Sheep's Tail and Sciatica

Ibn Qayyim in "Medicine of the Prophet" 

Ibn Qayyim said

• Ibn Majah narrated in his Sunan (collection of Hadith) that Anas bin Malik said, I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying: "Curing sciatica is accomplished by melting the fat from the tail of a nomad's ewe. Then, the fat is divided into three parts and one part per day is drunk on an empty stomach.
• Sciatica is an ailment that starts from the hip's joint, then descends to the thigh from the backside of the body. Sometimes, sciatica reaches the ankles and the longer the ailment remains, the lower it descends and the weaker the legs and thighs become.

As-Suyuti in "Medicine of the Prophet" 

As-Suyuti said

• Aliya — Sheep’s Tails are hot and damp.
• They damage the stomach but soothe the nerves.
• Said Anas: The Prophet used to prescribe this for sciatica. He was wont to melt down the tails of four sheep. This he divided into three parts. These he would give to drink, on an empty stomach, every day one part.
• Said Anas: The Prophet recommended this for more than three hundred people and all were cured.
• This treatment is good only when the pain is due to dryness. In this case the tails of the sheep produce a relaxation and the smell will cause digestion.
• The Arabs of the desert improve their flocks by feeding them on wormwood and artemisia or on chamomile. The first two are the most effective for the pain of sciatica.