The Muslim world has seen at least three major devastations of literature in the past thousand years. In 1217 A.D., 1393 A.D. and again in 1920 A.D. books were burned and many original works were lost. The Western world has had to struggle with the same problem (Blair).
After Rome conquered Greece, for example, all that remained of Greek scientific literature was Pliny’s Encyclopedia and Boethius’s treatises on logic and mathematics (Tchanz).
However, thanks to the works of many dedicated translators, the uses of many herbs have been kept alive until now.
Many herbs have not only been recorded in the Hadith and Qur’an, but also by herbalists from both the Western and Eastern world. It is both fascinating and educational to compare and contrast the ways in which various herbs have been used according to translated literature.
Popular Herbs
The following register lists a number of herbs that have endured in popularity in both the East and the West, along with how they have been used by the Prophet and various herbalists.
When herbals are compared from the East and West and cross-referenced with the Qur’an and Hadith the most popular and enduring herbs appear to be: aloe vera, aniseed, basil, coriander, black cumin, fenugreek, frankincense, garlic, ginger, parsley, rose, sage, senna and thyme. To illustrate the common popularity of these herbs I will use the herb aloe vera as an example.
Aloe has had an interesting history in the Middle East. Madame Grieves relates to us in her Modern Herbal that, “The Muslims, especially those in Egypt, regard the Aloe as a religious symbol, and the Mussulman who has made a pilgrimage to the shrine of the Prophet is entitled to hang the aloe over his doorway.
The Mahometans also believe that this holy symbol protects a householder from any malign influence. In the neighborhood of Makkah, at the extremity of every grave, on a spot facing the epitaph, Burckhardt found planted a low shrubby species of Aloe whose Arabic name, saber, signifies patience.
This plant is evergreen and requires very little water. Its name refers to the waiting-time between the burial and the resurrection morning” (Grieves).
Aloe at Time of the Prophet
However, although these traditions became popular, the original usage of aloe by the Muslims was as a medicine. The Prophet said, “Aloes and wart-cress are a sure cure for an illness” (Hadith of Abu Daoud).
Um Salma also reports that the Prophet saw her after she had applied some aloe juice to her face and he said, “It contracts the tissues and it can burn up your skin. Apply it if you wish at night and not during the day” (Abu Dawoud in the Sunan).
Al-Suyuti stated that aloes heal swollen eyelids, clear blockages in the liver, drive out jaundice and gently soothe stomach ulcers (As-Suyuti).
Discorides, a Greek herbalist said, ” Aloe is useful externally for wounds, hemorrhoids, ulcers and hair loss (Discorides).”
Aloe in Modern Time
Madame Grieves, an 18th century European herbalist also used aloe. In her Modern Herbal she said of aloe, “The drug Aloes is one of the safest and best warm and stimulating purgatives to persons of sedentary habits and phlegmatic constitutions.
An ordinary small dose takes from 15 to 18 hours to pro duce an effect. Its action is exerted mainly on the large intestine, for which reason, also it is useful as a vermifuge” (Grieves).
Modern medicine confirms the usefulness of aloe. In his book, The Healing Herbs, Michael Castleman states that, “Scientific evidence of aloe’s wound-healing powers were first documented in 1935 when an American medical journal reported the case of an American woman whose X-ray burns were successfully treated with aloe … A European study suggests that aloe reduces blood sugar levels” (Castleman).
Translation and discovery of more medical literature will probably turn up even more enduring herbs. However, using the previous example as a guide, we can confidently rely on the Hadith to provide us with instruction on herbal healing.
This article is from our archive, originally published on an earlier date, and highlighted now for its importance
References:
- Al-Akili, Imam Muhammad. Natural Healing with Medicine of the Prophet. Philadelphia, PA: Pearl Publishing House, 1993.
- Al-Suyuti, Jalalu’din. As-Suyuti’s Medicine of the Prophet. London: Ta-Ha Publishers, Ltd. 1997.
- Blair, Betty. “The Medical Manuscripts of Azerbaijan: Unlocking their Secrets.”Azerbaijan International. Summer 1997.
- Bianco, Barabara. “About Frankincense and Myrrh.”com.
- Brooke, Elizabeth. Medicine Women: A Pictorial History of Women Healers. Wheaton, Illinois: Quest Books. 1997
- Castleman, Michael. The Healing Herbs. Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale Press. 1991.
- Culpepper, Nicholas. The English physitian. London: Peter Cole. 1652.
- Chishti, Hakim G. M, ND. The Traditional Healer’s Handbook: A Classic Guide to the Medicine of Avicenna. Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press. 1991.
- Grieves, Mrs. M. A Modern Herbal. 1931.
- Harris, Jessica B. The World Beauty Book. San Francisco: Harper Collins Publishing. 1995.
- Johnstone, Penelope. Medicine of the Prophet by Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya. Cambridge: Islamic Text Society. 1998.
- Shook, Edward E. N.D, D.C. “Advanced Treatise in Herbology.” Warsaw, Indiana: Wendell Whitman Company. 1998.
- Tresca, Amber J. “Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Crohn’s Disease.”com