Scientific Identification of Oud and Qust from Prophetic Medicine
By Dr. M.I.H. Farooqi,
New Age Islam
5 August
2024
Some Of The Important
Chemical Constituents Of Costus Are Aceticacid,Alkaloids,
(Alpha-Amyrin-Stearate, Beta-Amyrin-Stearate, Betulin, Camphene,
Caryophyllene,
Caryo-Phyllene-Oxide), Inulin, Kushtin, Lactones, Linalool, Lupeol, Myrcene,
Naphthaline, Octanoic-Acid, Oleic-Acid, P-Cymene, Palmitic-Acid, Phellandrene,
Resinoids, Saussurine, Stigmasterol, Tannin And Taraxasterol. (Wikipedia).
Costus Roots Contains Essential Oil, Alkaloid Saussurin, Kushtin And A Bitter
Resin. About 3% Of Essential Oil Shows Promising Therapeutic Properties.
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Arabic Name: Kust (Tradition), Qust (Tradition), Qust al - Hindi (Tradition), Qust al- Baheri (Tradition), Oud ad-Hindi (Tradition), Kust - e- Halu.
Other
Names: Costus (Eng. Fr., Ger.) Costo (It), Kust, Koosht-shirin (Pers.) Kushta
(Sans.),
Kuth, Kut, Kushta Pachuk (Urdu, Hindi, Beng.), Upaleta (Guj.), Kushta (Mat.),
Changala, Kustam Goshtamu (Tam.), Sepuddy (Mal.), Koshta (Kan.), Postkhai,
Chobi- Kut (Kashmiri).
Botanical
Source: Saussurea costus (Fale) Lipsch. Syn.S. lappa C.B. Clarke (Family:
Asteraceae) - Perennial Herb. Distribution: Himalayan region of India.
Prophetic Traditions on Costus:
1. The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam said, “Be afraid of Allah! Why do you pain your children by having
their tonsils pressed like that? Use ‘Ud Al-Hindi’ for it cures seven (several)
diseases, one of which is pleurisy”. (Narrated Um Qais: When she took her son
to the Prophet, he had throat trouble and his palace and tonsils had been
pressed. (Bukhari)
2. The Prophet (SAW) said, “The best medicines you may treat yourselves
with are cupping and costus”. (Tradition, Qust Al-Baheri) (Narrated Anas Bin
Malik; Bukhari,
Tirmidhi, Nasai, Mawatta Imam Malik)
3. Qust Al-Hindi and Baheri is the same as Kust just like Al-Kafur and
Al-Qafur.
(Bukhari; Book of Medicine).
4. The Prophet (SAW) said, “You should not torture your children
suffering tonsillitis by pressing the tonsils or the palate with finger, but
use Qust”. (Narrated Anas bin
Malik; Bukhari, Muslim).
5. Prophet Mohammad (SAW) emphasized the importance of costus
(Tradition, Qust), pseudo - saffron (Tradition, Warus) and olive for the
treatment of pleurisy.
(Narrated Zaid bin Arqam; Ibn Maja).
6. The Prophet (SAW) said, “Ladies-do not press throats of your children
when you have Qust Al-Hindi (Costus) and Warus” (Pseudo-Saffron). (Narrated
Jabir bin
Abdullah; Mustadrak - Al-Hakim; Abu Nuaim, Ibn al-Sani).
7. The Prophet (SAW) said, “Treat cases of pleurisy with marine costus”.
(Tradition, Qust al-Baheri) (Narrated Zaid bin Arqam, As-Suyuti).
8. The Prophet (SAW) entered the tent of Ayesha and there was a child
with a bleeding nose with her. He asked, “What is this” and they replied,
“Truly the child has the disease of Croup (Tradition al-Udhirah). And he said,”
Shame on you, do not kill your children; use Indian costus.” (Tradition - Qust
al-Hindi). (Narrated Ayesha: Muslim).
9. The Prophet (SAW) said, “Accept being treated with costus (Tradition,
Qust), because it has many advantages”.(Narrated Jabir; As-Suyuti).
10. The Prophet (SAW) said, “Ud al- Hindi (costus) is a cure for seven
diseases.
When used as a snuff it is good for treating the diseases known as Croup
(Tradition, Ghudhra). It is also efficacious in treating cases of pleurisy”.
(Bukhari).
11. The Prophet (SAW) said, “It is very good to be treated with
scarification or costus
(Tradition - Qust)”. (Bukhari).
12. We were given permission, when we did our bath (Tradition - Ghusal)
after the monthly period, to use a costus (Tradition - Qust) or Zafar.
(Narrated Umm ‘Atiya, As- Suyuti).
13. The Prophet (SAW) said;
‘‘Treat with Oud al-Hindi for
it has healing for seven diseases; it is to be sniffed by one having throat
trouble, and to be put into inside of the mouth of one suffering from
pleurisy.’’ (Narrated Umm Qais bin Mihsan; Bukhari) Dymock has suggested that
some of the Qust referred to in old Arabic literature might be oris roots of
Iris family, commonly found in the Mediterranean region. However, in the light
of various Traditions on Costus, it becomes amply clear that the plants
referred to under the name of Qust, Qust al-Hindi, ‘Oud al-Hindi and Qust al-
Baheri are one and the same. It was called as Qust al-Hind because it was
obtained from Hind i.e. India. It was called as ‘Oud al- Hind because ‘Oud in Arabic means wood, or woody branch and
the root of Qust were woody. The proposition that Oud e Hindi is a different
name of Qust and not the Agar of India can be proved by the following Saying of
Bukhari, Muslim and Abi Dawud:
أُخْتُ عُكَّاشَةَ بْنِ مِحْصَنٍ أَخْبَرَتْھُ أَنَّھَا أَتَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّھِ صلى الله علیھ وسلم بِابْنٍ لَھَا قَدْ عَلَّقَتْ عَلَیْھِ مِنَ الْعُذْرَةِ فَقَالَ " اتَّقُوا
اللَّھَ، عَلَى مَا تَدْغَرُونَ أَوْلاَدَكُمْ بِھَذِهِ الأَعْلاَقِ عَلَیْكُمْ بِھَذَا الْعُودِ الْھِنْدِيِّ، فَإِنَّ فِیھِ سَبْعَةَ أَشْفِیَةٍ، مِنْھَا ذَاتُ الْجَنْبِ " . یُرِیدُ الْكُسْتَ
.یَعْنِي الْقُسْطَ، قَالَ وَھْىَ لُغَ ةٌ
Umm Qasis, daughter of Mihsan said: I brought my son to the Messenger of
Allah
صلى الله عليه وسل)) while I had compressed his uvula for its
swelling. He said: Why do you afflict your children by squeezing for a swelling
in the Uvula? Apply this Oud e Hindi,
for it contains seven types of remedies, among them being a remedy for
pleurisy. It is applied through the nose for a swelling of the uvula poured
into the side of the mouth for pleurisy. Abu Dawud said: By 0ud he meant Qust. (Abi Dawud, Bukhari,
Muslim)
It may be
mentioned that several woody plants used in Medicine are still known as ‘Oud.
For instance, the wood or branch of Cyprus articulata is known as ‘Oud al-Qai
(the wood that causes vomiting), ‘Oud
al-Qarah, ‘Oud al-Qaqai, ‘Oud al-Anjbar etc.
The wood of
the Costus is also known as ‘Oud
as-Saleeb. In India, however, Oud name is given only to the bark of
Aquilaria Agallocha (Hindi, Agar). It
is because of this reason that several books in Urdu and English as well as
Arabic written in recent past, identify ‘Ud al- Hindi of Tradition as the Agar.
This assumption is scientifically and historically absolutely wrong. It must be
borne in mind that during the time of the Prophet, only the root of Costus
(Saussurea costus) obtained in Kashmir were traded from India and the Arab were
not aware of the Agar, which was
found only in Assam. Moreover, the properties, which are described in the
Traditions, can only be attributed to Costus of Kashmir and not the Agar of
Assam.
Although
both Costus and Agar can be used as incense, but main use of Costus had always
been as medicine in India and Arabia. On the other hand, Agar bark had never
been considered a useful medicine either in Unani medicine or Ayurveda. Costus
is a well-known high-altitude medicinal herb. Its root and essential oil are
used in traditional medicine systems such as Ayurveda and Unani. It was found
wild in Jammu and in Chenab and Kishenganga Valley but it has been successfully
cultivated in Kashmir. Costus roots are used to protect clothes of bales of
cotton and woollen
Shawls from
the ravages of insect moths. As a stimulant, Costus roots are given in
spasmodic diseases, cough, asthma, cholera and deranged digestion. As an alternative
it is used in chronic skin diseases and rheumatism. Locally a paste of it made
in rose water is applied to swollen hands and feet and to swelled abdomen in
obesity and as a cooling lotion to sprains, contusion and to the head in
headache. It is also smoked.
Externally
it is used as an astringent ointment on ulcers. Costus dried roots from Saussurea
costus have been an item of trade between Roman Empire and India as a medicine
of great value. Apart from as an anti-inflammatory drug, it is used as Antispasmodic,
Anodyne, Aphrodisiac, Astringent, Bronchodilator, Carminative, Stimulant and
Stomachic. It is used internally in the treatment of abdominal distension and
pain, chest pains due to liver problems and jaundice, gall bladder pain,
constipation associated with energy stagnation, and asthma.
Costus
roots (Arabic Qust, Kust) have a pungent taste and a characteristic fragrant
aromatic odour. Some of the important chemical constituents of Costus are Aceticacid,Alkaloids,
(Alpha-amyrin-stearate, Beta-amyrin-stearate, Betulin, Camphene,
Caryophyllene,
Caryo-phyllene-oxide), Inulin, Kushtin, Lactones, Linalool, Lupeol, Myrcene,
Naphthaline, Octanoic-acid, Oleic-acid, P-cymene, Palmitic-acid, Phellandrene,
Resinoids, Saussurine, Stigmasterol, Tannin and Taraxasterol. (Wikipedia).
Costus roots contains Essential oil, alkaloid saussurin, Kushtin and a bitter
resin. About 3% of Essential Oil shows promising therapeutic properties.
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Note:
Costus was once identified as Saussurea lappa, then changed to Saussurea cost.
Recent reported suggest that revised identification is as Dolomiaea costus
(Falc.)
Kasana & A.K.Pandey
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Dr. M.I.H. Farooqi (Dr. Mohammed Iqtedar Husain Farooqi) Is An Eminent
Scientist Who Has Done Commendable Researches On Plant Products Of Commercial
And Medicinal Value. He Retired As A Deputy Director (Scientist F ), National
Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, A Premier Institute Of India Dealing In
Plant Sciences.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-science/scientific-oud-qust-prophetic-medicine/d/132862
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