In addition, the plants, after being reduced into powder, could be blended with animal fat to make ointments or salves which would be applied to the skin.2272 This process must have particularly been used in medicinal rites to allow the patient to make contact with the healing gods and cure his or her pain at the same time. The mix of visionary plants with the fat of a venerable animal (ox, ewe, etc) must have added sacredness to the preparation.
Bilimoff, 2003, p. 57.