干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

This article describes the unique uses of the plant wall pellitory (Parietaria judaica L.), as based on Arabic sources from the Middle Ages. These sources reveal that this plant was used in Israel for producing alkaline substances, in general, and material to clean glass, in particular. Examination of the plant’s composition demonstrates that it contains sodium and potassium in high concentrations, even in comparison with salt flat vegetation (desert and coastal), such as prickly saltworts (Salsola kali L.), which were known in the ancient world as a source of cleaning materials. Thus, corroboration was found for the information obtained from the historical sources.