[The diatessaron theriaque or low people theriaque]

The traditional theriaque was made of a very large number of constituants. But in contrast, a small theriaque, called diatessaron, contained only four plants. It was described with the same therapeutical properties as the largest ones. Its composition remained nearly constant for many centuries. Its name was progressively modified into theriaque des pauvres because of its simplicity. But some of its constituants were issued from Arabic countries and were difficult to get in France; so this theriaque was not present in the pharmaceutical books which were used for low people in the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries: indeed these books described only mixtures of french local plants.