The Medicinal Plants of the Bible & the Holy Land
"The Holy Land, an area between the Jordan River & the Mediterranean Sea that also includes the Eastern Bank of the Jordan, is synonymous with the biblical land of Israel & Palestine. This was an ancient botanical crossroad, enjoying an active trade in spices, incense & medicines from Egypt to Mesopotamia & beyond. Its flora includes about 2,700 species, some of medical value.
"Among the early written records of plants in this region are Egyptian medical papyri. Ebers’ papyrus (1550 BC) contains 700 magical formulas & prescriptions, including the medical uses of plants. In the ruins of Assyrian Nineveh (Mesopotamia), thousands of cuneiform documents (cuneiform is a writing system invented in ancient Mesopotamia that is recognizable by its wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets) from earlier than 500 BC were found that mention over a thousand plant species. Many of the medical cuneiform texts (including texts only on plants) remain to be translated.
"In the original Hebrew version of the Bible (8th-3rdC BC), plant names are often unclear. Modern books showcasing assumed biblical plants draw conclusions that are frequently questionable. For example, in these books, the biblical lily is variously taken to be seven different plants, including cyclamen. Such confusion is understandable, partly because the same plant may have several names even in one country: Cyclamen persicum has at least 30 Arabic names.
"The tree most mentioned in the Old Testament is the Date Palm – it occurs 34 times, mainly as a place name or a person’s given name, & only six times meaning the plant itself. Date Palm has been proposed as the Tree of Life but since neither the Tree of Life nor the Tree of Knowledge is given a specific name in the Bible, their true identities continue to be the subject of speculation.
"Most of the plants in the Bible are only mentioned in passing, with reference to medicinal use occurring even less. Most of the plants in the Bible are only mentioned in passing, with reference to medicinal use occurring even less. Examples of biblical medical application are the use of ‘balm’ to treat sores (Jeremiah), Fig as a cure for a boil (Isaiah), & Mandrake as a fertility remedy enabling Jacob & Leah to have a fifth son (Genesis). Mandrake had around 88 different medicinal uses in the ancient world; some of which continue to this day.
"Translators of the Bible, such as the King James Version (1611), were unfamiliar with the original Hebrew & knew little of the flora of the Holy Land. To get around this they sometimes chose names from their local floras to make the plants seem familiar to their readers. There are similar problems of identity for plants mentioned in medical contexts in the Talmud (text of Rabbinic Judaism, with versions dating from the 3rd to 8th centuries BC)...
"Only five species are mentioned explicitly as medicinal plants in the Bible: Fig (Ficus carica), Nard (Nardostachys jatamansi), Hyssop (Origanum syriacum), ‘Balm of Gilead’ (Commiphora sp.), & Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum). Plants mentioned in the Bible & known as medicinal in Egypt & Mesopotamia include: Myrtle (Myrtus commnis), Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), Cumin (Cuminum cyminum), Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera), Pomegranate (Punica granatum), Garlic (Allium sativa), Black Cumin (Nigella sativa) & Cedar (Cedrus libani).
"Pomegranate is mentioned in the Bible & known as medicinal in Egypt & Mesopotamia. Plants not cited in the Bible but mentioned as medicinal in post-biblical sources and/or Egypt and/or Mesopotamia include: Safflower (Carthamus tinctoria), Henna (Lawsonia inermis), Aloe (Aloe sp.), Asafoetida (Ferula assafoetida) & Water Cress (Lepidium sativum). Other possible inclusions are Lentisk (Pistacia lentiscus; Egypt, Mishna, archaeology), Fennel (Ferula sp.; Egypt-Mesopotamia), Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum; Egypt-Mesopotamia) & Carob (Ceratonia siliqua; Egypt).
"The proposed biblical medicinal plants...are all known as such in the ancient civilizations of the region. All have been in continuous medicinal use in the Middle East down the generations & are used in the Holy Land today."
