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Caesar’s favourite herb was the Viagra of ancient Rome. Until climate change killed it off
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<p>[QUOTE="Silphium Addict, post: 8344425, member: 116882"][USER=110226]@robinjojo[/USER] Thank you for posting about this!</p><p>Here is the original referenced study: </p><p><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.785962/full" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.785962/full" rel="nofollow">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.785962/full</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Reading the article reveals several issues:</p><p><br /></p><p>1. The discussion of classification covers many similarities with existing plant but cannot reconcile the obvious differences.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. The discussion on climate is thorough but has to gloss over/ignore some contradictory findings.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Overcultivation and overgrazing are listed in ancient sources as the major contributing factors as also mentioned in the article and probably played a major role.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. While silphium reportedly had multiple medical uses. Pliny the Elder, in <i>Natural History</i>, called this extract “among the most precious gifts presented to us by Nature.” Multiple sources describe its use as a condiment and medicine. The ancient sources are indirect for an aphrodisiac (poem by Catullus) as stated in the <i>Guardian</i> article, but its real value may have been that it was used as an contraceptive and/or abortifacient. Soranus, the Roman gynecologist, wrote that women looking to prevent conception or “destroy any already existing” should take a chick-pea-sized dose of silphium. Besides this oral contraception method, Soranus also lists an alternative method that involves inserting a tuft of wool soaked in silphium juice into the vagina.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ancient references state the Battid dynasty was very strict in controlling silphium harvesting and protecting it to maximize profits and sustainability. But Roman officials looking to maximize profits promoted overharvesting and did not protect the land. I wonder if the Roman Senate was the first administration to blame changes in climate as a deflection from the real cause of government corruption, mismanagement and neglect?</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are some additional sources regarding the medical properties, appearance and history of silphium, including: </p><p>Peretz, M. "Silphium: the wonder drug from Cyrenaica" Pharm hist 2005 Sep;35(3):45-7:</p><p><a href="https://publikationsserver.tu-braunschweig.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/dbbs_derivate_00044310/Pharmaceutical-historian-2005.pdf" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://publikationsserver.tu-braunschweig.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/dbbs_derivate_00044310/Pharmaceutical-historian-2005.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://publikationsserver.tu-braunschweig.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/dbbs_derivate_00044310/Pharmaceutical-historian-2005.pdf</a></p><p>Asciutti, V. "The Silphium plant: analysis of ancient sources" thesis 2004.</p><p><a href="http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3166/1/3166_1191.pdf" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3166/1/3166_1191.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3166/1/3166_1191.pdf</a></p><p>Miski, M. "Next Chapter in the Legend of Silphion: Preliminary Morphological, Chemical, Biological and Pharmacological Evaluations, Initial Conservation Studies, and Reassessment of the Regional Extinction Event" Plants (Basel). 2021 Jan; 10(1): 102.</p><p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7825337/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7825337/" rel="nofollow">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7825337/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>One of my favorite representations of silphium in my collection:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1480034[/ATTACH] </p><p>Kyrene - Euhesperides alliance AR tetradrachm</p><p>480-435 BC 17.18 gm, 27 mm</p><p>O: silphium plant, type Ic; [Σ] - Ε / [Ε] - V around</p><p>R: head Zeus Ammon right; ΚΥΡ upward to right</p><p><i>cf</i> BMC 60e (VII:19)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Silphium Addict, post: 8344425, member: 116882"][USER=110226]@robinjojo[/USER] Thank you for posting about this! Here is the original referenced study: [URL]https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.785962/full[/URL] Reading the article reveals several issues: 1. The discussion of classification covers many similarities with existing plant but cannot reconcile the obvious differences. 2. The discussion on climate is thorough but has to gloss over/ignore some contradictory findings. 3. Overcultivation and overgrazing are listed in ancient sources as the major contributing factors as also mentioned in the article and probably played a major role. 4. While silphium reportedly had multiple medical uses. Pliny the Elder, in [I]Natural History[/I], called this extract “among the most precious gifts presented to us by Nature.” Multiple sources describe its use as a condiment and medicine. The ancient sources are indirect for an aphrodisiac (poem by Catullus) as stated in the [I]Guardian[/I] article, but its real value may have been that it was used as an contraceptive and/or abortifacient. Soranus, the Roman gynecologist, wrote that women looking to prevent conception or “destroy any already existing” should take a chick-pea-sized dose of silphium. Besides this oral contraception method, Soranus also lists an alternative method that involves inserting a tuft of wool soaked in silphium juice into the vagina. Ancient references state the Battid dynasty was very strict in controlling silphium harvesting and protecting it to maximize profits and sustainability. But Roman officials looking to maximize profits promoted overharvesting and did not protect the land. I wonder if the Roman Senate was the first administration to blame changes in climate as a deflection from the real cause of government corruption, mismanagement and neglect? Here are some additional sources regarding the medical properties, appearance and history of silphium, including: Peretz, M. "Silphium: the wonder drug from Cyrenaica" Pharm hist 2005 Sep;35(3):45-7: [URL]https://publikationsserver.tu-braunschweig.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/dbbs_derivate_00044310/Pharmaceutical-historian-2005.pdf[/URL] Asciutti, V. "The Silphium plant: analysis of ancient sources" thesis 2004. [URL]http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/3166/1/3166_1191.pdf[/URL] Miski, M. "Next Chapter in the Legend of Silphion: Preliminary Morphological, Chemical, Biological and Pharmacological Evaluations, Initial Conservation Studies, and Reassessment of the Regional Extinction Event" Plants (Basel). 2021 Jan; 10(1): 102. [URL]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7825337/[/URL] One of my favorite representations of silphium in my collection: [ATTACH=full]1480034[/ATTACH] Kyrene - Euhesperides alliance AR tetradrachm 480-435 BC 17.18 gm, 27 mm O: silphium plant, type Ic; [Σ] - Ε / [Ε] - V around R: head Zeus Ammon right; ΚΥΡ upward to right [I]cf[/I] BMC 60e (VII:19)[/QUOTE]
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Caesar’s favourite herb was the Viagra of ancient Rome. Until climate change killed it off
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