Introduction
Medicinal plants have been widely used traditionally to treat diseases since ancient times. Currently, about 75-80% of people in developing countries and about 25% of people in developed countries use medicinal plants directly or indirectly due to their availability, acceptability, compatibility and affordability. Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM) is one of the richest and oldest forms of traditional medicine in the world. The golden age of traditional-Islamic medicine from the 7th to the 15th century coincides with the golden age of Islamic civilization. People like Abu Ali Sina and Ibn Jaljal (384 AH) are among the most important experts in the field of traditional medicine.
The Quran book is not a medical or health science book, but there are health-related guides in this book. The frequency of references to plants in the Quran is not the same; some plants have been mentioned only once in a verse and few of them have been mentioned more than once. Among the identified plants, date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) has been mentioned 20 times in Surah An-Nahl. It has also been mentioned in others Surahs such as Maryam, Ash-Shu’ara, Al-An’am, Ar-Ra’d, Al-Abs, and Al-Isra. The name of date fruit has also been mentioned in the religious books of Solomon, Tekvin, Samuel, Talmud, Qanon and in rituals and ceremonies of Jewish tradition. Dates are one of the oldest medicinal foods that contain natural sugars, vitamins, minerals, phenolic compounds and high antioxidants. There is a wide range of secondary metabolites in dates including anthocyanins, carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acid, procyanidin and sterols. These bioactive compounds have antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and liver protection properties. Therefore, according to the antioxidant properties of dates in maintaining cardiovascular health, fertility, inflammation, digestion and brain health, this study aims to review the nutritional and medicinal value of dates from the perspectives of modern medicine and ITM.
Methods
In this review study, a search was first conducted in databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, Ovid, and MagIran using the keywords: Islamic Traditional Medicine, Modern Science, Dates, Date palm, Health Benefits, Reproductive potentials, brain health, Cardiovascular protective activity, and Anti-inflammatory on related studies published from 2010 to 2020. Initially, 139 articles were yielded. Of these, 73 eligible articles that were simultaneously discussed on women’s diseases, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, and digestive and brain diseases were finally selected. The contents related to the nutritional and medicinal value of the date plant were discussed and analyzed from the perspective of modern medicine and ITM.
Results
The home of dates is Mesopotamia, and is an important product in the Middle East, South Asia, North Africa and Central America. According to the discoveries in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs and in the Neolithic (related to the New Stone Age) and Upper Paleolithic sites, the role of dates in human nutrition and health dates back to 9000-36000 years ago. Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Iraq are the top five date producing countries in the world. Dates are from the Arecaceae family, which are rich in alkaloids, protein, carbohydrates, fatty acids (linoleic, lauric, palmitic and stearic acids), nutrients (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus), antioxidants (carotenoids, flavonoids and polyphenols) and vitamins which causes its medicinal effect against all kinds of diseases. The therapeutic properties of dates show that a part of needed antioxidants (tocopherols, ascorbic acid and polyphenols) are provided through food sources which reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases and play essential roles in maintaining the body health. Date fruit with high vitamin and antioxidant content (polyphenol containing phenolic acids, flavonoid glycosides, hydroxycinnamates, and oligomeric proanthocyanidins) reduces cardiovascular diseases and maintains human health. Dates have been used as an antihypertensive agent for centuries. The compounds in dates are associated with lowering blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia and lipoprotein oxidation, minimizing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. 
Consumption of dates reduces the use of oxytocin and prostin after childbirth and reduces the time of the latent phase of labor. Due to its saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, dates play a role in the synthesis of prostaglandins, and in this way, they can be effective in energy storage, strengthening the uterine muscles, and reducing bleeding caused by childbirth. In Surah Maryam, verse 25 states: “Shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards yourself and fresh and ripe dates shall fall upon you”. This verse was revealed to Mary during the birth of Jesus. This verse can be an advantage and preference for the nutritional properties of dates. Dates have beneficial effects on pregnant women. This fruit strengthens the contractile and cervical muscles in the last months of pregnancy. It also lowers blood pressure in pregnant women for a short period of time, which reduces the amount of bleeding during childbirth. Through the effect of oxytocin receptors, dates cause a better response of the uterine muscles to oxytocin and more effective uterine contractions.
Discussion
Dates have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, digestive system protection and anti-cancer properties that are vital for human health. All parts of dates such as fruit, seeds, pollen, leaves and syrup are useful for humans and animals. The phenolic and flavonoid contents prevent the formation of prostaglandin endoperoxide and reduce inflammation. Also, the abundant iron in dates can cure anemia, and its potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and various anti-depressant vitamins B and C are effective in strengthening the brain and nerves and eliminating fatigue, depression, and bad mood. The antioxidant properties of dates protect brain cells against oxygen free radicals. Date fruit is used in traditional medicine in different parts of the world to treat various disorders such as memory disorders, loss of consciousness, nervous disorders, etc.
The findings of this review study indicate the importance of medicinal and nutritional value of dates in improving the body’s metabolic activities, especially heart, reproductive, digestive and brain functions.
Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
 In this study, ethical considerations of trustworthiness and other ethical principles are studied.
Funding
This research did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors. 
Authors' contributions
All authors equally contributed to preparing this article.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.

 

1. Hossain M S, Urbi Z, Evamoni F Z, Zohora F T, Rahman K M H. A secondary research on medicinal plants mentioned in the holy Qur’an. Journal of Medicinal Plants. 2016; 15(59):81-97. [Link]
2. Brahmachari G. Natural products in drug discovery: Impacts and opportunities-An assessment. In: Brahmachari G, editors. Bioactive Natural Products Opportunities and Challenges in Medicinal Chemistry. Singapore: World Scientific; 2012. [DOI:10.1142/9789814335386_0001]
3. Sharma M, Gupta SK, Majumder B, Maurya VK, Deeba F, Alam A, et al. Proteomics unravel the regulating role of salicylic acid in soybean under yield limiting drought stress. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 2018; 130:529-41. [DOI:10.1016/j.plaphy.2018.08.001]
4. Borah P, Sharma E, Kaur A, Chandel G, Mohapatra T, Kapoor S, et al. Analysis of drought-responsive signalling network in two contrasting rice cultivars using transcriptome-based approach. Scientific Repprts. 2017; 7:42131. [DOI:10.1038/srep42131] [PMID] [PMCID]
5. Setianingsih N, Ula AM, Purnamasari R. [Effect of methanol extract from meat date fruit (phoenix dactylifiera) to total amount leukocytes embryo of mouse (Mus Musculus) (Malay)]. Paper presented at: Proceedings of The National Seminar Iii. 29 April 2017; Malang, Indonesia. [Link]
6. Ekor M. The growing use of herbal medicines: issues relating to adverse reactions and challenges in monitoring safety. Frontiers in pharmacology. 2014; 4:177. [Link]
7. Bagherzadeh Karimi A, Elmi A, Zargaran A, Mirghafourvand M, Fazljou SMB, Araj-Khodaei M, et al. Clinical effects of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.): A systematic review on clinical trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2020; 51:102429. [DOI:10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102429] [PMID]
8. Thoker SA, Patel S. Role of traditional islamic and arabic plants in treatment of fever. Tropical Plant Research. 2020; 7(1):144-8. [DOI:10.22271/tpr.2020.v7.i1.019]
9. Bajirova M. Hygiene and health in Quran and Science. EC Gynaecology. 2017; 1:44-55. [Link]
10. Barakat A, Wakim LH, Apostolides NA, Srour G, El Beyrouthy M. Variation in the essential oils of Thymbra spicata L. growing wild in Lebanon according to the date of harvest. Journal of Essential Oil Research. 2013; 25(6):506-11. [DOI:10.1080/10412905.2013.809321]
11. T Shali Saheb, S Madarvali, D Sameer, Md. Obaidullah. Ethno- medicinal significance of selected plant species mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and the Ahadith. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. 2019; 8(1):972-6. [Link]
12. Qadir A, Anjum MA, Nawaz A, Ejaz S, Altaf MA, Shahid R, et al. Growth of cherry tomato in response to salicylic acid and glycinebetaine under water stress condition. Middle East Journal of Agriculture Research. 2019; 8(3):762-75. [Link]
13. Fernández-López J, Viuda-Martos M, Sayas-Barberá E, Navarro-Rodríguez de Vera C, Pérez-Álvarez JÁ. Biological, nutritive, functional and healthy potential of date palm fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.): Current research and future prospects. Agronomy. 2022; 12(4):876. [DOI:10.3390/agronomy12040876]
14. Harkat H, Bousba R, Benincasa C, Atrouz K, Gültekin-Özgüven M, Altuntaş Ü, et al. Assessment of biochemical composition and antioxidant properties of algerian date palm (phoenix dactylifera L.) seed oil. Plants (Basel). 2022; 1(3):381. [DOI:10.3390/plants11030381] [PMID] [PMCID]
15. Ghilavizadeh A, Hadidi Masouleh E, Zakerin H, Valadabadi S, Sayfzadeh S, Yousefi M. Influence of salicylic acid on growth, yield and macro-elements absorption of fennel (foeniculum vulgare mill.) under water stress. Journal of Medicinal plants and By-product, 2019; 8(1):67-75.[DOI:10.22092/JMPB.2019.119386]
16. Ali Z, Li J, Zhang Y, Naeem N, Younas S, Javeed F. Dates (phoenix dactylifera) and date vinegar: Preventive role against various diseases and related in vivo mechanisms. Food Reviews International. 2020; 38(4):480-507. [DOI:10.1080/87559129.2020.1735411]
17. Moosavy H, Shavisi N, Khatibi S A. Survey of nutritional and remedial properties of date palm in Quran, hadiths, traditional and modern medicine. Journalk of Islamic and Iranian Traditional Medicine. 2017; 8(3):297-308. http://jiitm.ir/article-1-903-en.html
18. Qaraati M. Tafsiral Noor. Tehran: Cultural Center of Lessons from the Quran; 2014. [Link]
19. Fatha M. Selection of date’s microflorawith high alcoholic fermentation potential [MA thesis]. Algeria: University Ahmed Draia; 2020. [Link]
20. Guatelli-Steinberg D. What teeth reveal about human evolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2016. [Link]
21. El Hadrami A, Al-Khayri JM. Socioeconomic and traditional importance of date palm. Emirates Journal of food and Agriculture. 2012; 24(5):371. [Link]
22. Yousuf PY, Ahmad A, Ganie AH, Sareer O, Krishnapriya V, Aref IM, et al. Antioxidant response and proteomic modulations in Indian mustard grown under salt stress. Plant Growth Regulation. 2017; 81(1):31-50. [DOI:10.1007/s10725-016-0182-y]
23. AlFaris NA, AlTamimi JZ, AlMousa LA, AlGhamidi FA, Alzaheb RA, Albaridi NA. Antioxidant content determination in ripe date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.): A scoping review. Food Analytical Methods. 2021; 14(5):897-921. [Link]
24. Barros L. Natural antioxidants and human health effects. Current Pharmaceutical Design. 2020; 26(16):1757-8. [Link]
25. AlFaris NA, AlTamimi JZ, AlGhamdi FA, Albaridi NA, Alzaheb RA, Aljabryn DH, et al. Total Phenolic Content in Ripe Date Fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Elsevier [Internet]. [cited 2021 Jun 7]; Available from: [Link]
26. Adenike JO, Sunday OS, Adewale AA. The impact of fermentation on the proximate and mineral composition of phoenix dactylifera L flour. Covenant Journal of Physical and Life Sciences. 2015; 3(1). [Link]
27. Saki K, Kazemi-Ghoshchi B, Asadzadeh J, Kheiri A, Hajigholizadeh G, Sotoudeh A, et al. Quran medicine: Studying from modern science perspective. Journal of Novel Applied Sciences. 2014; 3(1):1298-302. [Link]
28. Sharma SB, Gupta R. Drug development from natural resource: A systematic approach. Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry. 2015; 15(1):52-7. [PMID] [DOI:10.2174/138955751501150224160518]
29. Kehili HE, Zerizer S, Beladjila KA, Kabouche Z. Anti-inflammatory effect of Algerian date fruit (phoenix dactylifera). Food and Agricultural Immunology. 2016; 27(6):820-9. [DOI:10.1080/09540105.2016.1183597]
30. Rasti Sani M, Ganjeali A, Lahouti M, Mousavi Kouhi SM. Morphological and physiological responses of two common bean cultivars to drought stress. Journal of Plant Process and Function. 2018; 6(22):37-46. [Link]
31. Al-Kuran O, Al-Mehaisen L, Bawadi H, Beitawi S, Amarin Z. The effect of late pregnancy consumption of date fruit on labour and delivery. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2011; 31(1):29-31. [DOI:10.3109/01443615.2010.522267] [PMID]
32. Vayalil PK. Date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera Linn): An emerging medicinal food. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2012; 52(3):249-71. [DOI:10.1080/10408398.2010.499824] [PMID]
33. Tabatabai MH. [Tafsir Al-Mizan (Persian)]. Qom: Publications of Qom Scientific Field Teachers Association; 1995. [Link]
34. Qara’ati M. Tafsir Noor. Tehran: Institute of Lessons from the Quran; 2005.
35. ALbaghdadi M A. [Alteb menalketab ve sanat (Arabic)]. Beirut: Darolmarefat; 1988. [Link]
36. Kordi M, Meybodi FA, Tara F, Fakari FR, Nemati M, Shakeri M. Effect of dates in late pregnancy on the duration of labor in nulliparous women. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research. 2017; 22(5):383-7. [DOI:10.4103/ijnmr.IJNMR_213_15] [PMID] [PMCID]
37. Kariman N, Yousefy Jadidi M, Jam Bar Sang S, Rahbar N, Afrakhteh M, Lary H. [The effect of consumption date fruit on cervical ripening and delivery outcomes (Persian)]. Pajouhande. 2015; 20(2):72-7. [Link]
38. Fathi L, Amraei k. [Effects of phoenix dactylifera syrup consumption on the severity of labor pain and length of the active phase of labor in nulliparous women (Persian)]. Iran Journal of Nursing. 2019; 31(116):18-27. [DOI:10.29252/ijn.31.116.18]
39. Zhang F, Li S, Yang S, Wang L, Guo W. Overexpression of a cotton annexin gene, GhAnn1, enhances drought and salt stress tolerance in transgenic cotton. Plant Molecular Biology. 2015; 87(1-2):47-67. [DOI:10.1007/s11103-014-0260-3] [PMID]
40. Zhang CR, Aldosari SA, Vidyasagar PS, Shukla P, Nair MG. Health-benefits of date fruits produced in Saudi Arabia based on in vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and human tumor cell proliferation inhibitory assays. Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences. 2011; N16(3):287-93. [DOI:10.1016/j.jssas.2015.09.004]
41. Barakat AZ, Hamed AR, Bassuiny RI, Abdel-Aty AM, Mohamed SA. Date palm and saw palmetto seeds functional properties: Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization. 2020; 14(2):1064-72. [DOI:10.1007/s11694-019-00356-5]
42. Alhaider IA, Mohamed ME, Ahmed KKM, Kumar AHS. Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) fruits as a potential cardioprotective agent: The role of circulating progenitor cells. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2017; 8:592. [DOI:10.3389/fphar.2017.00592] [PMID] [PMCID]
43. Kehili HE, Zerizer S, Beladjila KA, Kabouche Z. Anti-inflammatory effect of Algerian date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera). Food and agricultural Immunology. 2016; 27(6):820-9. [Link]
44. Guo C, Yang J, Wei J, Li Y, Xu J, Jiang Y. Antioxidant activities of peel, pulp and seed fractions of common fruits as determined by FRAP assay. Nutrition Research. 2003; 23(12):1719-26. [DOI:10.1016/j.nutres.2003.08.005]
45. El Arem A, Zekri M, Thouri A, Saafi EB, Ghrairi F, Ayed A, et al. Oxidative damage and alterations in antioxidant enzyme activities in the kidneys of rat exposed to trichloroacetic acid: Protective role of date palm fruit. Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry. 2014; 70(2):297-309. [DOI:10.1007/s13105-013-0302-3] [PMID]
46. Belewu KY, Belewu MA, Lawal AM, Belewu NO, Abdulsalam K. Date-coconut drink: Physico-chemical and sensory qualities. Daffodil International University Journal of Science and Technology. 2014; 9(2). [Link]
47. Toubane A, Rezzoug SA, Besombes C, Daoud K. Optimization of accelerated solvent extraction of carthamus caeruleus l. evaluation of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of extracts. Industrial Crops and Products. 2017; 97:620-31. [DOI:10.1016/j.indcrop.2016.12.002]
48. Tabarsi H. [Makarem al-Akhlaq (Persian)]. Tehran: Farahani; 2005. [Link]
49. Dastbandannejad SD, Sakinejad T, Lack S. Study effect drought stress and different levels potassium fertilizer on K accumulation in corn. Nature and Science. 2010; 8(5):23-7. [Link]
50. Channa FA, Khan MA, Narejo NT. The benefits of honey and science: Quraa’n and hadith perspective. Journal of Grassroots. 2018; 52(1):236-45. [Link]
51. Baliga MS, Baliga BR, Kandathil SM, Bhat HP, Vayalil PK. A review of the chemistry and pharmacology of the date fruits (phoenix dactylifera L.). Food Research International. 2011; 44(7):1812-22. [Doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2010.07.004]
52. Ismail WI, Radzi MN. Evaluation on the benefits of date palm (phoenix dactylifera) to the brain. Alternative & Integrative Medicine. 2013; 2(4):1000112-5. [DOI:10.4172/2327-5162.1000115]
53. Mallhi TH, Qadir MI, Ali M, Ahmad B, Khan YH, Rehman A. Review: Ajwa date (phoenix dactylifera)- an emerging plant in pharmacological research. Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2014; 27(3):607-16. [PMID]
54. Siregar FLS, Kaban FO. The effect of the date palm on the increase of short-term memory and concentration of learning. Paper Presented at: International Conference of Science, Technology, Engineering, Environmental and Ramification Researches (ICOSTEERR 2018). 30 August 2018; Sumatra Utara, Indonesia. [Link]
55. Sheikh BY, Zihad SM, Sifat N, Uddin SJ, Shilpi JA, Hamdi OA, et al. Comparative study of neuropharmacological, analgesic properties and phenolic profile of Ajwah, Safawy and Sukkari cultivars of date palm (phoenix dactylifera). Oriental Pharmacy and Experimental Medicine. 2016; 16(3):175-83. [DOI:10.1007/s13596-016-0239-5] [PMID] [PMCID]
56. Agbon AN, Ingbian SD, Dahiru AU. Preliminary histological and histochemical studies on the neuroprotective effect of aqueous fruit extract of phoenix dactylifera L.(Date Palm) on atesunate-induced cerebellar damage in wistar rats. Sub-Saharan African Journal of Medicine. 2014; 1(4):204. [DOI:10.4103/2384-5147.144744]
57. Hadrami A El. JA-K-EJ of food, 2012 undefined. Socioeconomic and traditional importance of date palm. academia.edu [Internet]. [cited 2021 Jun 11]; Available from: [Link]