Reflection of traditional medical advice in Persian proverbs

Proverbs are one of the most important fields of study in the popular literature of any country, through which the reflection of collective wisdom and the history of thinkers can be studied and analyzed. A significant part of Persian proverbs is related to medical and health recommendations, which are analyzed and classified in this article. Initially, related proverbs were extracted from the book One Hundred Thousand Persian Proverbs. Subsequently, studying and examining the content, we classified them under recommendations and avoidances and by referring to selected Persian books such as Hidayat al-Muta`allimin fi al-Tibb, Al-Abnyia 'an Haqa'iq al-Adwiya, Zakhireye Khwarazmshahi, Ibn Sina's works such as Rag Shenasi, Risalah Judiyah, and Dafi’ al-Madar al-Kuliyyah ‘an al-Abdan al-Insaniyyah, as well as the Comprehensive Library of Traditional Medicine software, where necessary. We compared the obtained information with the scientific content of the mentioned books and gathered the results presented in this article. An excerpt from a master's thesis, this research is descriptive-analytical and library method was used to gather information. Based on results, out of 100,000 proverbs in Persian, about 4,000 are related to traditional medicine, which include recommendations and avoidances, names of diseases, and types of treatments and medicinal plants. This article has reviewed the do's and don'ts and health and medical recommendations among them, and where necessary, has analyzed and reviewed the obtained information according to the original texts of Persian Medicine. Health and medical advice are directly related to the health of the human body and soul, and has always been an important human concern. Their reflection in popular culture and literature can be traced in terms of direct references in proverbs. Proverbs reflect the most common and well-known popular beliefs on do's and don'ts of health and medical advice. They are consistent with the information obtained from medical books in the golden ages of knowledge in Persian language, i.e. the 4th and 5th Hijri centuries.