An old legend says that people first noticed this plant after heavy rains fell over the east coast of Libya.
At that time, there was the ancient Greek Cyrene - one of the greatest cities of antiquity. The grass began to grow rapidly, its strong root system fought hard for living space, conquering the district.
And soon all the forest glades and nearby slopes were adorned with lush stems of sylphia.
Over time, the amazing properties of this plant were discovered. Its exquisite taste and beneficial properties have made Sylphium very desirable and valuable. Of course, it was widely used for medical purposes. Pliny, for example, wrote that this herb helps in the treatment of dog bite wounds and relieves symptoms in rectal diseases. Sylphium has also been used for coughs, sore throats, fever, digestive disorders, and even warts. It also served as an antidote for scorpion and snake bites.
Sylphius had a wonderful scent. Its delicate inflorescences were used to make perfumes, and dried milky juice was used as a seasoning for all kinds of dishes. People brought the plant to their bedrooms, as sylphium was a powerful aphrodisiac and was considered a contraceptive at the same time. By the way, modern scientists also believe that earlier, with the help of this mysterious herb, fertility was controlled.
Sylphia seeds are shaped like a heart. Perhaps they became the prototype of those romantic hearts that current lovers send each other …
The ancient Romans praised the sylph in songs and poems; references to this plant are contained in the great creations of ancient literature.
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Sylphius - symbol of Cyrene
And at home, the grass became the symbol of the Greek colony of Cyrene, as well as the local currency. For many centuries, the authorities did not allow the export of plant seeds outside the city limits, thus maintaining a monopoly. Foreigners had to pay a lot for the herb, which made Cyrene prosperous. Sylphium was sold literally worth its weight in gold and silver. They also paid tribute to the Romans. As historians testify, Julius Caesar had 680 kilograms of sylphium in his vaults, which was equal to the official treasury.
It is interesting that the precious plant disappeared as unexpectedly as it appeared, and not only from the territory of Africa, but generally from the face of the earth. So, Pliny the Elder wrote that in his life he had heard of only one single stem of sylphium, which was plucked approximately in 54-68 AD and sent to Nero for acquaintance. However, the greedy Roman emperor immediately ate a unique offering - possibly the last specimen of the species.
The reasons for the extinction of the valuable plant have not been established. Maybe the herb was collected too hard, or maybe there were some other mystical reasons. It is only obvious that people never managed to "tame" the wild Sylph. By the way, all attempts to cultivate the plant outside of Cyrene have been unsuccessful …
Modern scientists consider sylph to be distant relatives of the well-known carrot. It belonged to the fennel-like umbrella family. Today, these grasses grow as weeds in the Mediterranean and North Africa. Two of them - giant fennel and Tangier fennel - can still be seen in Libya today. Unfortunately, they do not possess even a fraction of those fantastic properties of sylphium, about which only scant information and wonderful legends have come down to us …