Yusuf ibn Ismail al-Kutubi

Who is Yusuf ibn Ismail al-Kutubi?

Yusuf ibn Ismail al-Kutubi known as Ibn al-Kabir an Azerbaijani-Iranian scholar and Physician worked as a doctor in the palaces of the Abbasid caliphs in Baghdad. He was born in Khoy in West Azarbaijan Province or in Azerbaijan.

He is known for his comprehensive pharmacology titled "Ma la Yasa'u al-Tabiba Jahlahu", often referred to by its shortened title "Jam al-Baghdadi", written in Arabic in 1311. Several thousand medicinal herbs, natural drugs and recipes are identified in the compendium.

He wrote that a bandage with a few drops of castor was good for treating headaches. Beverages containing castor oil and vinegar were used to treat abdominal pain.

In his book he described eight different methods for administering aromatherapy:

According to al-Kutubi barud or potassium nitrate was called milh al-ha’it by the common people of Iraq. “It is the salt that creeps on old walls, and they collect it.”

He described saltpeter saying "they use it to make a fire which rises and moves, thus increasing it in lightness and inflammability"