The Elixirs of Nostradamus: Nostradamus' Original Recipes for Elixirs, Scented Water, Beauty Potions and Sweetmeats

by Nostradamus, Knut Boeser (Editor)

Contains 41 recipes from the noted 16th-century prophet and astrologer. 46 color illustrations.

162 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1996

About the author

Michel de Nostredame (14 December or 21 December 1503 – 2 July 1566), usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties ("The Prophecies"), the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Since the publication of this book, which has rarely been out of print since his death, Nostradamus has attracted a following that, along with the popular press, credits him with predicting many major world events. The prophecies have in some cases been assimilated to the results of applying the alleged Bible code, as well as to other purported prophetic works. Most academic sources maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus's quatrains are largely the result of misinterpretations or mistranslations (sometimes deliberate) or else are so tenuous as to render them useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power. Moreover, none of the sources listed offers any evidence that anyone has ever interpreted any of Nostradamus's quatrains specifically enough to allow a clear identification of any event in advance.

Reviews

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing I love about this is that Nostradamus really was the original instagram wellness guru. Every single "elixir" in this volume

Have made:
"How to make a superb quince jelly" - This is literally made exactly the way we make quince jelly in the modern day, including the "spoon test" for doneness! Obviously there are some differences between modern and medieval fruit that will affect your results, but overall in terms of glimpsing what it might actually have been like, this is a perfectly serviceable recipe.

Want to make:
"How to preserve the peel or the rind of the large blue Alkanet in sugar" - This starts off with the usual insane promises (slows aging! fights off consumption! stops you from getting angry!) but the actual recipe seems fairly doable. It specifies that you have to "start in the month of christ's birth" lol. I'm interested in this because nowadays alkanet is almost exclusively used as a food dye or in wood stains, so I bet the color of this would be very cool. Just not sure where to get the plant from.

Fuck No:
He recommends rubbing ground glass, crystal, flint and rosewater into your gums to make them recede, and when the grow back your teeth will be white. Thanks, bud.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a favorite

[Meg Merriet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of these elixirs would be potentially lethal to work with.

[Brian Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at Renaissance medicine and food preservation.