This blown glass urn-shaped drug jar has a long neck and applied foot. The neck in this object has broken. The label has been applied using a cold Paint technique rather than being baked or fused with high heat. The label is a gold oval outlined in red with the text Oleum ae Valerian in black. The jar would have contained oil of valerian, prepared from valerian root. Oil of valerian was sometimes used as a mild sedative and as an anticonvulsant for epilepsy.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.