Early Herbal

Early Herbal
Of the first known herbal said to have been written by the legendary Chinese emperor. Shen Nung, nearly 5,000 years ago, only part of the next survived long enough to be recorded by subsequent writers though many later Chinese herbals were based upon it.

Other herbal texts from early times include a list of a thousand plants inscribed in tablets in Sumeria in about 2200 BC, and Egyptian papyri recording the medicinal uses of herbs dating from 2800 BC.

The latter mention marjoram, mint, jumper and other familiar herbs, together with aromatic gums such as frankincense, spices such as cinnamon and cassia and unguents and ointments made by expressing the oil from herbs or by macerating them in fatty oils such as castor oil.

In Egypt the dividing line between medicinal and cosmetic recipes was often blurred and the priests, who generally controlled the manufacture of these substances, were also in charge o the offerings of incense and fragrant oils in the temples, and the precious ointments that were for embalming the bodies of high ranking Egyptians.

Spices and aromatics were imported into Egypt in quantity from about 2000 BC, carried from southern Arabia and the East to trading posts established on the eastern borders of the Mediterranean and taken from there by camel and mule, to Egypt.

The seafaring Phoenician also took on cargoes from these ports and sailed with them to Spain and north up the Atlantic coast, trading spices and cloth for tin and salt.
Early Herbal