Back at the university, we started testing the plant material.
Meanwhile, I dug through old Norse texts. Sagas. Medical manuscripts. Anything mentioning Viking health practices.
Then I found it.
A 9th-century manuscript from Iceland. Written by a monk who'd lived among Norse warriors.
He described something called "Mannstyrke" - literally "man strength."
The text was explicit:
"The warriors consume roots and seeds before battle and before bed. These give them vigor in combat and prowess with their women. A chieftain with many sons is a chieftain who knows the old medicine."
The manuscript listed six specific plants:
Shilajit - "Black mountain resin from the peaks"
Ashwagandha - "The horse root that makes men strong"
Tongkat Ali - "The bitter root from distant lands"
Epimedium - "The goat herb of the Greeks"
Fenugreek - "The golden seed of strength"
Boron - "The mineral from sacred springs"
All six were in those leather pouches.