Antique medicine

Silphium, a contraceptive plant

Coin Kyrenaika 200-100 BC

In Antiquity  the Kyrenaika was populated by Berbers, the Libya, who several times attacked Egypt in the 10th century. 

Odyssos should be stranded here with his friends. The famous historian Herodot (about 480-420 BC) reports how the citizens of thera remind what the founding of their colony of Cyrene in Libya. From these Greeks colonies, significant cities developed: Kyrene was founded as a Greek colony of Alt-Thera on the Cyclades Island Santorin, and how was transferred to 630 v. Chr. From Aristotle to Thera ruled. Soon, the Greek Cyrene secondary branches in Bark, Euhesperides and Daucheira, and with their Greek cultural, cultivated the appearance of this area almost 1200 years. After Kyrene had succeeded in the Persian attacks under the battities, the monarchy was 440 v. Chr. With the Libyan residents of the area, Kyrene joined a states of the state, at his tip, a king (Battos). The Kyrenaika became the 4th century V. Chr. Part of the Ptolemeal. After the fall of the Persian, renamed, the Kyrenees founded the covert of five states under the protection of Egyptian Ptolemese 321. 117 Ward Kyrenaika converted into a kingdom under a disciples of branches of the Ptolemical Royal Family. 96 v. As Cyrenaica under the rule of Rome and Durden 74 v. Chr. Roman province. The country was unusual fertilitous. brought oil, figs, dates, almonds, wine, cucumbers, truffles, wheat, fragrant flowers; Also, cattle, bes. Horses, astrings, bees, but also devastating grasshoppers in the oppression.

The classic exporting articles were part of the V.Chr since the 6th century. The spice and medicinal plant Silphium. Silphium Silphium (Ital Silfio) grew only in the Kyrenaaica, in a country belt, which started from 30 miles from the sea, was 30 miles in the country and was 250 miles long. Silphium grew solely on this belt, since, according to Greek writers, in 617 BC. The floor in the area of the gardens of the heperidas and the big syrto suddenly beaten by a peel black. The effect of this rain is intended to have over 4000 stadiums. The silphium could not cultivate otherwise notes otherwise, it had endemed in Kyrenaica. The root had been more than ellenang, and just over the earth, a tanner was found. This tailor should, if you have acknowledged it, a milky juice that is easily released in saliva. The stem who grew up was called "Magydaris". The leaves of the silhphon, which were also the same seeds (?), Fell in the early street of the dog star - mid to the end of summer. The leaf carrot was in the Roman cuisine as a spice. Within a year, the plant had been grown. Heart shaped fruit "Phyllon". From the yellow petals, perfume was produced, the leaves served as a kitchen spice. As the leaves of the plant tasted, we can not say so; After her extinction, silhphon was replaced by the Persian asian or stinkasant, which today is considered a characteristic violence in India and has a luggage, highly dose sensitive penalt aromatic. In the modern playback of antique recipes, silphium is usually equated with the stinkasant functionlessly. Medical but estimated the resin, which was won by strikes from the root or the stem, the "opo". In the Altgriechian, the word "opos" did not defense any plant juice - and, again, finds out in the word "opium". This "opo" gained from the roots was the special remedy. The extraction of the "OPOS" was similar to today at ASA Foetida, by cutting the strong root and the exiting rubber resin-containing milk juice after the drying, was collected, collected, kneaded and packed for the export.

Silphium juice was used in different compositions and preparations, including a hair growth, lepramittic, in coughing, sod burn, fever, digestiveness, polleins, epilepsy and pain. Locally, he was applied to chickening eyes and other revices and burned her away (CF. "Wolfmilch" Euphorbium). At women, he brought the menstruation into gang and helped to follow the downhill. Silphium juice was considered a natural contraceptive, probably because of an estrogen-like vegetable drug, a phytooestrogen. For this purpose, one used a drink from the leaves of the plant, in wine "residual" OPOS "or with juice pedestrian vocalow ... SORANUS OF EPHESUS, who practiced in the Raeans (98-117) and Hadrian (117 - 138) in Rome, the weekly acknowledged the premises of the premises of the premises of the premises of the premises and a certainly the juice of the" OPOS ", which was the" opo "is defeated, the plant was already as extincted ... Obviously, he worked with a" replacement ", which was made of stinkasant and imported from Persia and Armenia to Rome. Modernial investigations have shown that plants of the same family (ASA Foetida) act as a reliable nationizer as a "pill after it" by blocking the progesterone production. Dioscorides (40-90 NC.) And Galen (129-199 NC.)

Recommended as the antibonic concept of the pomegranate. Today, today knows that in the cores of the pomegranate estrogen in high concentrations is located. All these agents explain how it described the Romans in the first 5 centuries of our time-announcement, to limit their family to 1-2 children ... At the beginning, the silphium was still a rather of women used and controlled medicine. The demand for the silhmoon gradually rose to the immense, and finally it was even bearily silted with silver denominations. Due to the great demand, the silhphon was harvested. From candidate, the powers of the country, on which the Silphium grew, grew her cattle to catch the stocks and thus the price to increase height. Climate change was increasingly becoming the area in which the silphium grew up to the desert. Which of these reasons was decisive, be there. The fact is that the herb finally stopping: the last found silphium plant should be sent to Emperor Nero, which is known to be 54-68 A. Chriser. The former meaning of the silhouette for the Kyrenic European can be read out that the silphium or parts thereof was shown to almost all Kyrenic acids. Exhibited is a 14 mm, 3.1 g of heavy, bronze coin from kyrene, with both sides (!) Of a silhmith plant - a coin (misary?) From the time of the independent kingdom, since during the Roman crew of the country of the classic provincial stylus with Avers prevails the Emperor profile. The conservation state of the coin presented here is unprecedented. Nevertheless, I prefer a bad original of a pike fence: for the better recognition of the plant including the sketch of a good-shaped coin with an imperial head and silhium. Origin of the coin: Private collection in Issaquah, Washington District, USA.