ABSTRACT
@#Garlic is one of the herbs used as a flavor in food. But it is also known as traditional medicine among the Malay community. However, the scientific observation about the benefits of garlic, especially from the Islamic perspective has not been fully documented. Thus, in this research, we aim to unravel the remedies of garlic and its uniqueness from the Islamic perspective and explain the efficacy and uses of garlic in treating diseases practiced by the Malay community. The findings show that garlic as a traditional medicine has been used since time immemorial and has been proven to bring many good effects in curing diseases such as helping to lower body pressure, reduce the risk of cancer, eliminate bad breath and many more. The findings also show different beliefs, races, and cultures are among the factors in different ways of using garlic as a medicine. However, this study will focus more on Malay practitioners. In this research, descriptive analysis is used and involves many types of text such as Al-Qur’an, Hadith Nabawi, and selected Malay manuscripts on Malay traditional medicine to study the remedies of garlic and its practice among Malay practitioners. This study is important to increase the understanding and knowledge about the benefit of garlic in medicine as a cure rather than just using it as a flavor in food.
ABSTRACT
@#Jujube known as ‘Bidara’ in Malay customs is a beneficial plant to humans. Nowadays, it is being domestically produced into varieties of products to fulfill human needs. However, as time passed, Jujube was only seen as a source for business products while ignoring its real benefits. Thus, this paper aimed to illustrate its benefits as stated in the transliterated books of Malay medical manuscripts, with solid support from scientific and Islamic perspectives. As a common ingredient for remedies, jujube has been documented in old manuscripts such as Kitab Tib MSS 2151, Kitab Tib Muzium Terengganu, The Medical Book of Malayan Medicine, and Kitab Al-Rahmah Fi al-Tibb Wa Al-Hikmah. Past journals and articles were analyzed to describe the benefits of jujube from scientific and Islamic points of view which are derived from the Quran and Hadith. In the selected Malay medical manuscripts, jujube was prescribed as a remedy for dysentery, loss of appetite, sore throat, smallpox, and scorpion sting. Scientific findings have broadened the discoveries of its medicinal advantages with the presence of properties such as anti-diarrheal, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anticancer, and antiallergic. Islamic views which are derived from the Quran, Hadith, and scholars’ books mainly circulate its benefits as a cleansing agent, black magic defense mechanism, and medicine for certain illnesses. To conclude, this paper will review the benefits of jujube from the ancient Malay medical manuscript, which is parallel with the Islamic perspective and supported by scientific findings.