First Published in 2005. Natural medicine has never been more popular, nor has the timeless craft of herbalism. This remarkable book traces the history of herbs far back into antiquity, and shows that the gods themselves were believed to be the original healers, not only by revealing the knowledge of their healing properties of mankind but by creating the sustaining herbs out of their own bodies. Written by the doyen of orientalists with an unrivalled knowledge of Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian and Egyptian herbal literature and traditions, this key volume deals with the old gods as herbalists and their divine medicine: water as a divine element; ancient Egyptian, Sumerian and Assyrian herbals; divine plants; the Greek and Latin herbals, herbals in Syrian and Arabic; Coptic lists of plants and the Ethiopian or Abyssinian herbal, illustrated with examples of the original text. Proving conclusively both the antiquity and worth of herbal medicine, this work is indispensable for modern practitioners who want to know about of the true roots of their work, as well as for all those interested in the history of medicine.

PREFATORY NOTE I. THE OLD GODS AS HERBALISTS AND THEIR DIVINE MEDICINES. II. THE DIVINE HERBALISTS III. WATER A DIVINE ELEMENT IV. VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES OF DIVINE ORIGIN V. ANCIENT EGYPTIAN HERBALS AND BOOKS OF MEDICINE VI. HOLY OILS AND MEDICATED UNGUENTS VII. SUMERIAN AND ASSYRIAN HERBALS VIII. THE GREEK HERBALS IX. THE LATIN HERBALS X. THE HERBAL IN SYRIAC XI. THE HERBAL IN ARABIC XII. COPTIC LISTS OF PLANTS XIII. THE ETIIIOPIAN (ABYSSINIAN) HERBAL, INDEX