Nourishment for the convalescing

Swiss Chard, cortesy of www.JohnHarveyPhoto.com)

Narrated in Sunan Ibn Majah, Umm Al Munthir daughter of Qays al-Ansariyyah, radiya Allahu anhaa said: "The Messenger of Allah, salalahu alaihi wa sallam, entered my tent with 'Ali, radiya Allahu anhu,  who was recuperating from an illness. We had an adjacent palm tree with cluster of dates hanging from it. The Messenger of Allah, salalahu alaihi wa sallam, stood up and ate from it, and 'Ali, radiya Allahu anhu, followed suit. The Messenger of Allah, salalahu alaihi wa sallam, addressed ' Ali, radiya Allahu anhu, by saying: ' Gently, gently, you are still convalescing.' 'Ali, radiya Allahu anhu stopped eating. Immediately, I went and prepared a dish of Swiss card beets cooked with barley for him. The Messenger of Allah, salalahu alaihi wa sallam, then addressed ' Ali, saying ' Eat this food. It is more suitable for your present condition.'

Swiss chard beets, known as Silq amongst the Arabic speaking, is a tall, leafy green vegetable member of the beet family.  Its taste is like a cross between spinach and beets.

      Swiss chard beets ( stalks and leaves) cooked with barley together provide the best nourishment for one who is recovering from an illness, as the Prophetic traditions indicate. This meal protects the digestive juices against putrefaction, while it supplies sustaining nutrients to a delicate stomach. Adding Swiss chard beets to one's diet opens obstruction of the liver and spleen.  Black chard when eaten with lentils reduces stomach burns and helps to prevent peptic ulcers. Caution should be used eating chard in excess, as it can cause constipation and bloating, can produce insulin deficiency ( i.e. diabetes), and biliousness in the blood.  However, vinegar and mustard with the meal balances such effects.

 Chard is an excellent source of vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, Vitamin E and dietary fiber. It is a very good source of copper, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and protein. In addition, swiss chard is a good source of phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, folate, biotin, niacin and pantothenic acid.  Healthy Muslim.com

Here are some other  benefits of using Swiss chard for a number of different conditions:

 Alopecia- due to its astringent properties, applying the water of the dark variety of Swiss chard beets to the hair is a treatment for hair loss.
  
Lice: applying the water also kills head lice

Skin discoloration: applying the water is used as a treatment for skin discoloration of the face and chest and reduces large skin markings (lichen)

Impetigo: applying a pomade of crushed Swiss chard leaves mixed with honey is used for treating eruption of the skin pustules


 Swiss chard beets, are both hot and dry carrying a coolness to the body which affects decomposition, dilates the vessels, and promotes bowel movements, thus preventing digestive tract cancer This is a great food which provides nourishment to the body while it aids in complete digestion and proper elimination of the body systems.