Healing with Islamic Herbal Medicine
Did you know Islam has its own tradition of herbal healing? While it may be less well-known compared to the Ayurveda, TCM, and Western herbal medicine systems, it has much to offer in the way of plant-based healing and holistic wellness.
Before delving into the fascinating world of Islamic herbal medicine, consider the following example:
Every fall, when the air gets dry and the temperatures cool, your respiratory problems start (or worsen). Your morning rush might start with a sore throat, stuffy nose, or sneezing and coughing. Just a few signs from your body to let you know your respiratory system needs more support. The allergy meds, the cough syrup, an inhaler---these are, at best, giving maybe a bit of temporary relief. But, they don't keep you from having to run to the store and spend lots and lots of money just to feel better.
While alternative medicine sounds tempting, it seems like it's hard to make it work. There's no shortage of well-meaning advice on how to save money and time with natural health.
Just ask the internet.
Or, just wait for your well-meaning neighbor or a friend to drop some unsolicited advice, like, "You should have some honey and some ginger." Sounds easy enough.
But?
It didn’t work. So now, you're right back where you started.
In fact, natural medicine does work in a lot of common (and not so common) cases. It's been around for thousands and thousands of years, and operates as its own uniquely different approach to health and healing.
Take this example from the early days of Islam that reveals a pretty powerful secret to getting natural medicine to work for you. When a man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) for advice on his brother’s stomach problem:
"A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: 'My brother is suffering from loose bowels.' He said: 'Let him drink Honey.' So he drank it. Then he came and said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)! He has drunk honey, but it has only made him more worse.' So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ' Let him drink honey.'" He said: "So he drank it. Then he came and said: 'O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)! I gave him some more to drink, but it has only made him more worse.'" He said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Allah has told the truth,and your brother's stomach has lied. Give him honey to drink'. So he gave him some more honey to drink and he was cured.'" (Sahih Bukhari)
The point is: the right thing done incorrectly will not yield successful results, and may even worsen the problem you’re trying to fix! But, applied properly, natural medicine works well, so well in fact that it beats modern medicine by several thousand years of established efficacy.
Concept of Alternative Medicine
Natural healing differs quite significantly from conventional allopathic medicine. It’s also the forerunner to modern medicine and its mighty emphasis on managing symptoms, emergencies, and acute crises. Modern medicine, with its origins in the healing practices of traditional herbalism and Hippocrates, sought the use of rapid, powerful drug actions to dramatically alter, correct, and interfere with body processes. As allopathy evolved out of pure naturopathy, people soon forgot the virtues of gentle, subtle, though still thorough results of botanical remedies in the drive towards faster potent medicines.
In fact, John Morrow, in the Encyclopedia of Islamic Herbal Medicine, explains, “Common drugs like aspirin, atropine, colchicine, chicine, digoxin, ephedrine, morphine, paclitaxel, litaxel, quinine, and vinblastine, to cite a few examples, all have a botanical origin.” The drugs of today, borne out of the bark, flowers, stems, seeds, roots, fruits, and leaves of time past, bears little resemblance to herbal medicine. Yet, it’s these materials that pair powerfully with other lifestyle changes to bring about a health transformation.
Using plants is at the core of herbalism. What makes them so well-suited to supporting human health is their natural production of chemicals that act to repel pests and predators and to regulate growth. Animals and humans have been using plants as medicine since early days. Because plants affect the human body, they can be beneficial and sometimes harmful depending on a few factors, such as the species and the method of administration. Taken as a part of the human diet, a high intake of plant foods—as vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and whole grain— is associated with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity, and other lifestyle diseases.
Read on to learn about Islamic herbal medicine with advice for health support this fall.
Natural Healing with Prophetic Phytotherapy
Natural medicine is the original medicine (it’s our fitrah): we’re using what Allah has created. In the Quran (5:88), we are told: {Eat of the good things Allah has provided, lawful and wholesome.}
As Muslims, we know there are prescriptions for our physical, mental, and spiritual health from a Divine source. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Allah does not send down any disease, but He also sends down the cure for it.” (Sahih Bukhari). Health imbalances in autumn mean that what may be ailing you or throwing you out of balance, has a cure with it too.
Islam has maintained its own tradition of natural healing so we can even follow the sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) when it comes to health, masha Allah, amplifying our rewards for taking care of ourselves. There is prophetic wisdom for our diets (including herbal treatments), movement & rest, and of course social & spiritual connection that all contribute to feeling healthy and in balance. These concepts are the foundation for prophetic medicine, Tibb-un-nabawi.
Today, herbal medicine serves a majority of people in the Muslim world who rely on it for personal healthcare. Thousands of years of effective herbal medicine bears this out and gives us every good reason to continue this tradition of healing practice. Pharmaceutical companies and medical science understand this and continue to research phytotherapy to discover how plant medicine works in the body, including how it may interact with synthetic prescription drugs. But, what allopathy misses is the unmistakeable role of unity, interdependence, and harmony in achieving and restoring health.
Health in Balance
Achieving balance is the basis for natural health in Islam. In the Quran (15:19), we read: {We have spread it and cast therein firmly set mountains and caused to grow therein [something] of every well-balanced thing.}. In Islamic herbal medicine there is a unity and balance in all of creation, and integration and harmony within our internal and external environments.
We can most easily know we’re out of balance by reflecting on any symptoms or signs that we notice.
Our efforts, when directed in the right way, yield powerful results. Don’t just do any old thing - do the right thing that brings your body back into a healthy restorative balance. This is the vital mindshift change needed so you can actually be successful using alternative medicine to support your health, your children’s health, your spouse’s health, your parent’s, or anyone important to you.
The Way of Islamic Herbal Medicine
Islamic herbal medicine centers plants as healing foods and medicines, with the knowledge of beneficial plants originating in divine guidance while also incorporating the local practices from the earliest Muslims through to the knowledge of the beneficial plants of today. Prophetic phytotherapy upholds the tradition, from the earliest days of Islam, of integrating known plants from other geographical regions far from the boundaries of pre-Islamic Arabia. In examining the history of herbal medicine practiced by Muslim herbalists, we are told of the “great Islamic herbalists of the past who ‘collected outer knowledge from many lands - from Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, and China-and unified it to obtain the best prescriptions.’”
A brief listing of plants considered within the tradition of Islamic herbal medicine includes an assortment of herbs and medicinal foods—some that are familiar and others less so to the materia medica of Western herbalism, where early Muslims encountered the shores of North America as well. Islamic herbal medicine conventionally includes plants like aloe, barley, black seed, calabash, jujube, costus, cumin, date, dill, fennel, fenugreek, frankincense, lemongrass, olive, purslane, quince, rose, saffron, senna, and truffles.
As you’re thinking about ways to support your body’s health this autumn, consider some of these herbs and the tradition of Islamic herbal medicine to bring you back into balance. The right plants can support your health in cases of dry cough, dry throat, dry skin and hair, weakened digestion, or a dip in energy, all issues that typically appear in the fall.
What can these medicinal plants do for you? Well, black seed (Nigella sativa) has been shown to possess demulcent, cooling properties that contribute an anti-inflammatory action as well as having antibacterial activity, considered very valuable in many health issues. aloe (Aloe spp.) is long known to be excellent for digestive health and for skin health. Dates (Phoenix dactylifera) are a hydrating, potassium-rich and fiber-rich food that is also soothing to the digestive tract and beneficial during pregnancy, including the last trimester. And fenugreek (Trigonella foenum) contributes demulcent, hormone-balancing, blood sugar supporting, antioxidant, and liver supporting actions. A favorite for supporting balanced mood health is saffron (Crocus sativus) known for its antidepressant, hormone-balancing, digestive toning, and antispasmodic properties.
Many of these herbs and medicinal foods are readily available at your local health food stores, even in North America, making it easy for you to adopt a sunnah of herbal healing into your daily routine.
References
Morrow, J.A. 2011. Encyclopedia of Islamic Herbal Medicine.
Leitzmann C. “Characteristics and Health Benefits of Phytochemicals.” Forsch Komplementmed. 2016;23(2):69-74. doi: 10.1159/000444063. Epub 2016 Feb 4. PMID: 27160996.