# Hiera of Pacchius

**Hiera Pacchii**

**Known today as.** A bitter purgative compound, the “holy antidote” of Paccius Antiochus, a pupil of Philonides of Catina; Scribonius Largus recorded it after the recipe reached Tiberius Caesar on Paccius’s death, and says some called it *picra*, because it is bitter, and others *diacolocynthidos*. It has no aloes, unlike Hiera picra.

Kind: Compound  
Poisoning: The drastic resins (https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/poisons/drastic-resin)  
Toxic: yes

> **Caution.** 

## What did Canale use it for?

Among the commended purges (ch. 4).

## What does modern science say?

One of the named purges of the old pharmacy; Canale does not give its recipe. The London Dispensatory of 1653 has a *Hiera Diacolocynthidos* of much the same drugs: colocynth, agaric, germander, horehound, stoechas, opopanax, sagapenum, parsley seed, birthwort, spikenard, cinnamon, myrrh, and saffron.

## Pharmacognosy and toxicology

- **cucurbitacins**: colocynth
- **opopanax and sagapenum**: the gums
- **agaric acid (agaricin)**: 
- **cinnamon, spikenard, myrrh, saffron**: the spices
- **germander, horehound, French lavender**: 

**Mechanism.** The “holy” antidote of Paccius: colocynth and agaric with French lavender, horehound, germander, gums, and spices in honey; Scribonius says that after it the patients pass “a frothy and viscous matter two or three times.”

**Dose.** A purge, given by the drachm: two drachms in four cyathi of hydromel for headache and vertigo.

**Standing.** Obsolete.

## Sources

- *The British Pharmaceutical Codex* (1911). London: Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Monographs as transcribed at Henriette’s Herbal Homepage, henriettes-herb.com.
- Li, Q. Y., et al. (2021). *Citrullus colocynthis* (L.) Schrad (bitter apple fruit): promising traditional uses, pharmacological effects, aspects, and potential applications. *Frontiers in Pharmacology* 12: 791049.

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*Hiera of Pacchius.* In *Materia Medica*, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1, revised 2026-10-03. The Thinking Press. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/hiera-of-pacchius

Historical description, not medical advice.