The Useful Diet and Medicinal Plants for ADHD from the Viewpoint of Traditional Persian Medicine

The number of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is increasing significantly. Common treatment options mainly include pharmacotherapies, as well as behavioral and psychosocial treatments applied separately or in combination. Currently, however, there is an increasing trend in the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) in children with ADHD. A significant number of parents of children diagnosed with ADHD prefer to use CAM alone or in combination with current pharmacotherapies for their children's symptoms. Palliative interventions on ADHD patients lead to symptomatic reliefs, which can greatly improve the quality of life among these patients. According to the viewpoints of traditional Persian medicine, there are several nutritional advice and medicinal herbs, recommended for palliating ADHD and improving the patients’ quality of life. In this article we present some recommended medicinal plants for these patients, and the suggested changes in their lifestyle, especially in the dietary programs.