Encyclopedia of Islamic Herbal Medicine

Love how it has both Islamic sources and scientific sources to back up the claims made about these herbs. God-willing, there can be a balance of natural and modern medicine, and texts like these can contribute to that re-balancing.

Very good information

Great for info not easily found in American herbal books. Exposing ourselves to herbs around the world increases our options in health maintainence.

A very well written book with a treasure trove of new information that is well researched and documented. A very highly recommended resource for anyone.

Since the 1970s, traditional Asian medical systems such as acupuncture and Ayurveda have gradually and steadily grown in popularity with U.S. consumers seeking complementary and alternative treatments for health issues. These systems have a number of similar philosophical bases and treatment modalities in common, including tailoring treatments to the unique constitution of the patient, employment of pulse and tongue diagnosis, and the use of massage, herbal medicine, and diet as interventions. Another system of traditional medicine, generally known as Unani Tibb, is widespread throughout the Muslim world, ranging from Morocco to Indonesia, but has yet to achieve the same level of prominence as its Chinese and Indian counterparts in the West, and remains little known here. Unani Tibb's historical roots lie in the medicine of the ancient Greek and medieval Muslim physicians, such as Hippocrates, Galen, and Avicenna. It is based on a system of four temperaments, and was also the predominant form of medicine practiced in the West until the rise of allopathic medicine. This work focuses exclusively on one particular aspect of Unani Tibb, Prophetic phytology, which is herbal medicine based on the prescriptions of the prophet Muhammad, as discussed in the Qur'an, the Hadith, and the writings of the Twelve Imams of Shi'ism.The introductory section covers the historical development and current status of this system of herbal medicine. The main body of the encyclopedia consists of entries on the individual herbs, which are typically from one to three pages in length, and are listed alphabetically by their English names. The medicinal uses of over one hundred different plants are described, including many commonly known to Americans as foods and spices, including basil, celery, cloves, dates, and ginger, as well as others that are less well known. Each entry includes the English and Arabic name of the plant, the Latin botanical name, and additional common names in a variety of languages; a safety rating; the Prophetic prescription (scriptural quotations on traditional usage); issues in identification, especially regarding translation of the scriptures; properties and uses; and scientific studies discussing the efficacy of the herb for various medical issues. Each entry includes notes, which encompass both Arabic publications and Western scholarly journals. Illustrations of the plants are not included.Due to the scarcity of resources on this subject in English, this title is a welcome addition to the body of reference works on complementary and alternative medicine. The amount of research and scholarship that the author put into compiling this information over the course of ten years is very impressive. An additional volume by this author covering the broader scope of practice in traditional Islamic medicine (such as bodywork, bleeding, cupping, etc.) would be very useful.

This book is an interesting review of the herbal prescriptions of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) mentioned in the Holy Qu'ran, and for the Shi'ites, the Twelve Imams. This "Prophetic herbalism" does not include other sources, such as Islamic (Unani) or Arab practices, which may be traditional, but do not necessarily come from the holy scriptures. Nor does it include the classic Greek, Chinese, Persian or Indian medical authorities, unless they mention the Prophetic properties as well. Prophetic phytotherapy is a branch of herbal medicine which relies exclusively on the herbal prescriptions of the prophet Muhammad and is little known outside of the Muslim world.However, the 100 herbs mentioned in this encyclopedia include the Family name, the botanical name, and the various common names (modern European languages, Latin, modern Standard Arabic, Unani/Urdu, etc.) of the herbs. This is followed with a safety rating for each item. Then there is a section of Prophetic prescriptions, that quotes the authorities on the application and use of this item.Then there is a section on the issues of identification. Since the time of the Prophet, many herbs are no longer the same as they once were, but through in-breeding and cultivation over 1400 years have changed from the way they were originally described. Sometimes the names have been wrongly identified in translations into other languages. This encyclopedia tries to clean these names and to identify the actual ones mentioned by Mohammed.Then there is a section on the properties and uses of this herb, with some discussion on current medical research of the plant. Finally, there is a good section on the notes and footnotes for each section. The four page bibliography is also excellent, although not comprehensive, and many of the books and articles mentioned in the text have not been translated into English. Also, because there are many editions of the texts online and in print, the footnotes often do not include page numbers. The index is good, with the various plants mentioned in different languages. The glossary of technical medical terms is helpful as well.The best part of the book is the Introduction, which is an excellent overview of herbal medicine in the traditions of Arabic and Prophetic herbalism. There is also a lively discussion on the influences back and forth in Greek, Indo-Pakistani, Chinese and Western medicine, and how Prophetic herbalism remains different from these other forms of medicine.All in all, this is an excellent book for anyone interested in herbs, phytotherapy, herbal medicine, or what Mohammed says about fruits and herbs in the Holy Qu'ran. Although I am not Moslem, I enjoyed it.