Kasni: The Plant of Life

Logo

News from
Islamic World
.................................
Community
Roundup
.................................
Editorial Editorial
.................................
Reader's Comments
.................................
Features
.................................
Renown Personalities
.................................
Notings
.................................
Children's Corner
............................
Understanding Qur'an
.................................
Hadith
.................................
Tibb-al-Nabvi
.................................
Qur'an & Science
.................................
Our Dialogue
.................................
Women in Islam
.................................
Religion
.................................
Why I Embraced
Islam
.................................
Comparative Religion
.................................
Matrimonial
.................................
Subscription
.................................
Guest Book
.................................
Previous Issues
.................................
Home
.................................
Islamic Links
.................................
Al-Nasr Exports
.................................

Islamic Voice Logo
OCTOBER 1999
MONTHLY * Vol 13-10 No:154 * OCTOBER 1999/ RAJAB 1419H
email: editor@islamicvoice.com
PROPHET'S MEDICINE
Kasni: The Plant of Life
Kasni: The Plant of Life
Dr. M. Laiq Ali Khan

Kasni is very popular since antiquity as food and medicine in human life. It is also grown in the fields of Berseem for the purpose of feed for animals by the farmers of India. It is wildly grown as well as cultivated in Europe. Wildly grown Kasni is being used for respiratory troubles. It is marketed under the name, ‘Syrup of wild cherry’ in European markets and is very much effective in the cough of children. It is cultivated throughout India but especially in the fields of Western and South India. Green leaves of Kasni is being eaten as salad.

The leaves, stem, root and seeds of the plant are being used as drug in different ailments. Kasni is known as Hindba in Arabic and popularly called Bazrullah.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas narrates that Rasool Allah says:

“There is Kasni for you, because no part of day passes without showering the drops of Paradise water on it.” (Abu Naim)

The same verse is stated by Mohammed Ahmed Zahbi with reference to Abu Naim as follows “Eat Kasni without shaking it, because no part of the day is passed without showering the paradise water on it.”

Mohammed Bin Abu Bakr Al-Qayyim quoted three Hadiths in relation to Hindba.

East Kasni and do not shake its leaves because no day is passed without showering on it the water of paradise.
One who ate Kasni and slept, the poison and evil spirit would not affect him.
None of the leaves of Kasni is there--which has not been showered by the paradise water drops.

The extract of Kasni leaves, if applied on scorpion bite, relieves pain and inflammation. It is useful in cataract if dropped in eyes. The aqueous extract of Kasni roots is a good remedy for eye troubles.

Kasni normalises the temperature, as it cools the hotness as well as removes the coldness by producing heat in the body. It relieves the GIT inflammations. It is very much useful for all digestive problems if taken in vinegar. Crushed leaves of Kasni, if applied on inflamed parts of the body, relieves the pain and inflammation. It removes the obstructions of liver and gall bladder. It is highly useful in jaundice and the effects are more fortified if given with dates and Razyanaj. If olive oil is mixed in the extract of the leaves of Kasni it is very much useful in all cases of poisoning.

The leaves of Kasni remove constipation and if chewed, it relieves mouth bleeding. It is useful in all types of coughs, indigestion and liver disorders. It relieves diarrhoea and dysentery, it becomes more effective if taken with saunf and tukhm-e-kasoos.

It relieves visceral inflammation, hence is very much effective in liver and kidney inflammations. Moreover, it cleans nasal passages and expels stones and removes the obstructions. The headache produced due to hot climate is quite relieved by the application of its leaves with vinegar and sandal on forehead. The same combination is effective in Urticaria and prickly heat.

The gargling with Kasni leaves decoction with salt is useful in sore throat and mouth ulcers. The decoction of Kasni seeds, sandal and sounf with sharbate banafsha is highly effective against insomnia.

German chemists in 1982 extracted an active principle from Kasni flowers, Cichorin, a Glucoside. The ashes of the plant contain more potassium and less quantity of sodium, calcium, phosphorus, aluminium chloride, carbonate and silicon. And oil is also extracted from the plant which is non-volatile in nature. This oil contains the Palmatic, Oleic, Stearic and Linoleic acids. The roots of the plants contain Tartaric acid, Mannite and Stearin. Besides this, Betaine and Cholin are also found.

The Inulin found in the roots is converted into Inulide tructose after sometime. This phenomenon shows the presence of enzymes in the Kasni plant. Although, it contains bitter substances and mucilage, it has fructose as well.
Top