L'electuaire, un medicament plusieurs fois millenaire

Abstract

SUMMARY: This article traces the long history of the electuary. The term is a combination of two Greek Roots, έκλειγμα (Lat. ecligma) and έκλεικτον (Lat. electuarium). During the Middle Ages, the electuary formed the largest group of pharmaceutical antidota. Introducing the use of sugar, the Arabs developed new techniques for the fabrication of the electuary. After its great success throughout the Middle Ages and Renaisance, the use of the electuary started to decline, having all but disappeared from modern pharmacy.