Malabathrum

This article is about the ointment and the leaves from which it was prepared. For one of the plants which was a source of those leaves, see Cinnamomum tamala.
Cinnamomum malabatrum, young leaves, Kerala, India

Malabathrum, malabathron, or malobathrum is the name used in classical and medieval texts for certain cinnamon-like aromatic plant leaves and an ointment prepared from those leaves. Cinnamomum tamala (sometimes given as Cinnamomum tejpata), grown most commonly in the eastern Himalayas, but also in the Western Ghats, is thought to be a notable source of these leaves,[1] although other species of Cinnamomum and even plants in other genera[2] may have been used. In ancient Greece and Rome, the leaves were used to prepare a fragrant oil, called oleum malabathri, and were therefore valuable.

  1. ^ Casson, Lionel. The Periplus Maris Erythraei: Text With Introduction, Translation, and Commentary 1989. Princeton University Press ISBN 0-691-04060-5 p. 241
  2. ^ "Latin Lexicon". Retrieved 2012-11-07.