BUTTYR CACAO

1775 - 1799

This drug jar is marked "BUTTYR CACAO". Cacao was brought to Europe by explorers returning from the new world. It had been used for centuries by the indigenous peoples of South America. The contents of this jar would have held Cocoa butter extracted from the yellowish-white fat of the cacao bean, and used as a soothing ointment for burns. It was also used as the base for making suppositories.