Transcriber’s Notes:—
Italic text is denoted _thus_.
The spelling, hyphenation, punctuation and accentuation are as the
original, except for apparent typographical errors which have been
corrected.
Further notes can be found at the end of the book.
THE
NATURAL HISTORY
OF
PLINY.
TRANSLATED, WITH COPIOUS NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS
BY THE LATE JOHN BOSTOCK, M.D., F.R.S.,
AND
H.T. RILEY, ESQ., B.A.,
LATE SCHOLAR OF CLARE HALL, CAMBRIDGE.
VOL. V.
LONDON:
HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.
MDCCCLVI.
J. BILLING, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER (FROM WOKING),
GUILDFORD, SURREY.
CONTENTS
OF THE FIFTH VOLUME.
BOOK XXIV.
THE REMEDIES DERIVED PROM THE FOREST TREES.
CHAP. Page
1. The antipathies and sympathies which exist among trees and
plants 1
2. The lotus of Italy: six remedies 3
3. Acorns: thirteen remedies 4
4. The kermes-berry of the holm-oak: three remedies _ib._
5. Gall-nuts: twenty-three remedies 5
6. Mistletoe: eleven remedies _ib._
7. The excrescences which grow on the robur: one remedy.
The cerrus: eight remedies 6
8. The cork-tree: two remedies 7
9. The beech: four remedies _ib._
10. The cypress: twenty-three remedies _ib._
11. The cedar: thirteen remedies 8
12. Cedrides: ten remedies 9
13. Galbanum: twenty-three remedies 10
14. Hammoniacum: twenty-four remedies 11
15. Storax: ten remedies _ib._
16. Spondylium: seventeen remedies 12
17. Sphagnos, sphacos, or bryon: five remedies _ib._
18. The terebinth: six remedies _ib._
19. The pitch-tree and the larch: eight remedies 13
20. The chamæpitys: ten remedies _ib._
21. The pityusa: six remedies 14
22. Resins: twenty-two remedies 15
23. Pitch: twenty-three remedies 17
24. Pisselæon and palimpissa: sixteen remedies 18
25. Pissasphaltos: two remedies _ib._
26. Zopissa: one remedy 19
27. The torch-tree: one remedy _ib._
28. The lentisk: twenty-two remedies _ib._
29. The plane-tree: twenty-five remedies 20
30. The ash: five remedies 21
31. The maple: one remedy _ib._
32. The poplar: eight remedies _ib._
33. The elm: sixteen remedies 22
34. The linden-tree: five remedies 23
35. The elder: fifteen remedies _ib._
36. The juniper: twenty-one remedies 24
37. The willow: fourteen remedies. The willow of Ameria:
one remedy 25
38. The vitex: thirty-three remedies 26
39. The erica: one remedy 28
40. The broom: five remedies _ib._
41. The myrica, otherwise called the tamarica, or tamarix:
three remedies 29
42. The brya: twenty-nine remedies 30
43. The blood-red shrub: one remedy 31
44. The siler: three remedies _ib._
45. The privet: eight remedies 32
46. The alder: one remedy _ib._
47. The several varieties of the ivy: thirty-nine remedies _ib._
48. The cisthos: five remedies 34
49. The cissos erythranos: two remedies. The chamæcissos:
two remedies. The smilax: three remedies. The
clematis: eighteen remedies _ib._
50. The reed: nineteen remedies 35
51. The papyrus, and the paper made from it: three remedies 36
52. The ebony: five remedies 37
53. The rhododendron: one remedy _ib._
54. The rhus or sumach-tree; two varieties of it: eight
remedies. Stomatice 38
55. Rhus erythros: nine remedies _ib._
56. The erythrodanus: eleven remedies _ib._
57. The alysson: two remedies 39
58. The radicula or struthion: thirteen remedies. The
apocynum: two observations upon it _ib._
59. Rosemary: eighteen remedies 40
60. The seed called cachrys. 41
61. The herb savin: seven remedies _ib._
62. Selago: two remedies _ib._
63. Samolus: two remedies 42
64. Gum: eleven remedies _ib._
65. The Egyptian or Arabian thorn: four remedies 43
66. The white thorn: two remedies. The acanthion: one
remedy _ib._
67. Gum acacia: eighteen remedies _ib._
68. Aspalathos: one remedy 45
69. The erysisceptrum, adipsatheon, or diaxylon: eight
remedies _ib._
70. The thorn called appendix: two remedies. The
pyracantha: one remedy 46
71. The paliurus: ten remedies _ib._
72. The agrifolia. The aquifolia: one remedy. The yew: one
property belonging to it _ib._
73. The bramble: fifty-one remedies 47
74. The cynosbatos: three remedies 48
75. The Idæan bramble 50
76. The rhamnos; two varieties of it: five remedies _ib._
77. Lycium: eighteen remedies 51
78. Sarcocolla: two remedies 52
79. Oporice: two remedies _ib._
80. The trixago, chamædrys, chamædrops, or teucria: sixteen
remedies _ib._
81. The chamædaphne: five remedies 53
82. The chamelæa: six remedies _ib._
83. The chamæsyce: eight remedies 54
84. The chamæcissos: one remedy _ib._
85. The chamæleuce, farfarum, or farfugium: one remedy _ib._
86. The chamæpeuce: five remedies. The chamæcyparissos: two
remedies. The ampeloprason: six remedies. The stachys:
one remedy 55
87. The clinopodion, cleonicion, zopyron, or ocimoïdes:
three remedies _ib._
88. The clematis centunculus: three remedies 56
89. The clematis echites, or lagine _ib._
90. The Egyptian clematis, daphnoïdes, or polygonoïdes: two
remedies 57
91. Different opinions on dracontium _ib._
92. The aron: thirteen remedies 58
93. The dracunculus: two remedies 60
94. The arisaros: three remedies _ib._
95. The millefolium or myriophyllon: seven remedies 61
96. The pseudobunion: four remedies _ib._
97. The myrrhis, myriza, or myrrha: seven remedies _ib._
98. The onobrychis: three remedies 62
99. Coracesta and callicia _ib._
100. The minsas or corinthia: one remedy 63
101. The aproxis: six remedies _ib._
102. The aglaophotis or marmaritis. The achæmenis or
hippophobas. The theobrotion or semnion. The
adamantis. The arianis. The therionarca. The
ætheopis or merois. The ophiusa. The thalassegle
or potamaugis. The theangelis. The gelotophyllis.
The hestiatoris or protomedia. The casignetes or
dionysonymphas. The helianthes or heliocallis. The
hermesias. The æschynomene. The crocis. The œnotheris.
The anacampseros 64
103. The eriphia 67
104. The wool plant: one remedy. The lactoris: one remedy.
The militaris: one remedy 68
105. The stratiotes: five remedies _ib._
106. A plant growing on the head of a statue: one remedy _ib._
107. A plant growing on the banks of a river: one remedy 69
108. The herb called lingua: one remedy _ib._
109. Plants that take root in a sieve: one remedy _ib._
110. Plants growing upon dunghills: one remedy _ib._
111. Plants that have been moistened with the urine of a
dog: one remedy _ib._
112. The rodarum: three remedies _ib._
113. The plant called impia: two remedies 70
114. The plant called Venus’ comb: one remedy _ib._
115. The exedum. The plant called notia: two remedies 71
116. The philanthropos: one remedy. The lappa canaria: two
remedies _ib._
117. Tordylon or syreon: three remedies _ib._
118. Gramen: seventeen remedies 72
119. Dactylos: five remedies 73
120. Fenugreek or silicia: thirty-one remedies 74
BOOK XXV.
THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE WILD PLANTS.
1. When the wild plants were first brought into use 77
2. The Latin authors who have written upon these plants 78
3. At what period the Romans acquired some knowledge of
this subject _ib._
4. Greek authors who have delineated the plants in colours 80
5. The first Greek authors who wrote upon plants _ib._
6. Why a few of the plants only have been used medicinally.
Plants, the medicinal properties of which have been
miraculously discovered. The cynorrhodos: two remedies.
The plant called dracunculus: one remedy. The
britannica: five remedies 83
7. What diseases are attended with the greatest pain. Names
of persons who have discovered famous plants 86
8. Moly: three remedies 87
9. The dodecatheos: one remedy 88
10. The pæonia, pentorobus, or glycyside: one remedy _ib._
11. The panaces asclepion: two remedies 89
12. The panaces heracleon: three remedies 90
13. The panaces chironion: four remedies _ib._
14. The panaces centaurion or pharnacion: three remedies _ib._
15. The heracleon siderion: four remedies 91
16. The ampelos chironia: one remedy _ib._
17. Hyoscyamos, known also as the apollinaris or altercum;
five varieties of it: three remedies _ib._
18. Linoxostis, parthenion, hermupoa, or mercurialis: two
varieties of it: twenty-two remedies 92
19. The achilleos, sideritis, panaces heracleon,
millefolium, or scopæ regiæ; six varieties of it:
three remedies 94
20. The teucrion, hemionion, or splenion: two remedies 95
21. Melampodium, hellebore, or veratrum; three varieties
of it. The way in which it is gathered, and how the
quality of it is tested 96
22. Twenty-four remedies derived from black hellebore. How
it should be taken 98
23. Twenty-three remedies derived from white hellebore 99
24. Eighty-eight observations upon the two kinds of
hellebore 100
25. To what persons hellebore should never be administered 101
26. The mithridatia 102
27. The scordotis or scordion: four remedies _ib._
28. The polemonia, philetæria, or chiliodynamus: six
remedies _ib._
29. The eupatoria: one remedy 103
30. Centaurion or chironion: twenty remedies _ib._
31. The centaurion lepton, or libadion, known also as fel
terræ: twenty-two remedies 104
32. The centauris triorchis: two remedies _ib._
33. Clymenus: two remedies 105
34. Gentian: thirteen remedies _ib._
35. The lysimachia: eight remedies 106
36. Artemisia, parthenis, botrys, or ambrosia: five
remedies _ib._
37. Nymphæa, heracleon, rhopalon, or madon; two varieties
of it: four remedies 107
38. Two varieties of euphorbia: four remedies. The chamelæa _ib._
39. Two varieties of the plantago: forty-six remedies 109
40. Buglossos; three remedies _ib._
41. Cynoglossos: three remedies 110
42. The buphthalmos or cachla: one remedy _ib._
43. Plants which have been discovered by certain nations.
The scythice: one remedy _ib._
44. The hippace: three remedies 111
45. The ischæmon: two remedies _ib._
46. The cestros, psychotrophon, vettonica, or serratula:
forty-eight remedies _ib._
47. The cantabrica: two remedies 112
48. Consiligo: one remedy _ib._
49. The iberis: seven remedies 113
50. Plants which have been discovered by certain animals.
Chelidonia: six remedies 114
51. The dog-plant: one remedy _ib._
52. The elaphoboscon 115
53. Dictamnon; eight remedies. Pseudodictamnon or chondris.
In what places the most powerful plants are found.
How that milk is drunk in Arcadia for the beneficial
effects of the plants upon which the cattle feed _ib._
54. The aristolochia, clematitis, cretica, plistolochia,
lochia polyrrhizos, or apple of the earth: twenty-two
remedies 116
55. The employment of these plants for injuries inflicted
by serpents 118
56. The argemonia: four remedies 119
57. Agaric: thirty-three remedies 120
58. The echios; three varieties of it: two remedies _ib._
59. Hierabotane, peristereon, or verbenaca; two varieties
of it: ten remedies 121
60. The blattaria: one remedy 122
61. Lemonium: one remedy _ib._
62. Quinquefolium, known also as pentapetes, pentaphyllon,
or chamæzelon: thirty-three remedies _ib._
63. The sparganion: one remedy 123
64. Four varieties of the daucus: eighteen remedies _ib._
65. The therionarca: two remedies 124
66. The persolata or areion: eight remedies _ib._
67. Cyclaminos or tuber terræ: twelve remedies 125
68. The cyclaminos cissanthemos: four remedies _ib._
69. The cyclaminos chamæcissos: three remedies 126
70. Peucedanum: twenty-eight remedies _ib._
71. Ebulum: six remedies 127
72. Polemonia: one remedy _ib._
73. Phlomos or verbascum: fifteen remedies _ib._
74. The phlomis: one remedy. The lychnitis or thryallis _ib._
75. The thelyphonon or scorpio: one remedy 128
76. The phrynion, neuras, or poterion: one remedy _ib._
77. The alisma, damasonion, or lyron: seventeen remedies 129
78. Peristereos: six remedies 130
79. Remedies against certain poisons _ib._
80. The antirrhinum, anarrhinon, or lychnis agria: three
remedies 131
81. Euclea: one remedy _ib._
82. The pericarpum; two varieties of it: two remedies _ib._
83. Remedies for diseases of the head. Nymphæa heraclia:
two remedies 132
84. The lingulaca: one remedy _ib._
85. The cacalia or leontice: three remedies 133
86. The callitrichos: one remedy _ib._
87. Hyssop: ten remedies _ib._
88. The lonchitis: four remedies 134
89. The xiphion or phasganion: four remedies _ib._
90. Psyllion, cynoïdes, crystallion, sicelicon, or
cynomyia; sixteen remedies. Thryselinum: one remedy 135
91. Remedies for diseases of the eyes 136
92. The anagallis, or corchoron; two varieties of it: six
remedies _ib._
93. The ægilops: two remedies 138
94. Mandragora, circæon, morion, or hippophlomos; two
varieties of it: twenty-four remedies _ib._
95. Hemlock: thirteen remedies 140
96. Crethmos agrios: one remedy _ib._
97. Molybdæna: one remedy _ib._
98. The first kind of capnos, known also as chicken’s foot:
one remedy 142
99. The arborescent capnos: three remedies _ib._
100. The acoron or agrion: fourteen remedies _ib._
101. The cotyledon: two varieties of it: sixty-one remedies 143
102. The greater aizoüm, also called buphthalmos,
zoöphthalmos, stergethron, hypogeson, ambrosion,
amcrimnon, seduni magnum, or digitellus: thirty-six
remedies. The smaller aizoüm, also called erithales,
trithales, chrysothales, isoëtes or sedum: thirty-two
remedies _ib._
103. The andrachle agria or illecebra: thirty-two remedies 144
104. A remedy for diseases of the nostrils 145
105. Remedies for diseases of the teeth _ib._
106. Erigeron, pappus, acanthis, or senecio: eight
remedies 146
107. The ephemeron: two remedies 147
108. The labrum Venereum: one remedy 148
109. The batrachion, ranunculus, or strumus; four varieties
of it: fourteen remedies _ib._
110. Remedial preparations for offensive breath: two kinds
of them 150
BOOK XXVI.
A CONTINUATION OF THE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM PLANTS, CLASSIFIED
ACCORDING TO PARTICULAR DISEASES.
1. New forms of disease 152
2. The nature of lichen _ib._
3. At what period lichen first made its appearance in
Italy _ib._
4. Carbuncle 154
5. Elephantiasis _ib._
6. Colic 155
7. The new system of medicine: Asclepiades the physician 156
8. The changes effected by Asclepiades in the practice of
medicine 157
9. Remarks in dispraise of the practices of magic 159
10. Lichen: five remedies 160
11. Quinzy 161
12. Scrofula _ib._
13. The plant called bellis: two remedies 162
14. The condurdum _ib._
15. Cough 163
16. Bechion, otherwise known as arcion, chamæleuce, or
tussilago: three remedies 164
17. The bechion, known also as salvia: four remedies _ib._
18. Affections of the side, chest, and stomach _ib._
19. Molon or syron. Amomum 165
20. The ephedra or anabasis; three remedies 166
21. Geum; three remedies _ib._
22. Tripolium: three remedies 167
23. The gromphæna _ib._
24. The malundrum: two remedies _ib._
25. Chalcetum; two remedies. Molemonium; one remedy 168
26. Halus or cotonea: five remedies 169
27. The chamædrops: one remedy. The stœchas: one remedy _ib._
28. Remedies for diseases of the belly _ib._
29. The astragalus: six remedies 170
30. Ladanum: eighteen remedies 171
31. Chondris or pseudodictamnon: one remedy. Hypocisthis or
orobethron; two varieties: eight remedies 172
32. Laver or sion: two remedies _ib._
33. Potamogiton: eight remedies. The statice: three
remedies _ib._
34. The ceratia: two remedies. Leontopodion, leuceoron,
doripetron, or thorybethron. Lagopus: three remedies 173
35. Epithymon or hippopheos; eight remedies 174
36. Pycnocomon; four remedies 175
37. Polypodion; three remedies _ib._
38. Scammony; eight remedies 176
39. The tithymalos characias 177
40. The tithymalos myrtites, or caryites; twenty-one
remedies 178
41. The tithymalos paralios, or tithymalis; four remedies 179
42. The tithymalos helioscopios; eighteen remedies _ib._
43. The tithymalos cyparissias; eighteen remedies 180
44. The tithymalos platyphyllos, corymbites, or amygdalites;
three remedies _ib._
45. The tithymalos dendroïdes, cobios, or leptophyllos;
eighteen remedies _ib._
46. The apios ischas, or raphanos agria; two remedies _ib._
47. Remedies for griping pains in the bowels 181
48. Remedies for diseases of the spleen _ib._
49. Remedies for calculi and diseases of the bladder 182
50. Crethmos; eleven remedies. Cachry 183
51. The anthyllion; two remedies. The anthyllis; two
remedies 184
52. Cepæa; one remedy _ib._
53. Hypericon, chamæpitys, or corison; nine remedies 185
54. Caros or hypericon; ten remedies _ib._
55. The callithrix; one remedy. The perpressa; one remedy.
The chrysanthemum; one remedy. The anthemis; one
remedy 186
56. Silaus; one remedy _ib._
57. The plant of Fulvius 187
58. Remedies for diseases of the testes and of the
fundament _ib._
59. Inguinalis or argemo 188
60. Remedies for inflamed tumours. Chrysippios; one remedy _ib._
61. Aphrodisiacs and antaphrodisiacs 189
62. The orchis or serapias; five medicinal properties.
Satyrion _ib._
63. Satyrion; three medicinal properties. Satyrion
erythraïcon; four medicinal properties 190
64. Remedies for the gout and diseases of the feet 192
65. Lappago or mollugo; one remedy. Asperugo; one remedy _ib._
66. Phycos thalassion or sea-weed; three varieties of it.
Lappa boaria 193
67. Maladies which attack the whole of the body 194
68. The geranion, myrrhis or myrtis; three varieties of it:
six remedies 195
69. The onotheras or onear; three remedies 196
70. Remedies for epilepsy _ib._
71. Remedies for fevers 197
72. Remedies for phrenitis, lethargy; and carbuncles 198
73. Remedies for dropsy. Acte or ebulum. Chamæacte. _ib._
74. Remedies for erysipelas 199
75. Remedies for sprains 200
76. Remedies for jaundice _ib._
77. Remedies for boils 201
78. Remedies for fistula _ib._
79. Remedies for abscesses and hard tumours _ib._
80. Remedies for burns 202
81. Remedies for diseases of the sinews and joints _ib._
82. Remedies for hæmorrhage 203
83. Hippuris, otherwise called ephedron, anabasis, or
equisætum; three kinds of it; eighteen remedies _ib._
84. Stephanomelis 205
85. Remedies for ruptures and convulsions. Erysithales; one
remedy _ib._
86. Remedies for phthiriasis 206
87. Remedies for ulcers and wounds _ib._
88. Polycnemon; one remedy 209
89. Remedies for warts, and applications for the removal of
scars _ib._
90. Remedies for female diseases 210
91. Arsenogonon; one medicinal property. Thelygonon; one
medicinal property 213
92. Mastos; one remedy 214
93. Applications for the hair. Lysimachia. Ophrys _ib._
BOOK XXVII.
A DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS, AND OF THE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THEM.
1. Researches of the ancients upon this subject 217
2. Aconite, otherwise called thelyphonon, cammaron,
pardalianches, or scorpio; four remedies 218
3. Æthiopis; four remedies 221
4. Ageraton; four remedies _ib._
5. The aloe; twenty-nine remedies 222
6. Alcea; one remedy 224
7. The alypon; one remedy _ib._
8. Alsine, a plant used for the same purposes as helxine;
five remedies _ib._
9. The androsaces; six remedies 225
10. Androsæmon or ascyron; six remedies _ib._
11. Ambrosia, botrys, or artemisia; three remedies 226
12. The anonis or ononis; five remedies _ib._
13. The anagyros or acopon; three remedies _ib._
14. The anonymos; two remedies 227
15. Aparine, omphalocarpos, or philanthropos; three
remedies _ib._
16. The arction or arcturum; five remedies 228
17. The asplenon or hemionion; two remedies _ib._
18. The asclepias; two remedies 229
19. The aster or bubonion; three remedies _ib._
20. Ascyron and ascyroïdes; three remedies _ib._
21. The aphaca; three remedies 230
22. Alcibium; one remedy _ib._
23. Alectoroslophos or crista; two remedies _ib._
24. Alum, also called symphyton petræon; fourteen remedies 231
25. Alga rufa or red sea-weed; one remedy 232
26. Actæa; one remedy _ib._
27. The ampelos agria, or wild vine; four remedies _ib._
28. Absinthium or wormwood; four varieties; forty-eight
remedies _ib._
29. Absinthium marinum or seriphum 235
30. The ballotes, melamprasion, or black leek; three
remedies 236
31. Botrys, ambrosia, or artemisia; one remedy _ib._
32. The brabyla; one remedy _ib._
33. Bryon maritimum; five remedies _ib._
34. The bupleuron; one remedy 237
35. The catanance; one observation upon it. The cemos; one
observation upon it _ib._
36. The calyx; three remedies 238
37. The calyx, known also as anchusa or onoclia; two
remedies _ib._
38. The circæa; three remedies _ib._
39. The cirsion; one remedy 239
40. The cratægonon; two kinds of it; eight remedies _ib._
41. The crocodileon; two remedies 240
42. The cynosorchis or orchis; four remedies _ib._
43. The chrysolachanum; two varieties of it; three remedies.
Coagulum terræ; two remedies 241
44. The cucubalus, strumus, or strychnon; six remedies _ib._
45. The conferva; two remedies 242
46. The coccus Cnidius, or grain of Cnidos; two remedies _ib._
47. The dipsacos; two remedies _ib._
48. The dryopteris; two remedies 243
49. The dryophonon _ib._
50. The elatine; two remedies _ib._
51. Empetros, by our people called calcifraga; four
remedies 244
52. The epipactis or elleborine; two remedies _ib._
53. The epimedion; three remedies _ib._
54. The enneaphyllon; two remedies 245
55. Two varieties of filix or fern, known to the Greeks as
pteris or blachnon, and as thelypteris or nymphæa
pteris; eleven remedies _ib._
56. Femur bubulum, or ox thigh 246
57. Galeopsis, galeobdolon, or galion; six remedies _ib._
58. The glaux; one remedy 247
59. Glaucion; three remedies. Diaglaucia; two remedies _ib._
60. The glycyside, pæonia, or pentorobos; twenty remedies 248
61. Gnaphalium or chamæzelon: six remedies 249
62. The gallidraga: one remedy _ib._
63. Holcus or aristis 250
64. Hyoseris: one remedy _ib._
65. The holosteon: three remedies _ib._
66. The hippophæston: eight remedies _ib._
67. The hypoglossa: one remedy 251
68. Hypecoön _ib._
69. The Idæa herba or plant of Ida: four remedies _ib._
70. The isopyron or phasiolon: two remedies _ib._
71. The lathyris: two remedies 252
72. The leontopetalon or pardalion: two remedies _ib._
73. The lycapsos: two remedies _ib._
74. The lithospermum, exonychon, diospyron, or heracleos:
two remedies 253
75. Lapidis muscus, or stone moss: one remedy 254
76. The limeum: one remedy _ib._
77. The leuce, mesoleucon, or leucas: three remedies _ib._
78. The leucographis: five remedies 255
79. The medion: three remedies _ib._
80. The myosota or myosotis: three remedies _ib._
81. The myagros: one remedy 256
82. The nyma: one remedy _ib._
83. The natrix: one remedy _ib._
84. Odontitis: one remedy 257
85. The othonna: one remedy _ib._
86. The onosma: one property _ib._
87. The onopordon: five remedies 258
88. The osyris: four remedies _ib._
89. The oxys: two remedies _ib._
90. The polyanthemum or batrachion: three remedies _ib._
91. The polygonos, polygonatos, teuthalis, carcinethron,
clema, or myrtopetalos, otherwise known as sanguinaria
or orios: four varieties of it: forty remedies 259
92. The pancratium: twelve remedies 260
93. The peplis, syce, meconion, or mecon aphrodes: three
remedies 261
94. The periclymenos: five remedies _ib._
95. Pelecinon: one remedy 262
96. Polygala: one remedy _ib._
97. Poterion, phrynion, or neuras: four remedies _ib._
98. The phalangitis, phalangion, or leucacantha: four
remedies 263
99. The phyteuma: one property _ib._
100. The phyllon: one property _ib._
101. The phellandrion: two remedies 264
102. The phalaris: two remedies _ib._
103. The polyrrhizon: five remedies _ib._
104. The proserpinaca: five remedies _ib._
105. Rhacoma: thirty-six remedies 265
106. The reseda: two remedies _ib._
107. The stœchas: three remedies 266
108. The solanum, by the Greeks called strychnon: two
remedial properties _ib._
109. Smyrnion: thirty-two remedies _ib._
110. Telephion: four remedies 267
111. The trichomanes: five remedies 268
112. The thalictrum: one remedy _ib._
113. Thlaspi and Persicon napy: four remedies _ib._
114. The trachinia: one property 269
115. The tragonis or tragion: four remedies _ib._
116. The tragos or scorpion: four remedies 270
117. The tragopogon or come _ib._
118. The ages of plants _ib._
119. How the greatest efficacy in plants may be ensured 271
120. Maladies peculiar to various nations _ib._
BOOK XXVIII.
REMEDIES DERIVED FROM LIVING CREATURES.
1. Introduction 275
2. Remedies derived from man 276
3. Whether words are possessed of any healing efficacy 278
4. That prodigies and portents may be confirmed, or made
of no effect 280
5. A description of various usages 283
6. Two hundred and twenty-six observations on remedies
derived from man. Eight remedies derived from
children 286
7. Properties of the human spittle 288
8. Remedies derived from the wax of the human ear 291
9. Remedies derived from the human hair, teeth, &c. _ib._
10. Remedies derived from the human blood, the sexual
congress, &c. 292
11. Remedies derived from the dead _ib._
12. Various reveries and devices of the magicians 293
13. Remedies derived from the human excretions 294
14. Remedies depending upon the human will 295
15. Remedies derived from sneezing 297
16. Remedies derived from the sexual congress _ib._
17. Various other remedies 298
18. Remedies derived from the urine 299
19. Indications of health derived from the urine 301
20. Forty-one remedies derived from the female sex _ib._
21. Remedies derived from woman’s milk 302
22. Remedies derived from the spittle of females 304
23. Facts connected with the menstrual discharge _ib._
24. Remedies derived from foreign animals: the elephant,
eight remedies 307
25. Ten remedies derived from the lion 308
26. Ten remedies derived from the camel _ib._
27. Seventy-nine remedies derived from the hyæna 309
28. Nineteen remedies derived from the crocodile 314
29. Fifteen remedies derived from the chamæleon 315
30. Four remedies derived from the scincus 318
31. Seven remedies derived from the hippopotamus _ib._
32. Five remedies derived from the lynx 319
33. Remedies furnished in common by animals of the same
class, whether wild or tame. Fifty-four medicinal uses
of milk, with observations thereon _ib._
34. Twelve remedies derived from cheese 322
35. Twenty remedies derived from butter 323
36. Oxygala: one remedy 324
37. The various uses of fat, and observations upon it,
fifty-two in number _ib._
38. Suet 326
39. Marrow 327
40. Gall _ib._
41. Blood 328
42. Peculiar remedies derived from various animals, and
classified according to the maladies. Remedies against
the poison of serpents, derived from the stag, the
fawn, the ophion, the she-goat, the kid, and the ass _ib._
43. Remedies for the bite of the mad dog. Remedies derived
from the calf, the he-goat, and various other animals 331
44. Remedies to be adopted against enchantments. _ib._
45. Remedies for poisons 332
46. Remedies for diseases of the head, and for alopecy 334
47. Remedies for affections of the eyes 335
48. Remedies for diseases and affections of the ears 337
49. Remedies for tooth-ache 338
50. Remedies for diseases of the face 340
51. Remedies for diseases of the tonsillary glands and for
scrofula 342
52. Remedies for pains in the neck 343
53. Remedies for cough and for spitting of blood _ib._
54. Remedies for affections of the stomach 344
55. Remedies for liver complaints and for asthma _ib._
56. Remedies for pains in the loins _ib._
57. Remedies for affections of the spleen 345
58. Remedies for bowel complaints 346
59. Remedies for tenesmus, tapeworm, and affections of the
colon 348
60. Remedies for affections of the bladder, and for urinary
calculi 349
61. Remedies for diseases of the generative organs and of
the fundament 350
62. Remedies for gout and for diseases of the feet 352
63. Remedies for epilepsy 353
64. Remedies for jaundice 354
65. Remedies for broken bones _ib._
66. Remedies for fevers _ib._
67. Remedies for melancholy, lethargy, and phthisis 355
68. Remedies for dropsy 356
69. Remedies for erysipelas, and for purulent eruptions 357
70. Remedies for sprains, indurations, and boils _ib._
71. Remedies for burns. The method of testing bull-glue;
seven remedies derived from it _ib._
72. Remedies for affections of the sinews and for
contusions 358
73. Remedies for hæmorrhage _ib._
74. Remedies for ulcers and carcinomatous sores 359
75. Remedies for the itch 360
76. Methods of extracting foreign substances which adhere
body, and of restoring scars to their natural colour _ib._
77. Remedies for female diseases _ib._
78. Remedies for the diseases of infants 364
79. Provocatives of sleep 365
80. Stimulants for the sexual passions _ib._
81. Remarkable facts relative to animals 366
BOOK XXIX.
REMEDIES DERIVED FROM LIVING CREATURES.
1. The origin of the medical art 370
2. Particulars relative to Hippocrates. Date of the origin
of clinical practice and of that of Iatraliptics 371
3. Particulars relative to Chrysippus and Erasistratus _ib._
4. The Empiric branch of medicine 372
5. Particulars relative to Herophilus and other celebrated
physicians. The various changes that have been made in
the system of medicine _ib._
6. Who first practised as a physician at Rome, and at what
period 375
7. The opinions entertained by the Romans on the ancient
physicians _ib._
8. Evils attendant upon the practice of medicine 376
9. Thirty-five remedies derived from wool 381
10. Thirty-two remedies derived from wool-grease 383
11. Twenty-two remedies derived from eggs 385
12. Serpents’ eggs 388
13. The method of preparing commagenum. Four remedies
derived from it 390
14. Remedies derived from the dog 391
15. Remedies classified according to the different maladies.
Remedies for injuries inflicted by serpents. Remedies
derived from mice 392
16. Remedies derived from the weasel _ib._
17. Remedies derived from bugs _ib._
18. Particulars relative to the asp 394
19. Remedies derived from the basilisk _ib._
20. Remedies derived from the dragon 395
21. Remedies derived from the viper _ib._
22. Remedies derived from the other serpents 396
23. Remedies derived from the salamander 397
24. Remedies derived from birds, for injuries inflicted by
serpents. Remedies derived from the vulture 398
25. Remedies derived from poultry 399
26. Remedies derived from other birds 400
27. Remedies for the bite of the phalangium. The several
varieties of that insect, and of the spider _ib._
28. Remedies derived from the stellio, or spotted lizard 402
29. Remedies derived from various insects 403
30. Remedies derived from cantharides _ib._
31. Various counter-poisons 405
32. Remedies for the bite of the mad dog _ib._
33. Remedies for other poisons 407
34. Remedies for alopecy 408
35. Remedies for lice and porrigo 409
36. Remedies for head-ache, and for wounds on the head _ib._
37. Remedies for affections of the eyelids 410
38. Remedies for diseases of the eyes 411
39. Remedies for pains and diseases of the ears 416
BOOK XXX.
REMEDIES DERIVED FROM LIVING CREATURES.
1. The origin of the magic art 421
2. When and where the art of magic originated: by what
persons it was practised 422
3. Whether magic was ever practised in Italy. At what
period the senate first forbade human sacrifices 425
4. The Druids of the Gallic provinces 426
5. The various branches of magic 427
6. The subterfuges practised by the magicians 428
7. Opinions of the magicians relative to the mole. Five
remedies derived from it 429
8. The other remedies derived from living creatures,
classified according to the respective diseases.
Remedies for tooth-ache 430
9. Remedies for offensive odours and sores of the mouth 432
10. Remedies for spots upon the face _ib._
11. Remedies for affections of the throat 433
12. Remedies for quinzy and scrofula 434
13. Remedies for diseases of the shoulders 436
14. Remedies for pains in the viscera 437
15. Remedies for pains in the stomach _ib._
16. Remedies for pains in the liver, and for spitting of
blood 438
17. Remedies for affections of the spleen 439
18. Remedies for pains in the side and in the loins 440
19. Remedies for dysentery 441
20. Remedies for the iliac passion, and for other maladies
of the bowels 442
21. Remedies for urinary calculi and affections of the
bladder 443
22. Remedies for diseases of the fundament and of the
generative organs 445
23. Remedies for gout and for diseases of the feet 446
24. Remedies for evils which are liable to affect the whole
body 448
25. Remedies for cold shiverings 449
26. Remedies for paralysis 450
27. Remedies for epilepsy _ib._
28. Remedies for jaundice 452
29. Remedies for phrenitis _ib._
30. Remedies for fevers 453
31. Remedies for dropsy 456
32. Remedies for erysipelas _ib._
33. Remedies for carbuncles 457
34. Remedies for boils _ib._
35. Remedies for burns _ib._
36. Remedies for affections of the sinews _ib._
37. Remedies for maladies of the nails and fingers 458
38. Methods for arresting hæmorrhage _ib._
39. Remedies for ulcerous sores and wounds _ib._
40. Remedies for broken bones 460
41. Applications for cicatrizations, and for the cure of
morphew 461
42. Methods of extracting foreign substances from the body _ib._
43. Remedies for female complaints 462
44. Methods of facilitating delivery 463
45. Methods of preserving the breasts from injury 464
46. Various kinds of depilatories 465
47. Remedies for the diseases of infants _ib._
48. Provocatives of sleep 467
49. Aphrodisiacs and antaphrodisiacs _ib._
50. Remedies for phthiriasis, and for various other
affections 468
51. Remedies for intoxication _ib._
52. Peculiarities relative to certain animals 469
53. Other marvellous facts connected with animals _ib._
BOOK XXXI.
REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE AQUATIC PRODUCTIONS.
1. Remarkable facts connected with water 471
2. The different properties of waters 472
3. Remedies derived from water 473
4. Waters productive of fecundity. Waters curative of
insanity 474
5. Waters remedial for urinary calculi _ib._
6. Waters curative of wounds 475
7. Waters preventive of abortion _ib._
8. Waters which remove morphew _ib._
9. Waters which colour the hair 476
10. Waters which colour the human body _ib._
11. Waters which aid the memory, or are productive of
forgetfulness 477
12. Waters which sharpen or dull the senses. Waters which
improve the voice _ib._
13. Waters which cause a distaste for wine. Waters which
produce inebriety _ib._
14. Waters which serve as a substitute for oil 478
15. Salt and bitter waters _ib._
16. Waters which throw up stones. Waters which cause laughter
and weeping. Waters which are said to be curative of
love _ib._
17. Waters which preserve their warmth for three days 479
18. Other marvellous facts connected with water. Water in
which everything will sink. Waters in which nothing
will sink _ib._
19. Deadly waters. Poisonous fishes 480
20. Waters which petrify themselves, or cause other objects
to petrify 482
21. The wholesomeness of waters _ib._
22. The impurities of water 484
23. The modes of testing water 485
24. The Marcian Waters 487
25. The Virgin Waters 488
26. The method of searching for water _ib._
27. Signs indicative of the presence of water 489
28. Differences in waters, according to the nature of the
soil _ib._
29. The qualities of water at the different seasons of the
year 491
30. Historical observations upon waters which have suddenly
made their appearance or suddenly ceased 492
31. The method of conveying water 494
32. How mineral waters should be used _ib._
33. The uses of sea-water. The advantages of a sea-voyage 496
34. How artificial sea-water may be made in places at a
distance from the sea 498
35. How thalassomeli is made _ib._
36. How hydromeli is made _ib._
37. Methods of providing against the inconvenience of
drinking suspected water 499
38. Six remedies derived from moss. Remedies derived from
sand _ib._
39. The various kinds of salt; the methods of preparing it,
and the remedies derived from it. Two hundred and four
observations thereupon 500
40. Muria 503
41. The various properties of salt: one hundred and twenty
historical remarks relative thereto 504
42. Flower of salt: twenty remedies. Salsugo: two remedies 506
43. Garum: fifteen remedies 507
44. Alex: eight remedies 508
45. The nature of salt 509
46. The various kinds of nitrum, the methods of preparing
it, and the remedies derived from it: two hundred
and twenty-one observations thereon 512
47. Sponges, and the remedies derived from them: ninety-two
observations thereon 519
NATURAL HISTORY OF PLINY
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 him 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 linden-tree. 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
wine-strainers. 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 be 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 inexplicable nature forthwith have their praises sung, and the
productions of Arabia and India are held in unbounded admiration 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 REMEDIES
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; and 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 employed 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.)—THE 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 gall-nut, 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, hangnails, malformed nails, running
ulcers, condylomatous swellings, and ulcerations of the nature known
as phagedænic.[33] A decoction 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;
combined 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 employ 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 be 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
CERRUS: 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 desiccative
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 BEECH: 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-hare,[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 “pisselæon,”[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 tearlike 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 sometimes 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 applications 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 unable 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] downwards; 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] resembling 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-THREE 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 REMEDY.
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-ONE 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 approach 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 AMERIA: 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 linment, 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 kidney-bean. 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 “erica,”
is a similar plant to that of which brooms are made at Ameria.[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 ill-omened, because it
bears no fruit, and is never propagated from seed.
CHAP. 42.—THE BRYA: 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 PRIVET: 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 chafings 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 REMEDY.
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 forehead 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 ulcerations 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 ERYTHRANOS: TWO REMEDIES. THE CHAMÆCISSOS: TWO
REMEDIES. THE SMILAX: THREE REMEDIES. 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 yet 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 ERYTHRODANUS: 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 hydromel, it is curative of jaundice.[237]
Employed topically with vinegar, it heals 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; they 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.