122 PHARMACOPEIAL DRUGS 



of Constantius Africanus (165), of Salerno, while Abba- 

 tissa Hildegarde, (3 16), of Germany, mentions them in 

 the 13th century, at which time they had become an 

 article of European trade. They were sold- in England 

 in 1284, and at that time, or thereabout, were known 

 to European countries generally. The price in 1596 

 was equal to that of opium or of amber. Cubeb berries 

 were introduced into medicine by the Arabs of the 

 Middle Ages. 1 



The following interesting article is recorded in 

 Fliickiger's Pharmacographia, pp. 584-5: 



"Cubebs are mentioned as a production of Java 

 ('grand isle de Javva') by Marco Polo; and by Odoric, 

 an Italian friar, who visited the island about forty 

 years later. In the 13th century the drug was an article 

 of European trade, and would appear to have already 

 been regularly imported into London. Duty was 

 levied upon them as Cubebas silvestres at Barcelona in 

 1271. They are mentioned about this period as sold in 

 the fairs of Champagne in France, the price being 4 

 sous per Ib. They were also sold in England: in ac- 

 counts under date 1284 they are encountered with 

 almonds, saffron, raisins, white pepper, grains (of para- 

 dise), mace, galangal, and gingerbread, and entered as 

 costing 2s. per Ib. In 1285, 2s. 6d. to 3s. per Ib; while 

 in 1307, 1 Ib. purchased for the King'sWardrobe cost 9s. 



"From the journal of expenses of John, king of France, 

 while in England during 1359-60, it is evident that cu- 

 bebs were in frequent use as a spice. Among those who 

 could command such luxuries they were eaten in pow- 

 der with meat, or they were candied whole. A patent 



1 We fail to find cubeb mentioned by Burton. Possibly it was given a position under 

 another name. His Thousand Nights and a Night, so prolific in natural history notes, 

 lacks an index of drugs ai.d plants. This is to be regretted. 



