**1. Introduction**

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 80% of people around the world use herbal medicine. Studies show that certain herbs effectively treat several health issues, like allergies, premenstrual syndrome, chronic fatigue, cancer, diabetes and many more. India is one of the big resources of medicinal plants and natural products due to its geological diversity. In recent years, various

#### *Complementary Therapies*

researches have been conducted on medicinal plants and spices worldwide. Plantderived chemicals have attracted the attention of the scientific community for their various potential positive qualities. Studies have shown that polyphenols are anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory, cardiac and neuroprotective, as well as having anti-cancer properties [1, 2]. Some of these natural chemicals have been included in clinical trials due to their inherent biological activity in a variety of disease models [3, 4], as they exhibited promising benefits in terms of boosting the anti-proliferative response and reducing the toxicity of conventional treatments.

Islamic medicine, often known as Arabic medicine in medical history, is the science of medicine developed during the Islamic Golden Age, which lasted from the ninth to thirteenth centuries. Although the main medical tradition was Greek, it was influenced by Islamic or Prophetic Medicine, as well as folk medicine to a lesser extent. The Holy Quran has provided the knowledge for a variety of crops, including grains, seeds, and fodder, as well as their germination and growth processes in several Surah. Plants are considered a gift from God, and the Quran mentions various plant names such as Date palms, figs, olives, ginger, grapes, miswak, onion, barley, garlic, pomegranates, camphor, Christ's thorns, bottle gourds and other significant therapeutic herbs and plants utilized as food [5, 6].

Various medicinal plants and nutraceuticals derived from different natural resources, as well as their products such as polyphenolic components, flavones, flavonoids, and antioxidants, have been found to provide significant protection against a variety of diseases [7]. Epidemiological observations show that various traditional Islamic medicinal plants have powerful disease inhibiting properties [6, 8]. Currently, developing a preventive/therapeutic drug that reduces the particular disease without harming normal cells, is the primary goal of the research performed. For instance, in the case of cancer treatment, some of the methods used by the experts to cure the condition include tumor debulking, chemotherapies, radiotherapies, targeted treatments, immunotherapies, stem cell transplants, and photodynamic therapies [9]. Around the world, researchers are trying to develop new strategies to eradicate the diseases.

The present chapter summarizes the recently reported pharmacologically and therapeutically based medicinal plants and its products mentioned in Islamic scriptures. The chapter also highlights the recent studies of medicinal plants and their natural products based on *in vitro* and *in vivo* and clinical investigation.

## **2. Traditional Islamic medicinal plants and their products**

#### **2.1 Dates palm (***Phoenix dactylifera* **L.) fruits**

*Phoenix dactylifera* L. (*P. dactylifera*), often known as date palm, is one of the oldest and most important crops in Arab countries and North Africa. Apart from that, dates are also cultivated around the world and in India, southern California, Arizona and Texas [10]. The date palm tree is a part of the family Arecaceae. Date palm is a multifunctional plant that contains fiber, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and various phytochemicals, which were used traditionally because of having great therapeutic properties [11]. Therapeutic benefits of Ajwa dates fruits are well documented in Islamic scriptures such as Hadith and other works of Islamic literature. According to Al-Bukhaari (5445) and Muslim (2047), narrated by Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqaas that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever eats seven Ajwa dates in the morning, will not be harmed by any poison or witchcraft that day."

Date palm fruit has been described in traditional and alternative medicine to provide several health benefits including anticholesteremic, antidiabetic,

#### *Traditional Islamic Herbal Medicine and Complementary Therapies DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.101927*

anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective and anticancer effects [12]. According to prior phytochemical studies, Date pulp fruit contains about 80% reducing sugars, including fructose, glucose, galactose, and maltose, as well as flavonoids, glycosides, polyphenols, and phytosterols [13, 14]. Phytochemicals present in dates palm fruits exhibit anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, antioxidant, hypolipidemic and anti-apoptotic properties [15]. The main bioactive components present dates palm pulp are Carotenoids (lutein and β-carotene), phytosterols and phytoestrogens (β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, daidzein, genistein and isofucosterol), flavonoids (apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, isoquercetrin, rutin and kaempferol) and phenolic acids (benzoic acid derivatives; p-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, gallic acid and syringic acid, and cinnamic acid derivatives; o-coumaric acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid) (**Figure 1**) [10, 16].
