Introduction and review of Masoumis Qarabadin

Background and Qarabadin (pharmacy) is one of the most important fields of traditional medicine, because it contains the valuable past experiences and information on pharmacy and the use of medicines. In this article, from among the many manuscripts written on medicine, especially Qarabadin, one of the most important ones written in Safavid era, i.e. “Masoomi's Qarabadin” by Masoom Ben Karim al-Din Shoshtari Shirazi is discussed. The purpose is to introduce valuable experiences of this lesser-known author.
Methods and Materials: First, the oldest manuscript of the book in The Iranian Parliament was investigated and compared with other available versions in national libraries, Document Center of Tehran University, and Goharshad Mosque. In order to overcome the shortcomings of the original version and to find the salient features of Masoomi's Qarabadin, it was compared with similar books such as Zakhire Kharazmshahi, Al-Asbab and Alamat, Shefaei’s Qarabadin and Aghili’s Qarabadin.
This study showed that this manuscript is significant since it provides important pharmacology information and different prescriptions for the same disease. The author wrote his great work using views of more than forty early and contemporary Hakims, some of whom are not well known. It is also significant in making use of credible medical sources.
The investigation of Masoomi's Qarabadin and its comparison with other books written in this area, we can conclude that the book contains initiatives and innovative experiences of the author in making and using medicines. This shows the importance of studying and understanding this book by those interested in traditional medicine.