The Library
Materia Medica
The simples and compounds of ancient, medieval, and early modern medicine: what each was, what it was called, what it was trusted to do, and what is known of it now.
476 entries
Several of these substances are poisonous, some gravely so. Everything here is historical description, not medical advice.
AmuletAbracadabraThe fever charm
A charm word written out line by line, one letter shorter each time, into a narrowing triangle.
PlantAdder’s-tongue fernGreen Oil of Charity (the ointment made from it)
Ophioglossum vulgatum. A small, unfern-like fern of old pastures, its single spike rising from a single blade said to resemble a serpent’s tongue.
AmuletAGLAAtah gibor le-olam Adonai
A name of God formed, as Agrippa explains, from the first letters of a Hebrew verse, “the mighty God for ever”; his modern editor notes that the words open the second benediction of the Shemoneh Esreh.
PlantAgrimonyEupatorium of the ancients
Agrimonia eupatoria.
PlantAlkanetAnchusa; Greek anchousa, “paint”
Alkanna tinctoria (syn. Anchusa tinctoria). A Mediterranean relative of borage, grown for the red dye in its root.
MineralAlumAlumen
Potassium aluminum sulfate.
Resin & WoodAmberSuccinum; Greek ēlektron
Fossil tree resin, chiefly from the Baltic coast.
PlantThe amulet herbsBetony, goat’s rue, savin, sage, horehound, cyclamen, laurel, masterwort, and angelica
See each above.Canale
MineralArmenian boleBolus armenus, bole armeniac
A fine red clay, colored by iron oxide.
SacramentalThe aspergillumAspergillum; aspersorium
The brush, or perforated ball on a handle, with which holy water is sprinkled.
CompoundAurum potabileDrinkable gold
Gold dissolved or suspended in liquid for drinking.
Resin & WoodBalm of GileadOpobalsamum; balsam of Judaea, balm of Mecca
The resin of Commiphora gileadensis.
Resin & WoodBalsam of PeruBalsamum peruvianum
A dark, vanilla-scented balsam from Myroxylon balsamum var. pereirae, a tree of El Salvador.
AnimalBezoar stoneFrom the Persian panzehr or the Arabic badzehr, “counterpoison”
A concretion formed in the stomach of goats and other animals.
Plant Bitter aloesAloe, Socotrine aloes
The dried juice of Aloe vera, A. ferox, and A. perryi of Socotra.Caution
Plant Black pepperPiper; Sanskrit pippali
The dried fruit of Piper nigrum.
PlantBlackthornSloe
Prunus spinosa. A thorny hedgerow shrub bearing small, bitter, blue-black plums, sloes, after the first frost.
PlantBladderwrackSea wrack; Quercus marina
Fucus vesiculosus, a brown seaweed of rocky shores, buoyed by paired air bladders.
MineralBloodstoneHaematites
Hematite, iron oxide, which streaks blood-red; the name was later given to green jasper spotted with red.
PlantBogbeanBuckbean, marsh trefoil; Menyanthes
Menyanthes trifoliata, a plant of bogs and pond edges, with three-part leaves and fringed white flowers.
MineralBoraxArabic bawraq; tincal
Sodium borate, brought as the crude salt tincal from the lakes of Tibet.Caution
PlantButterburPetasites; pestilence wort, German Pestwurz
Petasites hybridus, of the daisy family, with huge rhubarb-like leaves in damp places.Caution
Fungus Caesar’s mushroomAmanita caesarea; Latin boletus
An orange-capped amanita of southern Europe’s oak and pine woods, egg-like when young and seated in a white cup.
MineralCalamineCadmia, tutia, tutty
Zinc carbonate and zinc oxide.
Resin & Wood CamphorArabic kāfūr
The crystalline gum of Cinnamomum camphora.Caution
AnimalCantharidesSpanish fly; Lytta
The dried blister beetle Lytta vesicatoria.Deadly
SacramentalThe Caravaca crossCruz de Caravaca
A patriarchal cross with two cross-arms, after the relic of the True Cross kept at Caravaca de la Cruz in Murcia, Spain.
Plant CardamomGreek kardamomon; grains of paradise (of some writers)
Elettaria cardamomum, of the ginger family, whose seeds come in pale three-sided pods from India.
CompoundCarmelite waterEau de mélisse des Carmes
Lemon balm, with lemon peel, nutmeg, coriander, and angelica, distilled in spirit.
AnimalCastoreumCastoreum
The scent gland secretion of the beaver.
PlantChaste treeAgnus castus, vitex; monk’s pepper
Vitex agnus-castus, a Mediterranean shrub with spikes of lilac flowers and peppery fruit.
Food & DrinkChocolateNahuatl cacahuatl; cacao
The fermented, dried, and roasted seeds of Theobroma cacao, drunk by the Maya and the Aztecs before Spanish conquistadors met it in 1519.
SacramentalChrismSacrum chrisma
Olive oil mixed with balsam and consecrated by a bishop.
PlantCinchonaJesuits’ bark, Peruvian bark
The bark of Cinchona trees of the Andes.
MineralCinnabarMinium, vermilion
Mercury sulfide.Deadly
AnimalCochinealGrana, coccinella
The dried insect Dactylopius coccus, a parasite of the prickly-pear cactus of Mexico and South America.
Food & Drink CoffeeArabic qahwah; Italian caffè
The roasted seeds of Coffea arabica; the drink began in Yemen, reached Istanbul by the early sixteenth century, and came to Europe through Venetian merchants.
PlantColocynthBitter apple; coloquintida
The dried pulp of Citrullus colocynthis.Caution
PlantComfreySymphytum, “grow together”; knitbone
Symphytum officinale.Caution
AmuletConcealed shoesThe hidden shoe
Worn-out shoes, often a child’s, hidden in walls, chimneys, under floors, and above ceilings.
CompoundConfection of alkermesConfectio alkermes
A cordial confection colored with kermes, with apple juice, rose water, sugar, ambergris, and gold.
CompoundConfection of hyacinthConfectio de hyacintho
A cordial electuary of powdered jacinth, sapphire, emerald, and other stones, with coral, pearls, and gold.
SacramentalContact relicsBrandea
Cloths, oil, dust, or other things touched to a saint’s tomb or remains, and so made relics themselves.
Resin & WoodCopalNahuatl copalli; Maya pom
The resins of Protium, Bursera, and related trees of Central America, burned in clear yellow lumps.
PlantCorianderCoriandrum
Coriandrum sativum, seed and leaf.
AmuletCornicelloCornetto; the Neapolitan horn
A small horn, most often of coral, but also of gold, silver, mother-of-pearl, amber, or lava.
PlantCowslipKey of heaven, fairy cups, key flower, herb Peter, paigle; Herba paralysis
Primula veris. An early-spring meadow flower related to the primrose, its yellow blooms nodding in a one-sided cluster.
AnimalCrabs’ eyesLapides cancrorum, oculi cancrorum
Chalky stones from the stomachs of crayfish.
SacramentalCramp ringsThe Good Friday rings
Rings blessed by the kings of England on Good Friday, made from gold and silver offered at the cross.
PlantCubebTailed pepper; piper caudatum
Piper cubeba, a Javanese pepper whose berries keep a little stalk, like a tail.
Plant CuminCuminum; Greek kyminon
Cuminum cyminum.
AnimalCuttlefish boneOs sepiae
The chalky internal shell of the cuttlefish, washed up on beaches.
FungusCyclosporin fungusTolypocladium inflatum
A soil fungus.
PlantCypressCupressus
Cupressus sempervirens: cones, leaves, and wood.
PlantDevil’s-bit scabiousMorsus diaboli, “the Devil’s bite”
Succisa pratensis. A blue-violet wildflower of damp meadows, known by its short, blunt-ended root.
CompoundDiascordiumDiascordium Fracastorii
A confection of water germander with opium, cinnamon, bole, and other drugs.Caution
CompoundDover’s powderPulvis ipecacuanhae compositus; pulvis Doveri
Ipecacuanha and opium, with salts, in a powder.
MineralEagle-stoneAetites
A hollow nodule of iron oxide with a loose stone rattling inside.
SacramentalEarth of the Holy LandBlessings (eulogiae) of the holy places
Earth, stones, water, and oil brought back by pilgrims from the holy places of Palestine.
AnimalEarthwormLumbricus terrestris; oil of worms
The common earthworm, washed in wine, dried, powdered, or boiled in oil.
PlantElderSambucus
Sambucus nigra: flowers, berries, bark, and leaves.Caution
Plant ElecampaneInula, helenium
The root of Inula helenium.
AmuletElf-shotElf-arrows; fairy darts
Prehistoric flint arrowheads turned up in the fields.
SacramentalEpiphany chalkC+M+B
Chalk blessed at the Epiphany, with which the lintel of the house is marked for the new year, as 20+C+M+B+26.
SacramentalEpiphany waterWater of the Three Kings; the Great Blessing of Waters
Water blessed at the Epiphany by a solemn rite with a long exorcism, in the East as the Great Blessing of the Waters at Theophany.
MineralEpsom saltSal catharticum; bitter salt
Magnesium sulfate, first boiled from the waters of a spring on Epsom Common in Surrey.
PlantEryngoSea holly; Eryngium
Eryngium maritimum, a spiny blue-grey thistle-like plant of sand dunes, with long sweet roots.
SacramentalThe exorcists’ manualsFlagellum Daemonum, Fustis Daemonum, Thesaurus exorcismorum
The handbooks of the exorcist’s art of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, above all those of the Franciscan Girolamo Menghi.
AmuletThe eye beadNazar; nazar boncuğu
A bead of handmade glass worked in rings of dark blue, white, light blue, and black, like an eye.
PlantEyebrightEuphrasia, “gladness”
Euphrasia officinalis and relatives.
PlantFern seedThe “seed” of ferns
The spores of ferns, mistaken for seed.
PlantFeverfewParthenium
Tanacetum parthenium.
PlantFigFicus
Ficus carica.
AmuletThe fig handMano fica; higa
A hand with the thumb thrust between the first two fingers, made as a gesture or carved as a charm.
PlantFoxgloveDigitalis, “finger-stall”
Digitalis purpurea.Deadly
CompoundFriar’s balsamCompound tincture of benzoin; balsamum traumaticum
Benzoin, storax, balsam of tolu, and aloes, in spirit.
Plant GalangalGalanga; Hildegard’s galgan
The rhizome of lesser galangal, Alpinia officinarum.
Resin & WoodGambogeGummi guttae; from Cambodia
A gum-resin from Garcinia hanburyi of Cambodia and Thailand, yellow as egg yolk.Caution
Plant GingerZingiber
The rhizome of Zingiber officinale.
MineralGlauber’s saltSal mirabile, the wonderful salt
Sodium sulfate, crystallised from spring water and from the residue of making spirit of salt.
PlantGorseFurze
Ulex europaeus. A spiny, coconut-scented, yellow-flowered shrub of heath and common land.
PlantGround ivyAlehoof; gill
Glechoma hederacea. A low, creeping weed of the mint family with small purple flowers, common in shaded grass.
Resin & WoodGuaiacumLignum vitae, “wood of life”; lignum sanctum
The wood and resin of Guaiacum officinale and G. sanctum.
Resin & WoodGum arabicGummi arabicum; acacia gum
The dried sap of Senegalia senegal and related acacias.
AmuletHagstoneHoled stone; hag-stone
A stone with a natural hole worn through it.
AmuletThe Hand of Glory
The dried and pickled hand of a hanged man, holding a candle made from the fat of a hanged man.
AnimalHartshornCornu cervi
The antlers of the red deer, rasped, burnt, or distilled.
PlantHazelCorylus
Corylus avellana.
PlantHeartseaseViola tricolor; love-in-idleness, pansy
Viola tricolor, the wild pansy of fields and banks, purple, white, and yellow.
PlantHempCannabis
Cannabis sativa.
PlantHerb bennetWood avens; herba benedicta, the blessed herb
Geum urbanum, of the rose family, with a root that smells of cloves.
CompoundHiera picra“The holy bitter”
A compound purge of aloes with cinnamon, mastic, saffron, and other aromatics.Caution
SacramentalThe Holy Name, IHSChristogram
The monogram IHS, the first three letters of Jesus in Greek, often within a sunburst.
SacramentalThe holy water stoupAcquasantiera
The basin of holy water at the door of a church, and the small stoups kept in homes.
SacramentalHoly wellsClootie wells; fontes sancti
Springs dedicated to saints, many of them sacred long before Christianity, visited for cures.
Food & Drink HoneyMel
Honey of bees.
PlantHoundstongueCynoglossum, “dog’s tongue”
Cynoglossum officinale. A coarse, grey-leaved biennial of waste ground, named for its long, tongue-shaped, softly hairy leaves.Caution
Plant HouseleekSempervivum; Jupiter’s beard
Sempervivum tectorum.
AnimalHuman fatAxungia hominis, poor sinner’s fat
Fat rendered from the bodies of the executed.
CompoundHungary waterAqua Hungarica Bateana, renamed spiritus rorismarini in 1746
Fresh rosemary tops in flower, steeped in spirit of wine and distilled.
SacramentalINRIIesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum
The initials of the title Pilate set over the cross, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” written, the Gospel says, in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
PlantIpecacuanhaIpecac
The root of Carapichea ipecacuanha of Brazil.Caution
MineralIron and steelFerrum, chalybs
The metal, given as filings in wine, as its rust, or in chalybeate spring waters.
AnimalIsinglassIchthyocolla, fish glue
PlantJalapJalapa; the root of Xalapa
Ipomoea purga, a Mexican morning glory whose tuber was shipped from the town of Xalapa.Caution
CompoundJames’s powderDr. James’s fever powder
A patent powder of antimony and calcined bone, secret in its making.Caution
Plant JuniperJuniperus; French genièvre
The berries and wood of Juniperus communis.
PlantLady’s mantleAlchemilla; pes leonis, lion’s foot
Alchemilla vulgaris and its kin, of the rose family, with pleated, scalloped leaves that hold a bead of dew at the centre.
CompoundLaudanumSydenham’s laudanum
A tincture of opium in wine, with saffron, cinnamon, and cloves.Deadly
AnimalLeechHirudo
The medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis.
AmuletLetters from HeavenHimmelsbrief
Letters, copied by hand from one another, said to have been written by God or by Christ himself, promising protection to whoever kept them.
PlantLicoriceGlycyrrhiza, “sweet root”; the Scythian root
The root of Glycyrrhiza glabra.
MineralLithargeLithargyrum, “silver stone”
Lead monoxide, a byproduct of refining silver.Caution
PlantLiverwort, or hepaticaLiverleaf; Hepatica, from Greek hēpar, “liver”
Hepatica nobilis (syn. Anemone hepatica). An early-spring woodland flower with three-lobed, liver-shaped evergreen leaves.
MineralLodestoneMagnes
Magnetite, naturally magnetic iron ore.
Plant Long pepperPiper longum; Sanskrit pippali
The catkin-like fruit of Piper longum.
SacramentalLourdes waterEau de Lourdes
Water from the spring in the grotto of Massabielle at Lourdes, uncovered by Bernadette Soubirous on 25 February 1858 during the apparitions she reported.
PlantLungwortPulmonaria
Pulmonaria officinalis. A woodland perennial with white-spotted leaves and flowers that open pink and turn blue.
PlantMadderRubia
Rubia tinctorum. A scrambling perennial grown since antiquity for the red dye in its root.
PlantMadonna lilyLilium; Greek krinon
Lilium candidum.
PlantMannaCalabrian manna
The dried sap of the manna ash, Fraxinus ornus, of Calabria and Sicily.
PlantMarigoldCalendula
Calendula officinalis, the pot marigold.
Resin & WoodMasticMastiche; the tears of Chios
The resin of Pistacia lentiscus, gathered almost only on the Greek island of Chios, in pale, brittle tears.
PlantMeadow saffronColchicum; hermodactyl
Colchicum autumnale.Deadly
PlantMeadowsweetMeadwort, queen of the meadow; Spiraea ulmaria
Filipendula ulmaria, of the rose family, of damp meadows and ditches, with frothy cream flowers smelling of almond.
SacramentalThe Miraculous MedalMedal of the Immaculate Conception
An oval medal of the Virgin with the prayer “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee,” made after the visions of Catherine Labouré, a Daughter of Charity, in the chapel of the Rue du Bac in Paris in 1830.
PlantMistletoeViscum; all-heal
Viscum album, especially when found on oak.Caution
PlantMolyGreek mōly
Unidentified. The snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, is the most discussed candidate.
PlantMoonwortLunaria
The small fern Botrychium lunaria.
PlantMotherwortCardiaca; lion’s tail
Leonurus cardiaca, of the mint family, a tall, prickly-calyxed herb of waste ground.
AnimalMummyMumia
Powdered embalmed human remains, sold by the apothecaries.
PlantMyrobalansMyrobalani
The dried fruits of Terminalia chebula, T. bellirica, and Phyllanthus emblica.
CompoundNepentheGreek nēpenthes, “no-sorrow”
Unidentified; opium is the favorite guess.
PlantOak gallsOak apples; gallae
Round growths raised on oaks by gall wasps.
SacramentalOil of catechumensOleum catechumenorum
Olive oil blessed at the Chrism Mass for anointing those preparing for baptism.
SacramentalOil of the sickOleum infirmorum
Olive oil blessed by the bishop at the Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday for anointing the sick.
Plant OnionCepa
Allium cepa.
Resin & WoodOpopanaxGreek opopanax, “the juice of all-heal”
A gum-resin of Opopanax chironium, a Mediterranean plant of the carrot family; the name has since passed to a myrrh.
MineralOrpiment and realgarAuripigmentum, sandaraca
Yellow and red arsenic sulfides.Deadly
PlantOrrisIris; the Florentine iris
The dried root of Iris germanica ‘Florentina’ and I. pallida.
CompoundParegoricElixir paregoricum; camphorated tincture of opium
Opium, camphor, benzoic acid, and anise oil in spirit.
Plant ParsleyGreek selinon, petroselinon
Petroselinum crispum.Caution
SacramentalPaschal candleCereus paschalis
The great candle blessed and lit from the new fire at the Easter Vigil, marked with a cross, the Alpha and Omega, and the numerals of the year, and set with five grains of incense for the five wounds of Christ.
PlantPeriwinkleVinca, pervinca; sorcerer’s violet
Vinca minor, the lesser periwinkle, a trailing evergreen with blue flowers.
PlantPilewortLesser celandine; Ficaria
Ficaria verna (Ranunculus ficaria), of the buttercup family, whose glossy yellow stars open in early spring above knobbed roots.Caution
SacramentalPilgrim badges and ampullaeSignacula
Small badges of lead and tin, and tiny flasks called ampullae, sold at shrines as tokens of pilgrimage.
CompoundPomanderPomme d’ambre, “apple of amber”
A ball of fragrant paste, of ambergris, musk, civet, and spices, carried in a pierced case.
PlantPomegranateMalum punicum, granatum
Punica granatum: fruit, rind, flowers, and root bark.
MineralThe precious stonesFragmenta pretiosa
Ground sapphire, emerald, jacinth, garnet, and topaz, as they were used in medicine.
SacramentalThe prologue of JohnIn principio erat Verbum
The opening verses of the Gospel of John, “In the beginning was the Word,” written out and worn, or read over the sick, the fields, and the weather.
Plant PurslanePortulaca; Greek andrachne
Portulaca oleracea, a succulent, creeping herb of warm gardens.
Mineral QuicksilverArgentum vivum, hydrargyrum; mercury
Elemental mercury, and its salts such as calomel and corrosive sublimate.Caution
Plant QuinceCydonia, “the apple of Cydon”
Cydonia oblonga.
PlantRagwortCushag (Manx); Stinking Willie
Jacobaea vulgaris (syn. Senecio jacobaea). A tall, weedy, yellow-flowered daisy of pastures and waste ground.Caution
SacramentalThe Roman RitualRituale Romanum
The book of rites for the priest, issued by Pope Paul V in 1614, the year of Canale’s treatise.
PlantRowanMountain ash, witchen
Sorbus aucuparia.
MineralSal ammoniacSal ammoniacum; the eagle of the alchemists
Ammonium chloride, from volcanic vents and later made from soot and urine.
MineralSaltpetreNitrum, sal petrae, the salt of the stone; niter
Potassium nitrate, scraped as a white bloom from cellar walls, stables, and dung heaps.
Resin & Wood SandalwoodRed and white saunders
The heartwood of Santalum album; red saunders is Pterocarpus santalinus.
PlantSarsaparillaZarzaparrilla, “little bramble vine”
The roots of Smilax species, thorny climbers of Central and South America.
PlantSassafrasSassafras; the ague tree
The root bark of Sassafras albidum.Caution
AmuletThe SATOR squareSATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS
A five-line Latin word square that can be read in four directions.
Resin & WoodScammonyScammonium; diagrydium
The dried root resin of Convolvulus scammonia.Caution
PlantSelf-healPrunella, brunella; heal-all
Prunella vulgaris.
PlantShepherd’s purseBursa pastoris; pickpocket, mother’s heart
Capsella bursa-pastoris, of the cabbage family, a weed of every garden, its seed-pods shaped like little heart-shaped purses.
PlantSilphiumLatin laserpicium; its juice, laser
An extinct plant of Cyrene in Libya, probably a giant fennel (Ferula).
MineralSilverArgentum, Luna
The white metal, given as leaf, in solution, and as lunar caustic, silver nitrate cast in sticks.
AnimalSnailLimax, cochlea; snail water
Garden snails, shelled and boiled, distilled, or eaten.
PlantSolomon’s seal
Polygonatum multiflorum and its relatives. A shade-loving woodland perennial with arching stems of paired leaves and small white bell flowers.
PlantSpeedwellBird’s eye; Veronica
Veronica chamaedrys and its relatives. A low, spreading plant with small, bright blue, four-petaled flowers, common in grass and hedgerows.
AnimalSpermacetiSperma ceti, “whale’s seed”
A white wax from the head of the sperm whale.
SacramentalSt. Agatha’s breadAgathabrot; minne di Sant’Agata
Bread blessed on 5 February, the feast of St. Agatha, virgin and martyr of Catania.
SacramentalSt. Benedict medalCrux Sancti Patris Benedicti
A medal of St. Benedict whose reverse bears a cross ringed by initials: Vade retro Satana, numquam suade mihi vana; sunt mala quae libas, ipse venena bibas, “Begone, Satan; never tempt me with vain things; what you offer is evil; drink your own poison.”
SacramentalSt. Blaise candlesThe blessing of throats
Two blessed candles, crossed and held at the throat on 3 February, the feast of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr of Sebaste in Armenia.
SacramentalSt. Christopher medalChristophorus, “Christ-bearer”
An image of St. Christopher carrying the Christ child across a river.
SacramentalSt. Hubert’s keyClef de saint Hubert
A small iron in the shape of a key or horn, blessed at the shrine of St. Hubert, patron of hunters, in the Ardennes.
SacramentalSt. Ignatius waterAqua Sancti Ignatii
Water blessed with a relic or medal of St. Ignatius of Loyola, by a formula of the Society of Jesus.
SacramentalSt. John’s firesMidsummer fires; fuochi di San Giovanni
The bonfires lit across Europe on the eve of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, 23 June, at midsummer.
SacramentalSt. Walburga’s oilWalburgisöl
A clear liquid that gathers on the stone slab over the relics of St. Walburga (died 779), the English-born abbess of Heidenheim, in her church at Eichstätt in Bavaria.
AmuletSt. Zacharias crossThe Saint Zacharias Blessing
A cross bearing a string of capital letters and small crosses, each standing for a Latin invocation against the plague; the crosses stand for those that begin “Crux.”
SacramentalThe stoleStola
The long band of cloth worn by the priest about the neck, the sign of his sacred office.
Food & DrinkSugarSaccharum
Cane sugar, Saccharum officinarum.
PlantSweet woodruffAsperula odorata; German Waldmeister
Galium odoratum, a small woodland herb with whorled leaves that smell of new hay only once they are dried.
PlantTamarindArabic tamr hindī, “Indian date”
The pod pulp of Tamarindus indica.
Food & DrinkTeaChinese chá, Amoy te; thea
The dried leaves of Camellia sinensis; a ship of the Dutch East India Company brought the first green tea to Amsterdam from China early in the seventeenth century.
PlantTeaselFuller’s teasel; Venus’s basin
Dipsacus fullonum. A tall, prickly biennial whose paired leaves clasp the stem to form a natural cup that fills with rainwater.
MineralTerra sigillataLemnian earth, “sealed earth”
A clay dug on the island of Lemnos and stamped with a seal.
AmuletTetragrammatonThe four letters, YHWH
The four-letter name of God in the Hebrew Bible, not pronounced in Jewish practice.
PlantThorn appleStramonium; Jimsonweed
Datura stramonium, of the nightshade family.Deadly
SacramentalThe thuribleCenser; turibulum
The metal vessel hung on chains in which incense is burned on live coals.
AnimalToadBufo
The common toad, dried, powdered, or worn.Caution
PlantToadflaxButter and eggs; bunny mouths, lion’s mouth, impudent lawyer, devil’s flax, wild snapdragon
Linaria vulgaris. “Butter and eggs,” a wild relative of the snapdragon with two-toned yellow, spurred flowers.
MineralToadstoneBufonites, borax of the jewellers
Fossil teeth of an extinct fish, Lepidotes, believed to come from a toad’s head.
PlantTobaccoNicotiana; herba sancta, herba panacea
Nicotiana tabacum.Caution
AmuletTongue stonesGlossopetrae
Fossil sharks’ teeth, called tongue-stones, and by the Germans adders’ tongues.
PlantTormentilTormentilla; septfoil, bloodroot
Potentilla erecta, of the rose family, a small yellow four-petalled flower of heaths, with a woody root red within.
SacramentalTouch-piecesThe royal touch; the king’s evil
Gold coins, the angel and its successors, pierced and hung on a ribbon, given by the monarch to each person touched for scrofula, the “king’s evil.”
PlantTurmericCurcuma; terra merita, Indian saffron
Curcuma longa, of the ginger family, whose root is deep yellow within.
AnimalUnicorn’s hornAlicorn; cornu unicornis
Almost always the tusk of the narwhal, Monodon monoceros.
MineralVerdigrisAerugo; Greek ios
Copper acetate, the green rust of copper.Caution
SacramentalThe vernicleThe Veil of Veronica; vera icon
The cloth with which Veronica was said to have wiped Christ’s face on the way to Calvary, leaving his image; and the copies and badges made of it.
Food & Drink VinegarAcetum
Soured wine.
CompoundVinegar of the four thievesFour Thieves’ Vinegar
Vinegar steeped with herbs and garlic: in Gattefossé’s recipe, as Garcia gives it, angelica, camphor, cloves, garlic, marjoram, meadowsweet, wormwood, and sage. Grieve calls garlic its principal ingredient.
AnimalViperVipera; trochisci de viperis
The flesh of the viper, Vipera species, dried into troches.
MineralVitriolVitriolum; copperas
Green vitriol (iron sulfate), blue vitriol (copper sulfate), and white vitriol (zinc sulfate); “oil of vitriol” is sulfuric acid.Caution
SacramentalWax ex-votosEx voto; boti
Offerings of wax shaped as eyes, limbs, hearts, children, or whole bodies, hung at a shrine in petition or in thanks for a cure.
CompoundWeapon-salveUnguentum armarium; the powder of sympathy
An ointment, with moss from a dead man’s skull, human fat, blood, and other ingredients, applied to the weapon that caused a wound.
MineralWhite arsenicArsenic; “inheritance powder”
Arsenic trioxide.Deadly
MineralWhite leadCerussa; ceruse
Basic lead carbonate.Caution
Plant White willowSalix
The bark and leaves of Salix alba.
PlantWild garlicRamsons; herba salutaris
Allium ursinum. A broad-leaved, strongly garlic-scented woodland plant that carpets damp ground with white starry flowers each spring.
AmuletWitch ball
A hollow ball of glass, often silvered or colored, hung in the window.
AmuletWitch bottleBellarmine jug
A bottle, often a bearded German stoneware “Bellarmine,” filled with urine, pins, nails, and hair or nail clippings, and buried under the hearth or threshold.
AmuletWitch marksProtection marks; apotropaic marks; daisy wheels
Symbols scratched or burned near doors and fireplaces: compass-drawn daisy wheels, overlapping Vs for the Virgin, and burn marks.
PlantWoadIsatis
Isatis tinctoria. A biennial of the mustard family whose fermented leaves yielded Europe’s principal blue dye before indigo.
PlantWood sorrelOxalis; Irish seamsóg
Oxalis acetosella. A delicate woodland plant with clover-like, sour-tasting leaves of three leaflets and white, veined flowers.
AnimalWoodlouseMillepedae, sows, slaters
Woodlice, the small crustaceans of damp places under rocks and logs, called millepedes in the old pharmacopoeias.
PlantWoody nightshadeBittersweet; Dulcamara
Solanum dulcamara, a climbing nightshade of hedges, with purple and yellow flowers and scarlet berries.Caution
PlantYellow dockCurled dock; dock
Rumex crispus. A tall, coarse weed of waste ground with wavy-edged leaves and a tall spike of rust-brown seeds.
PlantYewTaxus
Taxus baccata.Deadly
PlantZedoaryZedoaria; setwall, cetewale
Curcuma zedoaria, of the ginger family, a bitter, camphor-scented root from India.
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About the Database
The database begins with the 168 entries of the illustrated glossary to Floriano Canale’s On the Manner of Discerning and Healing the Bewitched: the purges, cordials, fumigations, anointings, and amulets of a seventeenth-century healer of the bewitched, and the blessed objects he set beside them. Around them it gathers the older authorities, from Homer and Dioscorides to Galen, Pliny, Hildegard, and Paracelsus, and the substances of their medicine that Canale never needed, together with 52 fungi that heal, feed, poison, and kill, and the blessed objects and amulets gathered in the Symbolarium. It grows with each of the press’s editions.
Several of these substances are poisonous, some gravely so. Everything here is historical description, not medical advice, and nothing in it is a recommendation to prepare or take any of them.
Botanical names follow Plants of the World Online. The numbered Sources are those of the Canale glossary; entries beyond it name their own. Plates are reproduced from printed herbals, botanical atlases, and museum collections, each with its credit.
For Scholars
Cite the Materia Medica
Release 1.0 · September 25, 2026 · edited by B. C. P. Statema
- Chicago
Statema, B. C. P., ed. Materia Medica: A Reference of Galenic, Medieval, and Early Modern Pharmacy. Release 1.0. The Thinking Press, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica.
- MLA
Statema, B. C. P., editor. Materia Medica: A Reference of Galenic, Medieval, and Early Modern Pharmacy. Release 1.0, The Thinking Press, 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica.
- APA
Statema, B. C. P. (Ed.). (2026). Materia medica: A reference of Galenic, medieval, and early modern pharmacy (Release 1.0) [Database]. The Thinking Press. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica
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Each entry has its own citation, with its version and the date it was last revised; earlier versions are kept at their own addresses. Every entry links to Plants of the World Online, GBIF, and Wikidata where they apply, the Concordance of Names gathers every Latin, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, and Italian name in the database, and The Older Authorities and the Bibliography list every authority and source it draws on.