Pharmacy jar (3) - Wood - Galenic pharmacy boxes

The proposed boxes are a typical relic of herbalist shops or galenic pharmacies from the second half of the 19th century (approximately 1850-1890).
It is the period when pharmaceutical chemistry began to standardize these mineral salts, but distribution still occurred in artisanal wooden containers before the advent of tin and industrial glass. They all feature a snap-lock closure and handmade nails.
The "liquorice sauce" found on old pharmacy or herbalist boxes is the pure concentrated extract of licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), often sold in the past in the form of black slabs, sticks, or tablets. It is not a culinary sauce, but an ancient pharmaceutical remedy used to treat coughs, bronchitis, stomach acidity and inflammations of the oral cavity.
• Before the spread of tin (late 1800s), the liquorice sauce was shipped from factories to pharmacies in poplar or beech wooden crates. The pharmacist then sold the product by weight, drawing it from the cash box.
• Optimal preservation: Wood was the ideal material because it allowed the so-called “sauce” (which arrived in hard loaves or blocks) to breathe, preventing moisture from making it sticky or prone to mold—a very high risk with the first imperfect metal containers.
The inscription "Fiori Solfo" (or Sulfur Flowers) does not refer to botanical flowers, but to a particular physical form of sulfur.
It is refined sulfur obtained by sublimation (heating the crude sulfur until it becomes vapor and then allowing it to solidify again). The result is a very fine, light yellow powder that, under the microscope, resembles small petals or crystals, hence the name "flowers."
In that era, sulfur was considered an almost universal remedy:
• Dermatological use: It was used to prepare ointments against scabies, psoriasis and acne thanks to its antibacterial and antifungal properties.
• Internal use: In small doses, it was employed as a mild laxative or to "purify the blood."
• In agriculture: It was already used as a fungicide (to combat plant fungi such as powdery mildew).
The inscription "Solfato Magnesia" (or Magnesium Sulfate) identifies what today is commonly known as Epsom salts or English salt.
On this wooden box from the nineteenth century, this designation identifies one of the remedies most widespread and sold in pharmacies of the time.
Magnesium sulfate was the quintessential laxative. It was sold in white crystals similar to coarse salt, which were dissolved in water. In addition to its purgative effect, it was used for:
• Purification: It was believed to refresh the body and eliminate toxins.
• Compresses: Dissolved in hot water, it was used to reduce swelling of the feet or to ease muscle pains and skin inflammations.
• Veterinary use: It was also very common for treating digestive disorders in livestock.
As with the "Fiori Solfo," wood was essential because magnesium sulfate is hygroscopic: it readily absorbs moisture from the air.
• In an era metal box, the salt would cause rust and become a compact, unusable block.
• The wood (often poplar or fir) kept the crystals dry and ready to be weighed on the pharmacist’s balance.