The Medical Qualities of the Elecampane, the Black Caraway and the Ivy According to Abū L-‘Alā’ Zuhr (D.1131)

Abstract

Abū l- ‘Alā’ Zuhr (c.1060-1131), known among other names as Abuleli, is one of the most important physicians from AlAndalus who wrote on pharmacology and medicine. He also is the main author in Occident on popular scientific knowledge, as is Al-Majūsī (d.994) in Orient. Among his works, we find the treatise titled in Arabic Kitāb mujarrabāt al-khawāṣṣ (Book of the experience facts) that contains interesting descriptions on the healing attributes, the pharmacological properties and the medical characteristics of diverse plants and animals as well as other rare attributes included in the framework of folk medicine and the quackery, even magic and sorcery. This paper is an approach to this book and contains the English translation of Arabic text according to the manuscript no.520 of the Bodleian Library in Oxford relating to the elecampane (f.41vo-f.42ro), the black caraway (f.52vo-f.53ro) and the ivy (f.81vo.f.82ro).