Treacle (thing)

The English word treacle has its origins in the Greek word theriake, or "poisonous beast." Theriake was a recipe for a poison antidote developed by the physician Galen, and it included, among many other ingredients, the skin of a viper. The idea was that a poison could be cured using body parts from the creature from whence it came.

In Medieval Europe, treacle was used to treat a wide variety of ailments, including heart problems, intestinal blockages, epilepsy, palsy, acne, insomnia, fever, prolapsed uterus, plague, and, of course, poisoning. Making treacle was a complex and time-consuming affair for apothecaries, as it took 40 days to make and 12 years to mature. Treacle was still used as a pharmaceutical as late as the 18th century, when one recipe for Venice treacle had over 70 ingredients, including dried vipers, roses, licorice, spikenard, myrrh, horehound, pepper, valerian, gentian, St. John's wort, and germander.

With such a large number of sometimes-noxious ingredients, treacle was obviously not palatable on its own, and for this reason, it was flavored using honey or other sweet ingredients. By the end of the 17th century, the syrup made in sugar refining became a popular option, and this syrup came to be known on its own as treacle.