title: Relationship between temperaments of medicinal plants and their major chemical compounds.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine any relationship between temperaments of medicinal plants referred to traditional Iranian manuscripts and their major chemical compounds.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plants used in traditional Iranian medicine were categorized based on their major chemical compounds including alkaloids, phenolic compounds, and essential oils. Their temperaments were extracted from traditional herbal pharmacopeias of Iran. The possible relationship between major chemical compounds and temperaments of each group were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plants containing phenolic compounds as their major constituents are hot and dry temperaments except those contain tannins with cold and dry temperaments. Plants containing essential oils have hot and dry temperaments except those whose major essential oils with alcoholic structure which have cold and dry temperaments. Alkaloid-containing plants have cold and dry or hot and dry temperaments based on their alkaloidal structures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a close relationship between major chemical compounds of medicinal plants and their temperaments mentioned in traditional Iranian manuscripts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Traditional Pharmacy, Faculty of Traditional Iranian Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza Shams
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ardekani
authors.forename: Roja
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rahimi
authors.forename: Behjat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Javadi
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abdi
authors.forename: Mahnaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khanavi
mesh_terms: D007492:Iran; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts