TREATMENT FOR PIMPLES AND BOILS

Ibn al-Sinni mentioned in his book on prophetic medicine that God’s Messenger (saw) came to one of his wives and saw a boil on her finger. He asked her: “Do you have some powdered myrtle sedge?” She replied: ‘I do.’ He said: “Apply it to your finger and pray: Oh Lord Who has the power to shrink what is corpulent and to bloat what is insignificant, make what befell me small.”

Tharïrah” is an Indian medicine which is made from myrtle sedge (Hemarthria),and it is hot and dry. It helps relieve swellings of the stomach and the liver; it cures abnormal accumulation of fluid in body cavities (i.e., edema or dropsy); and it strengthens the heart because of its sweet fragrance.

It is narrated in the sahihayn  that ‘Aisha, May God be pleased with her, said: “I scented God’s Messenger (saw) with my hand using Tharirah (Arum) during the farewell pilgrimage twice, once before entering his state of ritual consecration(ihràm), and once thereafter.

A boil is an inflamed area in the body tissue that produces pus-filled swelling and is caused by a localized infection. The heat is driven by nature towards the surface, though it still needs maturation and elimination. Myrtle sedge is one of the traditional remedies used for this purpose, and besides having sweet fragrance, it cools the heat of boils. The same opinion is stated by Avicenna, who added: “There is nothing better to quell the heat of boils than applying a salve made of powdered Tharirah mixed with rose leaves and vinegar.”