Investigation and prioritization of effective drugs in the treatment of Balkhieh (cutaneous leishmaniasis) in selected sources of Traditional Persian Medicine

Background and Purpose:

The most common form of leishmaniosis, Cutaneous Leishmaniosis (CL) is one of the ten most important parasitic diseases globally, with Iran being one of the seven endemic areas in the world. This study aimed to investigate effective treatments for Balkhieh in selected Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) texts and to propose appropriate treatment suggestions for research.

A library-based study was performed for prioritization of appropriate herbal treatments for cutaneous leishmaniosis in TPM. Queried terms in traditional medicine books available in the comprehensive library of traditional and Islamic medicine (Noor software) included “Rish-e-balkhi, Josh-e- Baghdadi, Habbe-e Baghdadi, mosquito bite, Sanakhar, Saldane (leishmaniosis) and Leishmaniosis”. Moreover, some prominent manuscripts including the Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb were also searched.

The current study revealed that “Marham-e Esfidaj” had the highest frequency and score consisting of Mordasang, Tinny Whitewash, Oil of Rosa damascena, Cinnamomum camphor and vinegar.

Based on the data presented herein, none of the reviewed traditional medicine sources recommended single-herb therapy for Balkhieh, and all treatments had at least two components. Maybe, three component combinations that scored the highest based on the prioritization method could be a good suggestion for laboratory and clinical research projects in the field of finding appropriate herbal treatments for Balkhieh or cutaneous leishmaniosis.