dark red anemone

Ingredients

dark red anemone, humid dung, gum arabic

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Take the amount you want of dark red anemone as mentioned above (p. 128). Put it in a thin Syrian or Maghribi bottle (p. 128). Bury it in humid dung (manure) which is called sirqin or sirfin, or 'the bowels of the horse', or 'the nature useful to the nature', or 'the unstable fire' (p. 128). The manure must be humid (p. 128). Substitute the dung with other wet manure every three days (p. 128) until the anemones have completely melted and become liquid (p. 129). To increase brightness, add the proper amount of powdered gum arabic (p. 129).

Evidence

"An ink that doesn’t fade and whose traces don’t disappear; if you want, write, and it will not fade on the papyrus, or paper, or other material; it is also a dye for the hair."

Remarks

The text notes this specific recipe is an addition by al-Marrakushi (Muhammad b. Maymun b. Imran al-Marrakushi al-Himyari) written in Baghdad in 649 AH (p. 129). It also cites al-Razi for the use of anemone (p. 127). The ink is described as being durable enough that it cannot be cleared out by water even after days of immersion (p. 129).