Anbarnesa: The Past Tradition, the Future Medicine.

CONTEXT In the Iranian traditional medicine, anbarnesa smoke derived from burning female donkey's dung has long been used for treatment of inflammatory ulcers and infections of the middle and external ear with no significant side effects. The aim of this study was to introduce anbarnesa and discuss its therapeutic effects. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Medline, Google, and Google Scholar databases to find studies on anbarnesa. The keywords searched were as follows: "anbarnesa," "traditional medicine," "medicinal smoke," "donkey," "dung," "antimicrobial," "inflammation," "infection," and "cytotoxicity. RESULTS Literature review reveals that ANNAS (anbarnesa smoke) enhances wound healing, decreases scar formation, inhibits growth of cancer cells (Hela and KB) and has antimicrobial properties. Also, ANNAS combined with propylene glycol is nontoxic in 1/64, 1/128, and 1/256 dilutions. CONCLUSIONS The constituents of anbarnesa smoke mainly possess antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and growth inhibition effects on cancer cells.