Benefits of Oudh

Oudh in Arabia was known as costus, a ginger type plant that is native to India and  Sri-Lanka.

Abu Bakr ibn al ‘Arabee stated:

‘Qist (Costus) is of two types: Hindee (Indian) – which is black, and Bahree which is white. Al Qist al Hindee is hotter than al Bahree.”

Ummu Qays bint Mihsan said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah – صلى الله عليه وسلم – say:

“It is upon you to use ‘Al ‘Uood al Hindee’ [i.e. Qist/Costus], for indeed it contains seven cures; it is inhaled through the nostrils to relive throat aches/tonsillitis and placed in the sides of the mouth for the relief of Dhaat al Janb [1]” [Collected by Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

In another narration that will be explained after two chapters:

“I approached the Prophet – صلى الله عليه وسلم – with a son of mine while pressing his tonsils due to tonsillitis, so he said: “You should use al Qist al Hindee.” [Collected by Bukharee and Muslim.]

Al Imaam Ahmad and the authors of the Sunnan collected a Hadeeth on the authority of Jaabir that the Messenger of Allaah – صلى الله عليه وسلم – said:

“If a child is inflicted with tonsillitis or a headache, then let his mother take al Qist al Hindee, scrub it with water and let him inhale it as droplets through his nostrils.”

In a Hadith narrated by Anas that will be explained after two chapters he said:

“The best thing to cure yourselves with is Hijaamah and al Qist al Bahree.”

It is understood from this Hadith that it is a cure for all pains, al Qist al Hindee is used when hot medicine is needed for treatment, and al Bahree was described as milder, because al Hindee is hotter than al Bahree as has already been explained.

Doctors have mentioned that from the benefits of al Qist are:

It eases the menstrual flow.

It eases the flow of urine.

It kills worms in the bowels.

It repels poison.

It repels fever.

It heats the stomach.

It increases sexual desire.

It removes facial spots.

al Haafidh:

According to (al Haafidh) it is either rubbed in, drank, Takmeed, Tandheel, breathed in as a smoke [incense], inhaled as liquid drops through the nostrils or placed at the sides of the mouth.

Rubbing it in is done by mixing it with oil and creams until it is smooth, likewise is Takmeed.

To drink it, it is crushed into a powder and mixed with honey, water or other liquids, likewise is Tanteel.

It is inhaled by mixing it with oil and putting droplets of it in the nostrils.

Inhaling it as smoke is clear.

With each method, there are different healing benefits, and such eloquence, coming from one who was given Jawaami al Kalim[2], should not be surprising.

[1] An illness that causes the swelling of the sides. It is also described as an illness that produces vile gasses, and an illness between the heart and the kidney.

[2] The ability to speak a few words which have deep, wide ranging meanings.