The Biggest Event of the Year in Medicinal Plants was held

Referring to the clauses of the National Document of Medicinal Plants, passed in 2013 by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, which has determined the activities in this field up until 2025, Dr. Peyman Salehi, the Scientific Secretary of the Congress, insisted on the solidarity of the different parts of this field and added, “One of the functions of the National Congress on Medicinal Plants has been to gather all the players and beneficiaries of this field to fulfill our duties in the best of ways by exchanging views, consultations, interactions and synergy in terms of the determined goals.”

This former secretary of the National Network of Research and Technology in Medicinal Plants and the main organizer of this event, specially considered the most significant function of this congress as being not only the academic and scientific issues but industry and economy, then said, “Two notable foreign speakers from Turkey and Germany have attended the congress as well as the Iranian ones.”

Salehi further stated, “Of other features included in this event we can name a one-hour workshop on ‘The Registration Method of Medicinal Plants and Natural-based Products in Europe’, conducted by Dr. Schmidt, and apart from those active in the field of medicinal plants, the medicinal plants producing companies active in export can take advantage of the workshop.”

This professor of Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute of Shahid Beheshti University also said, “In the 6th National Congress on Medicinal Plants, 960 papers in the fields of basic sciences, agriculture and natural resources, pharmacy, medicine and veterinary as well as industry and economy were received, that 700 of which were chosen to be presented in this congress, after being refereed.”

Salehi noted, “Given the fact that this congress is basically a national event; however, every year the most scientific papers are directed to it, which has made this National Congress the biggest circle in the country for all the different groups active in the field of medicinal plants.”

According to him, the most papers that were sent to the secretariat were 360 in the field of agriculture and natural resources, 298 papers on basic sciences, 288 papers on medicine, pharmacy and veterinary, and 14 papers on economy. During the two days of the congress, 25 papers were presented orally simultaneously in two halls and the rest were posters presented in four sections. Also, 10 posters were selected as the best papers of the congress and the presenters were awarded with cash prizes.

In the end of his speech, Dr. Salehi noted that the next year’s National Congress will be held in the city of Shiraz.

The sixth National Congress on Medicinal Plants was held in Tehran, on May 9-10th, 2017, with the collaboration of National Council for Science and Technology Development of Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine, Vice-presidency for Science and Technology, and by National Network of Research and Technology in Medicinal Plans.