Iran herbal medicine to attract foreigners

Iran is set to present its traditional and herbal medicine to the world by founding specialized health centers.

The Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) is set to present traditional medicine by founding special supervised health centers where people can undergo traditional treatments and buy herbal medicines.

Iran has long been a health tourism destination for foreign tourists who looked for cosmetic surgeries or needed to be treated for refractive errors and infertility, among the other remedies.

“Foreign health tourists sign up where the Iranian patients do. They are generally less aware of such a science; some of them have heard of Iranian methods of bloodletting, apitherapy and leech therapy, though,” said the Director General of Health Tourism Department at ICHTO Mohammad Panahi.

He also suggested that there should be standard places for the supply of medicinal plants, pharmaceutical products and distillates to satisfy the needs of clients.

In order to win the confidence of patients, Panahi noted that some tourists have tried Iranian medicines before and worry about the consequences, so they look for totally certified centers, as found in Iran.

“Not only are the chemical drugs less known among people, their combinations with each other, and their use in amounts more or less than what is prescribed can also be harmful. The process of traditional treatment takes more time, but the herbal medicines used in this method are the least harmful,” he added.

He also suggested that medicinal plants are used in traditional medicine in the form of herbal medicines, manufactured by new technologies or old medicine prescriptions.

“As people believe that there is no harm in consuming fruits and vegetables, they have confidence in traditional medicine,” Panahi continued.

Other potential areas in Iran’s health tourism include fertility treatment, stem cell treatment, dialysis, heart surgery, cosmetic surgery and eye surgery. The country also produces unique medicines such as the anti-AIDS drug IMOD, and other high-tech drugs.

MG/AI