What does the symbol ‘℞’ at the beginning of medical prescriptions mean?

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The symbol ‘℞’ is said to stand for the Latin word "recipe" meaning "to take" and when a medical practitioner writes a prescription beginning with "℞", he or she is completing the command. This was probably originally directed at the pharmacist who needed a recipe to prepare a medicine by compounding various ingredients as directed by the medical practitioner. It has since become the customary part of the medical prescription. There are various theories about the origin of this symbol. It looks similar to ‘the Wedjat’ (the Eye of Horus) and the astrological sign for Jupiter. The symbol "℞" is thus believed to be placed on prescriptions to invoke the blessings of these gods on the drug, to help the patient recover.