Pharmacy in Persian Medicine: A Historical Analysis of Hakim Afzal’s Manafe’e Afzaliyya in the 17th Century AD

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Research Center, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Traditional Medicine, School of Persian Medicine, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

3 Traditional Medicine and History of Medical Sciences Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

4 Student Research Committee, Faculty of Persian Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

5 Traditional and Complementary Medicine Research Center, Addiction Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

6 Mizaj Health Research Institute (MHRI), Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Persian Medicine (PM) is a traditional school of medicine with thousands of years of prolific history. One of the most important Persian medical books in the field of Pharmacy is “Manāfe’e Afzaliyya”. This research aims to conduct a comprehensive examination of pharmacy as described in Hakim Afzal’s Manāfe Afzaliyya. It is a descriptive-analytical study. Data were collected through library research and relevant primary sources, then systematically analyzed. The relationships among the research variables were examined, and the findings are presented herein. In this book, Hakim Afzal categorizes various drugs based on their origin and type and provides numerous clinical studies in the field of pharmacology. He elaborates on the tools and units of drug measurement and explains the methods of drug testing. He prescribes drugs based on bodily systems and emphasizes the influence of geography and climatic conditions on drugs, highlighting the importance of timing in successful pharmacology. The book “Manafe’e Afzaliyya” by Hakim Afzal is a valuable and reliable source in the field of pharmacy during the Safavid period, serving historical studies and contemporary research. 

Highlights

Zahra Aghabeiglooei (Google Scholar) 
Mortaza Mojahedi (Google Scholar) 

Keywords

References

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Journal of Research on History of Medicine
Volume 15, Issue 3
August 2026
Pages 231-252

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