To next page
Ibn Al-Baytar: Kitab al-Jami'li-mufrdat al- adwiyah wa-al-aghdhiyah
(Collection of simple medicines) (d1249)
Spanish Muslim doctor.
-----------------------------------------------------
Taken from; Gabriel Ferrand; Relations des voyages et textes geographiques...
Leclerc, Lucien: Trait� des Simples par Ibn el-Be�thar, Notices et Extraits des manuscrits de la Biblioth�que nationale tome xxii - xxv et xxvi.
Also called Ibn Beithar
The bakam, according to Abu Hanifah, is the wood of a large tree, the leaves of which resemble in color those of the al-luz (in Spanish alloza, almond tree); they grow green, but the trunk and the branches are of reddish hue. It grows in India, and in the country of the Zinj (Ethiopia), and a decoction of it is being used for dyeing. (It is the Brazil wood)
Of the old kinds of rhubarbes one is called China-rhubarb and the other one Zendj rhubarb� The rhubarb known as Zendjy also comes from China; it received the name Zendjy only because of where it comes from�. The rhubarb of Persia�. Is in between the one of Zendj and the one of China��.Galen talks about the properties of rhubarb in general and although there are three kinds of China, Zendj and of Persia, they have the same applications �. The kind called Zendj is inferior when compared with the China�.
Qassab es-sokkar: Sugar cane.
Abou Hanifa; There are several kinds of sugar cane� The best kind is those that come from Zanguebar and which is yellow like lemon.
Kafour; Campher (medical plant)
Ishak Ibn Amran: Campher is brought from Sofala and the land of Qala and Raih and from Herendj�. Campher is the gum from a three of that country.
Khir buwa; Cardamome (medical plant)
Ibn Sina (says); It is a little grain like the kakulla which is brought from Sofala. It is hot and dry in the third degree. It has the same qualities as giroffle. But it is more subtle, more so then kakulla.
Ud; Agallache (medical plant)
Ibn Sina (says)... There are people who do not make a difference between the two varieties, the mandalian and the indian. A good kind is the one called Samanduri, which comes from Sofala in India. Next comes the one called kmari which is a variety like the one from Sofala.
The Sofala here mentioned is most probably in Asia.
