Tacuinum Sanitatis

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Tacuinum sanitatis casanatensis (XIV century)

The Tacuinum (sometimes Taccuinum) Sanitatis is a medieval handbook on wellness, based on the Taqwin al‑sihha (Tables of Health), an Arab medical treatise by Ibn Butlan; it exists in several variant Latin versions, the manuscripts of which are profusely illustrated. Though describing in detail the beneficial and harmful properties of foods and plants, it is far more than an herbal, since it includes long sections on breathing, exercise, rest, and mental health.

The Tacuinum was very popular in Western Europe in the Late Middle Ages; an indication of that popularity is the use of the word taccuino in modern Italian to mean any kind of pocket handbook, guide, notebook.

In addition to its importance for the study of medieval medicine, the Tacuinum is also of interest in the study of agriculture; for example, the earliest identifiable image of the carrot — a modern plant — is found in it.