Mustard
Botanical Name:
Sinapis nigra L.
Edible Uses:
Romans: Pounded and steeped in new wine [105].
Usage:
1
A formula for Mithridatum written by Aulus Cornelius Celsus around CE 40 uses 15 of the 20 plants given in the formula by Zopyrus in the 1st century BCE [102]. The stated daily dose is an amount the size of an almond and Celsus recommended the remedy for conditions such as poisoning by food or venom, internal pains or serious falls [102].
This version of Mithridatum included 34 plants altogether along with honey and beaver's musk (castor) to improve consistency and odour [102].
Plants used in Celsus' Mithridatum formula:
Acacia arabica (Acacia)
There was a king reigned in the East: | |
There, when kings will sit to feast, | 60 |
They get their fill before they think | |
With poisoned meat and poisoned drink. | |
He gathered all the springs to birth |