Red Coral (Burges Collection of Materia Medica, late 1700s)

Description

Although we know today that corals are animals, historic pharmacopoeias such as Pomet’s Compleat History of Druggs (1712) list them in their sections on medicinal plants. Coral had a range of uses, including strengthening the heart, stomach and liver, and for preventing epilepsy in children when given with the mother’s milk. Red coral was said to be the most effective type of coral.

Fact

Coral was supposed to absorb fluids in the body and so was recommended for conditions such as weeping eyes. Could this theory be based on coral’s watery habitat?