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 …

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 …

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, …

Oct 23, 2025 · Did the legendary Silphium truly go extinct? Explore the historical record and the modern botanical struggle to verify its identity.

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 …

Sep 7, 2017 · Legend has it that silphium was first discovered after a “black” rain swept across the east coast of Libya over two and a half millennia ago. From then onwards, the herb spread its …

Jul 10, 2023 · Silphium (also known as laser) was an uncultivated plant that grew in Cyrene, North Africa (modern Shahhat, Libya) and became the cash crop of the region of Cyrenaica between …

Apr 11, 2025 · The plant, known as silphium, was native to a region along the northern coast of Africa and had a reputation for being almost magical in the benefits it could bestow on anyone …