Research in Ethnobiology and Sustainable Development

Research in Ethnobiology and Sustainable Development

Traditional Ophthalmology (Kahali)

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Researcher in the field of Anthropology and Indigenous Knowledge of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Traditional medicine is a medical practice that has long been common and widespread in the Middle East and is known as ancient medicine. Traditional medicine is one of the fields of indigenous knowledge whose documentation and preservation are important both as scientific and cultural assets of the country and as a basis for the development of modern scientific knowledge. Given the importance of this issue, this study has addressed Kahali as a branch of traditional medicine that had a special branch in the past, and this technique has been separate from medicine since ancient times. This qualitative research was conducted using a combination of field and library methods, and in the library section, it benefited from existing ethnography and anthropological research. Based on the findings of this study, Kahali's knowledge of traditional Iranian medicine can be categorized into various treatment methods, including herbal, non-herbal, and magic therapies, each with distinct types of treatment. Herbal treatments include the use of a variety of plants, often native. Non-herbal therapies include these methods: therapies with human origin; therapies with animal intestines and viscera; transfer therapy; belief therapy; incense therapy; bird therapy; razor therapy; ink therapy; insect therapy; soil therapy; reptile therapy; food therapy; blood therapy; burn therapy; prayer therapy; smoke and soot therapy; color therapy; pottery therapy; stone therapy; shock therapy; glass therapy; metal therapy; mineral therapy; earth therapy; and poultry therapy. The following are some of the magic therapy methods: egg writing, tattooing, eye picking, burning alum, and Dasbesun. In all three methods, the stages of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment were considered. This research shows how ordinary people, even common people, who were completely deprived of treatment and health, treated the most dangerous eye diseases with intelligence and experience, using the available facilities, and in some cases, surpassed Western doctors in treatment.

  • Receive Date 15 December 2025
  • Revise Date 04 April 2026
  • Accept Date 21 April 2026