Essence of mans brains

Essence of Mans Brains is a distillation of human brain matter and wine, formerly used in late medieval European period for the relief of epilepsy (falling sickness).

John French's Art of Distillation


"The Essence of Mans-brains. Take the Brains of a young man that hath dyed a violent death, together with the Membranes, Arteries, Veins, Nerves, and all the pith of the Back; bruise these in a Stone-mortar till they become a kinde of pap, then put as much of the Spirit of Wine, as will cover it three or four fingers breadth: then put it into a large Glass, that three parts of four be empty, being Hermetically closed, and then digest it half a year in Horse-dung, then take it out and distil it in Balneo, and cohobate the water till the greatest part of the Brains be distilled off. A scruple or two of this Essence taken in some specifical water once in a day, is a most infallible medicine against the Falling-sickness."