Philo (Ancient Greek: Φίλων) of Tarsus in Cilicia was a physician and pharmacologist of ancient Greece. He probably lived in or before the first century CE, as the physician and medical writer Galen speaks of him as having lived sometime before his own age.
Philo was the author of a celebrated theriac, or antidote for poison, called "Philonium" (Φιλώνειον) after his name. He described the composition of this medicine in a short, enigmatic Greek poem, preserved by Galen, who gave an explanation of this in his own writings. Some sources alternately describe this as an analgesic, not an antidote. The practice of giving recipes in verse was intended to make them easier to memorize, as medical knowledge was primarily passed on via oral tradition.
Philonium was an herbal remedy consisting of spikenard, henbane, pyrethrum, euphorbia, and saffron, and possibly also honey and opium, and has no significant antidote effect by the standards of modern medicine.
This antidote is frequently mentioned by ancient medical writers, for example by Galen, Aretaeus of Cappadocia, Paul of Aegina, Oribasius, Aëtius of Amida, Joannes Actuarius, Marcellus Empiricus, Alexander of Tralles, Nicolaus Myrepsus,
HistoryLayer draws the world as it was in any year from 123,000 BCE to
2026. Move the slider and the borders redraw for that year; the map
carries 23,890 events, 12,790 people, 837 wars and 13,183 cities, each
one readable in place. Signing in is optional and lets you keep what
you find.