Incense in medicine: an early medieval perspective

Ingredients

cozumber, aloeswood, ambergris, confita, camphor, musk

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The recipe for Thimiama in Codex Sangallensis 761 (p. 66) lists the following ingredients: cozumber (quantity 3), aloeswood, ambergris (3 denarii), confita, camphor (1 denarius), and musk (1 denarius) (p. 2). The author's transcription from the manuscript is: 'cozzunbar ~ iii aloa arbor denarius iii confitum cafora denarius i musico denarius i' (p. 2, note 2). The term 'arbor' here is suggested to be interpreted as 'ambergris' based on parallels with other remedies (p. 2).

Evidence

"Written in an insular script in c.800, Codex Sangallensis (csg.) 761 contains a variety of medical texts..."

Remarks

The author identifies that the aromatic ingredients listed in this manuscript were multipurpose; although found in a medical context, such substances (gums, resins, and spices) were historically used to produce ink, paint, and perfume (p. 7). A single hand is responsible for all 290 pages of the manuscript, including the incense recipe (p. 9).