In the summer of 2014, I became allergic to peppers. I’m not talking a few hives and a scratchy throat here! I mean full blown allergic reaction: throat closing, stuffed sinuses, heart racing, and digestive flush reaction (read the full story here).
The problem is that every restaurant or purveyor of packaged foods, or even Doritos, uses peppers (cayenne, paprika, chili, bell pepper) in one form or another, to accentuate the flavours of cooking. So it wasn’t surprising to me that I often had flare ups in the middle of a meal, not even five minutes after taking the first bite.
The standard protocol of hospitals, doctors and allergists is an over the counter antihistamine and to prescribe an Epipen. But, I didn’t want to live like that. I needed to find a better solution than forever walking around with an Epipen and sleeping for hours after taking over the counter antihistamines.
My allergic reaction to peppers was the catalyst that changed my life and black seed was the cure that ignited NURASUNNA.
Abu Hurairah narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say:
“In black seed there is healing for every disease, except the Sam.” “Sam means death. And black seed is Shuwniz.”
I no longer take over the counter antihistamine nor do I carry an Epipen. Instead, I walk around with a little jar of black seed in my purse.
Here’s why:
After some research and discovering the Hadith that describes the use of black seed, I decided to try it out. What I discovered was that when I ate black seed, within minutes, my allergic reaction stopped. When I made the further discovery that peppers are in so many products, I began eating black seed on a regular basis in order to control my allergic reactions. It was then that I also discovered that the black seed cured many other ailments that I was suffering from that didn’t warrant my immediate attention but were nonetheless bothersome.
For instance, my breast tumors began to shrink and prior to my scheduled surgery to have my gallbladder removed, the stone miraculously disappeared! My digestive issues, including bloating and indigestion, were also largely resolved. Although I fully believed hadith that black seed was a cure for everything, I was still shocked as to how it restored my body to a healthier balance.
Although I’m still allergic to peppers, I have been able to reduce and contain the allergic flare ups when accidentally consumed. I have never used my Epipen, and in fact, I don’t even carry it around with me anymore. Through managing my diet and the use of herbs, I have increased my tolerance to peppers—slightly, but in my world, this is a big win!
But to answer your earlier thought—because I know you thought it—I’m not a hypochondriac. I’m living proof that refocusing your eating habits, in the manner that thousands of years of medical practice shows us, can make all the difference in the world.
NURASUNNA is a culmination of years of research in the areas of health, nutrition, history and truths. My own struggles with my health led me back to Allah SWT, back to the Qur’an and back to the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad 
, where I found healing through food. It was through Allah’s guidance and the trial of illnesses that I have faced that have led me down this path: the path to enlightenment, the path to reviving my metabolism, the path to wellness.