Another Illustration

A botanical illustration of a plant with several thin, branching green stems spreading from a central point. The leaves are small, green, and oval-shaped. Tiny yellow flowers or fruit clusters appear at the tips of the branches. A single, thin, tapering root is shown at the base.

peplis

Some people call it wild purslane original: andrakhne agria. As for Hippocrates the ancient Greek "Father of Medicine", he calls it peplion original: ba‘liyūn and meconis original: ma‘lūmīs; meaning "poppy-like" due to its seeds.

It grows most often on seashores. It is a plant with many branches and many leaves, and it is full of milky sap original: laban. It has round leaves similar to the leaves of the cultivated purslane original: al-baqlah al-ḥamqā’ al-mustānah; literally "the foolish herb of the garden". A hint of redness can be seen at the base of the leaves. Beneath the leaves, there is a round fruit similar to the fruit of the heliotrope original: salīnaḥrū; a corruption of the Greek hēliotropion.

It has a single root, though its sap is not utilized for medical purposes. The plant is gathered and dried, and it is taken as a drink in the same manner as scammony original: salmī; a corruption of skammōnia, a powerful laxative resin. It is also prepared with water and salt, and its medicinal potency is considered equal to that of scammony.