Abstract
The products derived from the balsam tree (probably a cultivar of
Commiphora opobalsamum [L.] Engl.) were employed extensively
in medicine during the medieval period. This article presents a preliminary
survey of the Arabic and European texts which discuss the varied medical uses
of balsam. The analysis of the medical applications of balsam is organized
into broad categories according to groups of illnesses and treatments. Although
other sources of medicinal oleo-resin were available in the medieval period,
the balsam gathered from the trees in the walled plantation at Matariyya in
Egypt enjoyed a pre-eminent status. It is argued that the great regard shown
to balsam in medieval medicine must be seen in the wider context of the history
and legends associated with Matariyya and the earlier plantations in Palestine.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Cited by
16 articles.
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