Mehezeheregi

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Mehezeheregi arabice est unum de lacticiniis de quo Avicenna singulare facit capitulum sed in arabico est meheizarag.


Apparatus:

Mehezeheregi AC | Meizaharagi B e f

meheizarag AC | meheizaherag uel meheizerag B | mehenaherag e | meihizaheragi f


Translation:

Mehezeheregi in Arabic, it is one of the lacticinia {see Commentary} to which Avicenna devotes its own chapter, but in Arabic it is called meheizarag.


Commentary:

The word at the beginning and the end of Simon entry is according to Siggel (1950: 67): ﻣﺎﻫﻴﺰﻫﺮﺝ /māhīzahrağ/, ﻣﺎﻫﻴﺰﻫﺮﻩ /māhīzahra/ = ﺳﻢ ﺍﻟﺴﻤﻚ /samm as-samak/ S. v. Anamirta Cocculus (Menispermac.) Kokkelskörner {i.e. "Indian berry or fishberry"}. Wehr: ﺳﻢ /samm/ "toxin, venom", ﺳﻤﻚ /samak/ "fish". The word is of Persian origin: ﻣﺎﻫﻰ /māhī/ "fish", ﺯﻫﺮﻩ /zahre/, ﺯﻫﺮﺝ /zahrag/ "bile, gall" MacKenzie (1986: 97).

Simon refers to Avicenna's Canon [Goehl], Capitulum 491 (487). De mezeheregi. (mehezeheregi (annotation: maheizera, et est apud quosdam tassus barbassus)) Mezeheregi (mehezeheregi) quid est? Est arbor sicut arbor scebram, verumtamen est longior, in cuius colore est cinereitas, ad citrinitatem declinans; quidam vero homines numeraverunt ipsam inter lacticinia - "On mehezeheregi (annotation: maheizera, and it is also for some people tassus barbassus {cf. Taxus barbascus}). What is Mezeheregi (mehezeheregi)? It is a tree like the Scebram tree, but it is taller, and in its colour there is some greyness, inclining towards citrus colour. Some people have counted it to be among the Lacticinia."


Botanical identification:

Anamirta cocculus (L.) Wight & Arn. A liana climbing plant, and Avicenna rightly points out that it is quite tall and has grey bark. It is found in Southeast Asia and India. Its fruit, a drupe, Cocculus indicus, contains a poisonous alcoloid which can act as a stimulant. But when crushed it can also be used to stun fish, hence the name fishberry.


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