Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Jan-Feb;15(1):794-815.
doi: 10.22038/AJP.2024.24303.

Topical application of medicinal plant oils in pediatric-related disorders: A comparative review article based on traditional Persian medicine

Maryam Mohammadian-Dameski  1 , AhmadShah Farhat  2 , Maliheh Motavasselian  1 , Vahid Reza Askari  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Topical application of medicinal plant oils in pediatric-related disorders: A comparative review article based on traditional Persian medicine

Maryam Mohammadian-Dameski et al. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2025 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Objective: Researchers have considered medicinal oils to prevent and treat pediatric diseases. In the traditional Persian medicine (TPM) doctrine, anointment is widely used in order to avoid and treat diseases. This study aimed to evaluate and reconcile the uses of anointment in children in TPM and the new studies.

Materials and methods: Accordingly, TPM documents were scrutinized for anointments and their applications in pediatric disorders. Moreover, new studies were reviewed in Google scholar, PubMed, Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science until June 2022.

Results: In the health preservation field, TPM scholars have recommended daily anointment with some oils like sweet almonds in the early months after birth to improve growth, strengthen the body, and prevent dry skin, and new studies have confirmed the effectiveness of some oils accordingly. In the treatment field, various oils are recommended, namely sweet almond oil for weight disorders, violet oil for insomnia, olive oil and chamomile oil for functional constipation, infantile colic and enuresis, and olive oil for diaper rash and atopic dermatitis and new studies have shown their effectiveness. Sweet almond, chamomile, violet, olive, and rose oils are among the most widely used oils in Persian medicine for children, which we have discussed in this study.

Conclusion: Due to the non-invasive nature of anointment and the observation of minimal adverse effects in studies, it can be given attention for maintaining pediatric health and treating their diseases.

Keywords: Anointment; Medicinal oil; Pediatric diseases; Traditional Persian medicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Various indirect ways to deliver the drug effect to the target organ, such as reflexology, proximity, membranes, and participation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Abbasi Sh, Kamalinejad M, Babaie D, Shams M, Sadr Z, Gheysari M, Rakhshandeh H. A new topical treatment of atopic dermatitis in pediatric patients based on Ficus carica L A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Complement Ther Med. 2017;35:85–91. - PubMed
    1. Aghili Khorasani MH. Kholaseh al-hekmah. Quom, Ismailiyan publication; 2006. pp. 942–1048.
    1. Aghili Khorasani MH. Makhzan al-adviah. Tehran: Tehran University of Medical Sciences; 2009. pp. 253–841.
    1. Ahmadifard M, Yarahmadi S, Ardalan A, Ebrahimzadeh F, Bahrami P, Sheikhi E. The efficacy of topical basil essential oil on relieving migraine headaches: a randomized triple-blind study. Complement Med Res. 2020;27:259–267. - PubMed
    1. Al-Attar AM. Therapeutic influences of almond oil on male rats exposed to a sublethal concentration of lead. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2020;27:581–587. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources