Table 2: Plants mentioned in the Bible and known as medicinal in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia

Acorus

calamus L.* /

Sweet reed

קנה

Kaneh /

קנה הטוב

Kaneh hatov /

קנה בשם

Kneh Bosem

C

E: [65:68].

M: [20:10].

Im / EA

[77].

P

Allium cepa

L.* / Onion

בצל

Batsal

B

E: [64:78, 65:69,

70:85].

MI: Nedarim 9:8.

BT: Nedarim 66a.

M: [78:386, 79:20].

D (CEA)

E

Allium porrum

L. * /

A. kurrat L.

חציר

Khatsir

A

E: [65:70, 69:96].

BT:Yoma 83b,

Berachot 44b, Gittin

69ab, Shabbat 110b

M: [79:20,

80:234,].

D / M- EWA

E

Allium sativum

L. / Garlic

שום

Shum

A

E: [64:78, 65:70-71,

68:85,

71:38,42,70,80,88,

75:28].

BT: Gittin 69a,

Abodah Zara 28b.

M: [78: passim,

81:123,127].

D (SWA-CA).

E

Anethum

graveolens*

Dill

NT: (Matthew

23:23. = Anise

(Pimpinella

anisum L. in King

James Version.

Dill (Anethum

graveolens L.) in

modern translation

[51:108].

E: [64:71; 68:85,

70: 99,372,373,375].

D / E

E

BT:

Abodah

Zara 7:72,

Niddah 51a

Artemisia sp.

לענה

La'anah

C

E: [65:80] (A.

absinthium).

M: [78 passim] (as

“wormwood”)

BT: Abodah Zara 29a.

I

Boswellia* sp. /

Frankincense

לבונ

Levonah

A

E: [68:85,

70:69,373,375

(B. arterii)].

BT: Sanhedrin 43a.

M: [20:344,

82:251] (identification

not ascertained).

Im (EA)

I

Capparis

spinosa L.

צלף

Tsalaf

C

E: [65:83].

BT: Shabbat 110a

M: [71:191].

In

E

Cedrus libani

A. Rich.*/

Cedar /

ארז

Erez

A

E: [64:6, 69:88

75:26].

AR: [33].

M: [81:124] (oil);

[71:191,193, 72:89,

73:52, 78:52,78,

80:233,235, 81:121,

83:124] (resin).

Im (Lebanon;

B: II Samuel

5:11).

Re

Cinnamomum

zeylanicum

Nees*

and C. cassia

Blume \

קינמון

Kinnamon

C

E: [65: 88-91].

AR: [35,

33(?)].

M: [20:189-190].

Im (EA).

S

Citrullus

colocynthis

(L.) Schrad. /

Colocynth,

Bitter gourd

פקועה

Paqqu'a

A

E: [65:91,68:85].

M: [81:122,124,

125].

In

Oil (BT:

Sabbath

71:26)

Citrus medica

L.* /Citron

פרי עץ הדר

Pri Ets Hadar

A

BT: Shabbat 109b.

AR: 5th - 4th centuries

BCE, [84, 85].

M: [20:312]

(Identification not

ascertained).

Im (EA)

R

Commiphora

sp. /

Myrrah /

Myrrh

מור

Mor

B

E: King of Gezer

(Palestine, 14th BCE)

asked for myrrh gum

from Egypt for

Healing [29:29].

M: [86:156-157].

Im / EAr [73a]

I / R / O /

P

Coriandrum

sativum L. /

Coriander

גד

Gad

A

E: [64:71, 65:94-95,

69:42,82].

M: [20:66, 71:192,

73:52, 78:283].

In / D (At the

Talmud period:

Shabbat 133a,

134a).

S

Crocus sativus*

L./ Saffron

כרכם

Karkom

A

E: [75:30, 69:42].

BT: Shabbat 110a, b,

Gittin 69a.

M: [73:52, 71:191].

Im (SWA)

S / I

Cuminum

cyminum L.

/ Cumin

כמון

Kammon

A

E: [64:71; 65:96-98].

BT: Shabbat 110a,b,

133a, Gittin 69a,b,

Abodah Zara 29a.

M: [80:234, 78:

Passim, 81:123].

D /SWA

S

Cupressus

Sempervirens

L. * / Cypress

ברוש

Brosh

C

Juniperus:

E: [64:29,72,

69:42,71,70,72,81

,88,80, 75:28]

(berry).

AR: [31] (J. phoenicea /

communis)

M: [80:233,234,235,

87:26], (wood) [73:52-,

53, 83:120],

(burasu);

68:19, 87:26,27].

Cupressus:

M: [80:233] (oil) [68:

191,193].

In / I

Juniperus sp.*/Juniper

ערער

Ar'ar

C

Hordeum* sp. /

Barley

שעורה

Se'orah

B

E: [70:140ff, 372,

375].

BT: Gittin 69b, Shabbat

110b,

Pesachim 42b, Yoma

83b.

D

E

Linum

usitatissimum

L. *

Flax

פשתה

Pishta

A

E: [65:116,

75:28; 70: 57– 62].

AR: [37] (?).

M: [20:113].

D/MED-SEA.

F

Mentha* spp.

Mint

NT: Matthew

23:23.

E: [65:120;

75:28,29, 68:85;

69:66,86].

AR: [30 (?); 33(?)].

BT: Sabbath 140a,

Gittin 69b, Abodah Zara

29a (as "Ninia").

M: [81:120,126,

78 passim, 89:50].

In / D

S

Myrtus

communis

L.* / Myrtle

הדס

Hadas

A

AR: 12-11th century

BCE, [30];

12th-6th centuries BCE

[31].

M: [20:300, 73:52,

80:233, 87:26].

In

R /Ap

Nigella sativa

L.* / Black

cumin

קצח

Ketsakh

K

M: [90: 268, 91:223].

D/ SWA

S

Olea europaea

L. / Olive

זית

Zay'it

A

E: [65:128-129].

BT: Gittin 86a; Shabbat

134a; Abodah Zara

28a, Berachot 36a.

M: [79:18].

In.

E / Oil

Phoenix

dactylifera

L.* / Date

Palm

תמר

Tamar

A

E: [68:83,84,

69:41,71,81].

BT: Ketubbot 10b,

Gittin 69a, Shabbat

110a.

In (SWA) / D

(BT: Ketubot

10b, Gittin 69b,

70a, Yoma 84a,

Sabbath 109b.

E

דקל

Dekel

A

Punica

granatum L.*

/ Pomegranate

רימון

Rimmon

A

E: [64:77, 65:183-141,

75:29].

M: [78 passim,

80:235].

D (SWA-SEE)

E / R

Ricinus

communis

L. */

Castor Bean

(see

discussion)

קיקיון

Kikkayyon

C

E: [64:79, 65:142-143,

69:41,70,71

70:119,122,333, 373,

375].

BT: Gittin 69b (as

"Akika").

M: [20:130].

D /EAf [92]

BT: Cultivated at

the Talmud

period. Sabbath

21:71

Oi

Sinapis alba L.

Mustard

(Could be also

Brassica

nigra L.)

/ Mustard

Khardalחרדל

E: [65:148, 68:85(?)].

BT: Berachot 40a

M: [70:90, 78:367,368,

93:142].

In / D

E / S

Vitis vinifera

L. * / Grape

גפן

Geffen

A

E: Fruit: [70:

85,372,374];

Wine: [70:91].

BT: Wine: Shabbat 78a,

109ab,110b, Gittin 67b;

Ktubot 65b.

Vinegar: Eruvin 29b;

BT: Shabbat 109a

M: [79: 28].

D / EM-WA

E / W