Meraque/San Jiao of Eastern Medicine in Comparison with the Mesentery System Presented in Western Medicine

Abstract

Background: In Persian medicine (PM) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), there is an ignored space, namely the Meraque/San Jiao (M/S) space, which in our previous article has been described in detail. Recently, there has been a publication about the mesentery system describing it as a new system with a history of no more than 300 years. According to our previous publications, this is a part of the M/S system, which could represent adipose tissue and vessels. The mesentery and the M/S system can be regarded as one system, except that the mesentery system is a section of the integrated system of M/S with a history of more than 3,000 years; this is the main topic of this report. Key Message: Comparing the mesentery with the Meraque in PM and the San Jiao in TCM, we can conclude that the M/S is more complete than the mesentery. Based on ancient classical texts of PM, the Meraque system has 6 labyrinths and includes all membranes, the fascia, vessels, adipose tissue, and the gut. In PM and TCM, it has a very important role. We will attempt to modernize the M/S. This leads to new methods in treatment, management, and research of Western medicine.