Talmudic medical recipes (1)

Text
A medical recipe occurs in Aboda Zara 28a, referring to the unidentified disease ṣpdynˀ, perhaps referring to gum or tooth disease. The first remedy given is in Hebrew, suggesting a diet of water, olive oil, and salt, and probably not originating in Babylonia. The second recipe, however, calls for making an ‘ointment (mšḥˀ) of goose(-fat) on goose wing’, to be applied externally. In Mesopotamia goose is used commonly as part of materia medica (see CAD s.v. kurkû). The use of ointments was common in Akkadian recipes in general, but also commonly used for dental or gum problems. The Talmud then reports an anecdote ascribed to Abaye that he tried this remedy unsuccessfully until he met an Arab who told him to roast an unripe olive pit on a new spade (mrˀ hḍtˀ) and rub it on gum, and he was cured; this appended comment looks spurious.

Source (list of abbreviations) (source links will open in a new browser window)
Babylonian Talmud, Aboda Zara 28a

Bibliography

Mark Geller

URL for this entry: http://www.aakkl.helsinki.fi/melammu/database/gen_html/a0000934.php