MrRING
Android Futureman
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- Aug 7, 2002
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I had never heard of this before - has any medical research been done to look into the veracity of it?
The STORY Linked HERE
The STORY Linked HERE
SILPHIUM: ANCIENT WONDER DRUG?
by John Tatman
Silphium, also known as silphion or laser, is an extinct plant species of the genus Ferula. It was described as having a thick root, a stalk like fennel, large alternating leaves with leaflets like celery, spherical clusters of small yellow flowers at the top and broad leaf-like, heart-shaped fruit called phyllon. Some of the best known representations of silphium are the stylized images used on the ancient coins of Kyrenaika (modern-day Libya). The plant was valued in ancient times because of its many uses as a food source, seasoning for food, and, most importantly, as a medication. Perfumes were made from the flowers, the stalk was used for food or fodder while the juice and root were used to make a variety of medical potions.
Reported medical uses for the juice included remedies for cough, sore throat, fever, indigestion, fluid retention, seizures, aches and pains. The sap was supposed to be able to remove warts and other growths. In addition, Pliny wrote that silphium could be used for a variety of diverse conditions including treatment of leprosy, to restore hair, cleanse retained afterbirth from the womb and as an antidote for poisons. Potions made from silphium were supposedly among the most effective birth-control methods known at the time. Preparations used for birth control included a tea made from the leaves, a "pea-sized" ball of sap mixed with wine and a suppository containing the juice. The timing of administration suggests it probably functioned as an abortifacient similar to preparations made from related plant species.
Apparently, silphium only grew in a restricted area, approximately 125 miles by 35 miles, on the coastal plateaus of Kyrenaika. The Greeks believed the plant was a gift from Apollo which appeared after a heavy rain storm flooded the area at about the time the city of Kyrene was founded in the seventh century BC. Of course, there is evidence that sliphium was used much earlier in Egypt, Libya and even Greece. Silphium supposedly resisted attempts at cultivation and transplantation, which made it one of the major revenue sources contributing to Kyrenaika's wealth. Pliny described it as "one of the most precious gift from Nature to man." It was considered to be "worth its weight in denarii" during Roman times because of its varied medical uses and scarcity. The plant reportedly became extinct around the first century A.D., perhaps because of overutilization. Other plants, also referred to as "silphium," grow in other locations around the Mediterranean, but were considered to be of inferior quality. As a result, the loss of silphium from Kyrenaika was greatly lamented in Rome.