physical features, the type of living climate, habitat, and the time of snakebite. Considering the snake features presented in the Canon of Medicine, even though is not feasible to make a full comparison between Avicenna's snake knowledge and modern serpentology but some characteristics can be still applicable. Conclusively, the present study suggested that the criteria used for the identification and classification of snakes have changed from the medieval ages to the nowadays.

Avicenna's clinical toxicology approach and beneficial materia medica against oral poisoning.

Considering the rich background of Persian Medicine in the use of materia medica for the treatment of diseases, the huge burden of oral poisonings in the world, and the urgent need to find scientific solutions, the purpose of this study was to determine Avicenna's approach toward clinical toxicology and his proposed treatments for oral poisonings. In Al-Qanun Fi Al-Tibb, Avicenna addressed the materia medica for the treatments of oral poisonings after explaining the ingestion of different toxins and also elucidating the clinical toxicology approach toward poisoned patients. These materia medica were from different classes including emetics, purgatives, enemas, diaphoretics, antidiarrheals, inhaled drugs, sternutators, anticoagulants, antiepileptics, antitussives, diuretics, cooling drugs, stimulants, cardiotonic drugs, and heating oils. By applying different therapies, Avicenna endeavored to attain main goals in clinical toxicology that are comparable with modern medicine. They included removing the toxins from the body, decreasing the severity of the deleterious effects of toxins on the body, and counteracting the effects of toxins inside the body. Aside from introducing different therapeutic agents that played an important role in the treatment of oral poisonings, he emphasized the ameliorating effects of nutritive foods and beverages. Further research using other Persian medical resources is recommended to elucidate the applicable approaches and treatments for different poisonings.

Natural products against cisplatin-induced male reproductive toxicity: A comprehensive review.

Cisplatin is widely used as one of the most effective anticancer agents in the treatment of some neoplasms. Reproductive toxicity is the most common outcome associated with cisplatin testicular damage. Alternative natural medicines for treating male testicular disorders and infertility have received extensive attention in research. Natural products, medicinal herbs, and their secondary metabolites have been shown as promising agents in the management of testicular damage induced by chemotherapy drugs. This study aimed to review the research related to natural substances that are promising in mitigation of the cisplatin-induced toxicity in the reproductive system. PubMed and Scopus were searched for studies on various natural products for their potential protective property against reproductive toxicity induced by cisplatin from 2000 to 2020. Eligibility was checked based on selection criteria. Fifty-nine articles were included in this review. Mainly in animal studies, several natural agents have positively affected cisplatin-reproductive-toxicity factors, including reactive oxygen species, inflammatory mediators, DNA damage, and activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Most of the natural agents were investigated in short-term duration and high doses of cisplatin exposure, considering their antioxidant activity against oxidative stress. Considering antioxidant properties, various natural products might be effective for the management of cisplatin reproductive toxicity. However, long-term recovery of spermatogenesis and management of low-dose-cisplatin toxicity should be considered as well as the bioavailability of these agents before and after treatment with cisplatin without affecting its anticancer activity.

Anti-Freckles Herbal Treatment in Iranian Traditional Medicine.

BACKGROUND: Freckles are numerous pigmented spots of the skin, mainly confined to the face, even arms and back. Although freckles are light-brown macules, most frequently observed in individuals with red or blond hair, they are common to Asian people too. Freckles increase in number, size, and depth of pigmentation during the summer months. Histologically, freckles show increased production of melanin pigment by a normal number of melanocytes. Freckles commonly stop spreading before adolescence and last for life, but could sometimes be subtle in adulthood. Treatments are often requested for cosmetic purposes. Before the advent of lasers, treatment modalities for pigmentary disorders included surgical excision, dermabrasion, chemical bleaching, and peeling. These treatments may lead to unwanted side effects of potential scarring or undesired pigmentation changes. In Iranian traditional medicine (ITM), freckles have been known as well. "Namash" was the term used by ITM scholars to indicate freckles. There is a wide range of plants, which were prescribed by Iranian physicians for the treatment of freckles. The purpose of this study is to find the most frequent useful herbs for freckles as mentioned in ITM references. METHODS: Seven ITM references were studied for anti-freckles medicines. The references were Canon of Medicine (Avicenna), Alhavi (Razes) Tuhfat ul-Momineen (Momen tonekaboni), Makhzan-ul-Adwiah (Aghili), Ikhtiyarat Badi'i (Ansari), Al-abnia An-Haghyegh el-advia (Heravi), and al-jami li-mufradat al-adwiyawa al-aghdhiya (Ibn al-Baitar). Moreover, plants were ordered according to their repetition in the references. Afterwards, traditional names of the selected plants were matched with the scientific names using botanical text references. RESULTS: This study demonstrated that Myristica fragrans Houtt, Cicer arietema L., Eruca sativa Lam., Lilium candidium L., Amygdalus communis L., Arum italicum L. were the most frequent herbs mentioned in ITM references for the treatment of freckles. CONCLUSION: Herbs mentioned in this article could be appropriate candidates for future studies in the field of freckles treatment.

The Most Frequent Herbs Proposed by Iranian Traditional Medicine for Alopecia Areata.

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common immune-mediated hair loss disorder. AA has a reported incidence of 0.1-0.2% with a lifetime risk of 1.7%. Histologically, AA is characterized by the accumulation of mononuclear cells around the bulb of the affected hair follicles. Corticosteroids are the most popular drugs for the treatment of this disease. Despite its high prevalence, currently available treatments are mostly unsatisfactory and inefficient for the more chronic and severe types of the AA. Alopecia areata is a well-known disorder in Iranian traditional medicine (ITM). "Da oth-tha,lab" was the term used by ITM scholars to indicate AA. Traditional Iranian physicians believed that the presence of morbid matter in the scalps is the main cause of the disease, which blocks nutrients and causes hair roots to deteriorate. Herbal medicines in the form of topical preparations were applied by ITM scholars for the treatment of AA. This study was performed to determine the most frequent useful herbs for AA as mentioned in ITM. METHODS: Seven ITM references such as Canon of Medicine (Avicenna), Alhavi (Razes) Tuhfat ul-Momineen (Mo,men tonekaboni), Makhzan-ul-Adwiah (Aghili), Ikhtiyarat Badi,i (Ansari), Al-abnia An-Haghyegh el-advia (Heravi) and al-jami li-mufradat al-adwiyawa al-aghdhiya (Ibn al-Baitar) were studied for anti-AA medicines. Subsequent to our study, the herbal medicines were listed and scored based on the frequency of their prescriptibility. Moreover, we took the effort to provide the best scientific name for each plant. RESULTS: This study showed that Allium cepa L., Artemisia abrotonon L., Allium sativum L., and Asphodelus ramosus L. were the most frequent herbs mentioned in ITM references for the recovery of AA. CONCLUSION: These herbs can be introduced as new herbal medicines for clinical research in the field of alopecia areata treatment.