Practical Dietary Recommendations of Persian Medicine for Pruritus: A Brief Review

Mohammad Ali  Zareian; Ayeh  Naghizadeh; Laila  Shirbeigi; Esmaeil  Nazem; Fatemeh  Nejatbakhsh

doi:10.18502/aptj.v4i1.16715

Mohammad Ali Zareian Department of Persian Medicine, School of Persian Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Ardakan, Yazd, Iran.
Ayeh Naghizadeh Department of Iranian Traditional Medicine, School of Traditional Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Laila Shirbeigi Department of Iranian Traditional Medicine, School of Traditional Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Esmaeil Nazem Department of Iranian Traditional Medicine, School of Traditional Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Fatemeh Nejatbakhsh Department of Iranian Traditional Medicine, School of Traditional Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/aptj.v4i1.16715

Keywords: Traditional Persian Medicine, Antihistamines, Anti-inflammatory Materials, Opioid Receptor Antagonists, Antipruritic.

Abstract

This paper is a brief review of the practical dietary recommendations of Persian Medicine (PM) in the management of itching. According to our findings, PM scholars believe that the following dietary modifications help ameliorate pruritus: relative reduction of food intake, consuming tenuous foods, consumption of sweet-and-sour foods, whether natural (e.g., pomegranate juice) or man-made (e.g., oxymels), substances with astringent property, narcotics and quasi-narcotics such as a combination of dry coriander and sugar, using a group of substances called fine-humor-producing foods, laxative fruits such as tamarinds and plums, foods with sedative action including lettuce extract, watery foods containing ingredients such as barley, and increasing the share of healthy fats in the diet.