To start with, for treating diarrhea the best food will be honey as our Prophet ﷺﷺ taught us. It should be taken in the morning on an empty stomach and in the evening before going to bed.
If the person feels strong abdominal pain, they can then add ginger and fennel seeds to the honey: for 250g of honey, count 25g of ground ginger and 25g of ground fennel seeds.
In addition, pomegranate peel can also be mixed with honey, using 15 to 20g. Otherwise, this remedy can be taken alone, diluted in water, at a rate of one teaspoon twice a day between meals. Capsules made from pomegranate peel are also available, taken at two per day before meals.
As a preventive measure, it would be ideal to do a course of probiotics. To do this, take two probiotic capsules in the morning before breakfast for a period of one month.
It should be noted that stomach aches can be caused by stress. Therefore, it would be good to take natural calming agents such as saffron, rhodiola, or griffonia, and drink herbal teas in the evening, for example lime blossom tea.
Let us not forget that a healthy and varied diet is the source of good health.
The hadith of honey and the man with the sick stomach
A man came to tell the Prophet ﷺ: "My brother has loose bowels." He replied: "Give him honey." The man did so, came back, and said it had only made things worse; the Prophet ﷺ repeated three times "give him honey," then said: "Allah has spoken the truth, and your brother's stomach has lied." The brother recovered (al-Bukhari 5684, Muslim 2217). This is the hadith the professor has in mind when he places honey first. Ibn al-Qayyim explains that honey, at the first dose, brings out what needs to leave the body (it "cleanses"), and that one must persevere for it to do its work. The verse he recalls: "There comes forth from their bellies a drink of varying colors, in which there is healing for people" (16:69).
Before any remedy: water
What makes diarrhea dangerous is not the diarrhea itself, it's dehydration. In infants, young children, and the elderly, it can set in within a few hours. So drink small amounts, often, starting from the first loose stool: water, salted broth, rice water, and for children a pharmacy oral rehydration solution, which supplies salts in the right proportions. Honey blends in very well, and this is in fact what two trials tested.
The professor's recipes, with their doses
| Remedy | Preparation | Intake | For what |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honey alone | One tablespoon of raw honey, pure or diluted in a glass of warm water | In the morning on an empty stomach and in the evening before bed | Any simple diarrhea; based on the hadith |
| Honey, ginger, fennel | 250 g of honey, 25 g of ground ginger, 25 g of ground fennel seeds, mixed in a jar | One small spoonful twice a day between meals, plain or in water | Diarrhea with cramps, bloating, nausea |
| Honey and pomegranate peel | 15 to 20 g of dried, ground pomegranate peel in 250 g of honey | One small spoonful twice a day | Very loose, frequent stools: the pomegranate tightens things up |
| Pomegranate peel capsules | Store-bought | Two a day before meals | Same use, without preparing anything |
| Probiotics | Capsules of known strains (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Saccharomyces boulardii) | Two in the morning before breakfast, for one month | After the episode, or to prevent recurring diarrhea |
| Linden, saffron, rhodiola, griffonia | Herbal tea in the evening; calming plants in capsules in the morning | As tolerated | A stomach that knots under stress, irritable bowel |
What the trials measured
- Honey in rehydration. A randomized trial in 100 infants and children with gastroenteritis found that honey added to the rehydration solution shortened the duration of vomiting and diarrhea compared with the solution alone (J Med Food, 2010). An older study had already shown that honey shortens bacterial diarrhea and can replace the glucose in the solution, provided the salts are kept (Br Med J, 1985).
- Probiotics. The 2020 Cochrane review, which pooled 82 trials using stricter criteria, concludes that probiotics probably have no net effect on the duration of acute diarrhea in general, though certain strains retain some value (Cochrane, 2020). Their place is rather in prevention and in rebuilding the gut flora, as the professor suggests using them.
- Pomegranate peel. Rich in tannins, it is traditionally astringent; pharmacological reviews confirm its anti-infective and anti-inflammatory action on the intestine (J Ethnopharmacol, 2012), and a recent study shows its effect in a model of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel (Nutrients, 2024).
Eating during and after
One does not fast during diarrhea, especially not a child: eat light as soon as you can tolerate it. Rice, cooked carrots, banana, cooked apple, toast, broth, then gradually reintroduce other foods. No dairy (except yogurt), no raw vegetables, no raw fruit or juice, no coffee for two or three days. Morning and evening honey continues until stools are normal, then for two more days.
Contraindications and precautions
Never give honey before one year of age (infant botulism). In infants and young children, the oral rehydration solution is the remedy, and a doctor should be consulted the same day if the child drinks poorly, urinates little, has sunken eyes, or is drowsy. In adults, consult a doctor if the diarrhea lasts more than three days, if there is blood, a fever above 38.5°C, severe pain, a recent trip abroad, or recent antibiotic use. High-dose ginger should be avoided with blood thinners; probiotics should not be given to immunocompromised people without medical advice. Diarrhea that comes back regularly, alternating with constipation, falls under irritable bowel, which has its own guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which honey should I take for diarrhea?
A raw, unheated honey, preferably dark (the professor mentions jujube honey for the intestines). The key is that it be pure: a supermarket honey cut with syrup does not have the same properties. See choosing your honey.
Won't honey make the diarrhea worse?
The hadith itself says so: the first dose may seem to make things worse, because the honey brings out what needs to leave. Persevere morning and evening. If after 48 hours nothing has improved, or if the condition worsens, consult a doctor.
Can these remedies be given to a child?
No honey before one year of age. After that, honey diluted in the rehydration solution is what the trials tested. The ginger-fennel blend should be avoided before age 3; a light fennel herbal tea is preferable for them.
Are probiotics really useful?
Not for shortening an ongoing bout of acute diarrhea, according to the latest Cochrane review. They have their place afterward, to rebuild the gut flora, and as prevention for those who suffer recurring diarrhea, as the professor suggests.
When should you see a doctor?
Right away for an infant who drinks poorly or urinates little, and for the elderly. In adults: blood in the stools, high fever, severe pain, more than three days, a recent trip abroad, recent antibiotics.
