Isinglass
Ichthyocolla, fish glue
- Known today as
- —
- Kind
- Animal, in 1 older authority
- Constituents
- collagen, gelatin
- Earliest authority here
- Dioscorides (c. AD 40–90)
Revised October 3, 2026: Checked against its sources, each read in full, in part, or in its abstract. Version 1, first published September 30, 2026.
Isinglass: what was it used for?
Broths and jellies; court plaster, isinglass brushed on silk with tincture of benzoin; and to clear wine and beer.
Isinglass: what does modern science say?
Still used to clarify beer and wine.
Pharmacognosy & Toxicology
- Constituents
- Mechanism
- Mostly collagen with few cross-links, so it dissolves readily; it clears drinks by aggregating the yeast and other particles, and stops working once heat above 29 °C has denatured it. It is widely used in British brewing, above all for cask-conditioned beer, where it flocculates the yeast into a mass that settles, though many cask ales are not fined with it.
- Toxic dose
- A food; a fish product, but wines fined with it, even at more than commercial doses, have proved a very low allergic risk to people allergic to fish.
- Standing
- A food-processing aid, permanently exempt from allergen labelling in the European Union under Directive 2007/68/EC.
- Hickman, D., et al. (2000). “Isinglass/collagen: denaturation and functionality.” Journal of Biotechnology 79. Abstract read · the text read
The abstract of each source, beneath its citation. For Club members. About the Club or sign in.
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.
Isinglass: what lore surrounds it?
Its name is an English corruption of the Dutch huisenblas, sturgeon’s bladder.
Isinglass: what did the older authorities say?
- Dioscorides
- Gives ichthyocolla, fish glue, made from the intestines of a “whale fish,” the best from Pontus, for head plasters, medicines for leprosy, and medicines to smooth the skin of the face.
Sources
- Dioscorides, De materia medica. Read in part · the text read
- Pomet, P. (1694). Histoire générale des drogues (English, A Compleat History of Druggs, 1712). Read in part · the text read
- Wikipedia, “Isinglass.” Read in full · the text read
- Encyclopædia Britannica (1911), 11th ed., “Isinglass,” vol. 14, p. 872. Wikisource. Read in full · the text read
- Peñas, E., et al. (2015). Allergenic proteins in enology: a review on technological applications and safety aspects. Molecules 20: 13144–13164. Read in full · the text read
Verification
- Checked
- October 1, 2026, and October 3, 2026
- Passes
- Every sentence read against its sources, in the fifty-entry sample
- 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
- 6 cited: 3 read in full, 2 read in part, 1 abstract read. 1 with the abstract on file.
- 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 30, 2026 · last revised October 3, 2026
- Chicago
“Isinglass.” 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/isinglass.
- MLA
“Isinglass.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 3 Oct. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/isinglass. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
- APA
Isinglass. (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/isinglass
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See Also
Sharing collagen
Also in Dioscorides
Iva in Dioscorides · Henbane in Dioscorides · Lavender in Dioscorides · Hemp in Dioscorides · everything Dioscorides names →
Drawing on the same sources: Dioscorides, Pomet, Wikipedia
Juniper · Jalap · Gamboge · Marjoram and jasmine · Kermes · Iron and steel · the bibliography →
Nearby in the alphabet
Jack-o’-lantern · Ipecacuanha (The root of Carapichea ipecacuanha of Brazil) · INRI · James’s powder (secret in its making) · Indian electuary, greater and lesser (the greater and the lesser)
Historical description, not medical advice.