This book is the oldest object in the museum’s collection and the oldest known reference to cannabis in a Dutch source. It is the Cruydt-boeck (book of herbs) written in 1608 by the Flemish Professor of Medicine, Rembert Dodoens. The book contains a detailed description of the growth and development of the cannabis plant, and the many medicinal and industrial applications that Dodoens was aware of at the time. To name but a few: eating a lot of hemp seed causes chickens to lay more eggs; for people, the seeds dispel jaundice and, combined with white wine, cure diseases of the liver. The oil cures all kinds of hard swellings, and furthermore can be used to fuel lamps. Milk or porridge made with hemp seed relieves sudden pains or stomach cramps, and also works as a sedative. However, warns Dodoens, if you take too much you would sleep too deeply and for too long. Luckily, placing a hemp branch in your bedstead dispels bed bugs and fleas.