Carmelite Water History

The commercialized form of carmelite water eau de carmes which survives to these days is therefore called eau de carmes boyer and has stabilized its formula into a specified 14 plants and 9 spices woods rhizomes blend.

Carmelite water history. Carmelite tradition traces the origin of the order to a community of hermits on mount carmel during the initial period of the formation of the crusader states. Carmelite water is an alcoholic extract of lemon balm and other herbs. French carmelite convents produced this famous elixir of which there are some regional variations particularly lyon. The nuns of the carmelite abbey of st just in france became celebrated for their now famous aqua mirabilis a miracle water that eventually came to be known as carmelite water and reputedly originally created for king charles v of france circa 1379.

It was initially crafted in the 14th century by carmelite nuns from the abbey of st just and was commercialized under the name eau de carmes. It is used as an herbal tonic and toilet water. A group of men had gathered at the well of elijah on mount carmel. It was also used internally for digestive complaints and neuralgic complaints headache pains etc.

This distilled beverage was originally infused by carmelite nuns around the 16th century and recipes were kept secret from abbey to abbey as family traditions. Many variations emerged because some versions of the formula became public in the 18th century. The recipe for carmelite water was so prized that patents for it under the name eau de melisse des carmes were granted by louis xiv xv and xvi of france. We are told that carmelite water was first prepared in about 1380 by the nuns and or monks of the carmelite abbey of saint juste 6 secret healing recipes were common at this time and most convents and religious orders had their own formulas for healing waters or elixirs that they would produce and sell.

The first recorded recipe is from 1379 and included herbs like lemon balm melissa officinalis and angelica angelica archangelica. Carmelite water refers to a myriad of recipes that infuse lemon balm along with a couple of other plants in wine or alcohol. It was prescribed for things like apoplexy and vapors. The star of herbal elixirs may have to be awarded to carmelite water though it s not actually water.

In 1831 the last brother carme yielded the formula to m. Carmelite water also covered the smell of disease plague death from plagues and filthy living environments attributors to plague so rampant at that period of human history. This mixture was used externally as an eau de toilette or perfume back before bathing was cool.