Synesius, a Cyrenian aristocrat and bishop of Ptolemais, claimed that he had seen the plant itself and sent lots of silphion juice to his friend Tryphon in Constantinople (i.e., now Istanbul, Turkey). However, there are some references suggesting that silphion was cultivated and continued to exist well into the fifth century. Perhaps due to these virtues, silphion was over harvested and became extinct in the first century AD. According to some medicinal historians, silphion was used as an aphrodisiac and as a powerful contraceptive. Ironically, the consensus of the experts in classical studies is that the only direct source of information about the silphion plant is Theophrastus, and that later descriptions were commentary and none of the other ancient scientists had actually seen the plant itself. In addition to the description of the silphion plant, he provided a detailed documentation of its medicinal uses for the treatment of several diseases such as goiter, sciatica, tooth ache, intestinal disorders, hormonal disorders, epilepsy, tetanus, polyps, and malignant tumors in his monograph. Dioscorides dedicated a comprehensive monograph in his “De Materia Medica” for this drug. Pliny the Elder described an early account of the extinction of the silphion plant in his “Natural History” as well as thirty-nine remedies made with silphion. Asclepiades of Bithynia described an oral prescription as well as a plaster containing silphion for the treatment of cardiac disease defined as “inflammation in the heart”. Soranus of Ephesus advised drinking of a chick-pea sized Cyrenaic balm (i.e., silphion) once a month with two cyaths of water to induce the menstruation in his “Gynecology”. Hippocrates extensively used silphion in his recipes, for example, he reported preparation of a poultice made with silphion to treat a protruded gut (i.e., hernia) in his book “On Fistulae”. Most ancient scientists have mentioned silphion in their manuscripts, including Theophrastus of Eresos, father of Botany, who provided some morphological description of the plant in his “Enquiry into Plants”. Preliminary data was presented at the IXth Apiales Symposium on 1 August 2017, in Guangzhou, China. ĭedicated to the memory of victims of COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, there is some archaeological and linguistic evidence indicating that ancient Egyptians knew about silphion and used it in Egyptian rituals such as the renewal of the King’s vigor in the Old Kingdom. Since the natural habitat of the silphion plant was near Egypt, one might wonder about the awareness of ancient Egyptians regarding the presence and medicinal values of the silphion plant. Although wide-spread trading of silphion in the Mediterranean region was initiated with the establishment of the Greek colonization of the Cyrenaic region, the commercial source must have been well developed prior to these large-scale trading practices and there is even some fragmented evidence in Minoan pictograms that suggests the presence of silphion production in the Late Bronze Age. The kings of Cyrene endeavored to retain the monopoly of silphion trade, nevertheless, a certain amount was smuggled to the Carthaginians, and Carthage became a supplier of silphion to some extent. Due to its numerous therapeutic uses and spice qualities, it was the major economic resource of the Cyrenaic region of Libya for six centuries. Silphion (= Silphium) refers to an oleo-gum-resin of a well-known ancient medicinal plant. The results of this study and their implications on the regional extinction event, and future development of this species will be discussed. A preliminary conservation study has been initiated at the growth site of this rare endemic Ferula species. Initial chemical and pharmacological investigations of this species have confirmed the medicinal and spice-like quality of its gum-resin supporting a connection with the long-lost silphion. Morphologic features of this species closely resemble silphion, as it appears in the numismatic figures of antique Cyrenaic coins, and conform to descriptions by ancient authors. Recently, a rare and endemic Ferula species that produces a pleasant-smelling gum-resin was found in three locations near formerly Greek villages in Anatolia. However, there are a few references in the literature about the cultivated silphion plant and its existence up to the fifth century. It is generally believed that the source of silphion became extinct in the first century AD. Due to its therapeutic properties and culinary value, silphion became the main economic commodity of the Cyrene region. Silphion was an ancient medicinal gum-resin most likely obtained from a Ferula species growing in the Cyrene region of Libya ca.
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