Aphrodisiac

Silphium

Byadmin

Lisa Briggs, from the British Museum, and Jens Jakobsson, an independent researcher in Sweden, have reviewed in detail the history and current knowledge regarding this intriguing plant. The review is freely available as an open access publication. Abstract: From luxury spice to medical cure-all, silphium was a product coveted throughout the ancient world and occupied…

An ancient plant mystery

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The ancient city of Cyrene in what is now Libya was a prosperous Greek, and later Roman, center of culture and commerce. One of its most important exports was the medicinal plant known as silphium. Silphium was highly prized throughout the ancient world for its use as a perfume, in seasoning, in medicine and as…