The Herbal of al-Ghafiqi"Herbals" collections describing plants used for medicinal purposes were among the ancient and medieval world's most valued scientific texts, synthesizing a vast treasury of medical learning to facilitate scientific edification for scholar, bibliophiles, or practical consultation by physicians. Abu Ja? far al Ghafiqi (d. ca. 1165 CE) lived in the Arab Islamic zone of the southern Iberian peninsula called al Andalus, a land of many cultures, religions,