Simples Formula 1
Tradition: Household Still-room | Preparation Type: Historical Simples | Risk Level: LOW
Plain-English Summary
This is a low-risk historical historical simples originating from the Household Still-room tradition. Historically, it was primarily utilized for household issues. It relies heavily on Botanical ingredients to achieve its intended effect. This is an archival document intended for educational and farm-history purposes, not medical advice.
Important Safety Disclaimer
This entry is an archival record of historical medical practices. Do not use, ingest, inject, apply, dose, or substitute this preparation for modern medical care.
Historical Background (Who, What, Where, When, Why)
- Who Used It: Homesteaders, rural practitioners, and families following the Household Still-room tradition.
- What It Is: A historical simples formulation utilizing locally sourced or apothecarial Botanical ingredients.
- Where It Was Documented: Found in the authoritative text A Book of Simples.
- When It Was Relevant: Published and practiced heavily around 1750.
- Why It Was Used: Served as a primary intervention for household when modern pharmaceuticals and professional veterinary/medical care were entirely unavailable.
The Five Whys of this Formula
- Why this specific remedy? Because it addressed household using materials that were familiar and accessible to the era's rural communities.
- Why these ingredients? Botanical ingredients was historically observed (or believed through prevailing medical theory) to trigger physiological responses related to this condition.
- Why this preparation method? Processing it as a historical simples was the most effective known way to extract, preserve, or apply the active compounds without modern lab equipment.
- Why did it fall out of use? It was eventually superseded by modern clinical science, which offered standardized dosing, verified efficacy, and vastly reduced toxicity risks.
- Why preserve it in the codex? Documenting this formula is essential for understanding the evolution of agrarian self-reliance, the history of farm botany, and the stark realities of survival before modern medicine.
Source Verification & Integrity
- Primary Historical Source: A Book of Simples
- Read Original Text: 📖 Open Local Smart Reader
- Formula Verification: Complete Formula Verified
Historical Recipe And Preparation Record
Historical Formula Card — Modern-Readable Version
Status: Complete Formula Verified Original Formula Name: Simples Formula 1 Ingredients: Original Measurements: Take a quarter of a peck of y^e finest flower, mingle into it a little salt & some beaten Cloves Mace & Nutmegs, a pound and halfe of Currance wash’d ...
Measurement Normalization Table
| Original Term | Modern Approximation | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| pint | ~473 mL | exact | Simples measure. |
| quart | ~946 mL | exact | Simples measure. |
| pound | ~453g | exact | Simples measure. |
Assembly Process
Take a quarter of a peck of y^e finest flower, mingle into it a little salt & some beaten Cloves Mace & Nutmegs, a pound and halfe of Currance wash’d and dry’d, & a pound of Raisins of y^e Sun ston’d and shred, then straine in about a pinte of Ale yeast, and put in y^e yolkes of 10 eggs beaten with Rose water, put in a pint of Cream with 3 quarters of a pound of Butter melted in it. mingle all these well together, and knead it, cover it with a clothe and let it stand about an hour before y^e fire to rise, then mould it up and beat it out thinn in y^e edges and thick in y^e middle, then prick it or cut it w^{th} a knife, and set it in y^e oven, when it is almost bak’d take it out and ice it on y^e top w^{th} Rose water & sugar and sett it in y^e oven againe ’till ’tis enough, putt some musk or Ambergreese dissolv’d in y^e Rose water. 2. Pectorals for a Colde or Consumption.
Botanical and Ingredient Context
For a deeper understanding of the plants and materials used in this formula, explore the Triple 5 Plant Codex and our historical ingredient profiles:
How to Master the Process
Historical recipes often assume the reader already knows the basics of homestead processing. To understand the practical, step-by-step skills required to create a preparation of this type, review our dedicated process guides: - Master the Historical Simples Process
Storage, Labeling, And Shelf-Life
Pantry storage.
External Quality Checks — Not Human Or Animal Testing
These checks help describe identity, cleanliness, strength consistency, spoilage, or physical quality historically. They do not prove medical effectiveness. - Visual.
What Replaced This In Modern Care
Modern grocery/care.
Veterinary, Livestock, And Farm Relevance
Farm still-room.
Historical Source Citation
Source: A Book of Simples by Henry William Lewer (1750) - 📖 Read Source Page in Local Reader - 🏛️ Open Book Landing Page
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