Gyory - Hethelyi 2020_Anise and Ancient Egyptian Pharmacopoeia_AeP VI
Győry, Hedvig1 – Héthelyi, Éva B.2
1 HEFS, Ancient Egypian Committee, Budapest, HU
2 Hungarian Chemical Society, Budapest, HU
Anise and Ancient Egyptian Pharmacopoeia
in: Hedvig Győry (ed.), Aegyptus et Pannonia VI, Acta Symposii anno 2019, Health and Life in Ancient Egypt. Mummies in Focus. Proceedings of the Conference held 27-29th August 2019, Budapest.
Budapest: The Ancient Egyptian Committee of the Hungarian-Egyptian Friendship Society (MEBT ÓEB) 2020, 185-250.
ISBN 978-615-01-0361-7
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71067/AePVI-2020-185-250
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Abstract:
Today one of the best known commercial spicies is the fruit of the umbelliferious plant, anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) used for culinary, liquor, cosmetic or medicinal purposes. Its sweet fl avour and essential oil are much appreciated. Called „yansoun” in Arabic, it is cultivated all over the Mediterranean, and also in Hungary – from the time of the Roman occupation. However, it has been cultivated since pharaonic Egypt, and ancient Egyptians used it to various purposes. But when did they start to eat it, and can we idetify it with an ancient Egyptian name, namely the ineset (jnst)-plant?
The ancient Egyptian way of using the ineset is discussed here, based on written pharaonic sources and concepts, and compared with the knowledge concerning anise that is found in Classical medical literature. As aniseed is oil en administered in popular medicine, ethnopharmacy and ethnobotany provide copious comparative material to study the possible role of aniseed in traditonal treatments and prescriptions. The results of modern scientific analyses are also discussed, both from literature and based on self produced essential oil (Clevenger steam distilation and GC/MS method), to investigate the phytochemical properties and composition of the fruit of the anise and to determine whether the ancient Egyptian usage of the ineset-plant could fit into the picture we have of aniseed.
1 HEFS, Ancient Egypian Committee, Budapest, HU
2 Hungarian Chemical Society, Budapest, HU
Anise and Ancient Egyptian Pharmacopoeia
in: Hedvig Győry (ed.), Aegyptus et Pannonia VI, Acta Symposii anno 2019, Health and Life in Ancient Egypt. Mummies in Focus. Proceedings of the Conference held 27-29th August 2019, Budapest.
Budapest: The Ancient Egyptian Committee of the Hungarian-Egyptian Friendship Society (MEBT ÓEB) 2020, 185-250.
ISBN 978-615-01-0361-7
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71067/AePVI-2020-185-250
Download
Abstract:
Today one of the best known commercial spicies is the fruit of the umbelliferious plant, anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) used for culinary, liquor, cosmetic or medicinal purposes. Its sweet fl avour and essential oil are much appreciated. Called „yansoun” in Arabic, it is cultivated all over the Mediterranean, and also in Hungary – from the time of the Roman occupation. However, it has been cultivated since pharaonic Egypt, and ancient Egyptians used it to various purposes. But when did they start to eat it, and can we idetify it with an ancient Egyptian name, namely the ineset (jnst)-plant?
The ancient Egyptian way of using the ineset is discussed here, based on written pharaonic sources and concepts, and compared with the knowledge concerning anise that is found in Classical medical literature. As aniseed is oil en administered in popular medicine, ethnopharmacy and ethnobotany provide copious comparative material to study the possible role of aniseed in traditonal treatments and prescriptions. The results of modern scientific analyses are also discussed, both from literature and based on self produced essential oil (Clevenger steam distilation and GC/MS method), to investigate the phytochemical properties and composition of the fruit of the anise and to determine whether the ancient Egyptian usage of the ineset-plant could fit into the picture we have of aniseed.