Animal product
Castoreum
Picture to come.
A strong-smelling substance from the scent glands of the beaver, prized in medieval medicine. Bestiaries repeat an ancient legend that the beaver bit off its testicles to escape hunters, and list uses such as treatments for epilepsy, paralysis and venom. Gerald of Wales, c. 1188, associated demand for it with 'the east'. Beavers were scarce in Britain, so it was rare.
Caveats (confidence: medium)
Uses given are medieval beliefs, not medical advice; whether English castoreum entered trade in this period is unknown.
Sources: bestiary.ca · orca.cardiff.ac.uk
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