Sugar is a relatively new substance that the people of old did not mention or even have knowledge that existed. This is why they did not describe its role in various types of drinks or cures. Honey, on the other hand, was extensively used as a drink and as a medicine. Sugarcane is hot and wet, helps relieve coughing, and dissipates the excess moisture in the body, prostate, and chest. It is more effective as a laxative than sugar itself. In addition, sugarcane induces vomit, is a diuretic, and stimulates semen production.
Affan bin Muslim As-Saggar said, “Those who suck on sugarcane after eating their meal, will find comfort for the rest of their day.” When sugar cane is broiled, it relieves the roughness in the throat and chest. Yet, it causes the accumulation of gasses that would be pacified when sugarcane is peeled and washed in hot water.
Sugar is hot and wet. The best type of sugar is a white crystalline, especially when it is old. When sugar is boiled and skimmed, it quenches the thirst and relieves coughing. Sugarcane is not good for the stomach, which suffers from bile. The side effects of sugarcane could be pacified by mixing it with lemon water (juice), Naranj (bitter orange), and peeled pomegranate.
Some people prefer sugarcane to honey because it is not as hot as honey and because it is milder on the stomach. This is not fair for honey, which is much more profitable than sugarcane. In addition, Allah has made honey both a cure and a type of sweet. So how can anyone compare the benefits of honey and the benefits of sugarcane? Honey strengthens the stomach, soothes the natural process, strengthens the eyesight, and heals diphtheria when gargled, facial paralysis, and hemiplegia (paralysis affecting only one side of the body). It helps against all types of cold illnesses that occur in the body because of excess moisture. Honey extracts and pulls excess moisture from the body, preserves health, increase semen production, and cleanses and decomposes the contents of the stomach. Honey cleanses the intestines, fights worms, and prevents septic repletion (overeating). Further, honey is a good type of food and favorable for those who suffer from phlegm and for old people. In short, no substance is more beneficial for the body as a food, as a remedy, and as an ingredient and a preserver of medications, which additionally strengthens the stomach, than honey, There are many more benefits of honey.
So how can anyone compare it to sugarcane, which does not have even a fraction of the benefits contained in honey?
