Page 167 - The Lost Ways

A Few Poultice Recipes

Another old recipe book, written in
1795 for pharmacists and entitled
New Dispensatory has a chapter on
“Cataplasms” with some
interesting recipes.

I’ve listed a few here to give you
some ideas, but I’m sure you could
modify these and perhaps come up
with some of your own too.

Cataplasma Aromaticum

Aromatic cataplasm

40
❖ Long birthwort root
41
❖ Bay berries , each four
ounces
❖ Jamaican pepper
❖ Myrrh, each two ounces

❖ Honey, three times the
weight of the powders

42
Mix and make them into a cataplasm that supplies the place of theriaca for external
purposes.

Soothing Poultice

Cataplasma Emolliens – Emollient cataplasm

❖ Bread crumbs, eight ounces

40 Birthwort root has a lot of positive health benefits as it is anti-inflammatory, but it mustn’t be
consumed orally as it can be poisonous. Birthwort poultices were used by the Native Americans
to treat snakebites.
41 Bay berries are from the bay tree and must not be consumed orally.
42 The word theriaca simply refers to the creation of a concoction.

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