Yusuf ibn Ismail al-Kutubi known as Ibn al-Kabir (13th – 14th centuries AD) a scholar and physician worked as a doctor in the palaces of the
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
caliphs in Baghdad. He was born in Khoy in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
.
He is known for his comprehensive pharmacology titled "Ma la Yasa'u al-Tabiba Jahlahu" (what a physician cannot afford to ignore), often referred to by its shortened title "Jam al-Baghdadi" (Baghdadi Collection), written in Arabic in 1311. Several thousand medicinal herbs, natural drugs and recipes are identified in the compendium.
He wrote that a bandage with a few drops of castor was good for treating headaches. Beverages containing
castor oil
Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans.
It is a colourless or pale yellow liquid with a distinct taste and odor. Its boiling point is and its density is 0.961 g/cm3. It includes a mixture of triglycerides in which about ...
and vinegar were used to treat abdominal pain.
In his book he described eight different methods for administering aromatherapy:
:(1) Use a pillow filled with medicinal plants.
:(2) Carry a small pouch filled with dried medicinal plants.
:(3) Inhale the boiling decoctions of medicinal herbs.
:(4) Inhale the scent of flowers in special gardens.
:(5) Hang bunches of healing grasses inside the house.
:(6) Breathe the odor of burned medicinal plants.
:(7) Use an aromatic ointment.
:(8) Take an aromatic bath.
According to al-Kutubi barud or
potassium nitrate
Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . This alkali metal nitrate salt is also known as Indian saltpetre (large deposits of which were historically mined in India). It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitr ...
was called milh al-ha’it (salt of wall) by the common people of Iraq. “It is the salt that creeps on old walls, and they collect it.”
He described saltpeter saying "they use it to make a fire which rises and moves, thus increasing it in lightness and inflammability"
Year of death unknown
14th-century Iranian physicians
Year of birth unknown
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