The role of Honeywater (Maul Asl) in the treatment of respiratory diseases from Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM) point of view

Most of the ancient civilizations were familiar with Honey as a food and a remedy. Medicinal uses of Honey have been mentioned even in holy Quran and holy Bible. Scholars of Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM) have used Honey in various forms according to their knowledge for treatment of different types of disease. The most common form of Honey mentioned in ITM references is Maul Asl. In this article we have tried to discuss the role of Maul Asl in ITM for management of respiratory conditions and compare them with findings in modern medicine. In this article which is a descriptive review، we searched the Noor software of traditional and Islamic library for keywords Maul Asl and ma-ul-gharaten. Major texts of ITM from 2nd to 14th century were used for this purpose. Ingredients، production methods and medicinal properties were collected. We also searched science direct، google scholar، pubmed and scopus for new medical findings using keywords respiratory disease، asthma، cough، honey، Maul Asl، honeywater، hydromel and collected material regarding medicinal properties of Honey in respiratory problems. Maul Asl is an Arabic word known as Ab-e-angabin in Farsi، Melition in Roman and Ma-ul-gharaten in Greek. There are various ways to prepare Maul Asl in different books but all of them mention water and Honey as main ingredients which are mixed together and boiled using gentle fire until a certain amount is left. What is different in various references is the proportion of water and Honey and the herbs that were added to boost certain effects of Maul Asl. In addition to its general uses as tonic، polisher، coctive and chopper of balgham، Maul Asl can be specifically used for conditions like fever، stomach problems of cold nature، colic، kidney and lung problems. It has especial use in pneumonia، pleuritis، cough، dyspnea، hoarseness of voice and snoring. Discussion & Although no clinical trial regardingthe effect of Maul Asl on respiratory diseases was found، recent findings show the benefits of Honey in management of respiratory problems especially dyspnea، children’s cough and their sleep quality. Since Honey is the main ingredient of Maul Asl، findings regarding the effects of Honey in respiratory problems cannot be underestimated. Considering the therapeutic effects of Maul Asl mentioned in ITM literature، and recent studies that show the effects of Honey on nocturnal cough، allergy and its anti-bacterial properties، plus its safety in terms of side effect، we can conclude that Honey in the form of Maul Asl can be helpful in management of patients with respiratory disease; however we need more future investigations in this field. There are different formulations of simple or compound Maul Asl in ITM literature; based on the particular disease، physicians have added a range of medicinal herbs to give it the necessary property. We hope to witness future investigations focusing on these herbs and their effects on respiratory problems.