The Love Jam Of Nostradamus Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Nostradamus (1503-66)is famous for his cryptic prophesies that have supposedly forecast major world events. He also had expertise as a pharmacist and a jam-maker. His most notorious formulation is a "love jam" that was based on mandrake fruits and other reputed aphrodisiacs. The recipe can be found in his 1555 ‘Treatise on cosmetics and jams'.

Here is a magic potion of great power
Go dawn-pick mandrake apples if you will
The formula must include magnetite
Add seven male sparrows' blood into the swill

With octopus suckers, musk, and ambergris
Along with sugar, laced by Cretan wine
And sprinkled sundry spices, herbs and roots.
Ground in a mortar, down to powder fine

And all thereafter, boiled into a syrup,
Strained, cooled and stored in vessel gold or silver
The would-be lover must give with a kiss
His spit mixed with this potion to the other

But Nostradamus warned that if the couple
Did not indulge their passion very soon
The power of the spell would double back
The man would go insane, outwith full moon

Here is a magic potion of great power
Made by a pharmacist of mighty skill
Who also prophesied things yet to come
And wrote them with a flourish of his quill