BOOK XXIV.
THE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE FOREST TREES.
CHAP. 1. (1.)—THE ANTIPATHIES AND SYMPATHIES WHICH EXIST
AMONG TREES AND PLANTS.
NOT even are the forests and the spots in which the aspect of
Nature is most rugged, destitute of their peculiar remedies;
for so universally has that divine parent of all things distributed
her succours for the benefit of man, as to implant for hint
medicinal virtues in the trees of the desert even, while at
every step she presents us with most wonderful illustrations of
those antipathies and sympathies which exist in the vegetable
world.
Between the quercus
1 and the olive
2 there exists a hatred
so inveterate, that transplanted, either of them, to a site previously occupied by the other, they will die.
3 The quercus
too, if planted near the walnut, will perish. There is a mortal
feud
4 existing also between the cabbage and the vine; and the
cabbage itself, so shunned as it is by the vine, will wither immediately if planted in the vicinity of cyclamen
5 or of origanum.
We find it asserted even, that aged trees fit to be felled, are
cut with all the greater difficulty, and dry all the more rapidly,
if touched by the hand of man before the axe is applied: it
is a common belief, too, that when their load consists of fruit,
beasts of burden are immediately sensible
6 of it, and will instantly begin to sweat, however trifling it may be, unless the
fruit is duly shown to them before starting. Fennel-giant, as
a fodder, is extremely grateful to the ass, and yet to other beasts
of burden it is a deadly poison: hence it is that the ass is consecrated to Father Liber,
7 to which deity the fennel is also
sacred.
Inanimate objects again, even of the most insignificant
character, have their own peculiar antipathies. Cooks disengage meat of the brine, when it has been too highly salted,
by the agency of fine meal and the inner bark
8 of the lindentree. Salt again, tends to neutralize the sickly flavour of food
when over-sweet. The taste of water, when nitrous or bitter,
is modified by the addition of polenta,
9 so much so indeed, as
to be rendered potable
10 in a couple of hours: it is for a similar
reason, too, that a layer of polenta is put
11 in our linen winestrainers. A similar property is possessed also by the chalk
12
of Rhodes, and the argilla of our own country.
Equal affinities exist as well; pitch, for instance, is extracted
by the agency of oil, both of them being of an unctuous nature
oil again, will incorporate only with lime, both of them having
a natural antipathy
13 to water. Gum is most
14 easily removed
with vinegar, and ink
15 with water; in addition to which, there
are numberless other instances of sympathy and antipathy
which we shall be careful to mention in their appropriate places.
It is in tendencies of this description that the medical art
first took its rise; though it was originally intended, no doubt,
by Nature, that our only medicaments should be those which
universally exist, are everywhere to be found, and are to he
procured at no great outlay, the various substances, in fact, from
which we derive our sustenance. But at a later period the
fraudulent disposition of mankind, combined with an ingenuity
prompted by lucre, invented those various laboratories,
16 in
which each one of us is promised an extension of his life—that
is, if he will pay for it. Compositions and mixtures of an in-
explicable nature forthwith have their praises sung, and the
productions of Arabia and India are held in unbounded ad-
miration in the very midst
17 of us. For some trifling
sore or other, a medicament is prescribed from the shores
of the Red Sea; while not a day passes but what the real
remedies are to be found upon the tables of the very poorest
man among us.
18 But if the remedies for diseases were
derived from our own gardens, if the plants or shrubs were
employed which grow there, there would be no art, forsooth,
that would rank lower than that of medicine.
Yes, avow it we must-the Roman people, in extending its
empire, has lost sight of its ancient manners, and in that we
have conquered we are the conquered:
19 for now we obey the
natives of foreign
20 lands, who by the agency of a single art have
even out-generalled our generals.
21 More, however, on this
topic hereafter.
CHAP. 2. (2.)—THE LOTUS OF ITALY: SIX REMEDIES.
We have already
22 spoken in their appropriate places of the
herb called lotus, and of the plant of Egypt known by the
same name and as the "tree of the Syrtes." The berries of
the lotus, which is known among us as the "Grecian bean,"
23
act astringently upon the bowels; and the shavings of the wood,
boiled in wine, are useful in cases of dysentery, excessive
menstruation, vertigo, and epilepsy: they also prevent the
hair from falling off. It is a marvellous thing—but there is no
substance known that is more bitter than the shavings of this
wood, or sweeter than the fruit. The sawdust also of the
wood is boiled in myrtle-water, and then kneaded and divided
into lozenges, which form a medicament for dysentery of remarkable utility, being taken in doses of one victoriatus,
24 in
three cyathi of water.
CHAP. 3. (3.)-ACORNS: THIRTEEN REMEDTES.
Acorns,
25 pounded with salted axle-grease,
26 are curative of
those indurations known as "cacoethe."
27 The acorn of the
holm-oak, however, is the most powerful in its effects; ad(
in all these trees the bark is still more efficacious, as well as
the inner membrane which lies beneath it. A decoction of
this last is good for cœliac affections; and it is applied topically
in cases of dysentery, as well as the acorns, which are em-
ployed also for the treatment of stings inflicted by serpents,
fluxes, and suppurations. The leaves, acorns, and bark, as
well as a decoction prepared from them, are good as counter-
poisons. A decoction of the bark, boiled in cows' milk, is
used topically for stings inflicted by serpents, and is administered in wine for dysentery. The holm-oak is possessed of
similar properties.
CHAP. 4. (4.)—TIE KERMES-BERRY OF THE HOLM-OAK: THREE:
REMEDIES.
The scarlet berry
28 of the holm-oak is applied to fresh
wounds with vinegar; and in combination with water it is
dropt into the eyes in cases of defluxion of those organs or
of ecchymosis. There grows also in most parts of Attica, and
in Asia, a berry of this description, which becomes transformed
with great rapidity into a diminutive worm, owing to which
circumstance the Greeks have given it the name of "scolecion:"
29 it is held, however, in disesteem. The principal
varieties of this berry have been previously
30 described.
CHAP. 5.—GALL-NUTS: TWENTY-THREE REMEDIES.
And no fewer are the varieties of the gall-nut which we
have described:
31 we have, for instance, the full-bodied gallnut, the perforated one, the white, the black, the large, the
small, all of them possessed of similar properties; that, however, of Commagene is generally preferred. These substances
remove fleshy excrescences on the body, and are serviceable for
affections of the gums and uvula,
32 and for ulcerations of the
mouth. Burnt, and then quenched in wine, they are applied
topically in cases of cœliac affections and dysentery, and with
honey, to whitlows, hang-nails, malformed nails, running ulcers,
condylomatous swellings, and ulcerations of the nature known as
phagedænic.
33 Adecoction of them in wine is used as an injection
for the ears, and as a liniment for the eyes, and in combination
with vinegar they are employed for eruptions and tumours.
The inner part of the gall, chewed, allays tooth-ache, and is
good for excoriations between the thighs, and for burns. Taken
unripe in vinegar, they reduce the volume of the spleen; and,
burnt and then quenched in salt and vinegar, they are used as
a fomentation for excessive menstruation and procidence of
the uterus. All varieties of the gall-nut stain the hair black.
CHAP. 6.—MISTLETOE: ELEVEN REMEDIES.
We have already
34 stated that the best mistletoe is that
which grows on the robur,
35 and have described the manner in
which it is prepared. Some persons, after bruising the berries,
boil them in water, till nothing appears on the surface, while
others, again, bite the berries with the teeth, and reject the
skins.
36 The best kind of viscus is that which has none of
the outer skin in it, is extremely light, yellow without, and
of a leek-green colour within. There is no substance more
glutinous than this: it is of an emollient nature, disperses
tumours, and acts as a desiccative upon scrofulous sores; com-
bined with resin and wax, it heals inflamed swellings of every
description. Some persons add galbanum as well, using equal
proportions of each ingredient, and this preparation they em-
ploy also for the treatment of wounds.
The viscus of the mistletoe has the additional property also
of rectifying malformed nails; but to effect this it must be
taken off at the end of seven days, and the nails must he
washed with a solution of nitre.
37 Some persons have a sort of
superstitious notion that the viscus will be all the more efficacious if the berries are gathered from the robur at new moon,
and without the aid of iron. They have an impression too.
that if it has not touched the ground, it will cure epilepsy,
38
that it will promote conception in females if they make a
practice of carrying it about them: the berries, chewed and
applied to ulcers, are remarkably efficacious for their cure, it is
said.
CHAP. 7.—THE EXCRESCENCES WHICH GROW ON THE ROBUR:
ONE REMEDY. THE CHRRUS: EIGHT REMEDIES.
The round excrescences
39 which grow on the robur * * *
and mixed with bear's grease, are remedial in cases of loss of
the hair by alopecy.
The leaves, bark, and acorns of the cerrus
40 act as a desiecative upon gatherings and suppurations, and arrest fluxes. A
decoction
41 of them, used as a fomentation, strengthens such
parts of the body as are paralyzed; and it is a very good plan
to employ it as a sitting-bath, for its desiccative or astringent
effects upon the lower extremities. The root of this tree
neutralizes the venom of the scorpion.
CHAP. 8.—THE-CORK TREE: TWO REMEDIES.
The bark of the cork-tree,
42 pulverized and taken in warm
water, arrests hæmorrhage at the mouth and nostrils;
43 and
the ashes of it, taken in warm wine, are highly extolled as a
cure for spitting of blood.
CHAP. 9. (5.)—THE BEECUH: FOUR REMEDIES.
The leaves
44 of the beech are chewed for affections of the
lips and gums. A liniment is made of the ashes of beech-
mast for urinary calculus, and, in combination with honey, for
alopecy.
CHAP. 10.—THE CYPRESS: TWENTY-THREE REMEDIES.
The leaves of the cypress
45 are pounded and applied to
wounds inflicted by serpents, and with polenta, to the head, in
cases of sunstroke. They are used also for hernia, and an infusion of them is taken in drink.
46 They are applied with wax to
swellings of the testes, and mixed with vinegar they stain the
hair black.
47 Beaten up with twice the quantity of light
bread, and then kneaded with Aminean
48 wine, they are found
very soothing for pains in the Feet and sinews.
The excrescences of this tree are taken in drink for the
stings of serpents and for discharges of blood from the mouth
they are used also as a topical application for gatherings.
Fresh-gathered and beaten up with axle-grease and bean-meal, they are good for hernia; and an infusion of them is
taken in drink for the same complaint. In combination with
meal, they are applied topically to imposthumes of the parotid
glands, and to scrofulous sores. From these excrescences,
pounded along with the seed, a juice is extracted, which, mixed
with oil, disperses films of the eyes. Taken in doses of one
victoriatus,
49 in wine, and applied at the same time in a pulpy,
dried fig, the seeds of which have been removed, this juice
cures maladies of the testes and disperses tumours: mixed
with leaven, it heals scrofulous sores.
The root of the cypress, bruised with the leaves and taken
in drink, is curative of diseases of the bladder, strangury, and
the sting of the phalangium.
50 The shavings of the wood,
taken in drink, act as an emmenagogue, and neutralize the
venom of the scorpion.
CHAP. 11.—THE CEDAR: THIRTEEN REMEDIES.
The larger cedar, known as the "cedrelates,"
51 produces a
pitch called "cedria," which is very useful for tooth-ache, it
having the effect of breaking
52 the teeth and extracting them,
and so allaying the pain. We have already
53 stated how the
juices of cedar are extracted, so remarkably useful for
seasoning books,
54 were it not for the head-ache they produce.
This extract from the cedar preserves
55 the bodies of the
dead uncorrupted for ages, but exercises a noxious effect upon
the bodies of the living-singular that there should be such a
diversity in its properties, taking away life from animated
beings, and imparting a sort of life, as it were, to the dead!
It injures clothing also and destroys
56 animal life. It is for
this reason that I cannot recommend it to be taken internally for
the cure of quinzy and indigestion, though there are some who
advise it: I should be greatly in dread too, to rinse the teeth
with it, in combination with vinegar, for tooth-ache, or to use
it as an injection for the ears in cases of hardness of hearing, or
for worms in those organs. There is one very marvellous story
told about it—if the male organs, they say, are rubbed with it
just before the sexual congress, it will effectually prevent impregnation.
57
Still, however, I should not hesitate to employ it as a friction for phthiriasis or porrigo. It is strongly recommended
also, in raisin wine, as an antidote to the poison of the sea-
share,
58 but I should be more ready to use it as a liniment for
elephantiasis. Some authors have prescribed it as an ointment for foul ulcers and the fleshy excrescences which grow
in them, as also for spots and films on the eyes; and have recommended it to be taken, in doses of one cyathus, for. ulcerations of the lungs, and for tapeworm.
There is an oil extracted from this pitch, known as "pisselæpon,"
59 the properties of which are of increased activity
for all the purposes before-mentioned. It is a well-known
fact that the saw-dust of cedar will put serpents to flight,
and that a similar effect is produced by anointing the body
with the berries
60 bruised in oil.
CHAP. 12.—CEDRIDES: TEN REMEDIES.
Cedrides, or in other words, the fruit of the cedar,
61 is
curative of coughs, acts as a diuretic, and arrests looseness of
the bowels. It is good also for ruptures, convulsions,
spasms, and strangury, and is employed, as a pessary, for
affections of the uterus. It is used also to neutralize the
venom of the sea-hare,
62 and for the cure of the various affections
above-mentioned, as also of gatherings and inflammations.
CHAP. 13.—GALBANUM: TWENTY-THREE REMEDIES.
We have already
63 given some description of galbanum: to
be good, it should be neither too moist nor too dry, but just in
the state which we have mentioned.
64 It is taken by itself
for inveterate coughs, asthma, ruptures, and convulsions; and
it is employed externally for sciatica, pains in the sides, inflamed
tumours,
65 boils, denudations of the bones, scrofulous sores,
nodes upon the joints, and tooth-ache. It is applied with
honey also, to ulcerations of the head. In combination with
oil of roses or with nard, it is used as an injection for suppurations of the ears; and the odour of it is useful for epilepsy,
hysterical suffocations, and faintness at the stomach. Employed as a pessary or as a fumigation, it brings away the
fœtus in cases of miscarriage; branches too of hellebore
covered with it and laid beneath the patient, have a similar
effect.
We have already
66 stated that serpents are driven away by
the fumes of burnt galbanum, and they will equally avoid
persons whose body has been rubbed with it. It is curative
also of the sting of the scorpion. In protracted deliveries, a
piece of galbanum the size of a bean is given in one cyathus
of wine: it has the effect also of reducing the uterus when
displaced, and, taken with myrrh and wine, it brings away
the dead fœtus. In combination with myrrh and wine too,
it neutralizes poisons—those which come under the denomination of "toxica"
67 in particular. The very touch
of it, mixed with oil and spondylium,
68 is sufficient to
kill a serpent.
69 It is generally thought to be productive of
strangury.
CHAP. 14. (6.)—HAMMONIACUM: TWENTY-FOUR REMEDIES.
Of a similar nature to galbanum is hammoniacum, a tear-like gum, the qualities of which are tested in manner already
70
stated. It is of an emollient, warming, resolvent, and dispellent nature. Employed as an ingredient in eye-salves, it
improves the sight. It disperses prurigo, effaces the marks of
sores, removes spots in the eyes, and allays tooth-ache, more
particularly when burnt. It is very useful too, taken in
drink, for hardness of breathing, pleurisy, affections of the
lungs, diseases of the bladder, bloody urine, maladies of the
spleen, and sciatica: employed in a similar manner, it acts as
a purgative upon the bowels. Boiled with an equal proportion
of pitch or wax, and with oil of roses, it is good for diseases of
the joints, and for gout. Employed with honey it ripens hard
tumours, extracts corns, and has an emollient effect upon indurations. In combination with vinegar and Cyprian wax,
or oil of roses, it is extremely efficacious as a liniment for
affections of the spleen. In cases of extreme lassitude, it is
an excellent plan to use it as a friction, with vinegar and oil,
and a little nitre.
CHAP. 15.—STORAX: TEN REMEDIES.
In speaking too of the exotic trees, we have made mention
71 of
the properties of storax. In addition to those which we have
already mentioned, it ought to be very unctuous, without alloy,
and to break to pieces in whitish fragments. This substance is
curative of cough, affections of the fauces, diseases of the chest,
and obstructions or indurations of the uterus. Taken in drink,
or employed as a pessary, it acts as an emmenagogue; it has a
laxative effect also upon the bowels. I find it stated that, taken
in moderate doses, storax dispels melancholy; but that when employed in large quantities, it promotes it. Used as an injection
it is good for singings in the ears, and employed as a friction,
for scrofulous swellings and nodes of the sinews. It neutralizes poisons of a cold nature, and consequently, hemlock.
72
CHAP. 16.—SPONDYLIUM: SEVENTEEN REMEDIES.
At the same time we have also spoken
73 of spondylium; an
infusion of which is poured upon the head in cases of phrenitis
and lethargy, and of head-ache of long standing. Combined
with old oil, it is taken in drink for affections of the liver,
jaundice, epilepsy, hardness of breathing, and hysterical
suffocations, maladies for which it is equally serviceable in the
shape of a fumigation. It relaxes the bowels, and with rue it
is applied to ulcers of a serpiginous nature. The juice which
is extracted from the blossom is a most useful injection for
suppurations of the ears; but the moment it is extracted it
should be covered up, as flies and other insects of a similar
nature are remarkably fond of it.
Scrapings of the root, introduced into the interior of fistulas,
have a caustic effect upon their callosities; and they are some-
times used, in combination with the juice, as an injection for
the ears. The root itself also is prescribed for jaundice, and
for diseases of the liver and uterus. If the head is rubbed
with the juice, it will make the hair curl.
74
CHAP. 17.—SPHAGNOS, SPHACOS, OR BRYON: FIVE REMEDIES.
Sphagnos, sphacos, or bryon, grows, as we have already
75
stated, in Gaul. A decoction of it, employed as a sitting-bath,
is useful for affections of the uterus: mixed with nasturtium,
and beaten up in salt water, it is good for the knees and for
swellings in the thighs. Taken in drink with wine and dried
resin, it acts very powerfully as a diuretic. Pounded in wine
with juniper berries, and taken in drink, it draws off the water
in dropsy.
CHAP. 18.—THE TEREBINTH: SIX REMEDIES.
The leaves and root of the terebinth
76 are used as applica-
tions for gatherings; and a decoction of them is strengthening
to the stomach. The seed of it is taken in wine for head-ache
and strangury: it is slightly laxative to the bowels, and acts
as an aphrodisiac.
CHAP. 19.—THE PITCH-TREE AND THE LARCH: EIGHT REMEDIES.
The leaves of the pitch-tree
77 and the larch,
78 beaten up
and boiled in vinegar, are good for tooth-ache. The ashes of
the bark are used for excoriations and burns. Taken in drink
this substance arrests diarrhœa, and acts as a diuretic; and
used as a fumigation, it reduces the uterus when displaced.
The leaves of the pitch-tree are particularly good for the liver,
taken in doses of one drachma in hydromel.
It is a well-known fact that forests planted solely with trees
from which pitch and resin are extracted, are remarkably
beneficial for patients suffering from phthisis,
79 or who are un-
able to recover their strength after a long illness: indeed it is
said, that in such cases to breathe the air of localities thus
planted, is more beneficial even than to take a voyage to Egypt.
80
or to go on a summer's journey to the mountains to drink the
milk there, impregnated with the perfumes of plants.
CHAP. 20.—THE CHAMÆPITYS: TEN REMEDIES.
The chamæpitys,
81 called in Latin "abiga,"
82 because it
promotes abortion, and known to some as "incense of the
earth,"
83 has branches a cubit in length, and the odour and
blossoms of the pine. Another variety
84 of it, which is somewhat shorter, has all the appearance of being bent
85 down-
wards; and there is a third,
86 which, though it has a similar
smell, and consequently the same name, is altogether smaller,
with a stem the thickness of one's finger, and a diminutive,
rough, pale leaf: it is found growing in rocky localities. All
these varieties are in reality herbaceous productions; but in
consequence of the resemblance of the name,
87 I have thought
it as well not to defer the consideration of them.
These plants are good for stings inflicted by scorpions, and
are useful as an application, mixed with dates or quinces, for
maladies of the liver: a decoction of them with barley-meal
is used for the kidneys and the bladder. A decoction of them
in water is used also for jaundice and for strangury. The
kind last mentioned, in combination with honey, is good for
wounds inflicted by serpents, and a pessary is made of it, with
honey, as a detergent for the uterus. Taken in drink it brings
away coagulated blood, and rubbed upon the body it acts as a
sudorific: it is particularly useful also for the kidneys. Pills
of a purgative nature are made of it for dropsy, with figs.
88
Taken in wine, in doses of one victoriatus,
89 it dispels lumbago,
and cures coughs that are not of an inveterate description.
A decoction of it in vinegar, taken in drink, will instantaneously
bring away the dead fœtus, it is said.
CHAP. 21.—THE PITYUSA: SIX REMEDIES.
For a similar
90 reason, too, we shall accord the same distinction to the pityusa, a plant which some persons reckon
among the varieties of the tithymalus.
91 It is a shrub,
92 re-
sembling the pitch-tree in appearance, and with a diminutive
purple blossom. A decoction of the root, taken in doses of
one hemina, carries off the bilious and pituitous secretions by
93
stool, and a spoonful of the seed, used as a suppository, has a
similar effect. A decoction of the leaves in vinegar removes
scaly eruptions of the skin; and in combination with boiled
rue, it effects the cure of diseases of the mamillæ, gripings in
the bowels, wounds inflicted by serpents, and incipient gatherings of most kinds.
CHAP. 22.—RESINS: TWENTY-TWO REMEDIES.
In treating, first of wines,
94 and then of trees,
95 we have
stated that resin is the produce of the trees above-mentioned,
and have described the several varieties of it, and the countries
in which they are respectively produced. There are two
principal kinds of resin, the dry and the liquid.
96 The dry
resins are extracted from the pine
97 and the pitch-tree,
98 the
liquid from the terebinth,
99 the larch,
100 the lentisk,
101 and the
cypress;
102 these last producing it in the province of Asia and
in Syria. It is an error
103 to suppose that the resin of the pitch-
tree is the same as that of the larch; for the pitch-tree yields
an unctuous
104 resin, and of the same consistency as frankincense, while that of the larch is thin, like honey in colour, and
of a powerful odour. It is but very rarely that medical men
make use of liquid resin, and when they do, it is mostly that
produced by the larch, which is administered in an egg for
cough and ulcerations of the viscera. The resin of the pine,
too, is far from extensively used, and that of the other kinds
is always boiled
105 before use: on the various methods of boiling
it, we have enlarged at sufficient length already.
106
As to the produce of the various trees, the resin of the terebinth is held in high esteem, as being the most odoriferous and
the lightest, the kinds
107 which come from Cyprus and Syria
being looked upon as the best. Both these kinds are the
colour of Attic honey; but that of Cyprus has more body, and
dries with greater rapidity. In the dry resins the qualities
requisite are whiteness, purity, and transparency: but whatever the kind, the produce of mountainous
108 districts is always
preferred to that of champaign countries, and that of a north-
eastern aspect to that of any other quarter. Resins
109 are dissolved in oil as a liniment and emollient cataplasm for wounds;
but when they are used as a potion, bitter almonds
110 are also
employed. The curative properties of resins consist in their
tendency to close wounds, to act as a detergent upon gatherings
and so disperse them, and to cure affections of the chest.
The resin of the terebinth * * * it is used too, warmed,
as a liniment for pains in the limbs, the application being removed after the patient has taken a walk in the sun. Among
slave-dealers too, there is a practice of rubbing the bodies of
the slaves with it, which is done with the greatest care, as a
corrective for an emaciated appearance; the resin having the
property of relaxing the skin upon all parts of the body, and
rendering it more capable of being plumped out by food.
111
Next after the resin of the terebinth comes that of the
lentisk;
112 it possesses astringent properties, and is the most
powerful diuretic of them all. The other resins are laxative
to the bowels, promote the digestion of crudities, allay the
violence of inveterate coughs, and, employed as a fumigation,
disengage the uterus of foreign
113 bodies with which it is surcharged: they are particularly useful too as neutralizing the
effects of mistletoe; and, mixed with bull suet and honey,
they are curative of inflamed tumours and affections of a similar
nature. The resin of the lentisk is very convenient as a bandoline for keeping stubborn eyelashes in their place: it is
useful also in cases of fractures, suppurations of the ears, and
prurigo of the generative organs. The resin of the pine is the
best of them all for the cure of wounds in the head.
CHAP. 23. (7.)—PITCH: TWENTY-THEEE REMEDIES.
We have also stated on a previous occasion
114 from what
tree pitch is extracted, and the methods employed for that
purpose. Of this also there are two kinds; thick pitch and
liquid pitch.
115 Of the several varieties of thick pitch the
most useful for medicinal purposes is that of Bruttium;
116 for
being both extremely unctuous and very resinous, it reunites
the properties both of resin and of pitch, that of a yellow
reddish colour being the most highly esteemed. As to the
statement made in addition to this, that the produce of the
male tree is the best, I do not believe that any such distinction is at all possible.
Pitch is of a warming, cicatrizing tendency: mixed with
polenta it is particularly useful as a neutralizer of the venom
of the cerastes,
117 and in combination with honey it is used
for quinzy, catarrhs, and fits of sneezing caused by phlegm.
With oil of roses it is used as an injection for the ears, and
employed as a liniment with wax it heals lichens. It relaxes
118
the bowels, also, and used as an electuary, or applied with
honey to the tonsillary glands, it facilitates expectoration.
Applied topically, it acts as a detergent upon ulcers, and
makes new flesh. Mixed with raisins and axle-grease, it
forms a detergent plaster for carbuncles and putrid ulcers, and,
with pine-bark or sulphur, for serpiginous sores. Pitch has
been administered too by some, in doses of one cyathus, for
phthisis and inveterate coughs. It heals chaps of the Feet and
rectum, inflamed tumours, and malformed nails; and used as a
fumigation, it is curative of indurations and derangements of
the uterus, and of lethargy. Boiled with barley-meal and the
urine of a youth who has not arrived at puberty, it causes
scrofulous sores to suppurate. Dry pitch is used also for the
cure of alopecy. For affections of the mamillæ, Bruttian
pitch is warmed in wine with fine spelt meal, and applied as
hot as can be borne.
CHAP. 24.—PISSELÆON AND PALIMPISSA: SIXTEEN REMEDIES.
We have already
119 described the way in which liquid pitch
and the oil known as pisselæon are made. Some persons boil
the pitch over again, and give it the name of "palimpissa."
120 For
quinzy
121 and affections of the uvula, liquid pitch is employed
internally. It is used also for the cure of ear-ache, for the
improvement of the sight, and as a salve for the lips; and is
employed for hysterical suffocations, inveterate coughs, profuse
expectorations, spasms, nervousness, opisthotony, paralysis,
and pains in the sinews. It is a very excellent remedy too for
itch in dogs and beasts of burden.
CHAP. 25.—PISSASPHALTOS: TWO REMEDIES.
There is pissasphaltos too, a natural production of the
territory of the Apolloniates,
122 and consisting of pitch mixed
with bitumen. Some persons, however, make this mixture
artificially, and employ it for the cure of itch in cattle, and of
injuries done by the young sucklings to the mamillæ. The
most esteemed portion of it is that which floats on the surface
when boiled.
CHAP. 26.—ZOPISSA: ONE REMEDY.
We have already
123 stated that zopissa is the pitch, macerated
with salt-water and wax, that has been scraped from off
the bottoms of ships. The best kind is that taken from ships
which have been to sea for the first time. It is used as an ingredient in plasters of an emollient nature, employed to disperse
gatherings.
CHAP. 27.—THE TORCH-TREE: ONE BEMEDY.
A decoction in vinegar of the wood of the torch-tree
124
makes a most efficacious gargle for tooth-ache.
CHAP. 28.—THE LENTISK: TWENTY-TWO REMEDIES.
The seed, bark, and tear-like juices of the lentisk are
diuretics, and act astringently upon the bowels:
125 a decoction
of them, used as a fomentation, is curative of serpiginous sores,
and is applied topically for humid ulcerations and erysipelas;
it is employed also as a collutory for the gums. The teeth are
rubbed with the leaves in cases of tooth-ache, and they are
rinsed with a decoction of the leaves when loose:
126 this decoction has the effect also of staining
127 the hair. The gum of
this tree is useful for diseases of the rectum, and all cases in
which desiccatives and calorifics are needed; a decoction too
of the gum is good for the stomach, acting as a carminative
and diuretic; it is applied also to the head, in cases of headache, with polenta. The more tender of the leaves are used as
an application for inflammations of the eyes.
The mastich
128 produced by the lentisk is used as a bandoline for the hairs of the eye-lids, in compositions for giving
a plumpness to the face, and in cosmetics for smoothing
129 the
skin. It is employed for spitting of blood and for inveterate
coughs, as well as all those purposes for which gum acacia is
in request. It is used also for the cure of excoriations; which
are fomented either with the oil extracted from the seed,
mixed with wax, or else with a decoction of the leaves in
oil. Fomentations too are made of a decoction of it in water
for diseases of the male organs.
130 I know for a fact, that in
the illness of Considia, the daughter of M. Servilius, a personage of consular rank, her malady, which had long resisted
all the more severe methods of treatment, was at last successfully treated with the milk of goats that had been fed upon the
leaves of the lentisk.
CHAP. 29. (8.)—THE PLANE-TREE: TWENTY-FIVE REMEDIES.
The plane-tree
131 neutralizes the bad effects of bites inflicted by the bat.
132 The excrescences of this tree, taken in
doses
133 of four denarii, in wine, act as an antidote to the
venom of serpents of all kinds and of scorpions, and are curative of burns. Pounded with strong vinegar, squill vinegar
in particular, they arrest hæmorrhage of every kind; and
with the addition of honey, they remove freckles, carcinomatous sores, and black spots of long standing on the skin.
The leaves again, and the bark of this tree, are used in the
form of liniments for gatherings and suppurations, and a
decoction of them is employed for a similar purpose. A decoction of the bark in vinegar is remedial for affections of
the teeth, and the more tender of the leaves boiled in white
wine are good for the eyes. The down which grows upon the
leaves
134 is injurious to both the ears and eyes. The ashes of
the excrescences of this tree heal such parts of the body as
have been burnt or frost-bitten. The bark, taken in wine,
reduces the inflammation caused by the stings of scorpions.
CHAP. 30.—THE ASH: FIVE REMEDIES.
We have already
135 made some mention of the virtues possessed by the ash as an antidote to the venom of serpents.
The seed of it is enclosed in follicules, which are good for
diseases of the liver, and, in combination with wine, for pains
in the sides: they are employed also for drawing off the
water in dropsy. They have the property, too, of diminishing obesity, and of gradually reducing the body to a state of
comparative emaciation,
136 the follicules being pounded in
wine and administered in proportion to the bodily strength;
thus, for instance, to a child, five of them are given in three
cyathi of wine, but for persons in more robust health, seven
are prescribed, in five cyathi of wine.
We must not omit to state that the shavings and saw-dust
of this wood are of a highly dangerous nature, according to
some.
CHAP. 31.—THE MAPLE: ONE REMEDY.
The root of the maple,
137 beaten up in wine, is extremely
efficacious as a topical application for pains in the liver.
CHAP. 32.—THE POPLAR: EIGHT REMEDIES.
We have already
138 mentioned, when speaking of the unguents, the use that is made of the berries
139 of the white
poplar. A potion prepared from the bark is good for sciatica
and strangury, and the juice of the leaves is taken warm for
ear-ache. So long
140 as a person holds a sprig of poplar in
his hand, there is no fear of
141 chafing between the thighs.
The black poplar which grows in Crete is looked upon as
the most efficacious of them all. The seed of it, taken in
vinegar, is good for epilepsy. This tree produces a resin also
to a small extent, which is made use of for emollient plasters.
The leaves, boiled in vinegar, are applied topically for gout.
A moisture that exudes from the clefts of the black poplar
removes warts, and pimples caused by friction. Poplars
produce also on the leaves a kind of sticky
142 juice, from which
bees prepare their propolis:
143 indeed this juice, mixed with
water, has the same virtues as propolis.
CHAP. 33.—THE ELM: SIXTEEN REMEDIES.
The leaves, bark, and branches of the elm
144 have the property of filling up wounds and knitting the flesh together:
the inner membrane
145 too, of the bark, and the leaves, steeped
in vinegar, are applied topically for leprosy. The bark, in
doses of one denarius, taken in one hemina of cold water, acts
as a purgative upon the bowels, and is particularly useful for
carrying off pituitous and aqueous humours. The gum also
which this tree produces is applied topically to gatherings,
wounds, and burns, which it would be as well to foment with
the decoction also. The moisture
146 which is secreted on
the follicules of the tree gives a finer colour to the skin,
and improves the looks. The foot-stalks of the leaves that
first appear,
147 boiled in wine, are curative of tumours, and
bring them to a head:
148 the same, too, is the effect produced by
the inner bark.
Many persons are of opinion that the bark of this tree,
chewed, is a very useful application for wounds, and that the
leaves, bruised and moistened with water, are good for gout.
The moisture too that exudes from the pith of the tree,
as already
149 stated, on an incision being made, applied
to the head, causes the hair to grow and prevents it from
falling off.
CHAP. 34.—THE LINDEN-TREE: FIVE REMEDIES.
The linden-tree
150 is useful, though in a less marked degree,
for nearly all the same purposes as the wild olive. The leaves,
however, are the only part that is made use of for ulcers upon
infants; chewed, too, or employed in the form of a decoction,
they are diuretic. Used as a liniment they arrest menstruation
when in excess, and an infusion of them, taken in drink, carries
off superfluous blood.
CHAP. 35.—THE ELDER: FIFTEEN REMEDIES.
There are two kinds of elder, one of which grows wild and
is much smaller than the other; by the Greeks it is known as
the "chamæacte," or "helion."
151 A decoction of the leaves,
152
seed, or root of either kind, taken in doses of two cyathi, in
old wine, though bad for the upper regions of the stomach,
carries off all aqueous humours by stool. This decoction is
very cooling too for inflammations, those attendant upon recent
burns in particular. A poultice is made also of the more
tender leaves, mixed with polenta, for bites inflicted by dogs.
The juice of the elder, used as a fomentation, reduces abscesses
of the brain, and more particularly of the membrane which
envelopes that organ. The berries, which have not so powerful an action as the other parts of the tree, stain the hair.
Taken in doses of one acetabulum, in drink, they are diuretic.
The softer leaves are eaten with oil and salt, to carry off
pituitous and bilious secretions.
The smaller kind is for all these purposes the more efficacious
of the two. A decoction of the root in wine, taken in doses
of two cyathi, brings away the water in dropsy, and acts
emolliently upon the uterus: the same effects are produced
also by a sitting-bath made of a decoction of the leaves.
The tender shoots of the cultivated kind, boiled in a saucepan
and eaten as food, have a purgative effect: the leaves taken in
wine, neutralize the venom of serpents. An application of
the young shoots, mixed with he-goat suet, is remarkably good
for gout; and if they are macerated in water, the infusion will
destroy fleas. If a decoction of the leaves is sprinkled about
a place, it will exterminate flies. "Boa"
153 is the name given
to a malady which appears in the form of red pimples upon
the body; for its cure the patient is scourged with a branch of
elder. The inner bark,
154 pounded and taken with white wine,
relaxes the bowels.
CHAP. 36.—THE JUNIPER: TWENTY-OXE REMEDIES.
The juniper is of a warming and resolvent nature beyond
all other plants: in other respects, it resembles the cedar.
155
There are two species of this tree, also, one of which is larger
156
than the other:
157 the odour of either, burnt, repels the ap-
proach of serpents.
158 The seed
159 is good for pains in the
stomach, chest, and sides; it dispels flatulency and sudden
chills, soothes cough, and brings indurations to a head. Applied topically, it checks the growth of tumours; and the
berries, taken in red wine, act astringently upon the bowels:
they are applied also to tumours of the abdomen. The seed
is used as an ingredient in antidotes of an aperient nature, and
is diuretic
160 in its effects. It is used as a liniment for defluxions of the eyes, and is prescribed for convulsions, ruptures, griping pains in the bowels, affections of the uterus,
and sciatica, either in a dose of four berries in white wine, or
in the form of a decoction of twenty berries in wine.
There are persons who rub the body with juniper berries as
a preventive of the attacks of serpents.
CHAP. 37. (9.)—THE WILLOW: FOURTEEN REMEDIES. THE
WILLOW OF AMLERIA: ONE REMEDY.
The fruit of the willow,
161 before it arrives at maturity, is
covered with a down like a spider's web: gathered
162 before it
is ripe, it arrests discharges of blood from the mouth. The
bark of the upper branches, reduced to ashes and mixed with
water, is curative of corns and callosities: it removes spots
also upon the face, being still more efficacious for that purpose
if mixed with the juices of the tree.
The juices produced by the willow form three different
varieties; one
163 of which exudes in the shape of a gum from
the tree itself, and another distils from an incision some three
fingers in width, made in the bark while the tree is in blossom.
This last is very useful for dispersing humours which impede
the sight, acting also as an inspissative when needed, promoting
the discharge of the urine, and bringing abscesses of all kinds
to a head. The third kind of juice exudes from the wounds,
when the branches are lopt off with the bill. Either of these
juices, warmed in a pomegranate rind, is used as an injection
for diseases of the ears. The leaves, too, boiled and beaten
up with wax, are employed as a liniment for similar purposes,
and for gout. The bark and leaves, boiled in wine, form a
decoction that is remarkably useful as a fomentation for affections of the sinews. The blossoms, bruised with the leaves,
remove scaly eruptions of the face; and the leaves, bruised and
taken in drink, check libidinous tendencies,
164 and effectually
put an end to them, if habitually employed.
The seed of the black willow of Ameria,
165 mixed with
litharge in equal proportions, and applied to the body just
after the bath, acts as a depilatory.
CHAP. 38.—THE VITEX: THIRTY-THREE REMEDIES.
Not much unlike the willow, for the use that is made of it
in wicker-work, is the vitex,
166 which also resembles it in the
leaves and general appearance, though the smell of it is more
agreeable. The Greeks call it "lygos," or "agnos,"
167 from
the fact that the matrons of Athens, during the Thesmophoria,
168 a period when the strictest chastity is observed, are
in the habit of strewing their beds with the leaves of this tree.
There are two species of vitex: the larger
169 one, like the
willow, attains the full proportions of a tree; while the other,
170
which is smaller, is branchy, with a paler, downy leaf. The
first kind, generally known as the "white" vitex, bears a
white blossom mixed with purple, whereas the black one has a
flower that is entirely purple. Both of these trees grow on
level spots of a marshy nature.
The seed of these trees, taken in drink, has a sort of vinous
flavour, and has the reputation of being a febrifuge. It is
said also to act as a sudorific, if the body is rubbed with it
mixed with oil, and to have the effect of dispelling extreme
lassitude: it acts too as a diuretic
171 and emmenagogue. The
produce of both trees is trying to the head, like wine, and
indeed the odour of them is very similar. They have the
effect also of removing flatulence in the lower regions of the
body, act astringently upon the bowels, and are remarkably
useful for dropsy and affections of the spleen. They promote
the secretion of the milk, and neutralize the venom of serpents,
when of a cold nature more particularly. The smaller kind,
however, is the more efficacious of the two for injuries inflicted
by serpents, the seed being taken in doses of one drachma, in
wine or oxycrate, or else the more tender leaves in doses of two
drachmæ.
From both trees also a liniment is prepared for the bites of
spiders, but it is quite sufficient to rub the wounds with the
leaves; and if a fumigation is made from them, or if they are
spread beneath the bed, they will repel the attacks of all
venomous creatures. They act also as an antaphrodisiac, and
it is by this tendency in particular that they neutralize the
venom of the phalangium, the bite of which has an exciting
effect upon the generative organs. The blossoms and young
shoots, mixed with oil of roses, allay head-aches arising from
inebriation. A decoction of the seed used as a fomentation
cures head-ache, however intense it may be; and employed as
a fumigation or as a pessary, the seeds acts as a detergent
upon the uterus. Taken in drink with honey and penny-royal,
it has a laxative effect; pounded and used with barley-meal,
it quickly brings abscesses and hard tumours to a head, and
has an emollient effect.
The seed, in combination with saltpetre and vinegar, removes
lichens and freckles; mixed with honey, it heals ulcers and
eruptions of the mouth; applied with butter and vine-leaves,
it reduces swellings of the testes; used with water, as a lini-
ment, it cures chaps of the rectum; and employed with salt,
nitre, and wax, it is good for sprains. The seed and leaves
are used as ingredients also in emollient plasters for diseases
of the sinews, and for gout; and a decoction of the seed in oil is
employed as a fomentation for the head in cases of phrenitis
and lethargy. Persons
172 who carry a sprig of this plant in the
hand, or stuck in the girdle, will be proof, it is said, against
chafing between the thighs.
CHAP. 39.—THE ERICA; ONE REMEDY.
The Greeks give the name of "erice,"
173 to a shrub that is but
little different from the myrice.
174 It has the colour, and very
nearly the leaf, of rosemary. It neutralizes
175 the venom of
serpents, it is said.
CHAP. 40.—THE BROOM; FIVE REMEDIES.
The broom is used for making withes;
176 the flowers of it
are greatly sought by bees. I have my doubts whether this
is not the same plant that the Greek writers have called
"sparton," and of which, in those parts of the world, as I have
already
177 stated, they are in the habit of making fishing-nets.
I doubt also whether Homer
178 has alluded to this plant, when
he speaks of the seams of the ships,—"the sparta" coming
asunder; for it is certain that in those times the spartum
179 of
Spain or Africa was not as yet in use, and that vessels made
of materials sown together, were united by the agency, not of
spartum, but of flax.
The seed of the plant to which the Greeks now give the
name of "sparton," grows in pods like those of the kidneybean. It is as strongly drastic
180 as hellebore, and is usually
taken fasting, in doses of one drachma and a half, in four
cyathi of hydromel. The branches also, with the foliage, are
macerated for several days in vinegar, and are then beaten up,
the infusion being recommended for sciatica, in doses of one
cyathus. Some persons think it a better plan, however, to
make an infusion of them in sea-water, and to inject it as a
clyster. The juice of them is used also as a friction for sciatica,
with the addition of oil. Some medical men, too, make use
of the seed for strangury. Broom, bruised with axle-grease, is
a cure for diseases of the knees.
CHAP. 41.—THE MYRICA, OTHERWISE CALLED TAMARICA, OR
TAMARIX: THREE REMEDIES.
Lenæus says, that the myrice,
181 otherwise known as the
"crica," is a similar plant to that of which brooms are made at
Aneria.
182 He states also that, boiled in wine and then beaten
up and applied with honey, it heals carcinomatous sores. I
would here remark, parenthetically, that some persons identify
it with the tamarice. Be this as it may, it is particularly
useful for affections of the spleen, the juice of it being extracted for the purpose, and taken in wine; indeed so marvellous,
they say, is its antipathy to this part of the viscera, and this
only, that if swine drink from troughs made of this wood,
183
they will be found to lose the spleen. Hence it is that
in maladies of the spleen victuals and drink are given to the
patient in vessels made of this wood.
A medical author too, of high repute,
184 has asserted that a
sprig broken from off this tree, without being allowed to touch
the earth or iron, will allay pains in the bowels, if applied to
the body, and kept close to it by the clothes and girdle. The
common people, as already
185 stated, look upon this tree as illomened, because it bears no fruit, and is never propagated
from seed.
CHAP. 42.—THE BBYA: TWENTY-NINE REMEDIES.
At Corinth, and in the vicinity of that city, the Greeks give
the name of "brya"
186 to a plant of which there are two
varieties; the wild brya,
187 which is altogether barren, and the
cultivated one.
188 This last, when found in Syria and Egypt,
produces a ligneous fruit, somewhat larger than a gall-nut, in
great abundance, and of an acrid flavour; medical men employ
it as a substitute for galls in the compositions known as
"antheræ."
189 The wood also, with the blossoms, leaves, and
bark of the tree, is used for similar purposes, but their properties are not so strongly developed. The bark is pounded
also, and given for
190 discharges of blood from the mouth, irregularities of the catamenia, and cœliac affections: beaten up
and applied to the part affected, it checks the increase of all
kinds of abscesses.
The juice too is extracted from the leaves for similar purposes, and a decoction is made of them in wine; they are applied also to gangrenes, in combination with honey. A decoction of them taken in wine, or the leaves themselves applied with oil of roses and wax, has a sedative effect: it is in
this form that. they are used for the cure of epinyctis. This
decoction is useful also for tooth-ache or ear-ache, and the root
is employed for similar purposes. The leaves too have this
additional use—they are applied with polenta to serpiginous
sores. The seed, in doses of one drachma, is administered in
drink for injuries inflicted by spiders or the phalangium; and
mixed with the grease of poultry, it is applied to boils. It is
very efficacious also for stings inflicted by all kinds of serpents, the asp excepted. The decoction, used as a fomentation,
is curative of jaundice, phthiriasis, and lice; it also arrests
the catamenia when in excess. The ashes of the tree are
employed for all these purposes; there is a story told, too,
that, mixed with the urine of an ox, and taken in the food or
drink, they will act most effectually as an antaphrodisiac.
The charcoal too of this wood is quenched in urine of a similar
nature, and kept in a shady spot. When it is the intention of
the party to rekindle the flames
191 of desire, it is set on fire
again. The magicians say,
192 that the urine of an eunuch will
have a similar effect.
CHAP. 43.—THE BLOOD-RED SHRUB: ONE REMEDY.
Nor is the blood-red
193 shrub looked upon as a less ill-
omened
194 plant than the last. The inner bark of it is used to
re-open ulcers which have healed too rapidly.
CHAP. 44.—THE SILER: THREE REMEDIES.
The leaves of the siler,
195 applied to the forehead, allay
head-ache; and the seed of it, beaten up with oil, is curative
of phthiriasis. Serpents also are greatly in dread of this tree,
and it is for this reason that the country-people are in the
habit of carrying a walking-stick made of it.
CHAP. 45.—THE PRIVATE: EIGHT REMEDIES.
The ligustrum, or privet, if it is the same tree as the cyprus
196
of the East, has also its own medicinal uses in Europe. The
juice of it is used for affections of the sinews and joints, and
for sudden chills; and the leaves are universally employed,
with a sprinkling of salt, for the cure of inveterate sores and
of ulcerations of the mouth. The berries are curative of
phthiriasis and chatings between the thighs, for which last
purpose the leaves also are employed. The berries are made
use of for the cure of pip in poultry.
197
CHAP. 46.—THE ALDER: ONE KEMEDY.
The leaves of the alder, steeped in boiling water, are an
undoubted remedy for tumours.
CHAP. 47.—THE SEVERAL VARIETIES OF THE IVY: THIRTY-NINE
REMEDIES
We have already
198 enumerated some twenty varieties of the
ivy. The medicinal properties of them all are of a doubtful
nature; taken in considerable quantities they disturb the
mental faculties and purge the brain. Taken internally they
are injurious to the sinews,
199 but applied topically they are
beneficial to those parts of the body. Ivy possesses properties
similar
200 to those of vinegar. All the varieties of the ivy are
of a refrigerative nature, and taken in drink they are diuretic.
The softer leaves, applied to the head, allay head-ache, acting
more particularly upon the brain and the membrane which
envelopes that organ. For this purpose the leaves are bruised
with vinegar and oil of roses and then boiled, after which some
more rose-oil is added. The leaves too are applied to the fore-
head, and the mouth is fomented with a decoction of them, with
which the head is rubbed as well. They are useful also for
the spleen, the leaves being applied topically, or an infusion
of them taken in drink. A decoction of them is used for
cold shiverings in fevers, and for pituitous eruptions; or else
they are beaten up in wine for the purpose. The umbels too,
taken in drink or applied externally, are good for affections of
the spleen, and an application of them is useful for the liver;
employed as a pessary, they act as an emmenagogue.
The juice of the ivy, the white cultivated kind more particularly, cures diseases of the nostrils and removes habitually
offensive smells. Injected into the nostrils it purges the head,
and with the addition of nitre it is still more efficacious for that
purpose. In combination with oil, the juice is injected for
suppurations or pains in the ears. It is a corrective also of the
deformities of scars. The juice of white ivy, heated with the
aid of iron, is still more efficacious for affections of the spleen;
it will be found sufficient, however, to take six of the berries in
two cyathi of wine. Three berries of the white ivy, taken in
oxymel, expel tape-worm, and in the treatment of such cases
it is a good plan to apply them to the abdomen as well.
Erasistratus prescribes twenty of the golden-coloured berries of
the ivy which we have-mentioned as the "chrysocarpos,"
201 to be
beaten up in one sextarius of wine, and he says that if three
cyathi of this preparation are taken for dropsy, it will carry off
by urine the water that has been secreted beneath the skin.
For cases of tooth-ache he recommends five berries of the
chrysocarpos to be beaten up in oil of roses, and warmed in a
pomegranate-rind, and then injected into the ear opposite the
side affected. The berries which yield a juice of a saffron
colour, taken beforehand in drink, are a preservative against
crapulence; they are curative also of spitting of blood and of
griping pains in the bowels. The whiter umbels of the black
ivy, taken in drink, are productive of sterility, in males even.
A decoction in wine of any kind of ivy is useful as a liniment
for all sorts of ulcers, those even of the malignant kind known
as "cacoethes." The tears
202 which distil from the ivy are used
as a depilatory, and for the cure of phthiriasis. The blossoms
too, of all the varieties, taken twice a day in astringent wine,
a pinch in three fingers at a time, are curative of dysentery
and looseness of the bowels: they are very useful also, applied
to burns with wax. The umbels stain the hair black. The
juice extracted from the root is taken in vinegar for the cure
of wounds inflicted by the phalangium. I find it stated too,
that patients suffering from affections of the spleen are cured
by drinking from vessels made of the wood of the ivy. The
berries are bruised also, and then burnt, and a liniment is
prepared from them for burns, the parts being fomented with
warm water first.
Incisions are sometimes made in the ivy to obtain the juice,
which is used for carious teeth, it having the effect of breaking
them, it is said; the adjoining teeth being fortified with wax
against the powerful action of the juice. A kind of gum even
is said to be found in the ivy, which, it is asserted, is extremely
useful, mixed with vinegar, for the teeth.
CHAP. 48.—THE CISTHOS: FIVE REMEDIES.
The Greeks give the name of "cisthos"—a word very
similar to "cissos," the Greek name of the ivy—to a plant
which is somewhat larger than thyme, and has a leaf like that
of ocimum. There are two varieties of this plant; the male,
203
which has a rose-coloured blossom, and the female,
204 with a
white one. The blossom of either kind, taken in astringent
wine, a pinch in three fingers at a time, is good for dysentery
and looseness of the bowels. Taken in a similar manner
twice a day, it is curative of inveterate ulcers: used with
wax, it heals burns, and employed by itself it cures ulcer.
ations of the mouth. It is beneath these plants more particularly that the hypocisthis grows, of which we shall have
occasion
205 to speak when treating of the herbs.
CHAP. 49.—THE CISSOS ERYTIRANOS: TWO REMEDIES. THE
CHAMÆCISSOS: TWO REMIEDIES. THE SMILAX: THREE RE-
MEDIES. THE CLEMATIS: EIGHTEEN REMEDIES.
The plant called "cissos erythranos"
206 by the Greeks, is
similar to the ivy: taken in wine, it is good for sciatica and
lumbago. The berries, it is said, are of so powerful a nature
as to produce bloody urine. "Chamæcissos"
207 also is a name
given by them to a creeping ivy which never rises from the
surface of the ground: bruised in wine, in doses of one acetabulum, it is curative of affections of the spleen, the leaves
of it being applied topically with axle-grease to burns.
The smilax
208 also, otherwise known as the "anthophoros,"
209
has a strong resemblance to ivy, but the leaves of it are smaller.
A chaplet, they say, made of an uneven number of the leaves,
is an effectual cure for head-ache. Some writers mention two
kinds of smilax, one of which is all but perennial, and is found
climbing the trees in umbrageous valleys, the berries hanging
in clusters. These berries, they say, are remarkably efficacious
for all kinds of poisons; so much so indeed, that infants to
whom the juice of them has been habitually administered, are
rendered proof against all poisons for the rest of their life.
The other kind. it is said, manifests a predilection for cultivated
localities, and is often found growing there; but as for medicinal
properties, it has none. The former kind, they say, is the
smilax, the wood of which we have mentioned
210 as emitting a
sound, if held close to the ear.
Another plant, similar to this, they call by the name of
"clematis:"
211 it is found adhering to trees, and has a jointed
stem. The leaves of it cleanse leprous
212 sores, and the seed
acts as an aperient, taken in doses of one acetabulum, in one
hemina of water, or in hydromel. A decoction of it is prescribed also for a similar purpose.
CHAP. 50. (11.)—THE REED: NINETEEN REMEDIES.
We have already
213 treated of twenty-nine varieties of the
reed, and there is none of her productions in which that
mighty power of Nature,
214 which in our successive Books we
have described, is more fully displayed than in this. The
root of the reed, pounded and applied to the part affected,
extracts the prickles of fern from the body, the root of the
fern having a similar effect upon splinters of the reed. Among
the numerous varieties which we have described, the scented
reed
215 which is grown in Judæa and Syria as an ingredient in
our unguents, boiled with hay-grass or parsley-seed, has a
diuretic effect: employed as a pessary, it acts as an emmenagogue. Taken in drink, in doses of two oboli, it is curative
of convulsions, diseases of the liver and kidneys, and dropsy.
Used as a fumigation, and with resin more particularly, it is
good for coughs, and a decoction of it with myrrh is useful for
scaly eruptions and running ulcers. A juice, too, is collected
from it which has similar properties to those of elaterium.
216
In every kind of reed the part that is the most efficacious is
that which lies nearest the root; the joints also are efficacious
in a high degree. The ashes of the Cyprian reed known as
the "donax,"
217 are curative of alopecy and putrid ulcers.
The leaves of it are also used for the extraction
218 of pointed
bodies from the flesh, and for erysipelas and all kinds of
gatherings. The common reed, beaten up quite fresh, has
also considerable extractive powers, and not in the root only,
for the stem, it is said, has a similar property. The root is
used also in vinegar as a topical application for sprains and
for pains in the spine; and beaten up fresh and taken in wine it
acts as an aphrodisiac. The down that grows on reeds, put
into the ears, deadens the hearing.
219
CHAP. 51.—THE PAPYRUS AND THE PAPER MADE FROM IT:
THREE REMEDIES.
Of a kindred nature with the reed is the papyrus
220 of
Egypt; a plant that is remarkably useful, in a dried state, for
dilating and drying up fistulas, and, by its expansive powers,
opening an entrance for the necessary medicaments. The
ashes
221 of paper prepared from the papyrus are reckoned among
the caustics: those of the plant, taken in wine, have a
narcotic effect. The plant, applied topically in water, removes
callosities of the skin.
CHAP. 52.—THE EBONY: FIVE REMEDIES.
The ebony-tree
222 does not grow in Egypt even, as we have
already stated, and it is not our intention to speak here of the
medicinal properties of the vegetable productions of foreign climates. Still, however, the ebony must not be omitted, on
account of the marvels related of it. The saw-dust of this
wood, it is said, is a sovereign remedy for diseases of the eyes,
and the pulp of the wood, rubbed upon a whetstone moistened
with raisin wine, dispels all films which impede the sight.
The root too, they say, applied with water, is curative of
white specks in the eyes, and, with the addition of root of
dracunculus,
223 in equal proportions, and of honey, of cough.
Medical men reckon ebony also in the number of the caustics.
224
CHAP. 53—THE RHODODENDRON: ONE REMEDY.
The rhododendron
225 has not so much as found a Latin name
among us, its other names being "rhododaphne"
226 and
"nerium." It is a marvellous fact, but the leaves
227 of this
plant are poisonous to quadrupeds; while for man, if taken in
wine with rue, they are an effectual preservative against the
venom of serpents. Sheep too, and goats, it is said, if they
drink water in which the leaves have been steeped, will die
immediately.
CHAP. 54.—THE RHUS OR SUMACH-TREE; TWO VARIETIES OF IT:
EIGHT REMEDIES. STOMATICE.
Nor vet has the tree called "rhus"
228 any Latin name, although it is employed in numerous ways. Under this name
are comprehended a wild plant,
229 with leaves like those of
myrtle, and a short stem, which is good as an expellent of
tapeworm; and the shrub
230 which is known as the "currier's
plant," of a reddish colour, a cubit in height, and about the
thickness of one's finger, the leaves of which are dried and
used, like pomegranate rind, for curing leather.
Medical men also employ the leaves of these plants for the
treatment of contusions, and for the cure of cœliac affections,
and of ulcers of the rectum and phagedænic sores; for all which
purposes they are pounded with honey and applied with
vinegar. A decoction of them is injected for suppurations of
the ears. With the branches, boiled, a stomatice
231 is also made,
which is used for the same purposes as that prepared from
mulberries;
232 it is more efficacious, however, mixed with alum.
This preparation is applied also to reduce the swelling in dropsy.
CHAP. 55.—RHUS ERYTHROS: NINE REMEDIES.
Rhus
233 erythros is the name given to the seed of this shrub.
It possesses properties of an astringent and cooling nature, and
is used as a seasoning
234 for provisions, in place of salt. It has
a laxative effect, and, used in conjunction with silphium, it
gives a finer flavour to meat of all kinds. Mixed with honey,
it is curative of running ulcers, pimples on the tongue,
235 contusions, bruises, and excoriations. It causes ulcers of the
head to cicatrize with the greatest rapidity; and taken with
the food, it arrests excessive menstruation.
CHAP. 56.—THE ERYTHIRODANXU: ELEVEN REMEDIES.
The erythrodanus,
236 by some called "ereuthodanus," and
in Latin, "rubia," is quite a different plant. It is used for
dyeing wool, and skins for leather are prepared with it. Used
medicinally, it is a diuretic, and, employed with hydronel, it
is turative of jaundice.
237 Employed topically with vinegar,
it leals lichens; and a potion is prepared from it for sciatica
and paralysis, the patient while using it taking a bath daily.
The root of it and the seed are effectual as an emmenagogue
the act astringently upon the bowels, and disperse gatherings.
The branches, together with the leaves, are applied to wounds
inflicted by serpents; the leaves too have the property of
staining the hair.
238 I find it stated by some writers that this
shrub is curative of jaundice, even if worn as an amulet only,
and looked at every now and then.
CHAP. 57.—THE ALYSSON: TWO REMEDIES.
The plant known as the "Alyson"
239 differs only from the
preceding one in the leaves and branches, which are more diminitive. It receives its name from the fact, that, taken in
vinetar and worn as an amulet, it prevents persons bitten by
dogs rom becoming rabid. It is a marvellous fact too, that is
added to the effect that the person bitten has only to look
at thi shrub, and the flow of corrupt matter from the wound
will b staunched immediately.
CHAP. 58.—THE RADICULT OR STRUTHION: THIRTEEN REMEDIES.
THE APOCYNUMI: TWO OBSERVATIONS UPON IT.
The adicula, which we have already
240 mentioned as being
called "struthion" by the Greeks, is used by dyers for preparing Wool. A decoction of it, taken internally, is curative
of jaunoce and diseases of the chest. It is diuretic also, and
laxative and acts as a detergent upon the uterus, for which
reasons medical men have given it the name of the "golden
beverage."
241 Taken with honey, it is a sovereign remedy for
cough; and it is used for hardness of breathing, in doses of a
spoonful. Applied with polenta and vinegar to the pats
affected, it removes leprous sores. Used with panax and not
of the caper-plant, it breaks and expels calculi, and a decoction
of it in wine with barley-meal disperses inflamed tumours. It
is used as an ingredient in emollient plasters and eye-sakes
for the sight, and is found to be one of the most useful stenutories known; it is good too for the liver and the spleen. Taken
in hydrormel, in doses of one denarius, it effects the cure of
asthma, as also of pleurisy and all pains in the sides.
The apocynum
242 is a shrub with leaves like those of ivy, hit
softer, and not so long in the stalk, and the seed of it is
pointed and downy, with a division running down it, and a
very powerful smell. Given in their food with water, the eed
is poisonous
243 to dogs and all other quadrupeds.
CHAP. 59.—ROSEMARY: EIGHTEEN REMEDIES.
There are two kinds of rosemary; one of which is baren,
and the other has a stem with a resinous seed, known as
"cachrys." The leaves have the odour of frankincase.
244
The root, applied fresh, effects the cure of wounds, proapsus
of the rectum, condylomata, and piles. The juice f the
plant, as well as of the root, is curative of jaundice, and such
diseases as require detergents; it is useful also for the sight.
The seed is given in drink for inveterate diseases of the chest,
and, with wine and pepper, for affections of the uteus; it
acts also as an emmenagogue, and is used with meal o darnel
as a liniment for gout. It acts also as a deterget upon
freckles, and is used as an application in diseases which
require calorifics or sudorifics, and for convulsions. The plant
itself, or else the root, taken in wine, increases the milk, and
the leaves and stem of the plant are applied with vinegar
to scrofulous sores; used with honey, they are very useful for
cough.
CHAP. 60.—THE SEED CALLED CACHRYS.
As already
245 stated, there are several kinds of cachrys;
246
but that which is produced by rosemary above-mentioned,
when rubbed, is found to be of a resinous nature. It neutralizes poisons and the venom of animals, that of serpents
excepted. It acts also as a sudorific, dispels griping pains in
the bowels, and increases the milk in nursing women.
CHAP. 61.—THE HERB SAVIN: SEVEN REMEDIES.
Of the herb savin, known as "brathy" by the Greeks,
247 there
are two varieties, one of them
248 with a leaf like that of the
tamarix, the other
249 with that of the cypress; for which reason
some persons have called this last the Cretan cypress. It is
used by many for fumigations, as a substitute for frankin-
cense;
250 employed in medicine, it is said to have the same effect
as cinnamon, if taken in doses twice as large. It reduces
gatherings, disperses corrosive sores, acts as a detergent upon
ulcers, and, used as a pessary and as a fumigation, brings away
the dead fœtus.
251 It is employed as a topical application for
erysipelas and carbuncles, and, taken with honey in wine, is
curative of jaundice.
The smoke of this plant, they say, cures the pip in all kinds
of poultry.
252
CHAP. 62.—SELAGO: TWO REMEDIES.
Similar to savin is the herb known as "selago."
253 Care is
taken to gather it without the use of iron, the right hand
being passed for the purpose through the left sleeve of the
tunic, as though the gatherer were in the act of committing a
theft.
254 The clothing too must be white, the Feet bare and
washed clean, and a sacrifice of bread and wine must be made
before gathering it: it is carried also in a new napkin. The
Druids of Gaul have pretended that this plant should be
carried about the person as a preservative against accidents of
all kinds, and that the smoke of it is extremely good for all
maladies of the eyes.
CHAP. 63.—SAMOLUS: TWO REMEDIES.
The Druids, also, have given the name of "samolus"
255 to a
certain plant which grows in humid localities. This too, they
say, must be gathered fasting with the left hand, as a preservative against the maladies to which swine and cattle are
subject. The person, too, who gathers it must be careful not
to look behind him, nor must it be laid anywhere but in the
troughs from which the cattle drink.
CHAP. 64.—GUM: ELEVEN REMEDIES.
We have already
256 spoken of the different kinds of gum;
the better sort of each kind will be found the most effective.
Gum is bad for the teeth; it tends to make the blood coagulate, and is consequently good for discharges
257 of blood from
the mouth. It is useful for burns,
258 but is bad for diseases of
the trachea. It exercises a diuretic effect, and tends to
neutralize all acridities, being astringent in other respects.
The gum of the bitter-almond tree, which has the most
259
astringent properties of them all, is calorific also in its effects.
Still, however, the gum of the plum, cherry, and vine is
greatly preferred: all which kinds, applied topically, are productive of astringent and desiccative effects, and, used with
vinegar, heal lichens upon infants. Taken in must, in doses
of four oboli, they are good for inveterate coughs.
It is generally thought that gum, taken in raisin wine,
improves the complexion,
260 sharpens the appetite, and is
good for calculi
261 in the bladder. It is particularly useful too
for wounds and affections of the eyes.
CHAP. 65. (12.)—THE EGYPTIAN OR ARABIAN THORN: FOUR
REMEDIES.
When speaking
262 of the perfumes, we have descanted upon
the merits of the Egyptian or Arabian thorn. This, too, is of
an astringent nature, and acts as a desiccative upon fluxes of
all kinds, discharges of blood from the mouth, and excessive
menstruation; for all which purposes the root is still more
efficacious.
CHAP. 66.—THE WHITE THORN: TWO REMEDIES. THE ACANTHION;
ONE REMEDY.
The seed of the white thorn is useful as a remedy for the
stings of scorpions, and a chaplet made of it, is good for headache. Similar to this plant is that known to the Greeks as
the "acanthion;"
263 though it is much smaller in the leaf, which
is pointed at the extremity, and covered with a down like a
cobweb in appearance. This downy substance is gathered in
the East, and certain textures are made of it similar to those
of silk. An infusion of the leaves or root of this plant is taken
for the cure of opisthotony.
CHAP. 67.—GUM ACACIA: EIGHTEEN REMEDIES.
Gum acacia is produced also from the white and black
264
thorns of Egypt, and from a green thorn as well; the produce, however, of the former trees is by far the best. There is
also a similar gum found in Galatia, but of very inferior
quality, the produce of a more thorny tree
265 than those last
mentioned. The seed of all these trees resembles
266 the lentil
in appearance, only that it is smaller, as well as the pod which
contains it: it is gathered in autumn, before which period it
would be too powerful in its effects. The juice is left to
thicken in the pods, which are steeped in rain-water for the
purpose, and then pounded in a mortar; after which, the
juice is extracted by means of presses. It is then dried in the
mortars in the sun, and when dry is divided into tablets. A
similar juice is extracted from the leaves, but it is by no
means
267 so useful as the other. The seed is used also, as a
substitute for nut-galls in curing leather.
268
The juice extracted from the leaves, as also the extremely
black juice of the Galatian
269 acacia, is held in no esteem. The
same too with that of a deep red colour. The gum which is
of a purple, or of an ashy, grey colour, and which dissolves
with the greatest rapidity, possesses the most astringent and
cooling qualities of them all, and is more particularly useful as
an ingredient in compositions for the eyes. When required
for these purposes, the tablets are steeped in water by some,
while some again scorch them, and others reduce them to
ashes. They are useful for dyeing the hair, and for the cure of
erysipelas, serpiginous sores, ulcerations of the humid parts of
the body, gatherings, contusions of the joints, chilblains, and
hangnails. They are good also for cases of excessive menstruation, procidence of the uterus and rectum, affections of the
eyes, and ulcerations of the generative organs
270 and mouth.
CHAP. 68. (13.)—ASPALATHOS: ONE REMEDY.
The common
271 thorn too, with which the fulling coppers are
filled, is employed for the same purposes as the radicula.
272 In
the provinces of Spain it is commonly employed as an ingredient in perfumes and unguents, under the name of "aspalathos." There is no doubt, however, that there is also a wild
thorn of the same name in the East, as already mentioned,
273 of
a white colour, and the size of an ordinary tree.
CHAP. 69.—THE ERYSISCEPTRUM, ADIPSATHEON, OR DIAXYLON:
EIGHT REMEDIES.
There is also found in the islands of Nisyros and of Rhodes,
a shrub of smaller size, but fill as thorny, known by some as
the erysisceptrum,
274 by others as the adipsatheon, and by the
Syrians as the diaxylon. The best kind is that which is the
least
275 ferulaceous in the stem, and which is of a red colour, or
inclining to purple, when the bark is removed. It is found
growing in many places, but is not everywhere odoriferous.
We have already
276 stated how remarkably sweet the odour of
it is, when the rainbow has been extended over it.
This plant cures fetid ulcers of the mouth, polypus
277 of the
nose, ulcerations or carbuncles of the generative organs, and
chaps; taken in drink it acts as a carminative, and is curative
of strangury. The bark is good for patients troubled with
discharges of blood, and a decoction of it acts astringently on
the bowels. It is generally thought that the wild plant is
productive of the same effects.
CHAP. 70.—THE THORN CALLED APPENDIX: TWO REMEDIES.
THE PYRACANTHA: ONE REMEDY.
There is a thorn also known as the appendix;
278 that name
being given to the red berries which hang from its branches.
These berries eaten by themselves, raw, or else dried and
boiled in wine, arrest looseness of the bowels and dispel
griping pains in the stomach. The berries of the pyracantha
279
are taken in drink for wounds inflicted by serpents.
CHAP. 71.—THE PALIURUS: TEN REMEDIES.
The paliurus,
280 too, is a kind of thorn. The seed of it, known
by the people of Africa as "zura," is extremely efficacious for
the sting of the scorpion, as also for urinary calculi and cough.
The leaves are of an astringent nature, and the root disperses
inflamed tumours, gatherings, and abscesses; taken in drink
it is diuretic in its effects. A decoction of it in wine arrests
diarrhea, and neutralizes the venom of serpents: the root
more particularly is administered in wine.
CHAP. 72.—THE AGRIFOLIA. THE AQUIFOLIA: ONE REMEDY.
THE YEW: ONE PROPERTY BELONGING TO IT.
The agrifolia,
281 pounded, with the addition of salt, is good
for diseases of the joints, and the berries are used in cases of
excessive menstruation, cœliac affections, dysentery, and
cholera; taken in wine, they act astringently upon the bowels.
A decoction of the root, applied externally, extracts foreign
bodies from the flesh, and is remarkably useful for sprains and
tumours.
The tree called "aquifolia," planted
282 in a town or country-
house, is a preservative against sorceries and spells. The
blossom of it, according to Pythagoras, congeals
283 water, and a
staff
284 made of the wood, if, when thrown at any animal, from
want of strength in the party throwing it, it falls short of the
mark, will roll back again
285 towards the thrower, of its own
accord—so remarkable are the properties of this tree. The
smoke of the yew kills
286 rats and mice.
CHAP. 73.—THE BRAMBLE: FIFTY-ONE REMEDIES.
Nor yet has Nature destined the bramble
287 to be only an
annoyance to mankind, for she has bestowed upon it mulberries of its own,
288 or, in other words, a nutritive aliment even
for mankind. These berries are of a desiccative, astringent,
nature,
289 and are extremely useful for maladies of the gums,
tonsillary glands, and generative organs. They neutralize also
the venom of those most deadly of serpents, the hæmorrhoiss
290
and the prester;
291 and the flowers or fruit will heal wounds
inflicted by scorpions, without any danger of abscesses forming.
The shoots of the bramble have a diuretic effect: and the
more tender ones are pounded, and the juice extracted and then
dried in the sun till it has attained the consistency of honey,
being considered a most excellent remedy, taken in drink or
applied externally, for maladies of the mouth and eyes, discharges of blood from the mouth, quinzy, affections of the
uterus, diseases of the rectum, and celiac affections. The leaves,
chewed, are good for diseases of the mouth, and a topical ap-
plication is made of them for running ulcers and other maladies
of the head. In the cardiac disease they are similarly applied
to the left breast by themselves. They are applied topically
also for pains in the stomach and for procidence of the eyes.
The juice of them is used as an injection for the ears, and, in
combination with cerate of roses, it heals condylomata.
A decoction of the young shoots in wine is an instantaneous
remedy for diseases of the uvula; and eaten by themselves
like cymæ,
292 or boiled in astringent wine, they strengthen
loose teeth. They arrest fluxes of the bowels also, and discharges of blood, and are very useful for dysentery. Dried in
the shade and then burnt, the ashes of them are curative of
procidence of the uvula. The leaves too, dried and pounded,
are very useful, it is said, for ulcers upon beasts of burden. The
berries produced by this plant would seem to furnish a stomatice
293
superior even to that prepared from the cultivated mulberry.
Under this form, or else only with hypocisthis
294 and honey,
the berries are administered for cholera, the cardiac disease,
and wounds inflicted by spiders.
295
Among the medicaments known as "styptics,"
296 there is
none that is more efficacious than a decoction of the root of the
bramble in wine, boiled down to one third. Ulcerations of the
mouth and rectum are bathed with it, and fomentations of it
are used for a similar purpose; indeed, it is so remarkably
powerful in its effects, that the very sponges which are used
become as hard as a stone.
297
CHAP. 74.—HE CYNOSBATOS: THREE REMEDIES.
There is another kind of bramble also,
298 which bears a rose.
It produces a round excrescence,
299 similar to a chesnut in
appearance, which is remarkably valuable as a remedy for
calculus. This is quite a different production from the "cynorrhoda," which we shall have occasion to speak of in the
succeeding Book.
300
(14.) The cynosbatos
301 is by some called "cynapanxis,"
302
and by others "neurospastos;"
303 the leaf resembles the human
footstep in shape. It bears also a black grape, in the berries
of which there is a nerve, to which it is indebted for its name
of "neurospastos." It is quite a different plant from the capparis
304 or caper, to which medical men have also given the name
of "cynosbatos." The clusters
305 of it, pickled in vinegar, are
eaten as a remedy for diseases of the spleen, and flatulency:
and the string found in the berries, chewed with Chian mastich,
cleanses the mouth.
The rose
306 of the bramble, mixed with axle-grease, is curative
of alopecy: and the bramble-berries themselves, combined with
oil of omphacium,
307 stain
308 the hair. The blossom of the bramble is gathered at harvest, and the white blossom, taken in
wine, is an excellent remedy for pleurisy and cœliac affections.
The root, boiled down to one third, arrests looseness of the
bowels and hemorrhage, and a decoction of it, used as a gargle,
is good for the teeth: the juice too is employed as a fomentation for ulcers of the rectum and generative organs. The
ashes of the root are curative of relaxations of the uvula.
CHAP. 75.—THE IDÆAN BRAMBLE.
The Idæan bramble
309 is so called from the fact that it is the
only plant of the kind found growing upon Mount Ida. It is
of a more delicate nature than the others, and smaller; the
canes too are thinner, and not
310 so prickly: it mostly grows
beneath the shade of trees. The blossom of it, mixed with
honey, is applied topically for defluxions of the eyes, and is
administered in water for erysipelas and affections of the
stomach.
311 In other respects, it has properties similar to those
of the plants
312 already mentioned.
CHAP. 76.—THE RHAMNOS; TWO VARIETIES OF IT: FIVE REMEDIES.
Among the several kinds
313 of bramble is reckoned the plant
called "rhamnos" by the Greeks. One variety of it is whiter
314
than the other, and has a more shrublike appearance, throwing
out branches armed with straight thorns, and not hooked, like
those of the other kinds; the leaves too are larger. The other
kind,
315 which is found growing wild, is of a more swarthy hue,
in some measure inclining to red; it bears too a sort
316 of pod.
With the root of it boiled in water a medicament is made,
known as "lycium:"
317 the seed of it is useful for bringing
away the after-birth. The white kind, however, is of a more
astringent and cooling nature, and better adapted for the treatment of gatherings and wounds. The leaves of both kinds,
either raw or boiled, are employed topically with oil.
CHAP. 77.—LYCIIUM: EIGHTEEN REMEDIES.
The best lycium,
318 they say, is that prepared from the thorn
of that name, known also as the "Chironian pyxacanthus,"
319
and mentioned by us when speaking of the trees of India, the
lycium of those regions being generally looked upon as by
far the best. The branches and roots, which are intensely
bitter,
320 are first pounded and then boiled for three days in
a copper vessel, after which the woody parts are removed,
and the decoction is boiled again, till it has attained the
consistency of honey. It is adulterated with various bitter
extracts,
321 as also with amurca of olive oil and ox-gall. The
froth or flower
322 of this decoction is used as an ingredient in
compositions for the eyes: and the other part of it is employed
as a cosmetic for the face, and for the cure of itch-scabs,
corroding sores in the corners of the eyes, inveterate fluxes,
and suppurations of the ears. It is useful too for diseases of
the tonsillary glands and gums, for coughs, and for discharges
of blood from the mouth, being generally taken in pieces the
size of a bean. For the cure of discharges from wounds, it
is applied to the part affected; and it is similarly used for
chaps, ulcerations of the genitals, excoriations, ulcers, whether
putrid, serpiginous, or of recent date, hard excrescences
323 of
the nostrils, and suppurations. It is taken also by females,
in milk, for the purpose of arresting the catamenia when in
excess.
The Indian lycium is distinguished from the other kinds
by its colour, the lumps being black outside, and, when broken,
red within, though they turn black very quickly.
324 It is
bitter and remarkably astringent, and is employed for all the
purposes above mentioned, diseases of the generative organs in
particular.
CHAP. 78.—SARCOCOLLA: TWO REMEDIES.
Some authors are of opinion that sarcocolla
325 is a tearlike
gum which exudes from a kind of thorn;
326 it is similar to
powdered incense in appearance, has a sweet flavour with a
slight degree of bitter, and is of the consistency of gum.
Pounded in wine, it arrests defluxions, and is used as a topical
application for infants more particularly. This substance too
becomes black
327 when old; the whiter it is, the more highly
it is esteemed.
CHAP. 79.—OPORICE: TWO REMEDIES.
We are indebted too to the medicinal properties of trees
for one very celebrated medicament, known as "oporice."
328
This preparation is used for dysentery and various affections of
the stomach; the following being the method of preparing it.
Five quinces, seeds and all, with the same number of pomegranates, one sextarius of sorbs, a similar quantity of Syrian
rhus,
329 and half an ounce of saffron, are boiled in one congius
of white grape-juice at a slow heat, till the whole mixture is
reduced to the consistency of honey.
CHAP. 80.—THE TRIXAGO, CHAMÆDRYS, CHAMÆDROPS, OR
TECRIA: SIXTEEN REMEDIES,
We shall now add to these plants, certain vegetable productions to which the Greeks have given names belonging to trees,
so that it would be doubtful whether they themselves are not
trees as well.
(15.) The chamædrys
330 is the same plant that in Latin is
called "trixago;" some persons, however, call it "chamæ-
drops," and others "teucria." The leaves of it are the size
of those of mint, but in their colour and indentations they
resemble those of the oak. According to some, the leaves are
serrated, and it was these, they say, that first suggested the
idea of the saw:
331 the flower of it borders closely upon purple.
This plant is gathered in rough craggy localities, when it is
replete with juice; and, whether taken
332 internally or applied
topically, it is extremely efficacious for the stings of venomous
serpents, diseases of the stomach, inveterate coughs, collections
of phlegm in the throat, ruptures, convulsions, and pains
in the sides. It diminishes the volume of the spleen, and acts
as a diuretic and emmenagogue; for which reasons it is very
useful in incipient dropsy, the usual dose being a handful of
the sprigs boiled down to one third in three heminæ of water.
Lozenges too are made of it for the above-named purposes, by
bruising it in water. In combination with honey, it heals
abscesses and inveterate or sordid ulcers: a wine
333 too is prepared from it for diseases of the chest. The juice of the leaves,
mixed with oil, disperses films on the eyes; it is taken also, in
vinegar, for diseases of the spleen; employed as a friction, it is
of a warming nature.
CHAP. 81.—THE CHAMÆDAPHNE: FIVE REMEDIES.
The chamædaphne
334 consists of a single diminutive stem,
about a cubit in height, the limbs of it being smaller than
those of the laurel. These leaves * * * The seed, which is
of a red colour, and attached to the leaves, is applied fresh for
head-ache, is of a cooling nature for burning heats, and is
taken for griping pains in the bowels, with wine. The juice of
this plant, taken in wine, acts as an emmenagogue and diuretic;
and applied as a pessary in wool, it facilitates laborious deliveries.
CHAP. 82.—THE CHAMELÆA: SIX REMEDIES.
The leaves of the chamelæa
335 resemble those of the olive:
they are bitter, however, and odoriferous. This plant is found
growing in craggy localities, and never exceeds a palm in
height. It is of a purgative
336 nature, and carries off phlegm
and bile; for which purposes, the leaves are boiled with twice
the quantity of wormwood, and the decoction taken with
honey. The leaves, applied to ulcers, have a detergent effect.
It is said, that if a person gathers it before sunrise, taking care
to mention that he is gathering it for the cure of white specks
337
in the eyes, and then wears it as an amulet, it will effect a cure:
as also that, gathered in any way, it is beneficial for the eyes
of beasts of burden and cattle.
CHAP. 83.—THE CHAMÆSYCE: EIGHT REMEDIES.
The chamæsyce
338 has leaves similar to those of the lentil, and
lying close to the ground; it is found growing in dry, rocky,
localities. A decoction of it in wine is remarkably useful as a
liniment for improving
339 the sight, and for dispersing cataract,
cicatrizations, films, and cloudiness of the eyes. Applied in a
pledget of linen, as a pessary, it allays pains in the uterus;
and used topically
340 it removes warts and excrescences of all
kinds. It is very useful also for hardness of breathing.
CHAP. 84.—THE CHAMÆCISSOS: ONE REMEDY.
The chamæcissos
341 has ears like
342 those of wheat, with
numerous leaves, and small branches, about five in number.
When in blossom it might almost be taken for the white violet:
the root of it is diminutive. For sciatica, the leaves of it are
taken, seven days consecutively, in doses of three oboli, in two
cyathi of wine: this is a very bitter potion, however.
CHAP. 85.—THE CHAMÆLEUCE, FARFARUM, OR FARFUGIUM: ONE
REMEDY.
The chamæleuce
343 is known among us as the "farfarum" or
"farfugium:" it grows on the banks of rivers, and has a leaf
like that of the poplar, only larger. The root of it is burnt
upon cypress charcoal, and, by the aid of a funnel,
344 the smoke
inhaled, in cases of inveterate cough.
CHAP. 86.—THE CHAMÆPEUCE: FIVE REMEDIES. THE CHAM-
CYPARISSOS: TWO REMEDIES. TIHE AMPELOPRASON; SIX RE-
MEDIES. THE STACHYS: ONE REMEDY.
The chamæpeuce
345 has a leaf which resembles that of the
larch, and is useful more particularly for lumbago and pains in
the back. The chamæcyparissos
346 is a herb which, taken in
wine, counteracts the venom of serpents of all kinds, and of
scorpions.
The ampeloprason
347 is found growing in vineyards; it has
leaves like those of the leek, and produces offensive eructations. It is highly efficacious for the stings of serpents, and
acts as an emmenagogue and diuretic. Taken in drink or
applied externally, it arrests discharges of blood from the generative organs. It is prescribed also for females after delivery,
and is used for bites inflicted by dogs.
The plant known as "stachys" bears a strong resemblance
also to a leek,
348 but the leaves of it are longer and more numerous. It has an agreeable smell, and in colour inclines to
yellow. It promotes menstruation.
CHAP. 87.—THE CLINOPODION, CLEONICION, ZOPYRON, OR
OCIMOÏDES: THREE REMEDIES.
The clinopodion,
349 cleonicion, zopyron, or ocimoïdes, resem-
bles wild thyme in appearance. The stem of it is tough and
ligneous, and it is a palm in height. It grows in stony soils,
and the leaves are trained regularly around the stem,
350 which
resembles a bed-post in appearance. This plant is taken in
drink, for convulsions, ruptures, strangury, and wounds inflicted
by serpents: a decoction is also made of it, and the juice is
similarly employed.
CHAP. 88.—THE CLEMATIS CENTUNCULUS; THREE REMEDIES.
We shall now have to annex some plants, of a marvellous
nature no doubt, but not so well known, reserving those of a
higher reputation for the succeeding Books.
Our people give the name of "centunculus,"
351 to a creeping plant that grows in the fields, the leaves of which bear a
strong resemblance to the hoods attached to our cloaks. By
the Greeks it is known as the "clematis," Taken in astringent wine it is wonderfully effectual for arresting
352 diarrhœa:
beaten up, in doses of one denarius, in five cyathi of oxymel
or of warm water, it arrests hæmorrhage, and facilitates the
after-birth.
CHAP. 89.—THE CLEMATIS ECHITES, OR LAIINE.
The Greeks have other varieties also of the clematis, one of
which is known as "echites"
353 or "lagine," and by some as
the "little scammony." Its stems are about two Feet in height,
and covered with leaves: in general appearance it is not
unlike scammony, were it not that the leaves are darker and
more diminutive; it is found growing invineyards and cultivated
soils. It is eaten as a vegetable, with oil and salt, and acts as
a laxative upon the bowels. It is taken
354 also for dysentery,
with linseed, in astringent wine. The leaves of this plant are
applied with polenta for defluxions of the eyes, the part
affected being first covered with a pledget of wet linen. Applied
to scrofulous sores, they cause them to suppurate, and if some
axle-grease is then applied, a perfect cure will be effected.
They are applied also to piles, with green oil, and are good
for phthisis, in combination with honey. Taken with the
food, they increase the milk in nursing women, and, rubbed
upon the heads of infants, they promote the rapid growth of
the hair. Eaten with vinegar, they act as an aphrodisiac.
CHAP. 90.—THE EGYPTIAN CLEMATIS, DAPHNODES, OR POLY-
GONOÏDES: TWO REMEDIES.
There is another kind also, known as the "Egyptian"
355
clematis, otherwise as "daphnoïdes"
356 or "polygonïdes:" it has
a leaf like that of the laurel, and is long and slender. Taken
in vinegar, it is very useful for the stings of serpents, that of
the asp in particular.
CHAP. 91. (16.)—DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON THE DRACONTIUM.
It is Egypt more particularly that produces the clematis
known as the "aron," of which we have already
357 made some
mention when speaking of the bulbs. Respecting this plant
and the dracontium, there have been considerable differences
of opinion. Some writers, indeed, have maintained that they
are identical, and Glaucias has made the only distinction
between them in reference to the place of their growth,
assuming that the dracontium is nothing else than the aron in
a wild state. Some persons, again, have called the root "aron,"
and the stem of the plant "dracontium:" but if the dracontium is the same as the one known to us as the "dracunculus,"
358 it is a different plant altogether; for while the aron has
a broad, black, rounded root, and considerably larger,—large
enough, indeed, to fill the hand,—the dracunculus has a
reddish root of a serpentine form, to which, in fact, it owes its
name.
359
CHAP. 92.—THE AON: THIRTEEN REMEDIES.
The Greeks themselves, in fact, have established an immense difference between these two plants, in attributing to
the seed of the dracunculus certain hot, pungent properties,
and a fetid odour
360 so remarkably powerful as to be productive
of abortion,
361 while upon the aron, on the other hand, they
have bestowed marvellous encomiums. As an article of food,
however, they give the preference to the female plant, the
male plant being of a harder nature, and more difficult to cook.
It carries off,
362 they say, all vicious humours from the chest,
and powdered and taken in the form either of a potion or of
an electuary, it acts as a diuretic and emmenagogue. Powdered
and taken in oxymel, it is good for the stomach; and we find
it stated that it is administered in ewe's milk for ulcerations
of the intestines, and is sometimes cooked on hot ashes and
given in oil for a cough. Some persons, again, are in the habit
of boiling it in milk and administering the decoction; and it
has been used also in a boiled state as a topical application for
defluxions of the eyes, contusions, and affections of the tonsillary glands. * * *
363 prescribes it with oil, as an
injection for piles, and recommends it as a liniment, with
honey, for freckles.
Cleophantus has greatly extolled this plant as an antidote for
poisons, and for the treatment of pleurisy and peripneumony,
prepared the same way as for coughs. The seed too, pounded
with olive oil or oil of roses, is used as an injection for pains
in the ears. Dieuches prescribes it, mixed in bread
364 with meal,
for the cure of coughs, asthma, hardness of breathing, and
purulent expectorations. Diodotus recommends it, in combination with honey, as an electuary for phthisis and diseases of
the lungs, and as a topical application even for fractured bones.
Applied to the sexual parts, it facilitates delivery in all kinds
of animals; and the juice extracted from the root, in combination with Attic honey, disperses films upon the eyes, and
diseases of the stomach. A decoction of it with honey is
curative of cough; and the juice is a marvellous remedy for
ulcers of every description, whether phagedænic, carcinomatous,
or serpiginous, and for polypus of the nostrils. The leaves,
boiled in wine and oil, are good for burns, and, taken with
salt and vinegar, are strongly purgative; boiled with honey,
they are useful also for sprains, and used either fresh or
dried, with salt, for gout in the joints.
Hippocrates has prescribed the leaves, either fresh or
dried, with honey, as a topical application for abscesses. Two
drachmæ of the seed or root, in two cyathi of wine, are a
sufficient dose to act as an emmenagogue, and a similar quantity will have the effect of bringing away the after-birth, in
cases where it is retarded.
365 Hippocrates used to apply the root
also, for the purpose. . They say too, that in times of pestilence
the employment of aron as an article of food is very beneficial.
It dispels the fumes of wine; and the smoke of it burnt drives
away serpents,
366 the asp in particular, or else stupefies them to
such a degree as to reduce them to a state of torpor. These
reptiles also will fly at the approach of persons whose bodies
have been rubbed with a preparation of aron with oil of
laurel: hence it is generally thought a good plan to administer
it in red wine to persons who have been stung by serpents.
Cheese, it is said, keeps remarkably well, wrapped in leaves
of this plant.
CHAP. 93.—THE DRACUNCLUS; TWO REMEDIES.
The plant which I have spoken of
367 as the dracunculus, is
taken out of the ground just when the barley is ripening, and
at the moon's increase. It is quite sufficient to have this
plant about one, to be safe from all serpents; and it is said,
that an infusion of the larger kind taken in drink, is very useful
for persons who have been stung by those reptiles: it is stated
also that it arrests the catamenia when in excess, due care being
taken not to let iron touch it. The juice of it too is very useful for pains in the ears.
As to the plant known to the Greeks by the name of "dracontion," I have
368 had it pointed out to me under three dif-
ferent forms; the first
369 having the leaves of the beet, with a
certain proportion of stem, and a purple flower, and bearing
a strong resemblance to the aron. Other persons, again, have
described it as a plant
370 with a long root, embossed to all appearance and full of knots, and consisting of three stems in all;
the same parties have recommended a decoction of the leaves
in vinegar, as curative of stings inflicted by serpents. The
third
371 plant that has been pointed out to me has a leaf larger
than that of the cornel, and a root resembling that of the reed.
This root, I have been assured, has as many knots on it as the
plant is years old, the leaves, too, being as many in number.
The plant is recommended also for the stings of serpents,
administered either in wine or in water.
CHAP. 94.—THE ARISAXOS: THREE REMEDIES.
There is a plant also called the "arisaros,"
372 which grows
in Egypt, and is similar to the aron in appearance, only that
it is more diminutive, and has smaller leaves; the root too is
smaller, though fully as large as a good-sized olive. The
white arisaros throws out two stems, the other kind only one.
They are curative, both of them, of running ulcers and burns,
and are used as an injection for fistulas. The leaves, boiled in
water, and then beaten up with the addition of oil of roses,
arrest the growth of corrosive ulcers. But there is one very
marvellous fact connected with this plant—it is quite sufficient
to touch the sexual parts of any female animal with it to cause
its instantaneous death.
CHAP. 95.—THE MILLEFOIJUM OR MYRIOPHYLLON; SEVEN
REMEDIES.
The myriophyllon,
373 by our people known as the "mille-
folium" has a tender stem, somewhat similar to fennel-giant
ill appearance, with vast numbers of leaves, to which circum-
stance it is indebted for its name. It grows in marshy localities, and is remarkably useful for the treatment of wounds.
It is taken in vinegar for strangury, affections of the bladder,
asthma, and falls with violence; it is extremely efficacious also
for tooth-ache.
In Etruria, the same name is given to a small meadow-
plant,
374 provided with leaves at the sides, like hairs, and particularly useful for wounds. The people of that country say
that, applied with axle-grease, it will knit together and unite
the tendons of oxen, when they have been accidentally severed
by the plough-share.
375
CHAP. 96.—THE PSEUDOBUNION: FOUR REMEDIES
The pseudobunion
376 has the leaves of the turnip, and grows
in a shrub-like form, about a palm in height; the most
esteemed being that of Crete. For gripings of the bowels, strangury, and pains of the thoracic organs, some five or six sprigs
of it are administered in drink.
CHAP. 97.—THE MYRRHIS, MYRZA, OR MYRIRHA: SEVEN
REMEDIES.
The myrrhis,
377 otherwise known as the myriza or myrrha,
bears a strong resemblance to hemlock in the stem, leaves, and
blossom, only that it is smaller and more slender: it is by no
means unpleasant to the palate. Taken with wine, it acts as
an emmenagogue, and facilitates parturition: they say too that
in times of pestilence it is very wholesome, taken in drink. It
is very useful also for phthisis, administered in broth. It
sharpens the appetite, and neutralizes the venom of the phalangium. The juice of this plant, after it has been macerated
some three days in water, is curative of ulcers of the face and
head.
CHAP. 98.—THE ONOBRYCHIS: THREE REMEDIES.
The onobrychis
378 has leaves like those of the lentil, only
somewhat
379 longer; the blossom is red, and the root small and
slender. It is found growing in the vicinity of springs.
Dried and reduced to powder, and sprinkled in white wine,
it is curative of strangury, and arrests looseness of the
bowels. The juice of it, used as a friction with oil, acts as a
sudorific.
CHAP. 99. (17.)—CORACESTA AND CALLICIA.
While I am treating of plants of a marvellous nature, I am
induced to make some mention of certain magical plants—for
what, in fact, can there be more marvellous than they? The first
who descanted upon this subject in our part of the world were
Pythagoras and Democritus, who have adopted the accounts
given by the Magi. Coracesta
380 and callicia, according to
Pythagoras, are plants which congeals
381 water. I find no
mention made of them, however, by any other author, and he
himself gives no further particulars relative to them.
CHAP. 100.—THE MINSAS OR CORINTHIA: ONE REMEDY.
Pythagoras gives the name of minsas
382 too, or corinthia, to
another plant; a decoction of which, used as a fomentation,
will effect an instantaneous cure of stings inflicted by serpents,
according to him. He adds too, that if this decoction is poured
upon the grass, and a person happens to tread upon it, or if
the body should chance to be sprinkled with it, the result is
fatal beyond all remedy; so monstrously malignant are the
venomous properties of this plant, except as neutralizing
other kinds of poison.
CHAP. 101.—THE APROXIS: SIX REMEDIES.
Pythagoras makes mention, too, of a plant called aproxis,
the root of which takes fire
383 at a distance, like naphtha, of
which we have made some mention, when speaking
384 of the marvellous productions of the earth. He says too, that if the
human body happens to be attacked by any disease while the
cabbage
385 is in blossom, the person, although he may have
been perfectly cured, will be sensible of a recurrence of the
symptoms, every time that plant comes into blossom; a
peculiarity which he attributes to it in common with wheat,
hemlock, and the violet.
I am not ignorant, however, that the work of his from
which I have just quoted is ascribed to the physician Cleemporus by some, though antiquity and the unbroken current of
tradition concur in claiming it for Pythagoras. It is quite
enough, however, to say in favour of a book, that the author
has deemed the results of his labours worthy to be published
under the name of so great a man. And yet who can believe
that Cleemporus would do this, seeing that he has not
hesitated to publish other works under his own name?
CHAP. 102.—THE AGLAOPHOTIS OR MARMARITIS. THE ACHLE-
MENIS OR HIPPOPHOBAS. THE THEOBROTION OR SEMNION. THE
ADAMANTIS. THE ARIANIS. THE THŒRIONARCA. THE, ÆTHIOPIS
OR MEROIS. THE OPHIUSA. THE THALASSEGLE OR POTAM-
AUGIS. THE THEANGELIS. THE GELOTOPHYLLIS. THE HESTI-
ATORIS OR PROTOMEDIA. THE CASIGNETES OR DIONYSONYMPHAS.
THE HELIANTHES OR HELIOCALLIS. HERMESIAS. THE ÆSCHY-
NOMENE. THE CROCIS. THE ŒNOTHERIS. THE ANACAMPIS-
EROS.
As to Democritus, there can be no doubt that the work
called "Chirocmeta"
386 belongs to him. How very much more
marvellous too are the accounts given in this book by the
philosopher who, next to Pythagoras, has acquired the most intimate knowledge of the learning of the Magi! According
to him, the plant aglaophotis,
387 which owes its name to the
admiration in which its beauteous tints are held by man, is
found growing among the marble quarries of Arabia, on the
side of Persia, a circumstance which has given it the additional
name of "marmaritis." By means of this plant, he says, the
Magi can summon the deities into their presence when they
please.
The achæmenis,
388 he says, a plant the colour of amber,
and destitute of leaves, grows in the country of the Tradastili, an
Indian race. The root of it, divided into lozenges and taken
in wine in the day time, torments the guilty to such a degree
during the night by the various forms of avenging deities presented to the imagination, as to extort from them a confession
of their crimes. He gives it the name also of "hippophobas,"
it being an especial object of terror to mares.
The theobrotion
389 is a plant found at a distance of thirty
schœnis
390 from the river Choaspes; it represents the varied tints
of the peacock, and the odour of it is remarkably fine. The
kings of Persia, he says, are in the habit of taking it in their
food or drink, for all maladies of the body, and derangements of
the mind. It has the additional name of semnion,
391 from the
use thus made of it by majesty.
He next tells us of the adamantis,
392 a plant grown in
Armenia and Cappadocia: presented to a lion, he says, the beast
will fall upon its back, and drop its jaws. Its name originates
in the fact that it is impossible to bruise it. The arianis,
393
he says, is found in the country of the Ariani; it is of a fiery
colour, and is gathered when the sun is in Leo. Wood rubbed
with oil will take fire on coming in contact with this plant. The
therionarca,
394 he tells us, grows in Cappadocia and Mysia; it
has the effect of striking wild beasts of all kinds with a torpor
which can only be dispelled by sprinkling them with the urine
of the hyæna. He speaks too of the æthiopis,
395 a plant which
grows in Meroë; for which reason it is also known as the
"meroïs." In leaf it resembles the lettuce, and, taken with
honied wine, it is very good for dropsy. The ophiusa,
396 which
is found in Elephantine, an island also of Æthiopia, is a
plant of a livid colour, and hideous to the sight. Taken by a
person in drink, he says, it inspires such a horror of serpents,
which his imagination continually represents as menacing him,
that he commits suicide at last; hence it is that persons guilty
of sacrilege are compelled to drink an infusion of it. Palm
wine, he tells us, is the only thing that neutralizes its effects.
The thalassægle
397 he speaks of as being found on the banks
of the river Indus, from which circumstance it is also known
as the potamaugis.
398 Taken in drink it produces a delirium,
399
which presents to the fancy visions of a most extraordinary
nature. The theangelis,
400 he says, grows upon Mount Li-
banus in Syria, upon the chain of mountains called Dicte in
Crete, and at Babylon and Susa in Persis. An infusion of it
in drink, imparts powers of divination to the Magi. The
gelotophyllis
401 too, is a plant found in Bactriana, and on the
banks of the Borysthenes. Taken internally with myrrh and
wine, all sorts of visionary forms present themselves, and
excite the most immoderate laughter, which can only be put
an end to by taking kernels of the pine-nut, with pepper and
honey, in palm wine.
The hestiatoris,
402 he tells us, is a Persian plant, so called from
its promotion of gaiety and good fellowship at carousals.
Another name for it is protomedia, because those who eat of it
will gain the highest place in the royal favour. The casignetes
403
too, we learn, is so called, because it grows only among plants
of its own kind, and is never found in company with any
other; another name given to it is "dionysonymphas,"
404 from
the circumstance of its being remarkably well adapted to the
nature of wine. Helianthes
405 is the name he gives to a plant
found in the regions of Themiscyra and the mountainous parts
of maritime Cilicia, with leaves like those of myrtle. This
plant is boiled up with lion's fat, saffron and palm wine being
added; the Magi, he tells us, and Persian monarchs are in
the habit of anointing the body with the preparation, to add
to its graceful appearance: he states also, that for this reason
it has the additional name of "heliocallis."
406 What the same
author calls "hermesias,"
407 has the singular virtue of ensuring
the procreation of issue, both beautiful as well as good. It is
not a plant, however, but a composition made of kernels of
pine nuts, pounded with honey, myrrh, saffron, and palm wine,
to which theobrotium
408 and milk are then added. He also
recommends those who wish to become parents to drink this
mixture, and says, that females should take it immediately
after conception, and during pregnancy.
409 If this is done, he
says, the infant will be sure to be endowed with the highest
qualities, both in mind and body. In addition to what has
here been stated, Democritus gives the various names by which
all these plants are known to the Magi.
Apollodorus, one of the followers of Democritus, has added
to this list the herb æschynomene,
410 so called from the shrinking of its leaves at the approach of the hand; and another
called "crocis,"
411 the touch of which is fatal to the phalangium. Crateuas, also, speaks of the œnotheris,
412 an infusion of
which in wine, sprinkled upon them, has the effect of taming
all kind of animals, however wild. A celebrated grammarian,
413
who lived but very recently, has described the anacampseros,
414
the very touch of which recalls former love, even though
hatred should have succeeded in its place. It will be quite
sufficient for the present to have said thus much in reference
to the remarkable virtues attributed to certain plants by the
Magi; as we shall have occasion to revert to this subject in a
more appropriate place.
415
CHAP. 103. (18.)—THE ERIPIHA.
Many authors have made mention of the eriphia,
416 a plant
which contains a kind of beetle in its hollow stem. This
beetle is continually ascending the interior of the stalk, and
as often descending, while it emits a sound like the cry of a
kid; a circumstance to which the plant is indebted for its name.
There is nothing in existence, they say, more beneficial to the
voice.
CHAP. 104.—THE WOOL PLANT: ONE REMEDY. THE, LACTORIS:
ONE REMEDY. THE MILlTARIS: ONE REMEDY.
The wool plant,
417 given to sheep fasting, greatly increases the
milk. The plant commonly called lactoris,
418 is equally well
known: it is full of a milky juice, the taste of which produces
vomiting. Some persons say that this is identical with, while
others say that it only resembles, the plant known as "mili-
tris."
419 from the fact that, applied with oil, it will effect the
cure. within five days, of any wound that has been inflicted
with iron.
CHAP. 105.—THE STRATIOTES: FIVE- REMEDIES.
The Greeks speak in high terms also of the stratiotes,
420
though that is a plant which grows in Egypt only, and during
the inundations of the river Nilus. It is similar in appearance
to the aïon,
421 except that the leaves are larger. It is of a
remarkably cooling nature, and, applied with vinegar, it heals
wounds, as well as erysipelas and suppurations. Taken in
drink with male fankincense, it is marvellously useful for
discharges of blood from the kidneys.
CHAP. 106. (19.)—A PLANT GROWING ON THE HEAD OF A
STATUE: ONE REMEDY.
It is asserted also, that a plant growing
422 on the head of a
statue, gathered in the lappet of any one of the garments, and
then attached with a red string to the neck, is an instantaneous
cure for head-ache.
CHAP. 107.—A PLANT GROWING ON THE BANKS OF A RIVER:
ONE REMEDY.
Any plant that is gathered before sunrise on the banks of a
stream or river, due care being taken that no one sees it
gathered, attached to the left arm without the patient knowing
what it is, will cure a tertian fever, they say.
CHAP. 108.—THE HERB CALLED IJNGUA: ONE REMEDY.
There is a herb called "lingua,"
423 which grows in the
vicinity of fountains. The root of it, reduced to ashes and
beaten up with hog's lard—the hog, they say, must have been
black and barren—will cure alopecy, the head being rubbed
with it in the sun.
CHAP. 109.—PLANTS THAT TAKE ROOT IN A SIEVE: ONE
REMEDY.
Plants that take root in a sieve that has been thrown in
a hedge-row, if gathered and worn upon the person by a preg-
nant woman, will facilitate delivery.
CHAP. 110.—PLANTS GROWING UPONDUNGHILLS: ONE REMEDY.
A plant that has been grown upon a dungheap in a field, is
a very efficacious remedy, taken in water, for quinzy.
CHAP. 111.—PLANTS THAT HAVE BEEN MOISTENED WITH THE URINE OF A DOG: ONE
REMEDY.
A plant upon which a dog has watered, torn up by the roots,
and not touched with iron, is a very speedy cure for sprains.
CHAP. 112.—THE RODARUM: THREE REMEDIES.
We have already
424 made mention of the rumpotinus, when
speaking of the vine-growing
425 trees. Near the tree, when not
accompanied by the vine, there grows a plant, known to the
Gauls as the "rodarum."
426 It has a knotted stem like the
branch of a fig-tree, and the leaves, which are very similar to
those of the nettle, are white in the middle, though in process
of time they become red all over. The blossom of it is of a
silvery hue. Beaten up with stale axle-grease, due care being
taken not to touch it with iron, this plant is extremely useful
for tumours, inflammations, and gatherings; the patient, however, on being anointed with it must spit three times on the
right side. They say too, that as a remedy it is still more
efficacious, if three persons of three different nations rub the
right side of the body with it.
CHAP. 113.—THE PLANT CALLED IMPIA: TWO REMEDIES.
The plant called "impia"
427 is white, resembling rosemary
in appearance. It is clothed with leaves like a thyrsus, and is
terminated by a head, from which a number of small branches
protrude, terminated, all of them, in a similar manner. It is
this peculiar conformation that has procured for it the name
of "impia," from the progeny thus surmounting the parent.
Some persons, however, are of opinion that it is so called
because no animal will touch it. Bruised between two stones
it yields an effervescent juice, which, in combination with
wine and milk, is remarkably efficacious for quinzy.
There is a marvellous property attributed to this plant, to
the effect that persons who have once tasted it will never be
attacked by quinzy; for which reason it is given to swine:
those among them, however, which refuse to take it will be sure
to die of that disease. Some persons too are of opinion that
if slips of it are put into a bird's nest, they will effectually
prevent the young birds from choking themselves by eating too
voraciously.
CHAP. 114.—THE PLANT CALLED VENUS' COMB: ONE REMEDY.
From its resemblance to a comb, they give the name of
"Venus' comb"
428 to a certain plant, the root of which, bruised
with mallows, extracts all foreign substances from the human
body.
CHAP. 115.—THE EXEDUNM. THE PLANT CALLED NOTIA: TWO
REMEDIES.
The plant called "exedum"
429 is curative of lethargy. The
herbaceous plant called "notia," which is used by curriers
for dyeing leather a bright, cheerful colour, and known by
them under various names—is curative of cancerous ulcers;
I find it also stated that, taken in wine or in oxycrate, it is
extremely efficacious for stings inflicted by scorpions.
CHAP. 116.—THE PHILANTHROPOS: ONE REMEDY. THE LAPPA
CANARIA: TWO REMEDIES.
The Greeks wittily give the name of "philanthropos"
430 to a
certain plant, because it attaches itself to articles of dress.
431
A chaplet made of this plant has the effect of relieving headache.
As to the plant known as the "lappa canaria,"
432 beaten up
in wine with plantago and millefolium,
433 it effects the cure of
carcinomatous sores, the application being removed at the end of
three days. Taken out of the ground without the aid of iron,
and thrown into their wash, or given to them wine and milk, it
cures diseases in swine. Some persons add, however, that the
person, as he takes it up, must say—"This is the plant argemon, a remedy discovered by Minerva for such swine as shall
taste thereof."
CHAP. 117.—TORDYLON OR SYREON: THREE REMEDIES.
Tordylon is, according to some authorities, the seed of sili,
434
while according to others it is a distinct plant,
435 as known also
as "syreon." I find no particulars relative to it, except that
it grows upon mountains, and that the ashes of it, taken in
drink, act as an emmenagogue and facilitate expectoration. It
is stated also, that for this last purpose the root is even more
efficacious than the stem; that the juice of it, taken in doses of
three oboli, cures diseases of the kidneys; and that the root is
used as an ingredient for emollient plasters.
CHAP. 118.—GRAMEN: SEVENTEEN REMEDIES.
Gramen
436 is of all herbaceous productions the most common.
As it creeps along the ground it throws out jointed stems, from
the joints of which, as well as from the extremity of the stem,
fresh roots are put forth every here and there. In all other
parts of the world the leaves of it are tapering, and come to a
point; but upon Mount Parnassus
437 they resemble the leaves of
the ivy, the, plant throwing out a greater number of stems than
elsewhere, and bearing a blossom that is white and odoriferous.
There is no vegetable production that is more grateful
438 to
beasts of burden than this, whether in a green state or whether dried and made into hay, in which last case it is sprinkled
with water when given to them. It is said that on Mount
Parnassus a juice is extracted from it, which is very abun-
dant and of a sweet flavour.
In other parts of the world, instead of this juice a decoction
of it is employed for closing wounds; an effect equally pro-
duced by the plant itself, which is beaten up for the purpose
and attached to the part affected, thereby preventing inflammation. To the decoction wine and honey are added, and in some
cases, frankincense, pepper, and myrrh, in the proportion of one
third of each ingredient; after which it is boiled again in a
copper vessel, when required for tooth-ache or difluxions of the
eyes. A decoction of the roots, in wine, is curative of griping
pains in the bowels, strangury, and ulcerations of the bladder,
and it disperses calculi. The seed is still more powerful as a
diuretic,
439 arrests looseness and vomiting, and is particularly
useful for wounds inflicted by dragons.
440 There are some
authorities which give the following prescription for the cure
of scrofulous sores and inflamed tumours:—From one, two,
or three stems, as many as nine joints must be removed,
which must then be wrapped in black wool with the grease in
it. The party who gathers them must do so fasting, and must
then go, in the same state, to the patient's house while he is
from home. When the patient comes in, the other must say to
him three times, "I come fasting to bring a remedy to a fasting man;" and must then attach the amulet to his person, repeating the same ceremony three consecutive days. The
variety of this plant which has seven
441 joints is considered a
most excellent amulet for the cure of head-ache. For excruciating pains in the bladder, some recommend a decoction of
gramen, boiled down in wine to one half, to be taken immediately after the bath.
CHAP. 119.—DACTYLOS; FIVE REMEDIES.
There are some authorities who mention three varieties of
the pointed gramen. That which has at the extremity five
442
points at the utmost, is called "dactylos." Twisting these
points together, persons introduce them into the nostrils and then
withdraw them, with the view of preventing hæmorrhage.
The second kind, which resembles aizoön,
443 is employed with
axle-grease for whitlows and hangnails, and for fleshy excrescences upon the nails: this also is called "dactylos," because
it is so useful as a remedy for diseases of the fingers.
The third
444 kind, which is also known as "dactylos," is more
diminutive, and is found growing upon walls or tiles. It has
certain caustic properties, and arrests the progress of serpigi-
nous ulcers. By placing a wreath of gramen round the head,
bleeding at the nose is stopped. In Babylonia, it is said, the
gramen
445 which grows by the wayside is fatal to camels.
CHAP. 120.—FENUGREEK OR SILICIA: THIRTY-ONE REMEDIES.
Nor is fenugreek held in less esteem. By some it is known
as "telis," by others as "carphos," and by others again as
"buceras,"
446 or "ægoceras,"
447 the produce of it bearing some
resemblance to horns. Among us it is known as "silicia."
The mode of sowing it we have already
448 described on the
appropriate occasion. Its properties are desiccative,
449 emollient,
and resolvent. A decoction of it is useful for many female
maladies, indurations for instance, tumours, and contractions of
the uterus; in all which cases it is employed as a fomentation or
used for a sitting-bath: it is serviceable also as an injection.
It removes cutaneous eruptions on the face; and a decoction of
it, applied topically with nitre or vinegar, cures diseases of
the spleen or liver. In cases of difficult labour, Diocles recommends the seed pounded, in doses of one acetabulum,
mixed with boiled
450 must. After taking one third of the mixture, the patient must use a warm bath, and then, while in a
perspiration, she must take another third, and, immediately
after leaving the bath, the remainder—this, he says, will prove
a most effectual means of obtaining relief.
The same authority recommends fenugreek boiled, with
barley or linseed, in hydromel, as a pessary for violent pains
in the uterus: he prescribes it also as an external application
for the lower regions of the abdomen. He speaks also of
treating leprous sores and freckles with a mixture composed
of equal proportions of sulphur and meal of fenugreek, recommending it to be applied repeatedly in the course of the day,
due care being taken not to rub the part affected.
For the cure of leprosy, Theodorus prescribes a mixture of
fenugreek, and one fourth part of cleaned nasturtium, the whole
to be steeped in the strongest vinegar. Damion used to give
a potion by way of emmenagogue, consisting of half an acetabulum of fenugreek seed in nine cyathi of boiled must
451 and
water. There is no doubt too, that a decoction of it is remarkably useful for diseases of the uterus and for ulcerations
of the intestines, and that the seed is beneficial for affections
of the joints and chest. Boiled with mallows and then taken
in honied wine, fenugreek is extolled in the highest terms, as
serviceable for affections of the uterus and intestines. Indeed,
the very steam that arises from the decoction may be productive of considerable benefit. A decoction too of fenugreek seed
is a corrective of the rank odours of the armpits. Meal of
fenugreek, with wine and nitre, speedily removes ring-worm
and dandriff of the head; and a decoction of it in hydromel,
with the addition of axle-grease, is used for the cure of diseases
of the generative organs, inflamed tumours, imposthumes of
the parotid glands, gout in the Feet and hands, maladies of
the joints, and denudations of the bones. Kneaded with
vinegar, it effects the cure of sprains, and, boiled in oxymel
only, it is used as a liniment for affections of the spleen.
Kneaded with wine, it acts as a detergent upon carcinomatous
sores; after which, applied with honey, it effects a perfect cure.
A pottage too is made of this meal, which is taken for ulcerations of the chest and chronic coughs; it is kept boiling a considerable time, in order to remove the bitterness,
452 after which
honey is added.
We shall now proceed to speak of the plants which have
gained a higher degree of reputation.
SUMMARY.—Remedies, narratives, and observations, eleven
hundred and seventy-six.
ROMAN ATUTHORS QUOTED.—C. Valgius,
453 Pompeius Lenæus,
454
Sextius Niger
455 who wrote in Greek, Julius Bassus
456 who
wrote in Greek, Antonius Castor,
457 Cornelius Celsus.
458
FOREIGN AUTHORS QUOTED.—Theophrastus,
459 Apollodorus,
460
Democritus,
461 Orpheus,
462 Pythagoras,
463 Mago,
464 Menan-
der
465 who wrote the "Biochresta," Nicander,
466 Homer, Hesiod,
467 Musæus,
468 Sophocles,
469 Anaxilaüs.
470
MEDICAL AUTHORS QUOTED.—Mnesitheus,
471 Callimachus,
472
Phanias
473 the physician, Timaristus,
474 Simus,
475 Hippocrates,
476 Chrysippus,
477 Diocles,
478 Ophelion,
479 Heraclides,
480 Hicesius,
481 Dionysius,
482 Apollodorus
483 of Citium, Apollodorus
484
of Tarentum, Praxagoras,
485 Plistonicus,
486 Medius,
487 Dieuches,
488
Cleophantus,
489 Philistion,
490 Asclepiades,
491 Crateuas,
492 Petronius
Diodotus,
493 Iollas,
494 Erasistratus,
495 Diagoras,
496 Andreas,
Mnesides,
497 Epicharmus,
498 Damion,
499 Sosimenes,
500 Tlepolemus,
501
Metrodorus,
502 Solon,
503 Lycus,
504 Olympias
505 of Thebes, Philinus,
506
Petrichus,
507 Micton,
508 Glaucias,
509 Xenocrates.
510
511
