Apparatus and Utensils of the Early Apothecary

• abanos — A precious, highly exotic, dense, and hard wood, usually black, obtained from several tropical trees of the genus Diospyros (family Ebenaceae). In pharmacognosy and the history of pharmacy, extracts, shavings, and powder from ebony wood or its bark were historically used in preparing astringent and purifying remedies, while the wood itself was used to manufacture pharmaceutical mortars resistant to chemical corrosion.