DILL, WORMWOOD, PLANTAIN IN «RUSSIAN COMMON HERBALISTS AND HEALERS: A COLLECTION OF MEDICAL MANUSCRIPTS OF THE 16TH AND 17TH CENTURIES» BY V. M. FLORINSKY

Antsiferova Olga N., Olshvang Olga Yu.

This article briefly describes medical writings of the 17th and 18th centuries, included in the collection "Russian common herbalists and medical practitioners" (1879) by V. M. Florinsky. The previously existing nominations of the plants ‘dill’, ‘wormwood’, ‘plantain’ are revealed. The names of medicines made of these plants are presented, their medicinal properties, as well as the dosage forms known at that time are listed. The relevance of the research is due to scientific interest in the national phytonymic worldview, as well as in the history of the development of the Russian medical language. The paper contains information about the etymology of the named phytonyms, provides reflections on the time limits of the functioning of these names. The accompanying comments list the names of diseases, body organs characteristic of this synchronous section of the language; the spelling in the writings is preserved. In the same time, it is reported about the therapeutic habits of the past associated with herbal medicine. Based on the conducted research, it is suggested that the names кропъ, пелынь were bookish, укроп (dill), полынь (wormwood) functioned in colloquial speech; until the end of the 18th century, подорожник (plantain) was called попутник.

Keywords:phytonyms, writings, history of the Russian language, history of medicine.