Peptic Ulcer

لِكُلِّ دَاءٍ دَوَاءٌ فَإِذَا أُصِيبَ دَوَاءُ الدَّاءِ بَرَأَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ

"There is a remedy for every disease. When the remedy is applied to the disease, it is cured with the permission of Allah, the Exalted."

Ibn Sina applies this principle to stomach ulcers, emphasizing precise identification of temperamental imbalance causing the ulceration before selecting the appropriate cooling and healing remedies.

بِمَ تَسْتَمْشِينَ قَالَتْ بِالشُّبْرُمِ قَالَ حَارٌّ جَارٌّ قَالَتْ ثُمَّ اسْتَمْشَيْتُ بِالسَّنَا فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَوْ أَنَّ شَيْئًا كَانَ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ لَكَانَ فِي السَّنَا

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked Asma: 'What do you use as a purgative?' She said: 'Shubrum.' He said: 'Hot and violent.' She said: 'Then I used senna.' The Prophet said: 'If anything could save from death, it would be senna.'"

Classical physicians used gentle senna to evacuate bile and corrupted humors from the digestive tract in peptic ulcer treatment, avoiding harsh purgatives that could aggravate ulceration.

دَخَلَ عَلَىَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَمَعَهُ عَلِىٌّ وَعَلِىٌّ نَاقِهٌ وَلَنَا دَوَالِي مُعَلَّقَةٌ فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَأْكُلُ وَقَامَ عَلِىٌّ لِيَأْكُلَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لِعَلِىٍّ مَهْ إِنَّكَ نَاقِهٌ حَتَّى نَاوَلَتْهُ شَعِيرًا وَسِلْقًا فَقَالَ لِعَلِىٍّ مِنْ هَذَا أَصِبْ

"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) visited me with Ali, who was recovering from illness. We had some dates hanging. The Prophet began to eat, and Ali got up to eat. The Prophet said to Ali: 'Stop! You are recovering.' Then she gave him barley and silq (chard), and he said to Ali: 'Eat some of this.'"

This hadith establishes the principle of gentle, cooling foods like barley for damaged stomachs, avoiding harsh foods; barley water was specifically prescribed for gastric ulceration in classical Tibb.