HERB - Re: dandelion

Gaylin Walli g.walli at infoengine.com
Mon Jun 22 10:03:28 PDT 1998


Mistress Agnes asked:

>Jasmine, what arabic herbals talk about dandelion?

Egads, I feel like I've gotten caught with my knickers down.

I apologize for the unsupported nature of my answer. I should
have said that I suspect that it's in the 10th and 11th century
manuscripts based on what I am mostly remembering from other
writings. Stuff is filed away in my head as being "vaguely
from here during roughly this time period." Bad Jasmine. Bad.

I suppose the first place that I would start looking would be
in Abu Ali el-Hosein ben Abdallah Ibn Sina's second book of the
El-Kanûn. I heard rumour of a 1960's copy of a glossary for the
entire Canon with English and Arabic translations.

I also have a vague recollections of seeing dandelion mentioned to
exist in some works by Abu Bekr Muhammed be Zakarijia er-Razi,
but I can't recall for certain. Perhaps his "De variolis
et morbillis" but more likely his treatise that has been called
"El-Hawi fi'l Tib" or his "Ketaab altib Almansuiri" (also called
Liber medicinalis Almasoris). Because the former of the two is based
almost entirely on the writings of Galen, it might be worthwhile
to look in his works as well.

With as many of the Arabic writers prone to restating the works of
the early greco-roman writers, I would probably look for mentions
in those writings as well and work my way forward to books
known to have been copied or restated by Arabic writers. (For
some reason Theophrastus's "Historia Plantarum" comes to mind,
but that just could be a by-product of caffeine deprivation
today.)

I also read about another book with which I am completely
unfamiliar. Nicolaus Myrepsus (or just Myrepsus) wrote a treatise
that I think (arg!) was called the "Medicamentorum opus" and
was based entirely on prescriptions extensively used in Arabic
medicine.  As I remember it, the number of prescriptions was
in the thousands. Perhaps someone else knows a little more
about this one? I seem to recall a 13th century date on this.

Of course, lacking copies of any of these, one would find it
most difficult to look up much of anything, wouldn't one? None
of this really helps at all, does it? *sigh* I think I need
another cup of coffee. Once again, I'm very sorry I can't be of
more help.

Please let me know someone else has information that can correct
misinformation in mine. I am forever updating my brain and my
notes and I can use all the help people are willing to give me. :)

jasmine

Jasmine de Cordoba, Midrealm (Metro-Detroit area of Michigan)
jasmine at infoengine.com or g.walli at infoengine.com

"Si enim alicui placet mea devotio, gaudebo; si autem
nulli placet, memet ipsam tamen juvat quod feci."
-- Hroswith of Gandersheim
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