Overview

Traditional Pharmacy (Persian and Natural Pharmacy) represents the academic integration of historical medical manuscripts, ethnopharmacology, pharmacognosy, and modern pharmaceutical formulation sciences. Rooted in two millennia of Persian and Islamic medical heritage—and aligned with World Health Organization (WHO) directives on integrating evidence-based traditional medicine into mainstream healthcare—this discipline focuses on the identification, preparation, chemical standardization, and clinical evaluation of single (simples) and compound natural formulations. By combining traditional medical theory with modern biopharmaceutics and targeted delivery systems (such as herbal nanoformulations), the department develops safe, standardized, and evidence-backed botanical and natural medicines.

History and Evolution

The academic discipline of Traditional Pharmacy was formally established in Iran in 2008 (1387 SH), followed by the launch of the Department of Traditional Pharmacy at MUMS School of Pharmacy in 2011 (1390 SH). The department was established to recover and critically analyze classical Persian medical manuscripts, conduct rigorous pharmacognostic and pharmacological investigations, and formulate standardized natural drugs. Today, the department supports active academic faculty, doctoral research fellows, and specialized laboratories focused on herbal drug development and manuscript analysis.

Academic & Research Scope

The academic and scientific framework encompasses ethnobotanical documentation, analytical standardization, and clinical trial validation:

• Manuscript Retrieval & Philological Research: Critical decoding, scientific editing, and translational interpretation of historical Persian and Islamic medical texts to identify potential therapeutic candidates.
• Herbal Formulation & Standardization: Formulating classical Persian dosage forms (such as electuaries, decoctions, oxymels, and herbal distillates) using modern Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and physicochemical standardization parameters.
• Phytochemical & Pharmacological Profiling: In vitro and in vivo screening of plant extracts and isolated natural molecules for gastrointestinal, neurological, respiratory, and metabolic disorders.
• Advanced Botanical Delivery Systems: Formulating herbal nanoparticles and nano-carrier systems to enhance stability, permeability, and targeted biodistribution of natural bioactive compounds.
• Ph.D. Academic Curriculum: Advanced doctoral education covering medicinal plant botany, ethnopharmacology, history of Persian medicine, classical pharmaceutical compounding, and clinical trial design for natural products.

Mission and Vision

• Our Mission: To train expert researchers and pharmaceutical scientists in traditional and herbal pharmacy; to critically document and modernize Persian pharmaceutical heritage; to perform rigorous clinical and laboratory evaluations on natural remedies; and to supply the healthcare market with safe, standardized herbal therapeutics.
• Our Vision: To be the leading international reference center for Persian traditional pharmacy and botanical drug development, recognized for bridging historical medical scholarship with modern, evidence-based pharmaceutical technology.