Theriac

Theriac, also called Confectio Andromacha or Electuarium Anodynum cum opio was a famous drug used as panaceum, initially an antidote for snake bites and poison and last resort drug for patients in terminal stages. When opium was added, it became an effective pain killer. The recipe was first devised by the ancient Greeks (Mithridatum), completed by emperor Nero’s personal physician, and perfected by the Venetians during the late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. The preparation there was a public spectacle and a matter of state.

Theriac contained up to 40 ingredients, its preparation lasted up to 12 years, and was thus extremely expensive. It contained, among others, opium and viper flesh. In Transylvania it was used until the nineteenth century and was brought in by Italian merchants. The History of Pharmacy Collection in Cluj contained one labeled glass jar for Theriaca, dated to the nineteenth century, and two eighteenth-century metal cases with the product.

peasant-preparing-an-ointment-to-protect-against-snakes-from-the-theriaca-of-nicander-of-colophon

"Theriaca" apothecary jar sold in Transylvania (Baia Mare, the pharmacy of Szendey Antal) in the nineteenth century

Eighteenth-century cases with Theriaca, sold by apothecaries in Transylvania

The public preparation of the theriac in Venice