Biblical Medical Plants - Macquirelatory.com

2 Duke’s Handbook of Medicinal Plants of the Bible
ACTIVITIES (CILICIAN FIR):
Antiseptic (1; X11962214); Bactericide (1; X10548751); Vulnerary (f1; BIB; X10548751).
INDICATIONS (CILICIAN FIR):
Bacillus (1; X10548751); Bacteria (1; X10548751); Cough (f1; BIB; X10548751); Enterobacter (1;
X10548751); Escherichia (1; X10548751); Infection (1; X11962214); Klebsiella (1; X10548751);
Listeria (1; X10548751); Mycobacterium (1; X10548751); Proteus (1; X10548751); Pseudomonas (1;
X10548751); Staphylococcus (1; X10548751); Wound (f1; BIB; X10548751).
DOSAGES (CILICIAN FIR):
FNFF = ?
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SYNONYMS:
Algerians are said to sprinkle powdered leaves in butter as a vulnerary (BIB).
Lebanese use the resin or leaf/twig decoction in cough syrups and wound salves (BIB).
INDIAN GUM ARABIC TREE (ACACIA NILOTICA
(L.) WILLD. EX DELILE) ++ FABACEAE
Acacia arabica (Lam.) Willd.; Acacia vera Willd.; Mimosa arabica Lam.; Mimosa nilotica L.
NOTES (INDIAN GUM ARABIC TREE):
And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he
looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, yet it was not consumed.
Exodus 3:2 (KJV)
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he
looked, and lo, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
Exodus 3:2 (RSV)
Then Jehovah’s angel appeared to him in a flame of fire in the midst of a thornbush. As he kept looking;
why, here the thornbush was burning with the fire, and the thornbush was not consumed.
Exodus 3:2 (NWT)
In my first Bible book, I side with the Moldenkes, who concluded that the burning bush was an
Acacia. But the NWT renders it thornbush. Zohary (1982) argues convincingly that the plant called
sneh should be translated Senna, not Acacia nilotica as Moldenke and Tristam concluded, or Rubus
as other scholars had concluded. Why? Because Acacia nilotica and Rubus do not occur on the
Sinai. He concludes that “the most plausible explanation for sneh is Cassia senna named sene in
all Arabic-speaking countries.” The taxonomic name has changed to Senna alexandrina, but sene
persists in most Arabic quarters. However, I still include the Acacia. If the burning bush was thorny,
as inferred only in the NWT above, then it cannot be Cassia senna.
At the crossroads of the African, Asian, and European continents, the Holy Land serves as
the bridge from Africa through Egypt, to Asia and Europe. Thus, the medicinal wisdom of the
early Arabs, Copts, Hebrews, and Moslems assume great importance because of their empirical