The term "laudanum" had referred initially to…

The term "laudanum" had referred initially to any combination of opium and alcohol.

Paracelsus' laudanum, developed in the early sixteenth century, contains opium, crushed pearls, musk, amber, and other substances.

One researcher has documented that "Laudanum, as listed in the London Pharmacoepoeia (1618), was a pill made from opium, saffron, castor, ambergris, musk and nutmeg.

Laudanum remains largely unknown until 1676, when English apothecary Thomas Sydenham, the undisputed master of the English medical world and known as 'The English Hippocrates’, publishes a seminal work, Medical Observations Concerning the History and Cure of Acute Diseases, in which he promotes his brand of opium tincture, and advocates its use for a range of medical conditions.

Sydenham's Laudanum is a vinous tincture made by macerating powdered opium, cinnamon, and cloves in sherry wine, the sweetness of which makes the bitter taste of the opium more palatable.

Being a proprietary tincture, Sydenham's Laudanum is also distinguished as being one of the first "patent medicines".

Sydenham’s pills, along with others of the time, become popular remedies for numerous ailments.