Relationship Between Temperaments of Herbal Diuretics and Their Effects Based on Avicenna’s Teaching

authors:

avatar Amir Mohammad Jaladat a , avatar Fatemeh Atarzadeh a , avatar Reihane Moeini b , avatar Ali Ghobadi c , avatar Omid Sadeghpour d , *

Department of Traditional Medicine, School of Traditional Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Department of Traditional Medicine, School of Traditional Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Traditional Pharmacy and Traditional Pharmacy & Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Herbal medicine department, research institute for Islamic and complementary medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences.
Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research : IJPR: Vol.16, issue Suppl; 227-228
article type: Letter to Editor
received: January , 2015
accepted: January , 2015
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22037/ijpr.2017.1984

how to cite: Jaladat A M, Atarzadeh F, Moeini R, Ghobadi A, Sadeghpour O. Relationship Between Temperaments of Herbal Diuretics and Their Effects Based on Avicenna’s Teaching. Iran J Pharm Res. 2017;16(Suppl):e124915. https://doi.org/10.22037/ijpr.2017.1984.

Letter to editor

Avicenna (980-1037 AD), the foremost Iranian physician, introduced numerous herbs as diuretics in his renowned book of Canon of Medicine. He has recommended herbal diuretics for most ailments accompanied by fluid superabundance like lassitude, oedema, and ascites. (1)

He has classified diuretics as cold and hot ones according to their primary action and temperament (Table 1). Hot temperament diuretics have the power to dissolve or dilute viscous and congealed fluids from the pores of an organ and move them toward the urinary tract, while cold temperament diuretics act as a detergent and moistener to wash the residual matter from the body. (1)

Hot temperament diuretics are more potent than cold ones and can cause menorrhagia. They are contraindicated in the presence of irritative urinary symptoms whereas cold diuretics are advised for burning sensation secondary to urinary tract injuries and dryness. (1)

Today studies on the introduced herbal diuretics by Avicenna are scarce, though some have indicated their properties. For example Positive effects of cold temperament herbal diuretics like Pumpkin seeds in lower urinary tract symptoms of altered prostate health factors have been shown in clinical study (2) while hot diuretics like celery has been prohibited in the presence of symptomatic urinary tract infection due to its irritative volatile oil effect. (3)

The concept regarding potency of diuretic herbs, introduced by Avicenna is in line with the recent findings; hot temperament diuretics like parsley and celery are considered as strong diuretic herbs, (4) while cold ones like Malvaceae are used as mild diuretic. (5)

In recent investigation hot temperament diuretic herbs like anise, and fennel that are dissolvent were more efficient in decreasing weight of normal rats than cold ones such as cucumber, watermelon, and pumpkin; however, none of them did not increase the amount of urine output significantly. (6)

Overall, it seems that different medicinal indications could be considered for hot and cold temperament herbal diuretics, they do not act specifically in the nephrons, and they may play different therapeutic role in gastrointestinal and urogenital systems.

Table 1

Different classes and actions of herbal diuretics in the Canon of Medicine. (1, 7)

Common nameScientific nameName in CanonPart usedfamily
Common hot temperament / strong diuretics(Act as dissolvent, deobstruent, and emmenagogue)
AnisePimpinella anisumAnisunFruitApiaceae
Black seedNigella sativaShunizFruitRanunculaceae
Celery seedApium graveolensKarafsFruitApiaceae
Carrot fruitDaucus carotaJazarFruitApiaceae
Cassia barkCinnamomum cassiaSalikhahBarkLauraceae
Fennel Foeniculum vulgare RazianehFruitApiaceae
Orris rootIris germanicaIrsaRhizomeIridaceae
AsparagusAsparagus racemosus WilldHilyunRootAsparagaceae
ParsleyPetroselinum crispum (Mill) FussFutrasaliyunWhole plantApiaceae
Common cold temperament / mild diuretics(Act as a detergent and moistener and useful in lower urinary tract symptoms like dysuria)
CucumberCucumis flexuosusQithaFruitCucurbitaceae
PumpkinCucurbita pepoQarFruitCucurbitaceae
Common malvaMalva sylvestrisKhubbaziFlowermalvaceae
PurslanePortulaca oleraceaBaqla hamqaLeaves and seedsPortulacaceae
Small caltropsTribulus terrestrisHasakFruit Zygophyllaceae
Winter – cherryPhysalis AlkekengiKakenjFruitsolanaceae

References

  • 1.

  • 2.

    Vahlensieck W, Theurer C, Pfitzer E, Patz B, Banik N, Engelmann U. Effects of pumpkin seed in men with lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia in the one-year, randomized, placebo-controlled GRANU study. Urologia Int. 2015;94:286-295.

  • 3.

    Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. Montvale: Thomson PDR; 2004. 184 p.

  • 4.

    Yarnell E. Botanical medicines for the urinary tract. World J. Urol. 2002;20:285-93. [PubMed ID: 12522584].

  • 5.

    Wright CI, Van-Buren L, Kroner CI, Koning MMG. Herbal medicines as diuretics: A review of the scientific evidence. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2007;114:1-31. [PubMed ID: 17804183].

  • 6.

    Parvinroo S, Zahediasl S, Sabetkasaei M, Kamalinejad M, Naghibi F. The effects of selected hot and cold temperament herbs based on Iranian traditional medicine on some metabolic parameters in normal rats. Iran. J. Pharm. Res. 2014;13((Suppl)):177.

  • 7.

    Ghahreman A, Okhovvat A. Matching The Old Descriptions of Medicinal Plants with the Scientific Ones. Iran: Tehran University Press; 2010. several pages.