History of Herbs :: Mesopotamia
"Garden Oasis"
The cultures of the Tigris and Euphrates River basin, the Sumerian, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians and later the Arabs,
possessed two unique advantages in terms of the development of herbal medicine. The crescent of land that lies between these
two great rivers was a fertile oasis in the desert, and it was the crossroads of the spice trade route that ran from Egypt
and Europe east to Asia.
Sumerian culture developed first and their myths tell of a great gift to the healer Thrita. The gods bestowed on Thrita the knowledge of 10,000 herbs, the herbs themselves and a golden blade with which to harvest them. The mergence of religion and healing is seen in other cultures as well, the plants that enable life must come from the source of life – the gods. On a clay tablet, the Sumerians left one of the oldest prescriptions ever uncovered. It was carved circa 2100 BCE and mentions myrrh, cypress and opium poppy among its ingredients.
The Babylonians left even more records, herbal preparations often combined with prayers and celestial timing; some of these tablets remain undecipherable to modern researchers. The awe-inspiring gardens of Babylon built by Mardukapa-Iddina in the 8th century BCE contained 64 varieties of healing plants, including hemp, hellebore, henbane and mandrake. A curious difference in Babylonian prescriptions is the omission of measurements and proportions, on the occasion does are given they are measured in shekels.
Assyrian culture, which seesawed with Babylon for prominence for a time, quickly recognized the profits to be made as a crossroads for the spice trade. Gums and resins moved from Egypt, ginger and ginseng flowed from the east and the Assyrian marketplaces and pharmacies sat in the middle to reap the benefits. Archeologists have unearthed an Assyrian pharmacy that stocked 230 different herbs.
Babylonians and later Persians took control of the trade route and extended their own encyclopedias with the knowledge of Eastern and Egyptian medicine. Their prescription manuals covered 250 plants, 120 minerals and 180 animal and other medicines, preparations were usually given orally and accompanied by honey, oil, water, wine or milk to mask their bad taste. Mesopotamian techniques influenced those of the Greeks and Romans and after the fall of Rome, Arabs looked to the medicines of Mesopotamia as they developed their own remedies.
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