A Review on the Structure and Function of Liver from Avicenna Point of View and Its Comparison with Conventional Medicine

Abstract

Persian medicine (PM) scholars have explained the structure and function of each organ based on clinical observations and past experiences. The liver is one of the three commanders in the body (brain, heart, liver) that manages nutrition and growth. This study was aimed to evaluate the anatomy and physiology of the Liver as presented in PM school and compare with conventional medicine. Relevant keywords were searched through PM reference books, Google scholar, PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. After extracting the data, the results were classified in terms of concepts and categories. PM scholars believe that liver is one of the first organs created in the fetal period. In their view, the liver has a warm and wet temperament. In this manner the natural blood’s temperament is warm and wet and it arises from the temperance of the liver and its correct function. In conventional medicine, the Liver consists an operational unit called hepatic lobule and plays an important role in the metabolism of the nutrition’s and growth of tissues. Overview of fetal origin, structure and function of the liver between these two schools of medicine interpreted in many ways, revealed many similarities. Thus, we can utilize PM’s point of view on the liver and its important functions in the body, especially in the field of disease prevention and treatment.