Nepenthe (, ) is a possibly fictional medicine for sorrow â a "drug of forgetfulness" mentioned in ancient Greek literature and Greek mythology, depicted as originating in Egypt.
The carnivorous plant genus Nepenthes is named after the drug nepenthe.
The word ' first appears in the fourth book of Homer's Odyssey:
Figuratively, nepenthe means "that which chases away sorrow". Literally it means 'not-sorrow' or 'anti-sorrow': , , i.e. "not" (privative prefix), and , from , , i.e. "grief, sorrow, or mourning".
In the Odyssey, ý÷ÃÂõýøÃÂàÃÂìÃÂüñúÿý : (i.e. an anti-sorrow drug) is a magical potion given to Helen by Polydamna, the wife of the noble Egyptian Thon; it quells all sorrows with forgetfulness.