Silphium (also known as laserwort or laser; Ancient Greek: σίλφιον, sílphion) is an unidentified plant that was used in classical antiquity as a seasoning, perfume, aphrodisiac, and medicine. …

Aug 21, 2025 · Ancient Greeks used a 'miracle' plant called Silphium, which was thought to have gone extinct 2,000 years ago, has now been rediscovered.

Aug 27, 2022 · As of 2022, a scientist in Turkey claims to have rediscovered the ancient miracle plant. Silphium once grew rampant in the Greek city of Cyrene — modern-day Libya — on the …

Feb 2, 2022 · Nearly 2000 years ago, the city of Cyrene in Northern Africa (modern day Libya) had one plant to thank for its status as one of the richest cities in the land. It was known as …

Silphium was a plant a member of the Apiaceae family, including parsley, carrots, and fennel. Ancient descriptions suggest it resembled a giant fennel, with a thick, hollow stalk and celery …

Jan 8, 2025 · The plant, which the Ancient Greeks called silphion (silphium), was a golden-flowered plant. It was once the most sought-after product in the Mediterranean even before the …

Oct 19, 2025 · Some of these contraceptives or abortifacients were herbal remedies that were consumed as a drink, like silphium or pennyroyal, made into a mixture and used as a pessary, …

Apr 15, 2025 · Silphium (or sylphion) was the most famous herb of antiquity, a botanical panacea revered across the ancient world. And, as if out of tragic irony, it was so rare that it became …

Feb 18, 2025 · Silphium plants, also known to the Greeks as laserwort or laserpithecum, were giant fennels that grew wild along the dry hillsides of the Mediterranean coast. It didn’t take …

Jul 10, 2023 · Silphium (known to the Romans as "laser") was a medicinal, aromatic plant that grew in the region of Cyrene, North Africa. It was a popular seasoning, medicine, and …