The plant’s exact identity is unknown to this day, since it went extinct in Roman times. It was a major cash crop of Cyrene, Libya, and even depicted on coins. It was used as seasoning, perfume, aphrodisiac, contraceptive and abortifacient. The last specimen was supposedly given to Emperor Nero.
Supposedly, it isn’t extinct. There has been word that the plant was found growing somewhere, Turkey maybe? I’ll go look after I hit send on this, but it matches all the descriptions.
Edit: yup! Turkey
However, F. drudeana belongs to a lineage from the southern Caspian Sea region, with no known connection to Eastern Libya.
A criticism of this hypothesis centers on geographic ranges: silphium grew in North Africa while F. drudeana is native to Turkey. A 2018 study resolved F. drudeana as a narrowly endemic species restricted to a tiny range in Turkey’s Adana and Kayseri Provinces, descended from Central Asian Ferula, and having no connection to North Africa. All previously studied North African Ferula belong to a well-distinct and monophyletic group containing the widespread Ferula communis and its more localized relatives from the Western and Central Mediterranean; there is no indication that any other lineage of Ferula ever occurred west of the Aegean/Black Sea region. Miski’s 2021 paper does not address evidence for F. drudeana having originated in the southern Caspian Sea region.
Another criticism focuses on the 2021 paper’s methodology, which does not account for observations about Ferula which were published in 2008. Morphological studies could misleadingly suggest a relationship with silphium, as the external appearance of Ferula varies highly within clades: individuals within the Ferula genus often resemble unrelated species rather than closely related species. Similarly, evidence in the form of folk medicine uses is — at best — an equivocal indicator.
with as many seeds that israeli archeologists regularly turns up in clay pots, like the judean date palm seeds which were 2000 years old, it’s not without precedent that at some point this silphium could be found and resurrected
I don’t know why you are getting downvoted, I also think it would be amazing if that happened
Have we learned nothing from Jurassic Park?
Jurassic Park but with plants sounds buck wild.
contraceptive and abortifacient.
The main reason it went extinct…
And what it was actually effective at. But the best way to convince a male dominated society that was important to make accessible was to convince them it made women horny.
When it just freed them of potentially serious consequences, like, a shit ton of women died a n childbirth until very recently. A one night stand could leave a women dead or shunned from her family with no source of income and a baby.
Reliable birth control would have been an absolute game changer.
It was used for way more than Contraceptive. It was an ingredient in food and to heal all sorts of illnesses. Culturally it was very significant.
Pliny the wise documented it pretty well if you are curious
The main reason it went extinct…
You’ll have to elaborate on that
They used it all…
To the point it went extinct.
It wasn’t something people grew it was a wild plant. Started out common and all over the place, but Everytime someone saw it, they picked it
It was also very valuable. The Roman government had restrictions on its harvest but there was a huge black market. The wealthy put fences around where it was growing but the fences were torn down by the public. It can’t be grown artificially so the only way get it is though finding it in the wild. The public ultimately harvested it until there was nothing left.
The word “panacea” is so cool.
diacatholicon and panpharmacon are synonyms for panacea. Also cool words and very rarely used. Most people will never have heard of them.
i could have figured out panpharmacon. diacatholicon sounds like that meeting they have to choose a new pope
I’m glad you like my choice of words :3
The Greys knew we would abuse it, so they limited our access.
That’s just wrong.
The Greek Pantheon of Gods used it excessively to maintain their immortality, and grew greedy and paranoid of its cultivation.
Once they ate it to extinction, they became mortal and had to settle down and raise cattle and shill former figurines of themselves.
