Diospoliticum
Lesser Cumin Composition
or, The Egyptian Confect

Tradition:

Western

Source / Author:

Galen

Herb Name Cumin prepared * Rue Long Pepper Saltpeter **

Latin Cuminum cyminum Ruta graveolens Piper longum Potassium nitrate Amount 1 oz. each 1⁄2 oz.

* Cumin is prepared by steeping for 24 hours in Vinegar, then stir-fried
** Some Unani texts list Bauraq, Borax, instead of Saltpeter.

Preparation:

Powder.

Function:

Warms the Stomach, promotes Digestion, clears Food Stagnation

Use:

1. Indigestion
2. Cold Stomach pain
3. Colic
4. Nausea, Belching, Wind associated with Food Stagnation
5. Also for Worms (with Food Stagnation)

Dose:

Half dram after food, with an appropriate Syrup of Quince or Wine etc.

Cautions:

Not suitable for long-term use.

Modifications:

1. If there is weakness, add Wormwood and White Pepper
2. If there is urinary incontience, add Caraway

‘It is an admirable remedy for such whose meat is putrified in their stomachs, it helps cold stomachs, cold belchings and windy’. (Culpeper)

Compare with Confection of Cumin of Unani

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