Vitriol
Vitriolum; copperas
- Known today as
- Green vitriol (iron sulfate), blue vitriol (copper sulfate), and white vitriol (zinc sulfate); “oil of vitriol” is sulfuric acid.
- Kind
- Mineral, in 1 older authority
- Constituents
- iron(II) sulfate, copper(II) sulfate, zinc sulfate
- Poisoning
- Mercury, arsenic, lead, and antimony
- Earliest authority here
- The alchemists
- In other databases
- Wikidata search
Caution. Copper and zinc vitriol and oil of vitriol are poisonous or corrosive.
Vitriol: what was it used for?
Astringent and caustic, for wounds, ulcers, and the eyes; the base of ink with oak galls.
Vitriol: what does modern science say?
Iron sulfate still treats iron deficiency; the others are poisonous by mouth.
Vitriol: is it poisonous?
Yes, in some form or dose. Copper and zinc vitriol and oil of vitriol are poisonous or corrosive. Its poisoning is mercury, arsenic, lead, and antimony: Minutes to hours for a large dose; months or years for the slow poisoning of the trades. Historical description, not medical advice; in a poisoning, call a poison centre.
Pharmacognosy & Toxicology
- Constituents
- iron(II) sulfategreen vitriol
- copper(II) sulfateblue vitriol
- zinc sulfate ChEMBLwhite vitriol
- Mechanism
- Copper sulfate corrodes the gut and destroys red cells; it was given as an emetic until the 1970s, and remains a common means of suicide in India. Iron sulfate is the standard treatment of iron deficiency, and an overdose of iron tablets kills children.
- Toxic dose
- About 10–20 g of copper sulfate; iron above 60 mg per kilogram in a child.
- Syndrome
- Mercury, arsenic, lead, and antimony
- Standing
- Ferrous sulfate is on the WHO list of essential medicines; copper sulfate has no medical use.
- Franchitto, N., et al. (2008). “Acute copper sulphate poisoning: a case report and literature review.” Resuscitation 78. Verified against its record · doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2008.02.017
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.
Vitriol: what did the older authorities say?
- The alchemists
- Read its name as an acrostic: Visita interiora terrae rectificando invenies occultum lapidem, “visit the interior of the earth, and by rectifying you will find the hidden stone.” See Alchemy.
Sources
- Basil Valentine (attributed), Currus triumphalis antimonii (1604). Book, seen in reviews
In Symbols of the Psyche
Vitriol: what it stood for in alchemy and in analytical psychology.
Verification
- Checked
- October 1, 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
- Sources
- 2 cited: 1 verified against its record, 1 book, seen in reviews. 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 25, 2026
- Chicago
“Vitriol.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified September 25, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/vitriol.
- MLA
“Vitriol.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 25 Sept. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/vitriol. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
- APA
Vitriol. (2026, September 25). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/vitriol
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See Also
Poisoned alike: mercury, arsenic, lead, and antimony
White arsenic · Verdigris · White lead · Quicksilver · Antimony · Passarino’s white powder · Armenian stone, pills of · Orpiment and realgar · the syndrome, with all of them →
Nearby in the alphabet
Walnut, middle bark of (The inner bark of Juglans regia) · Viper (Vipera species, dried into troches) · Water germander · Violet, lettuce, sow-thistle (garden lettuce (Lactuca sativa), sow-thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)) · Wax (Beeswax) · Vinegar of the four thieves (Vinegar steeped with herbs and garlic) · Wax ex-votos · Vinegar (Soured wine)
Historical description, not medical advice.