When King Mithridates was defeated by the Romans they got the recipe for Antidotum Mithridates, a universal antidote created by Mithridates himself. Emperor Nero let his physician Andromachus study the antidote. Andromachus changed a few ingredients, most importantly he added snake flesh and increased the ammount of opium. The antidote got the name theriac derived from the greek θηριον which means 'wild or venomous animal', it is also called triacle.

Theriaca Andromachi Senioris

The following ingredients for theriac were taken from d'Amsterdammer Apotheek 1686 and translated from the old Latin names into the Latin names now used where possible. Not all ingredients are known.

roots: iris, Balsamhoriza Deltoidea, Potentilla reptans, Rheum rhabarbarum, Zingiber, Angustafolia odorata, Gentiana, Meum Athamanticum, Valeriana, Corydalis cava, Agaricus, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Cinnamomum aromaticum

leaves: Teucrium scordium, Franxinus excelsior, Clinopodium calamintha, Marrubium vulgare, Cymbopogon citratus, Teucrium chamaedrys, Cupressasae, Laurus nobilis, Polium montanum, Piper nigrum, Piper longum, Juniperus, Syzygium aromaticum

flowers: Rosa, Crocus sativus, Lavandula stoechas, Cenetaurii minoris

seeds: Brassica napus, Petroselinum, Nigella sativa, Pimpinella anisum, Elettaria cardamomum, Foeniculum vulgare, Hypericum perforatum, Seseli, Thlaspi, Daucus carota

Lavandula angustifolia, Papaver somniverum, Glycyrrhiza, Cytinus hypocistis, Acaciae, Styrax benzoin, Gummi arabicum, Sagapeni (wax of an unknown tree probably some kind of Ferula), Gummi Opopanax chironium, Gummi Ferula foetida, Dead sea bitumen, Commiphora, incense, Turpentine from Cyprus, Boli armen. Verae (some kind of red clay), Chalciditis (copper containing substance), Castoreum, Oil from Myristica fragans, Trochisci Viperarum, Magmatis Hedychroi, Canary Island wine, Narbonne white honey