The use of plants as medicine in the Mediterranean region is extensive, due to the great variation of

terrain and climate within the area, and its long history of human civilization. The Lebanese landscape
alone, in the Eastern Mediterranean region, hosts over 2,600 terrestrial plants within its 10, 452 square
kilometres.1 While the borders have shifted many times throughout history, the people have remained
connected to the plants through medical and culinary traditions; after all, plants don’t pay attention to
border politics. This paper is going to survey the dominant medical traditions of the region, connecting
dots between spiritual, social, and herbal medicines.

Because of the abundance of plants and year-round growing capacities, especially regarding herbs, it’s
easy for people to work with herbal medicine and incorporate it into food. Lebanese food culture can be
understood as a type of medicine itself: in the holy Islamic writings, the prophet Muhammed said:
“Eat together, for blessing is in Jamma'a (congregation or being together)..."
“Whoever has food enough for two persons, should take a third one, and whoever has
food enough for four persons, should take a fifth or a sixth." (Bukhari, Volume 4. Book
56. Number 781)2
The eating together and sharing of food is understood to be a source of barakah ‫بركة‬. Barakah is
blessings and divine radiance; it is not a state, but a continual flow of divine energy from Allah to the
person or thing with barakah.3 The word also translates to “pond”, “pool of water”, and “a camel that
has sat down”: basically, it means a thing that will remain a long time, longer than usual. Barakah is a
radiant power that none are born with but all can accumulate, usually held by saints, attainable by
completing certain tasks or prayers. It’s the idea that a blessing is something that stays with you, not so
easily lost or shaken, much like trying to get a camel to move once they have sat down: it’s not going to
happen. It’s also the ability to do a lot with few resources or little effort, for something to go a long way.
These occurrences are seen to be a blessing from Allah, and the best way to obtain barakah or attach it
to something is, according to Islamic teachings, to be acting with good intentions ie. In the name of
Allah. Many of the other ways to obtain barakah have to do directly with Allah or the Quran. One that
stands out that is less explicitly about worship is: eating with people and food sharing. This simple fact
speaks to so much of Lebanese food and medical culture. Food is medicine, and sharing nourishment
brings barakah.2

Another notable way to acquire barakah is through pilgrimage / ziyarat. The act of pilgrimage is well-
known in Islam and occurs for layers of personal and social reasons. Men and women have often
worshipped separately throughout history, as a way to foster spiritual intimacy, however, in countries
such as Saudi Arabia, women have not been permitted to attend the holy rituals without the
accompaniment of a male relative, or mahram. This was changed just this year, in accordance with the
older prophetic tradition of women’s independence. Many pilgrimages throughout Western Asia are
undertaken by groups of exclusively women.4 The journey of a pilgrimage as well as the activities at the
holy sites are understood to be a source of great healing. This is in part due to the physical and
emotional experience of such a journey:
“…the activities of pilgrimage itself – including the respite from everyday routine; the
exhilaration of travel to a spiritually “magnetic” corner; the cathartic effects of
unburdening one’s “private heartaches” on a nonjudgemental but responsive holy one
who can be requested to act on one’s behalf; the ability to be part of a sympathetic,
experienced community of female sufferers who often congregate at these shrines; and
the ministrations of the living, barakah-bestowing sheikhs (elders) who often attend to
these shrines and who pray and write healing amulets for suffering pilgrims – are part
and parcel of the healing process…furthermore, Middle Eastern women’s pilgrimages to
 holy sanctuaries are “power operations” means by which subaltern women can seek
control over their sexuality, fertility, health, and general well-being in societies that tend
to be decidedly patriarchal”3

The pilgrimage, for women, can be a place of autonomy within societies that often dictate their roles and
permissions in minute detail. The reaffirmation of ones relationship to the self, and to the divine, outside
of societal roles, as well as the space to simply be with oneself of any amount of time, does a world of
good for the psyche. As mentioned above, and as seen in many religious practices, having a place to
release ones internal baggage without judgement contributes heavily to mental and emotional
wellbeing. Though the Islamic texts often state that women and men are of equal importance and
equally welcome in heaven, they also say that it is better for women to stay closer to the home, and that
men should go out and deal with the distresses of the world while women should focus on keeping the
home safe, warm, and nourishing. Neither of these are understood by modern Muslim scholars as an
obligation, but despite this it has become common to think of the Arab world as extremely patriarchal,
and in many cases it has behaved this way.5 However, it appears that men and women are equally likely
to act as herbalists and maintain a diverse knowledge of plants and illnesses.6

In the Hippocratic Collection, there is a treatise called Regimen, made up of 4 books, dating back
somewhere around 5th or 4th century BCE.7 While Hippocrates was born in Greece and was therefore
likely writing about plants local to Greece, there is a lot of overlap with Lebanon in the available plants
and cooking styles, so it feels worth considering the documents (it also appears that Regimen has an
entire chapter on the effects of the winds on the people, which should be of interest to anyone familiar
with East Asian Medicine). It is of interest that this series of medical texts focuses so much on the
properties of foods, rather than separating out the “medicinal” from the “culinary”. It appears that
within both medical writings and folk medicines, the focus within the Mediterranean region has for a
long time been on the use of food as medicine. An example of these considerations is:

“Garlic warms, passes well by stool and urine, and is good for the body though bad for
the eyes. For making a considerable purgation of the body it dulls the sight. It promotes
stools and urine because of the purgative qualities it possesses. When boiled it is weaker
than when raw. It causes flatulence because it causes stoppage of wind.
The onion is good for sight but bad for the body, because it is hot and burning, and does
not lead to stool; for without giving nourishment or help to the body it warms and dries
on account of its juice.
The leek warms less, but passes well by urine and stool; it also has a certain purgative
quality. It moistens and stops heartburn, but it must be eaten last.”7

From the same piece of research, the list of most common plants used medicinally is at least 75%
culinary plants. Looking at the practices of modern herbalists in Lebanon specifically, the most common
form of preparation is by making a tea or decoction. Other, less-used methods include making a juice,
salad, consuming the fruit/vegetable whole, macerated plant parts, oils and saps.6 This is in reference to
the preparation of specifically medicinal compositions; the use of medicinal herbs is deeply incorporated
into the regular cooking practices of the area. It’s important that this practice is so ingrained, as
Lebanese herbalists are decreasing in number,6 and accurate, local, data is difficult to find.
One plant that particularly stands out in its use is za’atar. The word za’atar refers to the plant origanum
syriacum, aka Lebanese thyme, often referred to as Lebanese oregano. The word also refers to many
species of plants from different families dubbed thyme-like plants, distinguished by their high
concentrations of carvacrol and thymol, which are responsible for the plants sharp and pungent smell,
as well as their healing abilities. Finally, za’atar describes the group of spices blended together to create
the well-known mixture: oregano, thyme, sumac, sesame seeds and salt. Within this paper, za’atar
refers to Lebanese oregano.

Za’atar contains the above-mentioned high concentrations of carvacrol and thymol, as well as the
polyphenol rosmarinic acid (RA). Polyphenols protect the body’s tissues against oxidative stress, which is
linked to many diseases including cancers and coronary heart disease. Whole-plant studies of za’atar or
o. syriacum show an impressive range of functions including: a high antimicrobial effect; anti-ulcerogenic
properties; capacity to eat through aggregated biofilm structures of bacteria such as the lyme-causing
borrelia burgdorferi8; and neuroprotective effects against glutamate induced toxicity.1

Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that can build up, or get stuck between nerves, in the brain, leading to
overexcitement of nerve cells which can cause brain cell damage and/or death. Some diseases
associated with glutamate toxicity are Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, chronic
fatigue syndrome, and stroke.9 In herbal medicine, za’atar is understood to be best at relieving
gastrointestinal issues: it “protects the intestinal mucosal barrier, reduces abdominal pain, relieves the
stomach and gut wall, and …keeps the stool moist”.1 It is also used as a tea to relieve headaches,
toothaches, rheumatism, colds and asthma.

Carvacrol itself exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, cardioprotective,

and neuroprotective properties. It can reduce E.coli levels in the jejunum and protects against gut
dysbiosis. In a mouse model, it was effective in reducing effects and numbers of c. difficile, by increasing
the number of beneficial bacteria without affecting gut microbiome diversity. Additionally, it could have a
beneficial effect in prevention of liver cancer: carvacrol was shown to “inhibit human hepatoma HepG2
cell growth by inducing apoptosis…”1 It is also the dominant active component in the lyme disease study.

Rosmarinic acid is quite effective in regulating blood glucose concentration and reducing insulin
resistance. It “can modulate gut microbiota, increasing the population of diabetes-resistant bacteria, and
decreasing the amounts of diabetes-sensitive bacteria”.1

This is a far-reaching and impactful range of uses for a single herb. What feels especially notable is that
za’atar isn’t a primarily medicinal herb. This plant is incorporated into common meals and dips that are
often consumed daily in Lebanese families. The Mediterranean diet has been well studied and is
considered one of the healthiest ways of eating to support whole-body wellbeing.1 When we look at the
effects of just one common herb among so many others, it’s easy to see why.

The other plant this paper will consider is the pomegranate. The pomegranate has a rich history in food,
medicine, and mythology across the whole of the Mediterranean and Western Asia, but of course is now
known worldwide as a fancy grocery store fruit. The cultivar known as Wonderful, a sour-sweet, rather
tough pomegranate, is the only one of over 500 varieties of this fruit that is commonly known. 10 The fruit
ranges in its size, growing conditions, ripening timeline, colour, texture, and, most important from a
medicinal standpoint, its flavour. There are four general flavour categories for the pomegranate as
understood by Islamic Traditional Medicine (ITM)– astringent (unripe), sour, sweet, and sour-sweet – and
each has its own medical properties and precautions.11

In ITM, almost every part of the pomegranate is used, including the fruit, seeds, peel, leaves, inner flesh,
bark, root, flowers, and the calyx and stamens from the crowns. In cooking, the seeds, juice, and
occasionally the peel are preferred. The applications vary widely, and have been documented in many
books; one notable book is the Al-Jamee Le-Mofradaat al-Adwiah wal- Aghdiyah (Comprehensive Book in
Simple Drugs and Food) by Ibn Beytar. The sweet pomegranate is understood to have beneficial effects
on the digestive system; it may even be more beneficial to the stomach than apples. Both sour and
sweet can remove stomach heat, however, the sour pomegranate tends to be harmful to the stomach
itself; it also scrapes the bowels. It’s recommended to eat sour pomegranate with sweeteners like honey,
red sugar or rock sugar to prevent it from harming the stomach and instead strengthening it. Some
writing suggests that eating sour pomegranate mixed with its mesocarp (inner flesh) will support the
stomach by tanning it.11

The anti-parasitic quality of the pomegranate comes up frequently in the texts. Specifically, the skin of
the roots plus sugar, or the skin of the fruits themselves, milled and mixed into warm water, will removed
parasites and eggs from the intestines. The juice and sun-dried seeds help stop diarrhea; the seeds can
also address a fever that causes diarrhea. An infusion of pomegranate, rice, and barley applied as an
enema can heal intestinal wounds. Sitting in a shallow bath of pomegranate infusion is good for wounds
to the lower intestines. It is not always specified if the sour or sweet pomegranate is best. It is noted that
sour pomegranate, when used excessively, can severely cool the liver and block digestion. One of the
most common uses of the pomegranate is in the treatment of skin wounds and scars; the astringent
parts are best for this, such as the flowers, buds, calyx, and peel. One particularly interesting use is to
improve vision: the sweet juice is heated until it forms a thick paste, then applied to the eyes and
eyelashes to improve eyesight.11

In contemporary medical research, we see that pomegranate juice and extracts used in in vitro stool
cultures enhance the growth of the highly beneficial probiotics lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. They also
inhibited the growth of clostridia and staphylococcus aureus in human gut bacteria cultures. Also in in
vitro models, the extracts blocked activity in a prostate cancer model and renal cell carcinoma. The peel
extract and punicalagin (a polyphenol from the fruit) induced apoptosis in the prostate cancer cells and
otherwise inhibited their growth.10 There are many other effects that have been studied, but for this
paper, showing the strong overlap between ITM research and contemporary medical research is enough.

Medical practice comes in many forms. It is of incredible value when the medicine can be integrated into
daily rituals like eating and congregating, or weave itself into social and spiritual practice. When
medicine co-exists with daily life, it inevitably reaches more people than when it’s engaged with only
when a person is sick. This is the importance of food medicine especially: people are going to eat either
way. So, when a culture’s beloved foods bring such a range of supports to the human body, the people
are going to benefit from that just by eating. The approaches discussed in this paper - which is not
comprehensive - show that healing practices can easily enter daily life in the form of food and barakah,
and start making positive changes immediately.
Bibliography

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