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Topic:traditional pharmacology
Showing 1 of 1 matching publications (200 total) · catalogue updated 2026-07-22
Journal ArticleOpen Access

Armenian Bole (Deposits, Chemical Composition, Application) and References to It in Medieval Armenian Medical Texts

Sahakyan, Armen, 2025
Matenadaran: Medieval and Early Modern Armenian Studies (MEMAS), Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 145–160 (Mesrop Mashtots Matenadaran / Brepols); eISSN 3041-5063

Traces the historical and modern medical uses of Armenian bole (bolus armenicus), a clay credited with anti-inflammatory and other properties. Its use is attested by Armenian and foreign scholars of the Middle Ages, and it remained significant in both Eastern and Western medicine until the eighteenth century. Sahakyan reports geological and mineralogical analysis of the clay's composition alongside citations from medieval Armenian medical works, and flags its catalytic properties as a subject for future research.

medieval Armenian medicinebolus armenicusmateria medicaMatenadaran medical manuscriptsmineralogy
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