https://jresd.hsu.ac.ir/ Research in Ethnobiology and Sustainable Development en daily 1 Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://jresd.hsu.ac.ir/article_242517.html 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. https://jresd.hsu.ac.ir/article_244174.html This study was conducted using an ethnographic approach with the aim of documenting, describing, and analyzing the indigenous knowledge system related to the Elaeagnus angustifolia (Russian olive or “senjed”) tree in Semnan Province, Iran. Data were collected through participant observation and in-depth ethnographic interviews with 27 local orchardists and knowledge holders from various areas of the province, using purposive sampling, and were analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings of this ethnographic research, in addition to documenting local names and native varieties, reveal the multifaceted roles of senjed in everyday life in the past, including its culinary, hygienic–cleaning, fuel, and potential medicinal uses within its cultural context. Furthermore, the reflection of senjed in oral literature, including proverbs, songs, and local descriptions, was analyzed as part of the community’s cultural material. The study emphasizes that senjed, beyond being an orchard product, constitutes an element of the region’s intangible cultural heritage and historical subsistence economy, and that ethnographic methodology provides an essential tool for a deep, contextualized, and systematic understanding of these cultural connections ethnographic approach with the aim of documenting, describing, and analyzing the indigenous knowledge system related to the Elaeagnus angustifolia (Russian olive or “senjed”) tree in Semnan Province, Iran. Data were collected through participant observation and in-depth ethnographic interviews with 27 local orchardists and knowledge holders from various areas of the province, using purposive sampling, and were analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings of this ethnographic research, in addition to documenting local names and native varieties, reveal the multifaceted roles of senjed in everyday life in the past, including its culinary, hygienic–cleaning, fuel, and potential medicinal uses within its cultural context. Furthermore, the reflection of senjed in oral literature, including proverbs, songs, and local descriptions, was analyzed as part of the community’s cultural material. The study emphasizes for a https://jresd.hsu.ac.ir/article_240802.html Understanding the use, role, and characteristics of trees and plants in the eyes of humans is one of the important topics of ethnobotany studies. In this research, this issue has been addressed by examining Iranian legends in order to open a window towards popular culture and literature from this perspective. With this aim, based on the 8-volume collection of Iranian legends by Mohammad Ghasemzadeh, a descriptive-analytical method was used to examine the various roles that plants and trees had in the narrative of these legends; on the one hand, some general and specific characteristics of plants, including their healing or their power in magic, were examined, and it was determined that plants and trees could sometimes act as helpers of the hero of the story and play an important role in the hero's journey. Trees could fly and change shape. It was also determined that plants and trees, with their magical properties, are the agents of incarnation, awareness, speed increase, crossing the sea, and even raising the dead.Understanding the use, role, and characteristics of trees and plants in the eyes of humans is one of the important topics of ethnobotany studies. In this research, this issue has been addressed by examining Iranian legends in order to open a window towards popular culture and literature from this perspective. With this aim, based on the 8-volume collection of Iranian legends by Mohammad Ghasemzadeh, a descriptive-analytical method was used to examine the various roles that plants and trees had in the narrative of these legends; https://jresd.hsu.ac.ir/article_243919.html heritage, particularly in the long-standing and rich context of Iran. Within this sphere, facilities, utensils for storage, preparation, and consumption of food, and the food itself are central elements. Many of these tools have survived to the present day and continue to be used under their traditional names, facilitating their identification.Dining vessels, often decorated, were especially valued by upper- and middle-class households. Kitchen and table tools varied in form, size, and material. Despite limited documentation, archaeological findings provide valuable insights to complement this knowledge. This research examines the relationships between dining vessels and geographical context, social and economic interactions, arts and crafts, household economic status, and modifications influenced by Islamic jurisprudence.he findings indicate that material availability, financial cost, and religious regulations were the primary determinants shaping food-related tools and utensils. Data for this study were collected through library research and subsequently analyzed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject.he domain of food and its associated practices represents a significant aspect of cultural and civilizational heritage, particularly in the long-standing and rich context of Iran. Within this sphere, facilities, utensils for storage, preparation, and consumption of food, and the food itself are central elements. Many of these tools have survived to the present day and continue to be used under their traditional names, facilitating their identification.Dining vessels, often decorated, were especially valued by upper- and middle-class households. Kitchen and table tools varied in form, size, and material. Despite limited documentation, archaeological findings provide valuable insights to complement this knowledge. This research examines the relationships between dining vessels and geographical context, social and economic interactions, arts and crafts, household economic status, and modifications influenced by Islamic jurisprudence.