Mastichologia seu de universa Mastiches naturâ Dissertatio medica, in qua & Arboris Lentisci, & noblissimae ejus Gummi-Resinae, Mastisches...ac indè parata medicamenta Officinalia, Magistralia & Artificialia describuntur. Declaratis insuper quibusdam Dubiis, ac obscuris Autorum lectionibus, dictariisq.. de STROBELBERGER, Johann Stephan

1 p.l., 109 pp. Small 8vo, attractive antique calf (minor browning). Leipzig: E. Rehefeldt & J. Gros, 1628. First edition and quite rare. According to Waring, Bibliotheca Therapeutica, this is the earliest work on mastic, the resin that exudes from the lentisk (Pistacia lentiscus), an evergreen shrub found mainly in the Mediterranean coast region. Mastic has had many medicinal uses since antiquity; it contains antioxidants and has antibacterial and antifungal properties. In earlier times, it was supposedly a cure for snakebite, and Hippocrates wrote that mastic was good for digestive problems and the prevention of colds. It has also been used in ointments for skin diseases. Today, mastic is used to treat stomach and intestinal ulcers, breathing problems, muscle aches, and bacterial and fungal infections. It is also used to improve blood circulation and in the production of chewing gum. Fine copy. ❧ Waring, p. 558. See also Frank Bruni's article in the New York Times of 26 July 2019 entitled "Can This Ancient Greek Medicine Cure Humanity?".