The Letter Waw
1. Warss (Ceylon Cornel tree)
Umm Salamah narrated, "The woman who has just delivered would remain for forty days afterwards [without praying or fasting]. One of us would then overlay Warss on her face to help against spots." Abu Hanifah, a linguist, said, "Warss does not grow in the wild.
Rather, it is cultivated. I think that it is only grown in the Arab lands, especially in Yemen."
Warss is dry and hot in the second degree. The best type of Warss is the red Warss, which is soft in the hand and does not have much bran. Warss is used as an ointment to treat spots, rashes and pimples that appear on the surface of the skin. Warss constipates, has a dyeing qual'ty and helps against leprosy when taken as a drink.
Warss has similar benefits to sea Qust, and if it is used as an ointment it relieves vitiligo (skin condition of unknown cause, characterized by patchy loss of pigment), rashes, pimples and ulcers. When the clothes are dyed with Warss, they strengthen the sexual drive.
2. Wasmah (Woad)
Wasmah is similar to the Nile's leaves and it is used to dye the hair black. We mentioned the subject of dying the hair black before.