Table 11.4 Recipes for a Decoction of Fruits (maybukhtaj)
al-Dustur al-bimaristani, p. 123 Minhaj al-dukkan, p. 123
Description of a decoction known in Egypt as Description of a decoction of fruits and this is the
one
maybukhtaj and in Syria and Iraq as “decoc-
tion of fruits.”
known as maybukhtaj.From the Dustur
Many people use it in spring and autumn; it
purges
Many people use it in spring and autumn; it purgesvarious humors, phlegm, yellow bile and burnt
black bile;
various humors, phlegm, black bile and yellow
bile;
removes evil excesses. It has many virtues and
no danger.
removes evil excesses. It has many virtues and no
danger.
Take de-pipped raisins, fifteen dirhams, chebu-
lic and yellow myrobalans, both cleaned, and
Indian [myrobalan] and Syrian bugloss and
licorice and maidenhair and mallow-wood and
crushed fumitory seeds and barberry, of each
three dirhams; Meccan senna and polypody
and Cretan dodder, tied in a linen rag and
added after boiling, of each four dirhams;
fleshy plums, cut in half, fifteen units,
Take de-pipped raisins, fifteen dirhams, chebu-
lic and yellow [myrobalans], both pitted, and
Indian [myrobylan]and bugloss and licorice and
maidenhair and mallow-wood and crushed fumi-
tory seeds, of each three dirhams, Meccan senna
and green polypody and Cretan dodder, soaked
in almond oil and tied in a linen rag, added after
boiling, of each four dirhams; thick plums, fifteen
units
cleaned tamarind twelve dirhams, sebesten and
jujube, thirty units,
flowers of Iraqi violets, three dirhams, water-
lily and fresh rose, of each seven flowers, leek
seeds, one mithqal, fennel seeds, half a dirham.
flowers of Iraqi violets, three dirhams, water-lily
and fresh rose, of each seven flowers, leek seeds,
one mithqal, fennel seeds, half a dirham.
Crush those drugs that need to be crushed,
steep all in four hundred dirhams of pure
water for a day and a night. Boil until a quarter
remains, strain and mash into it twelve dir-
hams of cassia fistula scales and ten dirhams
of manna. Strain again over twelve dirhams of
julep.
Crush those drugs that need to be crushed and
steep all in four hundred dirhams of sweet water
for a day and a night. Boil until a quarter remains,
strain and mash into it twelve dirhams of cassia
fistula scales and ten dirhams of manna. Strain
again over one uqiyya of julep and a spoonful of
almond oil.
Sprinkle it with Sprinkle the surface of the vessel with sweet smell-
ing Chinese or Turkish rhubarb
half a dirham of sifted agaric, half a dirham of
turpeth and ground and sifted rhubarb, half a
dirham and one daniq of rubbed scammony
and agaric and pounded yellow turpeth with
gummy edges, of each half a dirham, and one
daniq of scammony.
and a spoonful of almond oil; use.
One may add to these seeds, one mithqal of
hiera picra, and knead everything in fennel
juice and swallow four hours before drinking
this decoction.
One may add, to the above seeds, hiera picra, one
mithqal, and knead everything in endive juice or
fennel juice and form into pills and swallow with
julep four hours before drinking the decoction.
And this is to cleanse the brain and nerves and
chronic eye diseases.
Beneficial for hemicrania, cleansing the brain and
nerves and chronic eye diseases.