Medical Herbalism from Imam Reza

Medical Herbalism  from  Imam Reza Imam Reza (AS) was the first person who likened the body to a complete small country and it says: The bod...

Medical Herbalism  from  Imam Reza

Imam Reza (AS) was the first person who likened the body to a complete small country and it says: The body structure is similar to a kingdom. The king of the body is heart, blood vessels and nerves in the central nervous system and the brain are all the governors. King's house is his heart and his realm is the body, his hands, feet, eyes, ears and his tongue are his companions and army. Stomach is the treasury and his chest is the unveiling. Then Imam used some analogies for every part of the body among which we can mention the eyes. Imam Reza (AS) likened the eyes to lights, the ears to sources of accepting data from outside world and the tongue as well as two lips and teeth to expresser of words and will. He likened the beauty of man and what he has inside from the stomach, chest, and abdomen to the selector treasury. Next, he speaks of the effect of joy and sorrow in the face and endogenous factors and center of each one. In a part of his letter he gave guidelines about the quality and quantity of desire for food and beverage which are all in consistent with the protection of the health of the body. Imam starts his recommendations with eating food and explains each one based on his ability and temper considering the timetable and location to be best choice.

Imam (AS) has reminded the harmful effect of excessive heat for food materials that destructs its useful nutrients like vitamins and loss of elements in food that quickly evaporates like liquid food and in this field he has surpassed the nutritionists. 

Imam (AS) recommended not to indulge in drinking water after meals because this wrong way will damage the stomach and other organs. 

Imam(AS) also pointed to the effects of indulge in using some of the foods and their disadvantage and says: " Indulgence in eating egg as a regular habit causes stomach pain and will damage the spleen, indulgence in eating eggs causes breathlessness and small brown spots.

" Imam (AS): "Eating raw meat will let parasites in the stomach and intestine. Indulgence in eating wild animals and cattle meat causes dementia, mental retardation, decreases understanding and increases forgetfulness. 

Imam has divided bathing to four parts and described it the best way: the first part is cold and dry, second is cold and wet, third is wet and warm and fourth is wet and dry. He has then pointed to the anatomical and physiological advantages of bathing. Unction and use of oil and herbs have also been highly recommended by him to loosen and soften the skin; because skin has a significant role in removal of toxic substances from the body. Thus washing and cleaning skin pores and soften the skin is one of the most important things for human health. In a part of health messages, he has explained the quality of sleeping on back and observing the health of both digesting and nervous system and given recommendations; he stated: Anyone who wants a powerful memory should eat currant and fig (food that contains phosphor). Imam (AS), in excerpts of his teachings, has mentioned the health of the teeth, and has explained necessary recommendations to protect them against external factors, observe the hygiene of teeth using useful and whitening materials. 

Imam (AS) in the end, reminded the possibility of some chemicals no to be dissolved in the body, accumulation of these substances in the digestive system which can be hazardous and harmful and sometimes may lead to death of the person. In some of the clauses of this section, the cause of some illnesses have been pointed out one of which is contradictory caused by mixture of different foods entering the stomach and intestines and can cause infections in intestines. The last point (Al-Dhahabiah treatise) is the usual emphasis and stress of Imam (AS) to follow the teachings and guidelines and avoid the negligence.

 Results in this research showed that 41 plants have been mentioned in razavi hadith.

Pomegranate in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Eat pomegranates increases the men's sperm and if a pregnant woman eats sweet pomegranate her child gets beautiful. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Pomegranate smoke removed the insects and small animals and destroys them. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Drink sour-sweet pomegranate juice because in settles the blood and refreshes the blood. 

Fig in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Fig removes the bad breath, makes the bones strong, causes hair growth and there is no need for the drugs to cure the disease with it. Then he said: Fig is Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Figs are good for colic and are the closest fruits to heaven fruits and resolve the flatus. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Eating the fig treats colic and eating quince treats eye darkness. 

Grape in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Whoever wants to increase his memory must eat 7 ounces of currants before the breakfast. 

Mustard in razavi hadith 

Khalid Qmat said: Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) prescribed this for me: grind an ounce of yellow myrobalan, two ounces of mustard and an ounce of pellitory and have them before your meal that reduces mucus and refreshes your mouth and makes your teeth strong.

Date in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Mary's (Hazrat Maryam (SA)) date was Ajveh date. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Whoever wants to release from the seat's pain and hemorrhoids, he shoul have 7 Heyron dates with caw's fat.

 Cucumber in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Anyone who catches cold in the summer must eat one cucumber every day and avoid sun. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Hemad ibn Mahran Balkhi said: One day in Khorasam a young man complained about jaundice to Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ). He said: Peel the cucumber and after baking it have it for 3 days before the breakfast

Ginger in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Whoever wants to reduce amnesia and have strong memory must eat 3 pieces of ginger with honey and eat mustard with his meal. Whoever wants to increase his intelligence must chew myrobalan with sugar Tabarzad.

Olive in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Olive removes the bad breath, mucus, lightens the skin strengthens the body and reduces disease and remove fury. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Anyone who wants hydrated lips with no cracks must rub the olive oil on them. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: If you want to remove bloating you must purge and rub the olive oil on your body. 

Garlic in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Whoever wants to get release of the bloats shall eat garlic once in seven days. 

 

Lentil in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Lentil be upon you because it is holy. It softens your heart and increases you tears and 70 prophets have cleansed it the last one is the Jesus (Hazrat Isa (AS).

Pumpkin in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: The pumpkin plant is Daba and retort. 

Banana in razavi hadith (Talh)

 the plural form of (Talha), means the banana tree. As is a narration by Ali (AS) it is used in the same sense. Yahya Samghani said: I came to Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) and as he had Imam Muhammad Ibn Ali al-Taqi on his knees, he peeled the banana and gave it to Imam Muhammad Ibn Ali al-Taqi

 

Plum in razavi hadith

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Fresh plums relieve off heat and bile and dried plums settle the blood, ease and kill severe pain. The narrative state that: Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: With Allah's permission Plum is medication to pain.

 Lemon balm in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Lemon balm is ours and watercresse is of the Umayyad.

 

  Eggplant in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Eggplant causes no disease in dates harvest season. 

Been in razavi hadith Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Eating beans, strengthens marrow of legs and generates fresh blood. 

Quince in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: No prophet has been sent by God unless he has a smell of quince. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: It's upon you to eat quince because it strengthens your reason. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: The Prophet (PBUH) was given a quince; he cut it in to half with his hand. He loved this fruit a lot and used to have it and offered it to his followers around too and said: eat quince because it purifies the heart, it's very good for lungs and clean them. 

Cotton in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Anyone who wants pain free ears should put cotton in his ears when he goes to bed. 

Bergamot in razavi hadith Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Eating bergamot at night causes squint. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Dry bread digests bergamot. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was interested in looking at the green bergamot and red apple. 

Garlic chives in razavi hadith As quoted by Dawood son of Abi Dawood: A man saw Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said in Khorasan picking garlig chives from the garden and eating them right there. The man said they might contain some dirt but Imam said: None of them will stick to thes and this vegetable is good for hemorrhoids. Quoted from Yahya son of Sulaiman: I saw Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) in Khorasan in a garden eating garlic chives. I told him: people believe that every day a drop from heaven Falls down on chicory. He said: If day a drop from heaven Falls down on chicory every, garlic chives are adrift in heavens water all the time. I said: they use fertilizers. He said: nothing of that fertilizer sticks to them.

Watercresse in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Lemon balm is ours and watercresse is of the Umayyad. 

Beet in razavi hadith

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Sugar beet strengthens the brain and purifies the blood. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Give sugar beet (leaves) to your patients, because it cures them, has no illness or effects with it and it calms the sleep. But avoid the sugar beet itself because it stimulates yellow bile. Quoted from Ahmad son of Muhammad son of Abi Nasr: Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: O Ahmad, how do you like the vegetables? He said: I love all of them. Imam said: If so, you should eat sugar beets, because they grow on the beach in paradise. It has the cure for all diseases, makes the bones bigger and grows flesh. 

Henna bush in razavi hadith

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) quoted from Imam Ali (AS): Applying henna bush after using depilatory will prevent from leprosy and vitiligo. 

Marshmallow in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Washing head with marshmallow on Fridays is one of the commands of the Prophet (PBUH), in addition it has some properties such as making hair and face look more beautiful and preventing from headaches. 

Melon in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Eating melon in the morning with empty stomach will cause loose limbs (God forbidden). Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Imam Ali (AS) used to eat melon with sugar. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: The world gave us melons a present from the jewelery of earth from land of health. Melon is at Sweet, savory and delicious fruit that has different types, the best one of which is melon of Khorasan.

 Fennel in razavi hadith 

Muhammad son of Sinan quoted from Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ): Once the Moses son of Ja'far (AS) complained of an illness. Doctors came and gave strange descriptions and attributes to some medications. Imam said: wait, where are you going and continued: these medications will suffice: myrobalan, fennel and sugar. Near three-month summer, three times per month and near three-month winter, three times per month, mastic can be used instead of fennel which wipes every disease except death. (In winter mastic is used instead of fennel).

 Lris in razavi hadith 

Quoted by Ali son of Yaqtyn: I wrote to Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) that I feel a heavy cold in my head, in a way that when the wind blows, I am about to lose consciousness. In response Imam (AS) wrote to me: you should use amber and lris after eating food to feel better.

 The narratives state that: Imam Ali Ibn Musa alReza (AZ) used to drop lris oil in his nostrils. 

Rue in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Shaddock increases wisdom. 

Sumac in razavi hadith 

Hassan bad Khalid quoted: A women wrote to Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) and complained about the continuous bleeding. Imam (AS) wrote back and told her to soak a hand size of coriander and sumac in water outside for one night. Then boil it in a clay pot. Then drink one plate of that and you will stop bleeding unless it is the beginning of your period. 

Black cumin in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Indeed black cumin is the cure to every disease and you should use honey and black cumin. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: smell narcissus because it secures you against cold just like nigella. 

Apple in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: I haven’t found anything better and more effective than apple to avoid magic, spell and madness caused by disease. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was interested in looking at the green bergamot and red apple. 

Chicory in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Chicory is the treatment to thousands of pains. There is no pain in the human body, unless chicory can cure it. Quoted from Muhammad son of Ismail: I heard from Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) saying: chicory is the cure to thousands of pains and there is no pain in the human body, unless chicory can cure it. One day Imam (AS) asked for chicory for one of the servants who caught fever and headache, had it pounded, put it on a paper, poured violet oil on it and put it on the forehead of the patient. Then he said: you should know it will lower the fever, it's useful for headache, and treats it. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Eat chicory because it increases your wealth and number of children. Anyone who loves wealth and more children should persist in having chicory. 

Lettuce in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: The best vegetables are chicory and lettuce. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Hot tempered vegetables like celery, leek and lettuce are useful for bowl in winter. 

Celery in razavi hadith

It is narrated that Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: You like celery and all livestock love it which means even animals love it.

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Hot tempered vegetables like celery, leek and lettuce are useful for bowl in winter. 

Incense in razavi hadith 

Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Eat plenty of incense, and hold it in your mouth and chew. For me, chewing is more favorable. It removes phlegm from stomach and cleans it strengthens the intellect and digest the food. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Give your pregnant women male incense, this way if she carries a boy he will be brave and knowledgeable and if she carries a girl she will have beautiful face and be well mannered, big and strong and dear to her husband. 

Walnut in razavi hadith Quoted from Muhammad son of Ibrahim Ja'afy: A man went to Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) and complained about stomachache that was about to kill him. He asked Imam to pray to God for him because he was given lots of medicine but not only they didn’t have any effect but also caused a lot more pain. . Imam (as), peace be upon him smiled and said: I shall pray to God for you and ask him to ease your pain with his power but when pain overcomes and agonize you, take a walnut and keep it above fire until you are sure everything inside is barbecued and the fire should have changed the color of the outside shell. At this time, eat it to calm the pain immediately. He said: I swear to God, I did it only once and with the permission of Allah, the abdominal pain was gone. 

Coriander in razavi hadith 

Quoted from Hassan bad Khalid: A woman wrote to Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) and complained about the continuous bleeding. Imam (AS) wrote back and told her to soak a hand size of coriander and sumac in water outside for one night. Then boil it in a clay pot. Then drink one plate of that and you will stop bleeding unless it is the beginning of your period. 

Mung been in razavi hadith 

Narratives state about vitiligo (white spots on body) that Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said to one of his companions: take some fresh mung bean at its harvest time and beat it with the leaves then extract the liquid and drink it early morning with empty stomach. Also rob it on white spots on the body. This work was carried out and recovery was achieved. 

Pea in razavi hadith 

The narrative state that: Imam Ali Ibn Musa alReza (AZ) said: Pea is useful for low back pain The narrative state that: Imam Ali Ibn Musa alReza (AZ) before and after food the order was pea 

Narcissus in razavi hadith Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: smell narcissus because it secures you against cold just like nigella.

 

Sugar cane (Tabarzad Sugar and White Sugar) in razavi hadith

 Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Those who want to have powerful memory and not to be absent-minded should mix three pieces of ginger with honey and eat it. He should also eat something with his food that has been prepared with mustard. Those who want to have sharp minds should not leave house unless having had three myrobalans with tabarzad sugar empty stomach. Muhammad son of Sinan quoted from Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ): Once Moses son of Ja'far (AS) complained of an illness. Doctors came and gave strange descriptions and attributes to some medications. Imam said: wait, where are you going and continued: these medications will suffice: myrobalan, fennel and sugar. Near three-month summer, three times per month and near three-month winter, three times per month, mastic can be used instead of fennel which wipes every disease except death. (In winter mastic is used instead of fennel). Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Imam Ali eat melon with sugar. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Tabarzad sugar (white) removes phlegm completely. 

Myrobalan in razavi hadith

 Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Reza (AZ) said: Whoever wants to reduce amnesia and have strong memory must eat 3 pieces of ginger with honey and eat mustard with his meal. Whoever wants to increase his intelligence must chew myrobalan with sugar Tabarzad.