Interesting Herbal Home Remedies!

The Four Officinal Capitals

The following herbs were the central remedies of ancient medicine. They were all devised before the birth of Christ and continued to be used, in various forms, until quite recently.

Mithridatum. This was called after a king of Pontus who reigned about 100 B.C. It was a panacea or remedy for almost everything and contained about 50 ingredients.

Theriaca or Venice Treacle was an elaboration of Mithridatum and frequently had over 100 ingredients, many of them extremely revolting.

Philonium. First prescribed against an epidemic of colic in the first century A.D. by a Roman doctor, this included saffron, pyrethrum, white pepper and honey.

Dioscordium. Hieronymus Frascatorius first prescribed this as an antidote to plague. It included cinnamon, cassia, germander, opium, seeds of sorrel, gentian, ginger, and honey.

Vinegar of the Four Thieves

Four thieves, arrested for plundering dead bodies during an outbreak of the plague in seventeenth century Marseilles, said that they had protected themselves against infection with aromatic vinegar. The preparation, which was called after them, contained rosemary, marjoram, lavender, cloves and distilled vinegar.

Pot-Pourri

Recipes for potpourri vary enormously and in the past there were usually special family variations. Basically, though, a pot­pourri consists of rose-petals with other sweet scented herbs and spices to add to the aroma and preserve it. The spice mixture for two thirds of a bushel of dried petals and leaves is as follows:

· 2 oz. each of cloves, mace and cinnamon

· 1 oz. each of coriander, allspice, gum storax, gum benzoin

· 4 ozs of violet powder.

The rose petals and leaves should be mixed and dried with sweet geranium, verbena leaves, lavender, bay leaves, thyme, and jasmine. When they are fully dried mix them thoroughly with the spice mixture and store in jars or boxes, preferably with lids, so that the fragrance can be preserved longer.

An Incense to Produce Demons

Should you wish to try to produce demons, burn together coriander, parsley, hemlock, liquor of black poppy, fennel, sandalwood, and henbane.