In pre-modern medicine, the confection of hyacinth had nearly the same virtues with that of alkermes; but, beside that, was frequently used as an astringent. It consisted of nearly triple the number of drugs; of which the precious stone, called hyacinth, was the base. The other chief ingredients were red coral, bole armoniac, terra sigillata, myrrh, the santals, burnt hartshorn, camphor, sapphire, emerald, topaz, uranium, and most of the ingredients of the confection of alkermes.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1st ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.