Sabur ibn Sahl: al Aqrabadin as-sagir:

(The small Dispensatory) (d869)

Nestorian from Gondesapur-Kurastan

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Taken from: The Small Dispensatory By Sabur Ibn Sahl

 

The preparation of the smaller qaftaragan (=made with hyena)

Take balm seeds two dirham, saffron ten dirham (1); musk two daniq (2); white hellebore (3) four dirham; opium fifteen dirham; baby's breath two dirham; black pepper ten dirham; raw silk one dirham; henbane seeds (4) ten dirham; spurge (5) seven dirham; grape ivy (6) and the peels of mandrake roots (7) two dirham of each; usnea (8), cassia (9), ammoniacum (10), olibanum (11), liquorice root (12); balm twigs (13), the pulp of colocynth (14), ginger (15), sagapenum (16), opopanax (17), cinnamon (18), castoreum (19), red bryony (20), white bryony (21) which is fasarastin and Indian garden cress (22) two dirham of each; harmala seeds (23), Indian laurel (24), clove, rhinoceros fat, and elephant's gall four dirham of each;………….

 

Note: the uses of this medicine are not mentioned but the greater qaftaragan was used for: which is useful against premature delivery and the burning pains caused by all (kinds of) women's diseases.

(1) Dirham: silver coin of the Arab world (3 gr of silver)

(2) Daniq: A traditional Islamic silver coin weighing one sixth of a dinar.

(3) white hellebore: white veratrum is a poisonous plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is native to Europe and parts of western Asia.

(4) henbane seeds: Hyoscyamus niger, or stinking nightshade, is a plant that is poisonous in large quantities, in the nightshade family Solanaceae.

(5) Spurge: Euphorbia is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge.

(6) grape ivy: an evergreen climbing plant of the vine family which is grown as a houseplant.

(7) mandrake roots: mandrakes contain deliriant hallucinogenic tropane alkaloids and the shape of their roots often resembles human figures, they have been associated with a variety of superstitious practices throughout history.

(8) Usnea: is a type of lichen that grows on trees.

(9) Cassia: cassia bark, the spice made from the bark of East Asian evergreen trees.

(10) Ammoniacum: is a gum-resin exuded from the several perennial herbs.

(11) Olibanum: is a common name for frankincense oil.

(12) liquorice root: is the common name of Glycyrrhiza glabra, a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring can be extracted.

(13) balm twigs: from small tropical evergreen trees (genus Commiphora of the family Burseraceae).

(14) the pulp of colocynth: a melon used for diabetes, high cholesterol and blood fats called triglycerides, constipation, and tuberculosis.

(15) Ginger: is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine.

(16) Sagapenum : a bitter yellowish or brownish oleo-gum-resin of strong odor derived from plants of the genus Ferula.

(17) Opopanax: sweet myrrh.

(18) Cinnamon: is a spice that is made from the inner bark of trees scientifically known as Cinnamomum.

(19) Castoreum: is a yellowish exudate from the castor sacs of mature beavers.

(20) red bryony: Bryonia dioica ( toxic to humans). This vine produces a red berry fruit.

(21) white bryony which is fasarastin: produces greenish flowers in summer and red, shiny berries in winter. It is a poisonous plant.

(22) Indian garden cress: known as chandrashoor, and the seeds, known as aaliv or aleev in Marathi, or halloon in India, are commonly used in the system of Ayurveda.

(23) harmala seeds: Peganum harmala, commonly called wild rue, Syrian rue, African rue. Poisonous.

(24) Indian laurel: are also known as 'strangling figs' because they are often seen growing on other trees and seriously threaten their host's survival.