This illumination from the Book of medicinal simples shows two particularly important medicinal products of animal origin: castoreum (beaver glands), used for thousands of years, of which scientific studies have proven the effectiveness; and unicorn horn, a very sought-after medicinal product in the past. Various horns were sold under this name, such as that of the narwhal, a whale called “unicorn of the sea”.
#Europe (16th century)
© Bibliothèque nationale de France
