From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordA balm name attributed to Paracelsian usage.
- In the bookBalsamum is a substance credited with preserving things from putrefaction.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 25; facsimile PDF page 353.
Historical definition
Heliotropium is Paracelsus’s balm.
Meaning
The attribution controls the gloss. The entry does not simply identify a plant by a familiar-looking name; it calls Heliotropium Paracelsus’s balm. No ingredients or further description are supplied here.
Use in the book
Balsamum is a substance credited with preserving things from putrefaction. Helismidan is a balsamic mummy. These comparisons provide the dictionary’s general balm vocabulary, but neither gives a recipe for Heliotropium. The particular author’s use must be consulted before assigning it the composition of another named balm.
Places to read
- HeliotropiumRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- BalsamumA preservative substance described in both bodily and external forms.
- HelismidanA mummy preparation qualified through balsamic character.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 25; facsimile PDF page 353 — Facsimile