Dear Reader, All advertisements on this site 
are selected by Google, not Dr. Hines. That 
includes JustAnswer and similar services 
that claim they are "standing by" to answer 
your pet's health questions. They pay Google 
to gain ad space on his sites & change their urls 
as fast as he blocks them. Pease check with the 
BBB before you use any of them. Stick with
ads for the online stores you know & trust. .RSH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Great Theriac Elixer

 

Ron Hines DVM PhD

Back to Mamonides

Back to rabies

The “Great Theriac” that Maimonides mentions was a potion that has gone by many names. Over the nearly 2000 years that it was used, it has had from 20 to 72 ingredients (but alway with some opium & given with honey wine).

Legend had it that it was originally invented by
Mithridates , an ancient king of a region that is now part of Turkey. You can read more about him here. Emperor Nero’s physician added ground up vipers (poisonous snakes) to the formula (viper=theriaca) - hence the name. Variations of the Great Theriac were in common use up through the time of George Washington.

You don't have to blow the dust off some ancient text to find it. The miracle cures, homeopathic remedies, stem cell treatments, anti-aging potions, alternative medicines and nutriceuticals you see marketed online, on cable (and occasionally sold by veterinarians) are the Great Theriacs of today. Some things just don't change.