Overview

Persian Medicine represents one of the world’s most sophisticated and time-tested holistic health paradigms, with profound clinical foundations established by legendary polymaths such as Avicenna (Ibn Sina) and Rhazes (Al-Razi). This comprehensive system of medicine centers on individual temperament (Mizaj)—evaluating physical, physiological, and psychosomatic characteristics to maintain somatic equilibrium and manage disease. A fundamental cornerstone of Persian Medicine is the Setteh-ye-Zarurieyeh (the Six Essential Principles of Health): environmental air quality, optimized nutrition and dietetics, balanced physical activity and rest, regular sleep patterns, emotional and psychological homeostasis, and physiological retention and elimination (detoxification). The Department of Persian Medicine is dedicated to bridging these classical principles with contemporary evidence-based biomedical research, clinical trials, and integrative outpatient care.

History and Evolution

The formal integration of Persian Medicine into higher academic curricula in Iran was officially inaugurated in 2007 (1386 SH), leading to the introduction of specialized Ph.D. programs for medical doctors in 2008 (1387 SH). Recognizing the strategic value and global demand for evidence-based complementary healthcare, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education authorized the establishment of the School of Persian and Complementary Medicine at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS) in 2010 (1389 SH). Since its inception, the Department of Persian Medicine has trained numerous cohorts of general physicians, transforming them into specialized clinical researchers, academic faculty, and certified Persian Medicine practitioners.

Academic & Research Scope

The academic and clinical portfolio combines rigorous philological research with clinical epidemiology and randomized controlled trials:

• Doctoral Education (Ph.D. in Persian Medicine): Providing specialized academic and clinical training exclusively for qualified Medical Doctors (M.D. / M.B.B.S.), covering classical diagnostic methodology, pulse analysis, uroscopy, and personalized preventive therapeutics.
• Classical Medical Manuscript Research: Critical decoding, contextualization, and analytical appraisal of ancient Persian and Islamic medical texts to identify potential clinical interventions.
• Evidence-Based Integrative Clinical Trials: Designing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the efficacy and safety of traditional dietary regimens, lifestyle modifications, and natural compound therapies in chronic metabolic, gastrointestinal, neurological, and musculoskeletal disorders.
• Temperament (Mizaj) Biomarkers: Investigating the correlation between classical temperament classifications and contemporary biomarkers, metabolomics, and physiological profiles.
• Preventive Lifestyle Medicine: Clinical application of Setteh-ye-Zarurieyeh for community disease prevention, chronic disease management, and personalized health optimization.

Mission and Vision

• Our Mission: To provide high-caliber academic education to medical doctors in Persian Medicine; to critically document and scientifically validate Persian traditional medical knowledge through rigorous clinical research; to deliver safe, evidence-based integrative healthcare services; and to contribute to global lifestyle and preventive medicine.
• Our Vision: To stand as the premier international center of excellence and primary academic reference in Persian Medicine, advancing evidence-based traditional healthcare and establishing global benchmarks in integrative clinical practice.