Review of Scientific Evidence of Medicinal Convoy Plants in Traditional Persian Medicine.

One concept used in traditional Persian medicine (TPM) for multidrug therapy is that of the convoy drug (Mobadregh). According to TPM texts, convoy drugs are substances (or drugs), which facilitate the access of drugs or foods to the whole body or to specific organs. This study reviewed some convoy drugs presented in TPM, their biological effects, and their probable interactions with main drugs, considering the increased absorption through inhibition of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux function, bioavailability-enhancing effects, and decreased metabolism of the main drug using electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar in November and December, 2013. Recent studies have proven the beneficial effects of Crocus sativus L. (saffron) and camphor on the heart and brain, the cerebral therapeutic effects of Asarum europaeum (hazelwort), the hepatoprotective effects of Cichorium intybus (chicory), and Apium graveolens (celery) seeds, and the diuretic effects of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (cinnamon), and Cucumis melo (melon) seeds. The effects of vinegar in targeting the liver and brain have also been demonstrated. An evaluation of the results demonstrated that the suggested convoy drugs, including Piper nigrum (black pepper), Piper longum (long pepper), red wine, Camellia sinensis (tea), hazelwort, Mentha longifolia (pennyroyal), Anethum graveolens (dill), Foeniculum vulgare (fennel), cinnamon, and Sassafras albidum (sassafras) can increase the bioavailability of coadministered drugs by inhibition of P-gp or cytochrome P450s (CYP450s) or both of them. This evidence could be a good basis for the use of these agents as convoys in TPM.

Ali ibn Hosein Ansari (1330-1404): a Persian pharmacist and his pharmacopoeia, Ekhtiyarat i Badi i.

Ekhtiyarat i Badi i (Badi i Selections) is a drug manual of traditional Persian medicine, well known in Farsi-speaking countries, the Middle East and India. The author was the greatest pharmacist-physician of the 13th-century Mongolian period in Persia. The unique style of writing, with authoritative and critical drug overviews, made his book an invaluable Farsi reference of traditional pharmacy for four centuries. In spite of adverse social and political circumstances in the Mongolian era, the book contributed to the reconstitution of Persian pharmacy and medicine, serving as a basic reference for the compilation of other drug manuals and scientific works for centuries after its introduction.