Theriac was created by the Ancient Greeks and achieved a miraculous reputation as a universal panacea. It was believed to be effective against swellings, blemishes, fevers, poisons, heart problems, epilepsy, and palsy and it restored lost speech after a stroke.

“Venetian treacle” took forty days to make, twelve years to mature, and contained up to sixty-four ingredients including opium, myrrh, frankincense, saffron, gentian, liquorice, cinnamon, gum arabic, bitumen, and skinned and roasted vipers.

Information gleaned from the Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garrett