Diaphenicon

Statema, B. C. P.

Compound

Diaphenicon

Known today as: A purgative electuary of dates, with turpeth, scammony, and spices.
Kind: Compound
Constituents: scammonin, turpeth resin, dates, almonds, and penids, and 1 more
Poisoning: The drastic resins
In the Canale glossary: On the Manner of Discerning and Healing the Bewitched, Appendix A: Part Three, Chapter 4: Stronger Purgatives and Compound Medicines

Revised October 3, 2026: Checked against its sources, each read in full, in part, or in its abstract. Version 1, first published September 25, 2026.

Diaphenicon: what did Canale use it for?

In the purge for phlegmatic patients (ch. 4; see note XXXI).

Diaphenicon: what does modern science say?

Its scammony and turbith made it effective and harsh.

Pharmacognosy & Toxicology

Constituents

scammonin ChEMBLthe resin of scammony, the purge
turpeth resin
dates, almonds, and penidsthe bulk
pepper, ginger, and ruethe warming correctives

Mechanism

An electuary of dates with scammony and turpeth: two resin purgatives, scammony drastic and quick, turpeth like jalap but slower, given to phlegmatic patients because turpeth was held to purge more phlegm than choler. The dates and penids, Mesue’s annotator says, went into purgatives for their viscosity, and the spices corrected the scammony.

Toxic dose

Culpeper gave half an ounce, chiefly in clysters; the dose of scammony resin in 1911 was 3 to 8 grains, and large doses set up acute irritation of the gut.

Syndrome

The drastic resins

Standing

In the London Pharmacopoeia of 1653.

Culpeper, N. (1653). Pharmacopoeia Londinensis, “Diaphoenicon.” Read in part · the text read

Constituent names open the compound’s record at PubChem, and “ChEMBL” beside a name opens its record at ChEMBL, the European Bioinformatics Institute’s database of bioactive molecules. Where a mechanism line was checked against ChEMBL (ChEMBL 37, read 1 October 2026), the check is shown with the measured value and its source paper, or says plainly that nothing has been measured. Doses are as the references give them, for description only; this is not medical advice. Each source carries the result of its check against Crossref, PubMed, or the authority’s page: see Verification.

In Their Own Words

In the London College's recipe as Culpeper gives it, Diaphœnicon begins with the pulp of dates boiled in hydromel, penids and blanched sweet almonds.

“Take of the pulp of Dates boiled in Hydromel, Penids, of each half a pound, sweet Almonds blanched, three ounces and an half”

Nicholas Culpeper, The Complete Herbal, The College's electuaries, 'Diaphœnicon'. London: Thomas Kelly, 17, Paternoster Row, MDCCCL (Project Gutenberg eBook #49513). The text, read in part

Culpeper doubts that it is as useful in fevers as authors claim, because it is a very violent purge.

“I cannot believe this is so profitable in fevers taken downwards as authors say, for it is a very violent purge.”

Nicholas Culpeper, The Complete Herbal, The College's electuaries, 'Diaphœnicon', Culpeper's remark. London: Thomas Kelly, 17, Paternoster Row, MDCCCL (Project Gutenberg eBook #49513). The text, read in part

Each passage is quoted from the text named, which the press fetched and read, and was checked word for word against a fresh copy of it; the link opens that copy. Passages are given as printed, without the editors’ footnote numbers, and with words broken across lines joined.

The Recipe

The recipe: 3 ingredients, each linked to its entry. For Club members. Create a free account or sign in.

Sources

[28] Culpeper, N. (1653). Pharmacopœia Londinensis, or, The London Dispensatory [the Royal College of Physicians’ pharmacopoeia in English, with Culpeper’s commentary]. London: Peter Cole. Text Creation Partnership edition A35381. Read in part · the text read

Mesue (1589). I libri di Gio. Mesue de i semplici purgativi, et delle medicine composte, ed. G. Rossetto. Venice. Read in part · the text read

Verification

Checked

October 1, 2026, and October 3, 2026

Passes

Every sentence read against its sources, in the pass over the remaining 343 entries
The Standing line checked against the authority it names (EMA, WHO, FDA, CITES, Commission E)
Every dated or regulatory claim checked by category across the database
Every source read, in full, in part, or in its abstract, and every sentence checked against what was read (October 3, 2026)

Sources

3 cited: 3 read in part.

Corrections

None were needed.

What was checked, how, and what was found is set out on the Verification page. A checked source is one whose record was found; it does not make the entry medical advice.

Cite This Entry

Version 1 · first published September 25, 2026 · last revised October 3, 2026

Chicago: “Diaphenicon.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified October 3, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/diaphenicon.
MLA: “Diaphenicon.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 3 Oct. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/diaphenicon. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
APA: Diaphenicon. (2026, October 3). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/diaphenicon

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