anemone

Ingredients

anemones, Syrian bottle, humid dung, gum arabic

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Take some anemones and put them in a thin Syrian bottle (p. 128). Then bury it in the humid dung and substitute the dung every three days (p. 128). Continue this process until the anemones have melted and become liquid (p. 129). This liquid can then be used to write on various materials and will not fade even if placed in water (p. 129). If brightness is desired, gum arabic should be added to the mixture (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 identifies this as an ink that never fades (madād lā yanqalʿ abadan). It is noted for its high permanence even when exposed to water. The recipe is attributed to al-Razi and serves as a foundational example for later anemone-based inks in the Arabic tradition (p. 127).