Calcium Carbonate - Latin Name: (calx)

Herbal Anecdote: The element Calcium was discovered in 1808 in England by a scientist named Sir Humphrey Davy. In nature, calcium is found in rocks, chalk, and seashells. It is found in the bones, muscles, and nerves of animals and in many different plants. In the food you eat, there is a lot of calcium in milk and other dairy products. There is also a good deal of calcium in green leafy vegetables like spinach. Some foods like orange juice are frequently supplemented with calcium too.

Traditional Uses: Compounds such as lime (CaO, calcium oxide) were prepared by the Romans in the first century under the name calx. Literature dating back to about 975 AD notes that plaster of paris (calcium sulphate, CaSO4, dehydrated gypsum) is useful for setting broken bones. Other calcium compounds used in early times include limestone (CaCO3, calcium carbonate).