Nutritional and Medicinal Values of Dates (Phoenix Dactylifera L.) From the Perspective of Modern Medicine and Iranian Traditional Medicine

Dates are one of the oldest medicinal foods that contain natural sugars (sucrose, glucose, and fructose), vitamins, minerals, phenolic compounds, and high antioxidants. There is a wide range of secondary metabolites in dates including anthocyanins, carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acid, procyanidin, and sterols. These bioactive compounds have antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and liver protection properties. This study aims to investigate the medicinal and nutritional values of dates in modern medicine and Iranian traditional medicine.

In this review study, data were collected from traditional Iranian-Islamic medicine books (Quran, Makhzan-Al-Adviyeh) and all articles published from 2010 to 2021 in the field of clinical trials on humans and common diseases (Gynecological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal inflammation, and brain disorders) and indexed in online databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, Ovid, MagIran) using specialized keywords.

Due to the antioxidant properties (flavonoid and polyphenolic), dates have been recommended for cardiovascular health, fertility, reduction of inflammation, digestive health, and brain health in modern medicine, and for treating weakness, memory instability, fever, pain, nervous disorders, male and female infertility, pertussis, and bladder pain as a sedative, expectorant, laxative, and diuretic product in traditional medicine (Iranian, Greek, Roman, Chinese and Indian). In Quran (Surah Maryam), it has been mentioned that dates fruit strengthens the contractile and cervical muscles in the last months of pregnancy. It also lowers the blood pressure in pregnant women for a short time, which reduces the amount of bleeding during childbirth.

The results of studies indicate the medicinal and nutritional values of dates in improving the metabolic activities, especially the functions of heart, fertility, digestion, and brain.