Notes on the Importance of Medicinal Plants in the Country

If water is the source of life, undoubtedly plants bestow depth to this source. Based on the insight of God, the omnipotent, human has stepped on this planet, and enrooted their existence and fixed their anthropocentricism over other creations. Plants have been the human beings window into the elaborate world of planet Earth, and also an opening into health and  recovery.

Since a long time ago, plants came to the aid of doctors and physicians to ensure the health of all mankind. By identifying the various medicinal plants during Iran and Islam’s Golden Age of science, the green color of health has been chosen as Iran’s garment. Even now all the world is harvesting from that scientific fertility.

Although medical science has been modernized, today more than ever, we need medicinal plants and following that, traditional medicine. This, not only further cleans and refreshes the physical and mental environment of mankind, it also has additional attractions and its varieties bring appeal and radiance.

Therefore, commercialization, branding and standardization as well as facilitating the exportation of the Iranian technological and processed medicinal plants’ products are considered priorities. Furthermore, medicinal plants and traditional medicine’s knowledge-based spirit, will fix and solidify the foundation of economy of resistance in our country. This will also help considerably fade the sinister shadow of selling raw products.

However, in order to maximize our success in fulfilling the promises in our mottoes, it is required to properly identify our needs and other people’s needs, and to make the culture for the right path. From the statistics point of view, our country is among the richest countries and climates on Earth to have medicinal plants growth and production. Traditional medicine too, has an undeniable long history. So what is left is to reassess our needs and our possessions and to consider how we can fully benefit from all  these incredible blessings.

Employment and the booming of the local knowledge-based businesses, are among the important hidden and apparent advantages of the nature of medicinal plants. Due to Iran’s four distinctive seasons and its colorful climate, we can benefit from all these and make valuable jobs for the young, the educated and the hard-working. In such circumstances not only do we improve science, increase production and noticeable revenue, but we prevent the unique and invaluable Iranian medicinal plants species from being  forgotten or extinct.

In this course of action, attending to the written resources and the valuable historic documents can be of great help to us. It is expected that we Iranians care for the things we have, more than anyone else. Therefore, we need to re-evaluate the precious resources that have been left to us from the past and learn more of the mysterious and unraveling world of medicinal plants and traditional medicine. This requires a national effort, and the cooperation and participation of all the different organizations and institutions is an undeniable necessity. From scientific and research institutions to the cultural and social ones need to stand together and ward off the unwanted dust from the rosery of Iran.

Dr. Sorena Sattari

Vice-President for Science and Technology and Head of National Elites Foundation