Electuary

An electuary is a medicine consisting of a powder or other ingredient mixed with something sweet such as honey to make it more palatable. ^[1]

In German and Swiss cultures, electuary (German : Latwerge or Latwerg ) is also more generally a thickened juice and honey preparation with a thick, viscous consistency that is used in for culinary purposes, such as a (bread) spread or as a sauce ingredient. ^{[2] [3]}

In the Indian Ayurveda tradition, electuaries are called Lēhya (लेह्य) ^[4] (literally, "lickable").

Types

There are several different types of electuary: laxative electuary, joyful electuary, etc. The fermentation of mixed herbs in honey and their effects on each other are said to increase the medical properties already present and to create new ones. ^[5]

Famous electuary in medicine

• Chyawanprash
• Diasenna
• Mithridate
• Faroug
• Figra
• Sootira ^[6]

References

1. Avicenna (1999). The Canon of Medicine (al-Qānūn fī'l-ṭibb), vol. 5. translate by Abdurrahman Sharafkandi.

1. "The Doctor and the Buccaneer: Sir Hans Sloane's Case History of Sir Henry Morgan, Jamaica, 1688" by Richard B. Sheridan, Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences , Vol. 41, No. 1 (January 1986), pp. 76-87.
2. Latwerge kocherei eberle.ch ^{[ dead link ‍]}
3. "Latwerge". wiktionary.org. 7 February 2022.
4. "Lehyam: Herbal Elixirs from Ayurveda | Kerala Ayurveda India".
5. The Canon of Medicine/vol.5
6. The Canon of Medicine in Arabic/vol.4.page.434