Talk:Scilla

April 2005
In case anyone is wondering, I decided that a significant plant genus trumps an uncommon spelling in Greek mythology, and should therefore "own" the name. Stan 05:30, 18 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Clarification?
"...an ingredient in cough medicines and cardiac surgery."

How is it used as an ingredient in cardiac surgery? Russia Moore 05:01, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

November 2012
I was actually interested in the obscure Greek reference. (Plutarch, Life of Pericles). The squill, or sea onion, he is referring to should be Drimia maritime. It is still a member of the family asparagaceae, but the Genus and Subfamily are entirely different. Helen Cozart  209.55.94.154 (talk) 19:55, 28 November 2012 (UTC)

Uses
I'm perusing a document (Dumbarton Oaks Studies XXXVI: Siegecraft: Two Tenth-Century Instructional Manuals by 'Heron of Byzantium'", by Denis F. Sullivan, which I found at http://www.doaks.org/Etexts.html - URL: http://www.doaks.org/Siegecraft.pdf ). In it, in a "marginal scolion" on page 33, "squill" is used in making "long-lasting rations".

It's "boiled, washed with water, dried and cut very thin; then sesame is mixed into it, one fifth part, and poppy one fifteenth, and all this is crushed and the best honey kneaded into it. Divide this into pieces the size of large olives. If one uses one of these at the second hour, another at the tenth, he will not be severely affected by hunger."

In another ration described in the paragraph immediately afterwards, the squill is prepared thus: "Peel the squill and cut away the roots and leaves, separating it into small pieces, put it in a mixing bowl, pound it very smooth."

(I'm confused about the procedure. I don't understand how one can cut away the roots and leaves _after_ peeling something, assuming one is working with a bulb or tuber from the start.) D021317c 21:34, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

I have found one's comments to be slighty herbalist towards the common squill plantaius Haleyus confusious thus forth one would think, this suggestion would be some what skewed. Hence forth a study from Danniverke (David Longbottom - PHD XL CM Yale polytech) suggests that one can actually peel the male Squill with a small set of tweezers. Which in context with the size of large Olives would make it totally feasable. [User:B081726h] — Preceding unsigned comment added by 118.90.8.113 (talk) 07:17, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

Medical uses
The medical uses of "squill" refer to the species now called Drimia maritima, the Sea Squill, formerly Scilla maritima, but not now a Scilla. So I removed the material entirely. It could be added to the Drimia maritima article, I guess, but I leave that to others. Peter coxhead (talk) 16:53, 16 April 2013 (UTC)