The Christ’s thorn (sidr tree) is also a well-known folk medicine

Spread the love

Christ’s thorn jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi) also known as the sidr tree is a real, identifiable tree native to the Middle East, and it appears—directly or indirectly—in Islam, Judaism, and later Christian tradition. The connections between the three faiths are not theological agreements but overlapping uses, names, and symbolic associations rooted in the same landscape.

The post The Christ’s thorn (sidr tree) is also a well-known folk medicine appeared first on Green Prophet.

Yemenite honey is probably the best in the world. Image via Sedra — Yemenite honey is probably the best in the world. They make it using the ancient and holy sidr tree. Image via Sedra

In Islam, the tree is known as the sidr. The Qur’an refers to Sidrat al-Muntaha, the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary, in Surah An-Najm (53:13–18). While the Qur’anic reference is cosmic rather than botanical, Islamic scholarship and popular tradition have long associated the earthly sidr tree (Ziziphus spina-christi) with this name. Separately, the sidr has practical religious use: its leaves are traditionally used for ritual washing, including funerary preparation, because of their cleansing properties. Islamic legal tradition also treats shade-giving trees such as the sidr as protected resources, discouraging their destruction because of their role in sustaining human and animal life in arid environments. In medieval medical literature the jujube appears fre-quently under various names, such as “sidar” or “tsal“, while the fruit is called “nabaq” or dum“. This is the confusing part, because it has so many different names.

Pyramid Mysteries, by Daniel Martine Diaz — Pyramid mysteries, by Daniel Martine Diaz

In Judaism, the same species is known in Hebrew as shizaf and in English, the jujube tree. The tree appears in rabbinic literature as a familiar fruit tree in the Land of Israel and surrounding regions. Its significance is legal and practical rather than mystical. The shizaf is discussed in the context of agricultural law, including restrictions against unnecessary destruction (bal tashchit, not wasting or destroying) and rules governing fruit trees, property boundaries, and communal benefit. Trees that provide food or shade, even if not commercially valuable, are afforded protection under Jewish law. Trees that provide fruit are forbidden from being cut down, and in Judaism there is even a holiday for the trees, called Tu B’shevat. The jujube therefore functions as part of Judaism’s broader land-based ethic rather than as a singular sacred symbol.

The Christian association is later and less textually grounded. The English name Christ’s thorn reflects a tradition that identifies the tree’s hooked thorns with the crown of thorns placed on Jesus Christ during the crucifixion. The New Testament does not name the plant species, and there is no definitive historical proof that Ziziphus spina-christi was used. However, the tree was common in Roman-era Judea, and its flexible, sharp thorns make the identification plausible enough to persist in Christian tradition and naming. This is one of the theories. Ever hike in the Judaean Mountains outside of Jerusalem, and dry thorny trees and bushes is about all you will find.

The clean line between the three traditions can exist: Islam names the tree as the sidr and elevates it symbolically and ritually; Judaism regulates it legally and ethically as part of a lived agricultural system. Mentioned in the Mishnah and Talmud, they are linked to the biblical atad and, historically. The sidr was also known as pilgrimage trees for women who were barren. Christianity retrospectively associates it with a central moment in the life of Jesus. All three traditions engage the same tree through different lenses—cosmic boundary, legal responsibility, and historical memory—without relying on the same texts or meanings. According to this article it is the only holy tree in Islam and the Druze also revere this tree for its spiritual importance.

The medicinal uses for Christ’s thorn, the sidr tree are vast. These are documented ethnobotanical use in Israel and the wider Middle East.

Medicinal Uses of Christ’s Thorn Jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi)

Medical condition / use	Plant part & preparation	Communities / regions recorded
Toothache, gum disease	Root or bark powder rubbed on gums	Arabs, Bedouins (Israel); Iraq; Arabian Peninsula
Arthritis, joint pain	Paste of crushed roots, leaves, or branches; steam inhalation	Arabs, Bedouins; Arabia; Dhofar (Oman)
General pain relief	Paste of crushed roots or branches mixed with flour	Arabs, Bedouins
Muscle pain	Steam from boiled branches and leaves	Sinai & Negev Bedouins
Bruises	Fruit, leaves, or seeds applied	Arabian Peninsula; Dhofar
Chest pain, asthma	Fruit, leaves, seeds (infusion)	Medieval Levant; Arabia
Headache	Fruit, leaves, seeds	Arabia; Dhofar
Heart pain	Branch-based preparations	Sinai & Negev Bedouins
Eye inflammation	Powdered seeds, green leaves, or roots as poultice	Arabs, Bedouins; Iraqi Jews; Egypt
Stomach disorders (constipation, heartburn)	Decoction of fruit, seeds, or leaves	Arabs, Bedouins; Ancient Egypt; Iraq; Morocco
Diarrhea	Fruit or leaf infusion	Bedouins; Yemenite Jews; Iraqi Jews
Intestinal worms	Fruit, seed, or leaf infusion	Arabs, Bedouins; Iraqi Jews
Hemorrhoids	Leaves (topical or infusion)	Yemenite Jews; Iraqi Jews
Wounds	Fresh fruit juice applied	Arabs; Iraqi Jews; Ancient Egypt
Burns	Crushed fruit, boiled	Iraqi Jews
Skin diseases	Boiled or crushed leaves, resin	Iraqi Jews; Arabia
Abscesses	Cataplasm of boiled leaves	Morocco
Lung and respiratory illness	Leaves or fruit	Iraqi Jews; Arabia; medieval Iberia
Blood purifier / tonic	Leaves or fruit	Yemenite Jews; Ancient Egypt
High blood pressure	Leaf infusion	Israel; Jordan
Fractures	Poultice of boiled leaves	Arabian Peninsula
Cooling / febrifuge	Bark, leaves, fruit	Ancient Egypt; Iraq; Morocco
Hair and scalp problems	Liquid from leaves, fruit, resin	Arabs; Iraqi Jews; Arabia
Snake bite	Wood ash mixed with vinegar	Medieval Levant; Morocco
Bee / wasp stings	Leaves applied	Medieval Levant
Colds	Fruit	Israel; Jordan
Weight reduction	Fruit	Israel; Jordan
Nervousness	Branches and leaves	Negev Bedouins
Liver disorders	Fruit	Ancient Egypt

Source: Dafni, A., Levy, S., & Lev, E. (2005). The ethnobotany of Christ’s Thorn Jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi) in Israel. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 1:8.

What unites these traditions is that the jujube tree heals wounds, cools bodies, feeds communities, and thrives where water is scarce. It teaches patience, restraint, and coexistence with the land.

The post The Christ’s thorn (sidr tree) is also a well-known folk medicine appeared first on Green Prophet.