#incredibleindia #theindianquest #makeinindia #goa #stone #poison #antidote #bezoar #jesuits #17thcentury #europe #royal #history #talisman #medicine

Poison has always played a big role in shaping the history of many dynasties since time immemorial. To save the life of rulers, antidotes for any poison was discovered from time to time. One such antidote prior to the emergence of modern science was Bezoar stone. The term bezoar comes from either the Persian “pahnzehr” or the Arabic “badzehr,” both of which mean “counter-poison” or antidote.Bezoar stones were gall stones and hair from the stomach of deer, sheep and antelopes. Since 11th century, they were used as antidotes for poisons. They also had other medicinal and talismanic values. But by 16th century, supply became very limited. Around this time, the Portuguese had colonized Goa in India. The Jesuits in Goa manufactured an artificial form of Bezoar stone which they believed has same properties as the natural bezoar stone. Made from powder of narwhal tusk, amethyst, ruby, emerald, coral and pearl, these stones created extremely high demand which surged its price to an extremely high level for it's time. England started importing Goa stones in the late 17th and early 18th centuries for a very high price.

On top of their incredible medical properties, Goa stones were also very beautiful and refined objects. Containers for the stone were often made of stone and exquisitely decorated with Mughal trellis designs including creatures such as unicorns, griffins, dromedaries, monkeys, stags and lions with human heads. They soon became a status symbol as well as, or maybe rather than, a medicine.