Gallia moschata

Statema, B. C. P.

Compound

Gallia moschata

Gallia muscata

Known today as: A named compound perfume of the apothecary, made into troches of aloeswood, ambergris, and musk. The Antidotarium Nicolai gives a different confectio gallie muscate, of mastic, gum, and camphor with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and musk.
Kind: Compound, in 2 older authorities
Constituents: musk, ambergris, aloes-wood, and 1 more
Earliest authority here: Mesue (11th–13th century)
In the Canale glossary: On the Manner of Discerning and Healing the Bewitched, Appendix A: Part Three, Chapter 6: Remedies Given by Mouth After the Purge

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

Gallia moschata: what did Canale use it for?

In the pills (ch. 6).

Gallia moschata: what does modern science say?

A perfume: Culpeper says the troches strengthen the brain and heart and “cause a sweet breath.”

Pharmacognosy & Toxicology

Constituents

muskone drachm
ambergristhree drachms
aloes-woodfive drachms
gum tragacanth ChEMBLthe binder

Mechanism

Troches of aloes-wood, ambergris, and musk bound with tragacanth in rose water: a perfume, which Mesue says goes into compound medicines and gives the body and the mouth a good smell.

Toxic dose

Culpeper gives none, for its price.

Standing

Obsolete.

Culpeper, N. (1653). Pharmacopoeia Londinensis, “Gallia Moschata.” 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.

Gallia moschata: what lore surrounds it?

Culpeper would not give a dose: “They are of an extream price, therefore I pass by the dose.”

The Recipe

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

Gallia moschata: what did the older authorities say?

Mesue: The Grabadin gives the confectio gallie muscate: aloes-wood, ambergris, and musk made up with gum tragacanth and rose water into sealed troches; it strengthens the brain and the heart, goes into compound medicines, and gives the body and the mouth a good smell.
The Ricettario fiorentino: Of 1567 gives Mesue’s troches of gallia muscata: aloes-wood, ambergris, and musk, with mucilage of tragacanth made in rose water, shaped like myrtle leaves.

Sources

[10] van den Berg, W. S. (ed.) (1917). Antidotarium Nicolaï. Leiden: E. J. Brill. Read in part · the text read
[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, Grabadin. Read in part · the text read
Ricettario fiorentino (1567). Florence: Arte de’ Medici e Speziali. 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

5 cited: 5 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: “Gallia moschata.” 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/gallia-moschata.
MLA: “Gallia moschata.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 3 Oct. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/gallia-moschata. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
APA: Gallia moschata. (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/gallia-moschata

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