[Sca-cooks] medicinal recipies

[Terry Decker]

Camphor within period will almost certainly the extract from Cinnamomum 
camphora.  Elecampane (Inula helenium), known as inula to the Romans, has a 
champhoraceous odor, but I haven't located a source for the terms elecampane 
camphor or inula camphor in period.  Neither Culpepper or Gerard relates 
elecampane to camphor.  The methods of use described by these authors would 
primarily extract inulin.

According to one source, the earliest observation of elecampane camphor 
(helenin) was by Le Febre in 1660 as a crystallization in the head of the 
receiver during the distallation of elecampane root in water.

Bear

> Is the recipe referring to camphor resin (from a tree in the related to
> cinnamon) or to the camphor from elecampane?  I thought it referred to the
> former.  Any ideas?
>