σκαμμωνία
ἀλλ' ἐπὶ καὶ θανάτῳ φάρμακον κάλλιστον ἑᾶς ἀρετᾶς ἅλιξιν εὑρέσθαι σὺν ἄλλοις → even at the price of death, the fairest way to win his own exploits together with his other companions | but even at the risk of death would find the finest elixir of excellence together with his other companions | but to find, together with other young men, the finest remedy — the remedy of one's own valor — even at the risk of death
English (LSJ)
(and σκαμωνία), ἡ,
A scammony, Convolvulus scammonia, from the roots of which the purgative medicine scammony is extracted, Eub.19, Arist.Pr.864a4, b13, Thphr.HP 4.5.1, 9.1.3, al., Dsc.4.170; also σκαμμώνιον, τό, Nic.Al.565; σκαμώνειον, Anon. Lond.37.19; cf. ἀσκαμωνία, κάμων. [σκᾰμωνία Eub. l.c.; the spelling with one μ is found also in Thphr.HP9.1.4 codd., 9.9.1 codd., Sor. 1.125, Hsch., and as v.l. in Dsc. l.c.; cf. σκαμώνειον; but σκαμμώνιον is corroborated by the metre in Nic. l.c.]
Greek (Liddell-Scott)
σκᾰμμωνία: ἡ, φυτόν τι, «εἶδος βοτάνης» Ἡσύχ., Convolvulus Scammonia, ἐκ ῶν ῥιζῶν τοῦ ὁποίου παρεσκευάζετο φάρμακον καθαρτικόν, Εὔβουλ. ἐν «Γλαυκ.»1., Ἀριστ. Προβλ. 1. 41, 43, Θεόφρ. (Schneid Ind.), Διοσκ. 4. 171· - παρὰ τῷ Νικ. ἐν Ἀλεξιφ. 578 εὑρίσκομεν σκαμμώνιον, τό· καὶ ἐν στίχ. 484 ἀπαντᾷ ποιητικὸς κατὰ φαινόμενον τύπος κάμων, -ωνος.
Greek Monolingual
η, ΝΑ
ονομασία φυτού κατά τον Θεόφραστο και τον Διοσκορίδη, γνωστού αργότερα με τις λόγιες ονομασίες Κομβόλβουλος η σκαμμωνία και περιαλλόκαυλον, η κν. γνωστή σήμερα περικοκλάδα ή περιπλοκάδα, από το οποίο λαμβανόταν η φερώνυμη κομμεορητίνη, την οποία παλαιότερα χρησιμοποιούσαν ως δραστικό καθαρτικό, αλλ. σκαμμώνιο(ν).
[ΕΤΥΜΟΛ. Πρόκειται πιθ. για λ. σημιτικής προέλευσης, η οποία εμφανίζει επίθημα -ωνία, που απαντά και σε άλλα ον. φυτών (πρβλ. μαδ-ωνία)].
Russian (Dvoretsky)
σκαμμωνία: ἡ бот. скаммония (Convolvulus scammonia L, разновидность вьюнка, сок которого употреблялся в качестве слабительного) Arst.
Dutch (Woordenboekgrieks.nl)
σκαμμωνία -ας, ἡ, Ion. σκαμμωνίη winde (plant)
Frisk Etymological English
Grammatical information: f.
Meaning: kind of scammony, Convulvulus scammonia (Eub., Arist.)
Other forms: Also ἀσκαμωνία (Gp.)
Derivatives: -ώνιον (Nic. Al. 565) juice of this plant, -νίτης οἶνος (Dsc., Plin.), also κάμων (Nic. Al. 484).
Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin] (V)
Etymology: To be rejected Carnoy REGr. 71, 99; on the formation Chantraine Form. 208. -- The variants prove a Pre-Greek word.
See also: (Not to κύμινον.)
Frisk Etymology German
σκαμμωνία: {skammōnía}
Grammar: f.
Meaning: Art Winde
Etymology: Abzulehnen Carnoy REGr. 71, 99; zur Bildung Chantraine Form. 208.
See also: s. κύμινον.
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Wikipedia EN
Convolvulus scammonia, known commonly as scammony, is a bindweed native to the countries of the eastern part of the Mediterranean basin; it grows in bushy waste places, from Syria in the south to the Crimea in the north, its range extending westward to the Greek islands, but not to northern Africa or Italy. It is a twining perennial, bearing flowers like those of Convolvulus arvensis, and having irregularly arrow-shaped leaves and a thick fleshy root.
The dried juice, virgin scammony, obtained by incision of the living root, has been used in traditional medicine as scammonium, but the variable quality of the drug has led to the employment of scammoniae resina, which is obtained from the dried root by digestion with alcohol. Upon consumption, the resin is inert until it has passed from the stomach into the duodenum, where it meets the bile. A chemical reaction occurs between it and taurocholate and glycocholate in the bile, whereby it is converted into a powerful purgative which in doses becomes a violent gastrointestinal irritant. Scammony kills both roundworm and tapeworm, especially the former, and it was therefore used as an anthelmintic.
The principle bioactive component is the glucoside scammonin (also known as jalapin, molecular formula C34H56O16).
