Dietary recommendation for Iron Deficiency Anemia in Persian Medicine

Background: Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world. Iron deficiency anemia may be associated with various symptoms, and most patients are treated with oral supplements or infusion therapy. In recent years, importance of nutrition in the improvement of Iron deficiency anemia has been highlighted. Based on the Iranian Traditional Medicine, foods have major effects on prevention and treatment of diseases. Method: In this study Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) books such as Canon of Avicenna, Kamel al -Sina'ah al- Tibbiyah and Makhzan al Advieh were assessed and the information about blood-producing foods and their effect on improving iron deficiency were investigated. Result: There are some foods, which can be effective in iron deficiency anemia. Some of these foods have animal origin such as eggs and meat and some have plant origin such as chickpeas, grapes and figs. Conclusion: According TPM, Nutritious foods and Blood humor-producing foods are the right options for iron supply. Also, these foods can help iron deficiency through various mechanisms alone or with medication.