Here’s a fun fact sheet about ancient Egyptian foods, cosmetics and herbs:

EGYPTIAN FOODS:

Barley (used for breads and fermented for beer which was a very popular beverage) dates, cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, courgette, watermelon, chick peas, ful beans, lentils, papyrus shoots, raisins, fig, pomegranates, plum, mandrake fruit, lotus, salt, olive oil, honey and vinegar. Popular herbs were parsley, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, caraway, rosemary, sage, mint, cinnamon and carob.

COSMETICS:

• Talcum for the face and body composed of powdered orris root, powdered white sandalwood, lemongrass, sweet almond oil and a few drops of lime oil.
• Oil for hair and scalp - lavender, thyme, rosemary and marjoram
• Setting lotion - beeswax, frankincense, juniper, thyme and rosemary oil.
• Frankincense and honey - powdered and mixed for facial masque and made into pastilles for breath.

PERFUMES:

• Cyprinum - (Cleopatra's favorite) lotus and henna oils
• Medesium - (perfume of royalty) storax, cinnamon and myrrh oils
• Metopion - (sexual oil) bitter almond, red wine, honey, cardamom, calamus, myrrh, galbanum and pine oils.
• Oil of Lilies - white lily, sweet almond oil, calamus, myrrh, cardamom, crocus and cinnamon

HERBS OF MUMMIFICATION

• A mixture of palm wine, cedarwood oil, aloe vera, honey, frankincense, myrrh, cinnamon, cloves, chamomile and alum
• 7 Holy Oils - almond, rose, lotus, frankincense, myrrh, storax, cinnamon.

MEDICINAL HERBS (Egyptian name follows)

• Acacia – sendent
• Aloe Vera – sibaru
• Birthwort – soboeth
• Calamus – kini
• Cannabis – semutu
• Carob – nadon
• Cinnamon – girfa
• Coriander – okhion
• Cumin – tepenn
• Fenugreek – itasin
• Fir – sefet
• Garlic – natanu
• Henbane – saphtho
• Juniper – natanu
• Leek – ikati
• Lotus – seshen, nenufar
• Mint – makitho
• Onion – hadiwa
• Wormwood – somi

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Go to complete COMPLETE HERB LISTING

© Copyright 1980-2002 Karen Charboneau-Harrison, All Rights Reserved.