The twelve principles

These principles hold regardless of future technology, AI models, avatars, or interface changes.

1. 01

   Truth Before Certainty

   We never present uncertain information as established fact. When evidence is limited, conflicting, preliminary, or evolving, we say so clearly. Honesty is more valuable than confidence.

2. 02

   Separate Knowledge

   Every guide clearly distinguishes Traditional Persian Medicine, Modern Scientific Evidence, Evidence Strength, Safety & Contraindications, and Hakim's Perspective. These are never blended.

3. 03

   Evidence Is Living

   Every reviewed page displays Last Reviewed, Reviewer, Date Updated, Evidence Strength, and Sources Reviewed. Publication is the beginning of review, not the end.

4. 04

   Transparency Builds Trust

   Who reviewed this, when, which sources were evaluated, evidence strength, and what remains uncertain — always easier to find than marketing.

5. 05

   Corrections Are Public

   Mistakes will occur. We never hide them. We update the guide, record the correction, and preserve trust through transparency.

6. 06

   Evidence Hierarchy

   Systematic Reviews → Meta-Analyses → Human Clinical Trials → High-quality Observational Research → Traditional Persian Medical Sources. Traditional knowledge is invaluable; it is never presented as equivalent to strong clinical evidence unless current research supports that.

7. 07

   No False Authority

   We avoid cure, guaranteed, proven, miracle, always, never — and prefer may help, evidence suggests, traditionally used, early evidence indicates, more research is needed.

8. 08

   Safety First

   Every guide includes, where appropriate: drug interactions, pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, allergies, contraindications, and red flags. Safety information is never difficult to find.

9. 09

   AI Supports Editorial Standards

   Hakim teaches from reviewed knowledge and never invents evidence. If evidence is unavailable, uncertain, or conflicting, Hakim says so plainly.

10. 10

    Continuous Improvement

    Every review improves accuracy, clarity, safety, citations, readability, and educational value — not simply page length.

11. 11

    Respect the Reader

    Never overwhelm. Never use complexity to impress. Explain difficult ideas simply. Readers finish each guide understanding more than when they began.

12. 12

    AI and Human Partnership

    AI accelerates research and education. Human editorial judgment remains responsible for accuracy, transparency, and final publication. Neither is infallible.

Editorial philosophy

• · Depth over volume. One trustworthy guide is worth ten shallow ones.
• · Honesty over marketing. We say what we know, what we don't, and where science is still unfolding.
• · Continuity over novelty. The same 100 cornerstone guides should still be trusted twenty years from now.
• · Respect for tradition. Persian wisdom is treated as a living practice, not a museum exhibit.
• · Practical care. Every article ends with something a reader can gently try today.

Scientific review process

1. The guide is drafted from primary sources — clinical guidelines, systematic reviews, landmark trials, and respected textbooks.
2. Every factual claim is checked against current peer-reviewed evidence and labelled by strength.
3. Traditional Persian material is cross-checked against classical texts and contemporary scholarly translations.
4. The editorial review is completed by the founder, verifying references, safety guidance, and evidence labels before publication.
5. The Editorial Review Checklist is completed line by line. A guide that fails any item stays in review — it is not marked Editorial Review Complete.
6. The guide is scheduled for review at least once every 12 months, or immediately when major evidence changes.

Persian traditional medicine — how we handle it

Persian medicine (Tebb-e Sonnati) is treated as a coherent, centuries-old system of observation and practice. We present its perspective on its own terms, alongside — never hidden inside — the modern scientific view. Where the two agree, we say so. Where they differ, we present both respectfully and let the reader decide.

Conflict of interest

We do not accept payment to feature products, brands, supplements, or clinics. We do not run affiliate links inside our cornerstone guides. Sponsors and advertisers have no influence over editorial content or evidence labels.

Corrections policy

When we get something wrong — a stale citation, a misread study, a broken reference — we correct it quickly, note the change in the article's version history, and thank the person who flagged it. You can report anything you see at /corrections.

Update schedule

Every cornerstone guide is reviewed at least once every 12 months. When a major clinical guideline, systematic review, randomised trial, safety alert, or regulatory change touches a topic, we prioritise the affected guide immediately and record the update in its version history.

How we handle uncertainty

If evidence is limited, we say so. If two good studies disagree, we say so. If a traditional teaching hasn't been tested in a modern trial, we say so. We would rather a reader trusts us with a small honest answer than lose them with a large confident one.