Sarcocolla

Sarcocolla (from Greek σάρξ "flesh", and κόλλᾰ "glue") is a historical shrub or tree from Persia, identified with a species of Astragalus[1] (Papilionaceae), also denoting its balsam.

History

Pliny (Historia Naturalis 24.128, 13.67) reports the use of sarcocolla as a paint and medicine.[2]

Dioscorides (De materia medica 3.89) and Galenus mention its power of healing wounds.[3]

According to the 13th century (?) Liber Ignium (Book of Fires) of Marcus Graecus, sarcocolla was an ingredient of Greek Fire.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dioscorides (1902), "Sarkokolla", in Julius Berendes, De materia medica, PharmaWiki.ch, p. 193
  2. ↑ "sarcocolla", Oxford Latin Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1968, p. 1691
  3. ↑ Henry George Liddell; Robert Scott, eds. (1897), "σαρκοκόλλα", Greek-English Lexicon (8th ed.), Harper & Brothers, p. 1375
  4. ↑ Marcellin Berthelot (1893), La chimie au moyen âge I, Imprimerie nationale, pp. 116–117