The Saltwort and Cyperus

أَكْلُ الْأُشْنَانِ يُبْخِرُ الْفَمَ‌[2].

“Abu al-Hassan al-Awwal (a.s.), has said, ’Eating saltwort disinfects the mouth.”’

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع إِنَّا نَأْكُلُ الْأُشْنَانَ فَقَالَ كَانَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ع إِذَا تَوَضَّأَ ضَمَّ شَفَتَيْهِ‌[3] وَ فِيهِ خِصَالٌ تُكْرَهُ إِنَّهُ يُورِثُ السِّلَّ وَ يَذْهَبُ بِمَاءِ الظَّهْرِ وَ يُوهِي الرُّكْبَتَيْنِ‌[4] فَقُلْتُ فَالطِّينُ فَقَالَ كُلُّ طِينٍ حَرَامٌ مِثْلُ الْمَيْتَةِ وَ الدَّمِ وَ لَحْمِ الْخِنْزِيرِ إِلَّا طِينَ قَبْرِ الْحُسَيْنِ ع فَإِنَّ فِيهِ شِفَاءً مِنْ كُلِّ دَاءٍ وَ لَكِنْ

“I once said to abu al-Hassan (a.s.), ‘I eat saltwort.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), when washing his hands and mouth (with saltwort) would keep his lips closed. There is a quality in it, which is disliked. It can cause tuberculoses, it takes away the water of the back and weakens the knees.’ I then asked

مَنِ اسْتَنْجَى بِالسُّعْدِ بَعْدَ الْغَائِطِ وَ غَسَلَ بِهِ فَمَهُ بَعْدَ الطَّعَامِ لَمْ تُصِبْهُ عِلَّةٌ فِي فَمِهِ وَ لَمْ يَخَفْ شَيْئاً مِنْ أَرْيَاحِ الْبَوَاسِيرِ.

“If one washes the outlet of his feces and his mouth after food with cyperus no illness will occur in his mouth and hewill have no fear of gases or hemorrhoid.’”

وَ هُوَ خَالُ أُمِّي قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ اتَّخِذُوا فِي أَسْنَانِكُمُ السُّعْدَ فَإِنَّهُ يُطَيِّبُ الْفَمَ وَ يَزِيدُ فِي الْجِمَاعِ.

‘Keep cyperus in your teeth; it gives the mouth pleasant smell and increases one’s ability to go to bed with his wife.’”

أَخَذَنِي الْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ مُوسَى فَأَمَرَ فَوُجِئَ فَمِي‌[1] فَتَزَعْزَعَتْ أَسْنَانِي فَلَا أَقْدِرُ أَنْ أَمْضَغَ الطَّعَامَ فَرَأَيْتُ أَبِي فِي الْمَنَامِ وَ مَعَهُ شَيْخٌ لَا أَعْرِفُهُ فَقَالَ أَبِي رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ سَلِّمْ عَلَيْهِ فَقُلْتُ يَا أَبَهْ مَنْ هُوَ فَقَالَ هَذَا أَبُو شَيْبَةَ الْخُرَاسَانِيُ‌[2] قَالَ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ مَا لِي أَرَاكَ هَكَذَا قَالَ قُلْتُ إِنَّ الْفَاسِقَ الْعَبَّاسَ

“Al-‘ Abbas ibn Musa took me and commanded to hit my mouth, so my teeth became shaky and I could not chew food. I then saw my father in my dream. There was an old man with him whom I could not recognize. My father, may Allah grant him mercy, said to me to offer greeting of peace to him.’ I then asked, ‘Father, who is h

رَأَيْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ الْأَوَّلَ ع فِي الْحِجْرِ وَ هُوَ قَاعِدٌ وَ مَعَهُ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ فَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ ضَرَبَتْ عَلَيَّ أَسْنَانِي فَأَخَذْتُ السُّعْدَ فَدَلَكْتُ بِهِ أَسْنَانِي فَنَفَعَنِي ذَلِكَ وَ سَكَنَتْ عَنِّي.

6. It is narrated from the narrator of the previous Hadith from ibn Mahbub from abu Wallad who has said the following: “I once saw abu al-Hassan sitting in al-Hijr (near al-Ka‘bah) along with a group of his family members and I heard him saying, ‘I had a toothache so I took cyperus and rubbed with it my teeth, it benef