Islamica

Practical Remedies

Introduction

A variety of edible things have always remained in the lives of humans, which consist of many benefits. The benefits of some of these things is to such an extent that they were also used as remedies. Some of these edibles are olives, honey, black seeds, almonds, etc. In traditional medicine, these edibles are used on their own as remedies. These are edibles that have not been compounded or mixed with other natural or chemical ingredients and are consumed in their natural state and possess remedial properties. We will introduce a number of these in this article.

Introduction to Some Practical Remedies

Olive [1]

Ripe olives are primarily warm, while unripe ones are extremely cold. Dried and black olives are warm as well. It takes many years until olive trees produce olives, however once they do begin giving olives, they will do so for at least a thousand years. Olives are full of sodium and iron, they burn body fat and so are used in treatment for obesity. Olive leaves bring sugar level down, olive leaves extract assist with blood pressure issues, and chewing on olive leaves can alleviate internal mouth pain and injuries. Olive tree gum is stronger than frankincense, and is extremely beneficial for memory, and for alleviating phlegm. If olive oil ends up remaining for seven years, its properties only increase, and one of the important benefits of it is that it can treat scorpion bites, and as well as treat heart diseases. It diminishes the harmful effects of other oils, and therefore acts as one of the main remedies for cholesterol, increases one’s life-span, and prevents cancer. The poultice made of olive leaves removes dandruff, eye-swelling, allergies and blisters. Olive leaves mixed with barley flour and water prevents diarrhea in kids. Vaginal olive oil eliminates secretion and infection in women.

Narrations regarding olive

  1. The Messenger of Allah (p) has said:

    How great is brushing (one’s teeth) with olives, which is from a blessed tree. It perfumes the mouth, removes plaque from the teeth, and is my toothbrush and the toothbrush of the prophets before me. [2][3]

  2. Imam Sadiq (a) has said:

    Olives increase one’s sperm count. [4]

  3. The Messenger of Allah (p) has said:

    Eat olives, as they are blessed. Make stew out of it and apply its oil on yourself, as it has been extracted from a blessed tree. [5]

  4. The Messenger of Allah (p):

    Olives are the rubbing oil of the virtuous ones and the sauce of the selected ones. It was blessed when coming as well as returning (plentiful or scarce) and immersed in holiness twice. [6]

An Interesting Point from the Qur’an [7]

A Japanese research team determined that fig and olives possess a substance that can prevent the dawn of aging to a great extent. This substance can only be found in figs and olives. One of these researchers said:

“Because I saw that the Qur’an has sworn on these two foods, I recognized the truth of this book and became a Muslim.”

Subsequently, this whole team which was comprised of 13 or 14 people, became Muslim.

Attention: Olive oil goes well with vinegar, almonds and walnuts.

Aloe Vera [7]

Aloe Vera is a dry and warm plant, and the benefits of its powdered form is greater than in its gel form. One can derive benefits from it up until four years, and the best types are Arabian. It opens up pores and can also be used as a strong laxative. It repairs injuries that usually heal slowly on their own. If one has severe constipation or digestive issues, Aloe Vera is helpful. It also eliminates harmful stomach parasites, like gastrointestinal parasites, or stones in the stomach or intestines. It is useful for ulcers and severe uterine infections (a combination of honey + acetic acid gel each serving a tbsp is better [vaginal]) or other ulcers and burns, AIDS, hepatitis, cancer, mold, and skin problems.

Prohibited Use:

Gastric ulcer, hemorrhoids, blood pressure, hemorrhagia and bleeding colitis.

Caution:

Taking this plant more than a spoon and a half a day causes bloody diarrhea.

Fennel [8]

Fennel is warm and dry. It contains calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium and vitamin C. It is beneficial for weak stomachs, increasing milk and menstruation blood, visual impairment, and tears (deodorized fennel leaves for the eye is more effective than its liquid). The blend of fennel seeds with cow's tongue and figs is very effective for cough and chronic asthma. Fennel also helps develop the bodies of women and is useful for the removal of parasites, bladder stones, chest congestion, liver, spleen, and kidney ducts. Fennel with honey is used for fever and its roots can be boiled with honey to prevent infection. Fennel regulates the body's hormones, and its cream is useful for removing skin lesions and women’s skin problems.

Prohibited Use:

During pregnancy, those whose body temperature is warmer, during menstruation.

Almonds [9]

Almonds contain sugar, minerals, protein, iron, potassium, calcium and vitamin A. However, bitter almonds contain cyanide acid, which is fatal if used regularly. Sweet almonds are warmer and more refined, able to cleanse, scrape and restore. They are used as a laxative, they can increase sperm count and libido in men, and reduce libido in women. They also strengthen gum and teeth and enhance gastric acidity. Sweet almond oil is very good for treating insomnia. Its leaf is an anti-parasite, and its fresh leaves are laxative and its aged leaves are anti-diarrheal. A drop of sweet almond oil mixed with fresh lemon juice each night relieves red eyes. Bitter almonds are warm and dry. If it is taken with honey it can cause a miscarriage. Bitter almonds with vinegar is very useful for old wounds, eczema and dark spots. It is also useful for earaches for up to fourteen nights. Its leaf is useful for urine blockage. Massaging bitter almond oil will increase vision and reduce astigmatism. Bitter almond oil with honey is useful for prostate issues. Avicenna has said bitter almond oil penetrates deep into the bone marrow. Almond porridge should be one the primary meals given to children. The almonds themselves for the elderly cause great energy and helps them deal with bad manners. Almond syrup cures coughing (after soaking the almonds, we rotate them and add honey, then eat them).

Salt [10]

The Messenger of Allah (p) has said:

Your best condiment is salt, and he (p) also said: food is not beneficial except with salt. [11]

There are 30,000,000 articles that have been written on salt. Imam Ali (a) has said:

He who begins his food with salt, seventy types of ailments and other ailments that no one knows of except Allah, are removed. [12].

The best salt is sea salt. Salt is not just a mineral that is quickly absorbed by the body, but rather it is warm and helps strengthen the skin of the head.

Dental anesthesia causes coldness in the face and whitens the facial hair. To eliminate this problem, if you put salt on it at the same time, it will eliminate the coldness. In the traditions, it has been recommended to place salt and vinegar on the table cloth. At the table where these two are present, blood concentrations do not occur, and other diseases do not emerge. It is the best thing to have in order to get an infection out of the body.

Imam Sadiq (a) has said:

He who opens his food with salt, and finishes it with salt, 70 ailments are warded away from him. [13]

Imam Ali (a) has said:

He who begins with salt, Allah removes 70 ailments that the servants do not know of. [14]

Conspiracy Against Water and Salt [15]

Today the media advertises that one should eat little salt, while the narrations tell us that salt should be on the tablecloth and an enough amount should be taken so that the body does not get infected. The media has the right to make such a claim since salt has been modified to a great extent and iodine has been added to it which is harmful. On the contrary, they ask you to drink plenty of water (at least 8 glasses a day). This is while the narrations say the opposite.

Consider an area that is wet and one area that is dry. Which one will produce more germs and infection? It is clear that the first area will do produce more germs. The body is the same. If we drink a lot of water, our body is susceptible to germs and infection while on the other hand if we eat less salt, our whole body can be infected quickly.

Honey [15]

Imam Sadiq (a) has said:

The Prophet loved honey and has said, ‘There are two healers for you; honey and the Qur’an.’ [16]

If honey is 10% real, it is enough to heat up the body quickly. If one does not have honey, they can use grape juice, or else salt.

Honey helps warm up bodies of elderly people. Aging results in coldness throughout the body and so any warm-up medication is an aging treatment. Women who are lactating should eat honey. A child who has stomachache, bloating, vomiting and does not digest food, or sleeps poorly, is a child who is showing signs of a cold stomach. The mother must eat honey so that it can be transferred to the baby through her milk. Those who have cold diabetes can also eat honey.

If the wound is bleeding then honey with pomegranate powder should be used, and if there is no pomegranate powder then we use salt. The patient should not go to the bath in that cast. Honey is very useful in the treatment of gastrointestinal ulcer, diabetes mellitus, and so on. All people should use honey, but they should be taken in warm environments with cold supplements.

Honey in the Quran and Traditions

  1. [16:68-69] And your Lord inspired the bee [saying]: ‘Make your home in the mountains, and on the trees and the trellises that they erect. Then eat from every [kind of] fruit and follow meekly the ways of your Lord.’ There issues from its belly a juice of diverse hues in which there is a cure for the people. There is indeed a sign in that for a people who reflect.
  2. The Messenger of Allah (p) has said:

    Honey is a cure. [17]

  3. He (p) has also said:

    You should rely on two things for cure: Honey and Qur’an. [16]

  4. In another tradition he (p) has said:

    For a woman who is going through post-partum bleeding, I have no better cure for it than dates, and for someone who is sick there is nothing like honey. [18]

  5. In another tradition he (p) has said:

    Allah has placed blessings in honey and there is a cure in it for pain, and seventy Prophets (p) have asked for it to continue to remain a blessing. [19][20]

  6. In another tradition he (p) has said:

    If there is any cure in anything, then it is in the blade used for cupping or in drinking honey. [21]

  7. Imam Ali (a) has said:

    In honey there is a cure. [22]

  8. In another tradition he (a) has said:

    A sick person does not get healed like he does with drinking honey. [23]

  9. In another tradition he (a) has said:

    Honey is a cure for all ailments and it does not cause any ailment. It reduce phlegm and clears the heart. [20]

  10. In another tradition he (a) has said:

    Licking honey is the cure for every ailment. Allah has said: There issues from its belly a juice of diverse hues in which there is a cure for the people. Honey alongside the recitation of the Quran and chewing chestnut, reduces phlegm. [6]

Fig [24]

This fruit is the only fruit that contains all vitamins. In other words, it is both a medicine and a fruit. Its moistness is warmer and moister, and when it is dried it is warm and drier than other fruits. It enhances libido and sperm count, eliminates hemorrhoids and gout, strengthens the bones, increase fat and is a gentle laxative. Massaging fig paste is good for warts. Boiling its leaves helps with hemorrhoid and prevents chances of cancer. Soaking seven to ten figs in olive oil can treat chronic constipation (it should be soaked overnight and eaten in the morning). Its extract is anti-worm and parasite. It is better to eat one fig and seven olives each day.

Traditions Regarding Figs

  1. Abu Dharr has narrated:

    A tray with figs was gifted to the Prophet (p), and he (p) said to his companions: eat, because if we were to say there is a fruit which descended from heaven, we would say this is it, because it is a fruit without any seed. So eat it, as it eliminates hemorrhoids and is beneficial for the gout. [25]

  2. The Messenger of Allah (p) has said:

    Eat fresh and dry figs, because it increase libido and eliminates hemorrhoids, and is beneficial for gout and colds. [26]

  3. Imam Ali (a) has said:

    Eating fig softens the blockages and it is beneficial for colliers. Eat a lot of them during the day and eat them during the night as well, but not a lot. [27]

  4. Imam Ridha (a) has said:

    Fig gets rid of bad smell from the mouth, strengthens the bones, alleviates the pain, and with it no other medicine is required.[28]

Rue [29]

Rue treats 70 types of diseases. It is warm and dry, hence helps reduce weight. Consuming it for forty days makes the heart clear enough to attain wisdom. It is warm and delicate, and at the very least three seeds should be eaten and the most should be one spoon. During the night, it should be taken with a glass of water and it should never be chewed. Steam from rue warms the mind and makes it cheerful. It kills airborne microbes. In the morning, it helps reduce phlegm. Due to this, a person becomes more courageous. If you are not satisfied with eating rue, then at the very least, its steam should be inhaled once a day or once every two days. This sterilizes both the air and the mind. In a home where there is a sick person, its smoke should be there morning and evening.

Traditions Regarding Rue

  1. The Prophet (p) has said:

    Who ever drinks a little bit of water mixed with rue for forty mornings, the light of wisdom brightens in his heart, and 72 ailments are kept away from him, the weakest of which is leprosy.[30]

  1. Imam Ali (a) has said:

    There is no rue plant that grows except that angels are with it until it reaches the one who it reaches. In the roots of rue is energy and in its stems is cure from 72 ailments.[31]

Pomegranate

The pomegranate tree is one of the trees with all its parts including its root, trunk, flower and fruit juice being very effective for curing ailments. For example, its peel extract is very effective in the preparation of anti-fungal creams. Pomegranate extract is also used to prepare appetite syrup to enhance the appetite of patients.

This fruit is of a variety in terms of its place of growing and its taste is of various types (ranging from sweet, sour, and juicy. Its best type is the sweet tasting kind, which has large seeds in them. Pomegranate in all its kinds (including pomegranate juice) gives strength, but its intensity can differ depending on what type of pomegranate it is.

Traditions on Pomegranate

  1. Imam Sadiq (a) has said:

    Eat pomegranate with its membrane, because it helps tan the stomach and strengthens the mind.[32]

  1. Imam Ali (a) has said:

    Eat pomegranate with its membrane, because it helps tan the stomach. And no seed of pomegranate makes its way to the human stomach of the Muslims, except that it enlightens it, and it removes it from Satan and his temptations for forty days.[33]

  1. Imam Sadiq (a) has said:

    Eat sweet pomegranates, because there is no seed of it that enters the stomach of a believer, except that it eliminates its ailments and deters Satan and his temptations.[32]

Qualities of Pomegranate

  1. Pomegranate is rich in antioxidants and is therefore effective in preventing all kinds of cancers. This fruit can be described as an anti-cancer, especially prostate and breast-cancer.
  1. It also reduces the risk of heart disease because it helps lower cholesterol levels.
  1. People who are looking to lose weight, should put pomegranate on their list of things to eat. Its juice helps maintain good weight and weight loss.
  1. Pomegranate is rich in vitamin C and potassium, and its use helps one’s health and strengthens teeth and gums. It is useful for people who have suffer from diarrhea as well.
  1. The daily use of pomegranate juice helps reduce blood pressure and improves blood flow to the heart, as well as prevents antioxidants from blood clotting.
  1. Pomegranate is a gastric cleanser and a cleanser that eliminates mucus and jaundice.
  1. Sour pomegranate can also be used to reduce blood glucose and hiccups. Sweet pomegranate is used to treat the common cold, strengthen the stomach and lungs, relieve allergies and poisoning, heal earaches, relieve irritation, skin itching, uterine bleeding and for anemia.

Black Seeds

Black seed is a one-year-old, floral and native Southwest Asian plant. In Iran, this plant is especially common in Arak and Isfahan. The seeds of this plant are used as spice. It is from the Ranunculales and Ranunculaceae family. Its seeds have antiseptic, anti-worm, antibacterial, laxative and lubricant qualities. Black seeds have a bitter and spicy taste, with them tasting a little like strawberries. Black seeds are used in sweets and syrups. On a certain type of Pakistani bread, known as Peshawari Bread, they always sprinkle black seeds.

Black seeds and its oil are effective and useful for almost every disease, allergies or serious illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, disorders in the immune system, jaundice or hepatitis, AIDS, and even cancer.

Black seeds have a bitter flavor and are used as spices in food, especially marinades. It has been used as an anti-parasitic, antibacterial and laxative since ancient times. Lactating women should consume black seeds as it helps them increase the secretion of milk. Anyone who has a black seed for breakfast will not get any illness.

Black Seeds in Traditions

  1. The Prophet (p) has said:

    In the black seed is a cure for all ailments, except death.[34]

  1. Imam Ridha (a) has said:

    The black seed is a cure for all ailments, except death. You should eat honey and black seeds.[35]

Qualities of Black Seeds

In traditional medicine, a number of qualities have been mentioned for black seeds. Some of the most important ones are as follows:

  1. Helps with inhaling consistently
  2. Helps dry wetness
  3. Cures chest pain, congestion, and cough
  4. Prevents vomiting
  5. It is fattening
  6. Black seed oil with olive oil and frankincense is beneficial for weight gain and its drink helps in increasing sexual libido
  7. It is suitable for some diseases of the liver and spleen, including jaundice
  8. Helps with breaking up kidney and bladder stones
  9. It is diuretic and increase menstruation flow
  10. It is anti-inflammatory and alongside vinegar it can prevent a certain type of stomach worm
  11. When burnt, it helps with hemorrhoids
  12. Its paste with rose is beneficial for shin and foot injuries
  13. Excessive consumption can cause suffocation and dizziness for people with warmer bodies. Its cure is using it with a bit of vinegar.

Water [36]

Today it has been proven that spiritual acts affect water molecules. Rain water with Ayat al-Kursi is a cure for all ailments. Anywhere you doubt the quality of water, pour a tablespoon of water in a bottle with a spoon of vinegar. After 5 minutes, all the salt of the water will sink to the bottom. This water has been sterilized and can be drunk. Nothing is as good as boiled water. Ice cold water should never be drunk, however if water is mixed with food before being consumed it is okay. Therefore, the best food is broth because the meat is cooked slowly in water and the nutrients of the bones such as calcium, are dissolved in water. That is how broth and soups are made. Every day, a tablespoon of ocean water provides the salts the body needs.

A lot of water is harmful for phlegm and it is good for bile ducts. Water is beneficial for the treatment of constipation, and a lot of water can cool down the stomach. The best use of water to treat constipation is to drink it with honey or salt. Water with lemon or vinegar helps with eczema. Our need for water is twofold: first, because of better digestion of food, and second, because of better circulation of blood.

Traditions Related to Water

  1. Imam Ridha (a) has said:

    He who wishes not to disturb his stomach, then he does not drink water while eating, and does so after he is done eating. Anyone who drinks while eating, their stomach gets wet and it becomes weak. The veins are unable to absorb the nutrients from the food. If the water comes to the stomach, the stomach is thickened.[37]

  2. The Messenger of Allah (p) has said:

    Drink water slowly, and do not drink it in one sip. Otherwise you will face problems in your liver.[38]

Henna [39]

Henna is warm and captures the moisture from the depth of the body. Hence it should be applied near the end of the body parts such as the hands and feet. Henna eliminates the smell of a sweaty body, adds freshness to the face, gives the mouth a good scent, helps conceive a good child and increase sexual stamina.

  1. The Messenger of Allah (p) has said:

    Upon you is the dyeing with Henna, as it improves the quality of the skin and helps with sexual stamina.[40]

  1. In another tradition he (p) has said:

    Anyone who puts Henna on their body and dyes it, Allah protects them from three things until the next time they wish to dye: leprosy, albinism and gangrenous.[41]

  1. Imam Sadiq (a) has said:

    Applying Henna is like applying Nurah, and it protects one from leprosy and albinism.[41]

Peppermint [39]

The mint found in deserts is called wild mint and both of these are very important. Avicenna says the strongest poison in the snakes is that of the horned snake’s and if it enters into someone, it is treated with peppermint and wild mint. Cook cold foods like yogurt with peppermint. If you eat food and get a stomach ache, take peppermint with honey and consume it for cure. When you are finished with your work and are tired or cannot concentrate, rub peppermint oil to the forehead (three drops). If you are in a group where somebody has a cold and you do not wish to catch it, rub some peppermint essential oil on your forehead or drink water in which peppermint was boiled, so you do not catch a cold. Mint is used for digestives issues, and if you want it to work quicker then give one spoon of mint water mixed with honey to the patient.

Note: Those who do not wish to sleep and want to study or drive, if they take some peppermint essential oil and rub it on their forehead, their sleep will go away. On the contrary, if they wish to sleep, they should eat lettuce with rose water.

Oil [42]

The key to different cures is how you make use of oil. Do not use too much oil and if you do, then use vegetable oils such as olive or sesame oil. With the consumption of sesame oil or ghee, fat and blood glucose goes down. Ghee keeps the body warm and wet and the helps keep the skin refreshed even in old age. Sesame oil is good, but it brings dryness. Industrial fluid oil is not absorbed if it is applied, but ghee is rapidly absorbed and same is the case when it is rubbed on the body.

Camel hump oil is not good for consuming, and it should be used as a medicine, not food. Animal oil is also good for elderly people, because it is heavy – though it should not be taken regularly. If animal oil is consumed, one must also be physically active and also do cupping, otherwise it can lead to death as well.

Removing ghee and peanut oil from one’s food is a huge medical error. Consuming ghee and peanut oil keeps the skin beautiful. If you are sensitive to its smell, then you can prepare it in the following way so that its smell does not bother you:

Four kilograms of ghee or peanut oil, two glass of yoghurt, one glass of vinegar and fourteen cardamom seeds. Mix the ghee or peanut oil with these ingredients and put it on low heat until it becomes watery. When it becomes goldish, clean it up after it has cooled down. You will have a clear, odorless oil at that point.

Benefits of Ghee in the Traditions [43]

  1. Imam Sadiq (a) has said:

    Cow milk is medicine, and its oil is a cure, and its meat causes ailments.[44]

  2. The Prophet (p) has said:

    One who takes a bit of animal oil, they will be free from the same number of ailments as the portion they took. Cow meat is an ailment, its oil is a cure, and its milk is medicine. There is nothing like cow’s oil that has entered the body.[45]

  3. Muhammad b. Ishaq transmits:

    I was near Imam Sadiq (a) when a man from the Shi’a came and said to him, ‘O son of the messenger of Allah. My daughter has become weak and her body has lost weight, and her illness has increased, and her stomach has gone in.’ Imam Sadiq (a) replied, ‘What is stopping you from this rice with the blessed ghee. Allah had made ghee impermissible on Bani Israel due to its blessed nature. She should eat it so Allah can cure her with it. Perhaps you will become deluded to stop using it due to the amount of things it cures.’[46]

Grapes

The grape tree, also called the hair tree, is a rising shrub which grows alongside walls and around trees. The stem is knotted and has a variety of leaves. Grapevine leaves have five lobes (each lobe is divided by a slit or a groove) and is jagged and dark green. Its flowers are small and clustered. Grape fruit is full and sweet and comes in various colors.

The Prophet (p) has said:

Eat grapes one at a time, because it is greater and better.[47]

Medical Benefits of Grapes

Based on ancient Iranian medicine, grapes are warm and wet.

  1. It modifies the body's metabolism.
  2. It is very nutritious.
  3. It purifies the blood.
  4. It cleans the chest and lungs.
  5. It helps with constipation.
  6. Grapes are useful for the treatment of stomach and intestinal swelling.
  7. It is effective in the treatment of pulmonary and pericardial tuberculosis.
  8. Grapes are used to treat bloody diarrhea.
  9. It is very useful for treating gout.
  10. Those with a poor stomach should eat grapes without skin, since their skin delays digestion and causes pain, bloating, and other complications.
  11. Grapes are the best fruit for those who want to lose weight and cleanse their body of uric acid, bile marrow and chronic poisoning (poisoning from lead or mercury). Such individuals should drink grape juice for two days and go on a grape juice diet. They should drink some juice every two hours. The daily intake is about 2 kg and in these two days you should not eat any other food they can only drink water.
  12. Grape juice is also useful for people with pulmonary tuberculosis.
  13. To strengthen one’s skin, and to lighten it, rub fresh grape juice with a piece of cotton on the face, and rinse it with warm water after about 10 minutes.
  14. Excessive consumption of grape juice continually causes kidney stones.
  15. Eating a grape one at a time, especially if they are black grapes, is better for relief from depression and sadness.

Natural Properties of Grape Seed Oil

Grape seed oil keeps the body warm, and its oil is anti-constipation. It is also used for painting and preparing soap.

Medicinal Properties of Grape Seed

Grape seeds are cool and dry according to ancient Iranian medicine:

  1. It contains tannin (a substance found in many plant extracts, usually obtained from oak skin, but in addition to oak, other herbs such as caviar, tea, unripe apples, walnut leaves and plankton also contain tannins).
  2. Eliminates diarrhea.
  3. Reduces urine and sperm count.
  4. The outside of a grape seed helps treat diarrhea patients.
  5. Grape seed is harmful for those with a poor bladder and kidneys.

Medical Properties of Grape Skin

Grape skin is cool and dry according to ancient Iranian medicine:

  1. The skin of the grapes can be dried and burnt. The resulting ash is used to treat most wounds.
  2. Grape skin digests late and it is best to remove it when eating grapes.


Medicinal Properties of Unripe Grapes

Unripe grapes are cool and induce constipation according to ancient Iranian medicine:

  1. It is effective in treating mucus in the mouth and softens the gums.
  2. Verjuice is useful for the treatment of obesity.
  3. Scurvy disease (scurvy is a disease that causes the appearance of patches on the skin, makes one’s gums sponge-like and causes bleeding) which is caused due to the low vitamin C in the body, is treated with verjuice.
  4. Verjuice is very useful for the treatment of sciatica and acute rheumatism.
  5. It is effective in the prevention of jaundice.

6. Drinking verjuice speeds up girls’ maturity and expands their bodies.

  1. It prevents heat and bile in the body and disinfects the intestines.
  2. Verjuice is a liver enhancer.
  3. To reduce swelling in the throat, gargle with verjuice.
  4. To remove intestinal worms and for strengthening the stomach, you should take verjuice with cumin seeds for five days. Although you must refrain from having heavy foods during this period.
  5. Verjuice treats foot and back pains. For treatment, you can take verjuice for ten days. Of course, avoid heavy foods during this time.
  6. The sourness of verjuice is also a treatment for rheumatism and sciatica.

Medicinal Properties of Grape Leaves

  1. Grape leaves can result in constipation.
  2. Breathing in steam from grape leaves helps with bloody diarrhea.
  3. It is useful treatment for bleeding.
  4. It is effective in removing gout and jaundice.
  5. It prevents vomiting.
  6. It is effective in eliminating circulatory disorders during puberty and menopause.
  7. It has a beneficial effect when the skin is red and inflamed.
  8. Round and dried grape leaves have a good effect in preventing bleeding from the uterus and nose bleeds.
  9. To remove hand or feet frostbite, get grape leaves and place your feet or hands in it for 15 minutes.
  10. To prepare steamed grape leaves, place 15 to 20 grams of grape leaves in a liter of boiling water and leave it in there for 10 minutes.
  11. With the water mixed with grape leaves, you can use it to wash the eye for conjunctivitis (or redness of the eye), which is inflammation of the membrane due to infectious or non-infectious reasons.
  12. Steamed water mixture with grape leaves is good for removing viruses.

Vinegar

Vinegar is a sour liquid obtained from the oxidation of ethanol present in apple juice, grape, barley, and so on. Usually 3 to 5 percent of vinegar is acetic acid. Natural vinegar contains less tartaric acid and lemon. Normally, vinegar, in addition to having natural antibiotics, after fermentation, has a biological amino acid. This is if it is not mixed with artificial vinegar. Natural vinegar helps with the metabolism of the body, because it increases saliva secretion. Saliva secretion in terms of biochemistry contains a large amount of protein that dissolves and digests food better. Also, mixing vinegar with saliva protects teeth against corruption. Vinegar stimulates the body.

Traditions Related to Vinegar

  1. The Prophet (p) has said:

    Vinegar is a very good condiment, and the house in which there is vinegar will never face poverty.[48][49][50][51]

  1. Imam Sadiq (a) has said:

    Vinegar increases the intellect.[48]

  1. Imam Sadiq (a) has said:

    Vinegar is a very good condiment. It breaks down food for digestion, revives the heart, strengthens the gums and kills the germs in the stomach.[52]

  1. Muhammad b. Ali al-Hamadani says, a man was near Imam Ridha (a) in Khorasan and a tablecloth was spread for him. There was vinegar and salt on it, and the Imam (a) opened his food with vinegar. The man said,

    ‘May I be sacrificed upon you, you had commanded us that we should open our food with salt.’

    The Imam said,

    ‘this is like this,’ meaning vinegar, ‘vinegar strengthens the mind and increases the intellect.[48]

Properties and Application of Vinegar

Natural vinegar is cold and dry, and it is made up of natural sweets and sweet almond oil and it has many properties and uses.

In many prescriptions given in traditional medicine, vinegar and honey are used (Sekanjabin) and their combination is used to treat ailments. To the extent that Avicenna has written a treatise called "Al-Risalah fi al-Sikanjabin" discussing the qualities of a mixture of vinegar, honey and mint.

Some Properties of Natural Vinegar

  1. Using vinegar along with meals helps to dilute the blood and helps to decompose fats and eliminate toxins and reduce blood fat.
  2. Citric acid in vinegar facilitates the digestion and absorption of calcium in vinegar and other nutrients and is effective in the metabolism of the body.
  3. Vinegar can eliminate harmful bacteria in the digestive system, so people who have problems with their digestive system such as constipation, bloating, diarrhea, dyspnea, and abnormal bowel can use vinegar for these issues.
  4. Vinegar can balance gastric acid secretion and prevent gastric gas.
  5. Vinegar is effective in removing dental mass and gingivitis. In order to remove bad breath and whiten teeth, brush your teeth once a week with a toothbrush dipped with vinegar.
  6. Vinegar can affect weight loss if a person follows a good diet to lose weight, otherwise vinegar will not influence weight loss.
  7. Steam from vinegar is effective in relieving nasal congestion caused by a cold and heals headache that are caused due to bad weather, bath steam or a lot of bile.
  8. Vinegar is effective in treating the smell of sweat, foot fungus and swelling and can have a significant effect on relieving hot flushes.
  1. Vinegar is a strong disinfectant and can help detoxify the liver and eliminate bile.
  2. The effects and important qualities of vinegar continue to remain, even if it evaporates a little.

Some Benefits of Natural Vinegar

  1. It is used as a food additive.
  2. It can be used to prepare pickles.
  3. It can be used to prepare salty cucumbers.
  4. It is used to prepare vinegar juice.
  5. It can be mixed with salads.
  6. It helps in disinfecting vegetables.
  7. It can be used to brush teeth and clean them.

Meanwhile, vinegar can be used in many types of food such as: Honey, dates, pistachios, turnips, melons, cantaloupe, rice, wheat, pancake, liver, shrimp, onion, beetroot, eggplant, pone, onion, thyme, pickled potatoes, asparagus, safflower, olive, ostrich meat, camel, rooster, deer, mustard, sunflower seeds, olive oil, dates, and lentil.

Also, some types of horseradish, radishes, black beans and herbs can also be soaked in vinegar. Liver can also be soaked in vinegar, then grilled and cooked with vinegar, as well as duck and pigeon meat.

Note: Given the nature of vinegar, people who are overly cold most of the times must avoid vinegar, and those who are cold and dry should consume less vinegar. It should be noted that vinegar is also harmful for people with weak nerves, joint pain and stomach ulcers. This group of people can consume vinegar mixed with other things. For example, Sekanjabin or safflower vinegar is good for these people.

Artificial Vinegars

Unfortunately, counterfeit vinegar is also available to buyers, like all healthy foods that are counterfeit and packaged in the market, so if you are going to buy natural vinegar, be sure to buy from trustworthy stores.

Fake vinegars contain acetic acid, and sometimes there is no fermentation and natural vinegar production processes, so the cost is much lower than natural vinegar. However, this type of vinegar, besides the sour taste, has no other properties of vinegar. The main color of these vinegars is white. With artificial colors, some of them are turned into the same color as vinegar made at home. Preservatives are used in these vinegars to increase their shelf-life.

Unfortunately, in addition to vinegar and lemon juice, counterfeit juice is also prepared industrially, which, unlike what the images and false advertisements depict, have nothing natural about them at all. They are produced entirely chemically. The use of this material is not only not beneficial, but also very harmful.

Vinegar Shelf-Life

Vinegar preserves itself due to its acidic nature and does not require cooling and has unlimited durability. Of course, to store vinegar, it is preferable to use glass containers with a lid and it is best to keep it in an environment that is temperate and shaded.

At the same time, some types of vinegar may appear to change. It may fog up, its color might change, you may see deposition of sedimentation. In this case, vinegar is still good, and only a change in its appearance has occurred. No harmful changes have taken place. If your vinegar has deposited sediment, you can clean it. To do this, pour the vinegar into another container to allow the dirt to leave the bottom of the container and it can then be discarded.



References

  1. ↑ Mazaj Shinasi wa Nuskheh-haye Istad Khayr Andish, pg. 190
  2. ↑ Makarim al-Akhlaq, pg. 49
  3. ↑ Mustadrak al-Wasail wa Mustanbat al-Masail, vol. 1, pg. 369
  4. ↑ Al-Kafi, vol. 1, pg. 369
  5. ↑ Makarim al-Akhlaq, pg. 191
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, pg. 332
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mazaj Shinasi wa Nuskheh-haye Istad Khayr Andish, pg. 191
  8. ↑ Mazaj Shinasi wa Nuskheh-haye Istad Khayr Andish, pg. 192
  9. ↑ Mazaj Shinasi wa Nuskheh-haye Istad Khayr Andish, pg. 193
  10. ↑ Mazaj Shinasi wa Nuskheh-haye Istad Khayr Andish, pg. 194
  11. ↑ Safinah al-Bihar, vol. 8, pg. 96
  12. ↑ Mustadrak al-Wasail wa Mustanbit al-Masail, vol 16, pg. 311
  13. ↑ Wasail al-Shia, vol. 24, pg. 405
  14. ↑ Wasail al-Shia, vol. 24, pg. 406
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Mazaj Shinasi wa Nuskheh-haye Istad Khayr Andish, pg. 196
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Makarim al-Akhlaq, pg. 165
  17. ↑ Danishnameh Ahadith Pezeshki, vol. 2, pg. 396
  18. ↑ Danishnameh Ahadith Pezeshki, vol. 2, pg. 398
  19. ↑ Mustadrak al-Wasail wa Mustanbit al-Masail, vol. 16, pg. 367
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Makarim al-Akhlaq, pg. 166
  21. ↑ Wasail al-Shi’a, vol. 25, pg. 24
  22. ↑ Wasail al-Shi’a, vol. 25, pg. 99
  23. ↑ Mustadrak al-Wasail wa Mustanbit al-Masail, vol. 16, pg. 366
  24. ↑ Mazaj Shinasi wa Nuskheh-haye Istad Khayr Andish, pg. 198
  25. ↑ Makarim al-Akhlaq, pg. 173
  26. ↑ Makarim al-Akhlaq, pg. 174
  27. ↑ Mustadrak al-Wasail wa Mustanbat al-Masail, vol. 16, pg. 403
  28. ↑ Al-Kafi, vol. 6, pg. 358
  29. ↑ Mazaj Shinasi wa Nuskheh-haye Istad Khayr Andish, pg. 199
  30. ↑ Safinah al-Bihar, vol. 2, pg. 160
  31. ↑ Danishanameh Ahadith Pezeshki, vol. 2, pg. 284
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, pg. 354
  33. ↑ Makarim al-Akhlaq, pg. 170
  34. ↑ Wasail al-Shi’a, vol. 25, pg. 101
  35. ↑ Al-Fiqh al-Mansub ila al-Imam al-Ridha, pg. 345
  36. ↑ Mazaj Shinasi wa Nuskheh-haye Istad Khayr Andish, pg. 203
  37. ↑ Mustadrak al-Wasail wa Munstabat al-Masail, vol. 17, pg. 7
  38. ↑ Al-Kafi, vol. 6, pg. 381
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Mazaj Shinasi wa Nuskheh-haye Istad Khayr Andish, pg. 205
  40. ↑ Mustadrak al-Wasail wa Mustanbat al-Masail, vol. 1, pg. 394
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 Man La Yahdhuruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1, pg. 121
  42. ↑ Mazaj Shinasi wa Nuskheh-haye Istad Khayr Andish, pg. 206
  43. ↑ Mazaj Shinasi wa Nuskheh-haye Istad Khayr Andish, pg. 210
  44. ↑ Al-Kafi (Dar al-Hadith), vol. 12, pg. 424
  45. ↑ Mustadrak al-Wasail wa Mustanbat al-Masail, vol. 16, pg. 346
  46. ↑ Mustadrak al-Wasail wa Mustanbat al-Masail, vol. 16, pg. 377
  47. ↑ Uyun al-Akhbar al-Ridha, vol. 2, pg. 35
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 Al-Kafi, vol. 6, pg. 329
  49. ↑ Sunan Abi Dawud, vol. 3, pg. 360
  50. ↑ Sunan Tirmidhi, vol. 4, pg. 278
  51. ↑ Sunan Ibn Maja, vol. 2, pg. 1102
  52. ↑ Mustadrak al-Wasail wa Mustanbat al-Masail, vol. 16, pg. 364
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