prophetic medicine prophetic medicine in islam, prophetic medicine (arabic: الطب النبوي, 'al-tibb al-nabawī) is the advice given by the prophet muhammad with regards to sickness, treatment and hygiene as found in the hadith. it is usually practiced primarily by non-physician scholars who collect and explicate these traditions. prophetic medicine is distinct from islamic medicine, which is a broader category encompassing a variety of medical practices rooted in greek natural philosophy. in practice, prophetic medical traditions encourage not only following muhammad's teachings, but to search for cures to various ailments as well. the literature of prophetic medicine thus occupies a symbolic role in the elucidation of islamic identity as constituted by a particular set of relationships to science, medicine, technology and nature. there has historically been a tension in the understanding of the medical narratives of the hadith. some are unsure whether to treat them the same as the prophet muhammad's religious pronouncements, or as time-sensitive, culturally situated, and thus not representative of a set of eternal medical truths. this body of knowledge was fully articulated only in the 14th century, at which point it was concerned with reconciling sunnah (traditions) with the foundations of the galenic humoral theory that was prevalent at the time in the medical institutions of the islamicate world. it is nonetheless a tradition with continued modern relevance to this day. this article is part of a series onalternative medicine general information alternative medicine history terminology alternative veterinary medicine quackery (health fraud) rise of modern medicine pseudoscience antiscience skepticism scientific therapeutic nihilism fringe medicine and science acupressure acupuncture alkaline diet anthroposophic medicine apitherapy applied kinesiology aromatherapy association for research and enlightenment auriculotherapy bates method black salve bodywork 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faith healing hilot iranian jamu kambo japanese korean mien shiang mongolian prophetic medicine shamanism shiatsu siddha sri lankan thai massage tibetan unani vietnamese diagnoses adrenal fatigue aerotoxic syndrome candida hypersensitivity chronic lyme disease electromagnetic hypersensitivity heavy legs leaky gut syndrome multiple chemical sensitivity wilson's temperature syndrome overview prophetic medicine is sometimes casually identified with unani medicine or traditional medicine, although it is distinguished from some iterations of these and from scientific medicine most predominantly by the former being specifically a collection of advice attributed to muhammad in the islamic tradition. it is important to note that medieval interpretations of the hadith were produced in a galenic medical context, while modern-day versions of prophetic medicine treatments may include recent research findings to frame the importance of the genre. in the hadith, muhammad recommended the use of honey and hijama (wet cupping) for healing and had generally opposed the use of cauterization for causing "pain and menace to a patient". other items with beneficial effects attributed to muhammad, and standard features on traditional medicine in the islamicate world, include olive oil; dates; miswak as a necessity for oral health and nigella sativa or "black seed" or "black cumin" and its oils. these items are still sold in islamic centers or sellers of other islamic goods. muhammad's firm belief in the existence of a cause and a cure for every disease is described in many hadith along the lines of the below: make use of medical treatment, for allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it, with the exception of one disease, namely death.— abu dawood, sunan abu dawood the prophet said, "if a house fly falls in the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (in the drink) and take it out, for one of its wings has a disease and the other has the cure for the disease."— muhammad al-bukhari, sahih bukhari this belief can be said to be a grounding philosophy of this otherwise loosely defined field, and is said to have encouraged early muslims to engage in medical research and seek out cures for diseases known to them. recommendations black seeds nigella sativa seeds abu hurayra quoted muhammad saying: "utilize the black seed for without a doubt, it is a cure for all sicknesses aside from death." (hadith al-bukhari 7:591) camel urine and milk according to a hadith recorded in the 4th chapter (wudu') of sahih al-bukhari, muhammad had used camel urine to treat people: some people of` ukl or `uraina tribe came to medina and its climate did not suit them. so the prophet ordered them to go to the herd of (milch) camels and to drink their urine and milk. so they went as directed and after they became healthy, they killed the shepherd of the prophet and drove away all the camels. the event has also been recorded in sahih muslim, history of the prophets and kings and kitāb aṭ-ṭabaqāt al-kabīr. henna according to hadith compiler abu dawood's work sunan abu dawood, muhammad had advised the application of henna in case of leg pain: narrated by salmah, the maid-servant of the prophet, said: no one complained to the prophet of a headache but he told him to get himself cupped, or of a pain in his legs but he told him to dye them with henna.— abi dawud book 28, hadith 3849 in ibn majah's sunan ibn majah, muhammad has been described as using henna for external injuries: salma umm rafi’, the freed slave woman of the prophet, said: “the prophet did not suffer any injury or thorn- prick but he would apply henna to it”— ibn majah vol. 4, book 31, hadith 3502 honey