Revised edition. A reconstructed herbal of 95 species of plants and trees known to be used before, during and after the pharaonic period in Egypt. The author, a skilled Egyptologist, draws on classical and other texts, and explains the special properties of each plant, quoting authentic recipes for cosmetics and remedies. This updated edition includes an extended section on perfume, which draws on the latest research into the ingredients and uses of Egyptian scents.

"The ancient Egyptians were skilled in the use of herbs and spices for medicines, cooking, cosmetics, perfumes, and many other purposes. Drawing on texts written by the Egyptians and their neighbors, and on works by classical authors and the Copts, Lise Manniche has reconstructed an herbal of 94 species of plants and trees used from before the pharaohs to the late Coptic period. Each plant is named in Latin and English, and where known in ancient Egyptian, Greek, and modern Arabic. An account is given of the plants' special properties, with authentic recipes for cosmetics and cures. In her introduction the author discusses the many uses the ancient Egyptians made of herbs and flowers, and the importance of plants for funerary and festive occasions." --Publisher description.

This unique volume provides the reader with an outline of ancient Egyptian civilization, history and culture. It reviews the ancient Egyptian understanding of human health and disease, medical and herbal treatments for various conditions based on primary sources found in ancient papyri. The reader will also gain an insight into the influence of ancient Egyptian medical knowledge on later civilizations including ancient Greek and Islamic scholars in the middle ages. There are two chapters that focus on the ancient Egyptian understanding and treatments of cardiovascular disease as well as a description of herbal medicines used by medical practitioners and pharmacologists. Key Features: Describes influence of ancient Egyptian medical and pharmaceutical knowledge of subsequent civilizations Explores ancient Egyptian pharmacology and herbal medicine Review of the most significant ancient Egyptian papyri documenting medical knowledge and practice Concise overview of ancient Egyptian history, culture, medical knowledge Summary of ancient Egyptian understanding of cardiovascular diseases and treatments

Diseases and injuries were major concerns for ancient Egyptians. This book, featuring some sixty-four objects from the Metropolitan Museum, discusses how both practical and magical medicine informed Egyptian art and for the first time reproduces and translates treatments described in the spectacular Edwin Smith Papyrus.

In this illustrated book, Lise Manniche looks at the role played by scents and cosmetics in ancient Egyptian society and discusses their preparation - in some cases providing actual recipes."--BOOK JACKET.

Publisher description

The skills of the ancient Egyptians in preserving bodies through mummification are well known, but their expertise in the everyday medical practices needed to treat the living is less familiar and often misinterpreted. John F. Nunn draws on his own experience as an eminent doctor of medicine and an Egyptologist to reassess the evidence. He has translated and reviewed the original Egyptian medical papyri and has reconsidered other sources of information, including skeletons, mummies, statues, tomb paintings and coffins. Illustrations highlight symptoms of similar conditions in patients ancient and modern, and the criteria by which the Egyptian doctors made their diagnoses - many still valid today - are evaluated in the light of current medical knowledge. In addition, an appendix listing all known named doctors contains previously unpublished additions from newly translated texts. Spells and incantations and the relationship of magic and religion to medical practice are also explored. Incorporating the most recent insights of modern medicine and Egyptology, the result is the most comprehensive and authoritative general book to be published on this fascinating subject for many years.