The story begins in 1692 with the Swedish royal physician, chemist, and alchemist Urban Hjarne. Looking for a universal cure for diseases, he created a health elixir in his laboratory using ingredients of flora and fauna. He received a license to sell the remedy in apothecaries all over Sweden—from there, historical accounts differ.
One version states that the potion was soon forgotten and that it wasn’t until his countryman Klaus Samst rediscovered Hjarne’s extract in the 18th century that the drink was sold again—with only modest success within Swedish borders.
