chondrylla,[2164] the hypochœris,[2165] the caucalis,[2166] the
anthriscum,[2167] the scandix, the come, by some persons known as the
tragopogon,[2168] with leaves very similar to those of saffron, the
parthenium,[2169] the trychnum,[2170] and the corchorus;[2171] with
the aphace[2172] and acynopos,[2173] which make their appearance at
the equinox. There is a plant also, called the epipetron,[2174] which
never blossoms;[2175] while the aphace, on the other hand, as its
flowers die, from time to time puts forth fresh ones, and remains[2176]
in blossom throughout the winter and the spring, until the following
summer.
CHAP. 53.—FOUR VARIETIES OF THE CNECOS.
The Egyptians have many other plants also, of little note; but they
speak in the highest terms of the cnecos;[2177] a plant unknown to
Italy, and which the Egyptians hold in esteem, not as an article of
food, but for the oil it produces, and which is extracted from the
seed. The principal varieties are the wild and the cultivated kinds;
of the wild variety, again, there are two sorts, one of which is less
prickly[2178] than the other, but with a similar stem, only more
upright: hence it is that in former times females used it for distaffs,
from which circumstance it has received the name of “atractylis”[2179]
from some; the seed of it is white, large, and bitter. The other
variety[2180] is more prickly, and has a more sinewy stem, which may
be said almost to creep upon the ground; the seed is small. The cnecos
belongs to the thorny plants: indeed, it will be as well to make some
classification of them.
CHAP. 54.—PLANTS OF A PRICKLY NATURE: THE ERYNGE, THE GLYCYRRIZA, THE
TRIBULUS, THE ANONIS, THE PHEOS OR STŒBE, AND THE HIPPOPHAES.
For some plants, in fact, are thorny, while others, again, are
destitute of prickles: the species of thorny plants are very numerous.
The asparagus[2181] and the scorpio[2182] are essentially thorny
plants, having no leaves at all upon them. Some plants, again, that
are prickly have leaves as well, such as the thistle, for instance, the
erynge,[2183] the glycyrriza,[2184] and the nettle;[2185] all these
plants being provided with leaves that prick or sting.
Some plants have thorns at the base of their leaves, the tribulus[2186]
and the anonis[2187] for instance; others, again, have thorns, not
on the leaves but on the stem, the pheos[2188] for example, known as
the stœbe to some. The hippophaës[2189] has thorns at the joints; the
tribulus presents the peculiarity of bearing a fruit that is thorny.
CHAP. 55.—FOUR VARIETIES OF THE NETTLE. THE LAMIUM AND THE SCORPIO.
But of all these plants, it is the nettle that is the best known
to us, the calyces[2190] of the blossoms of which produce a purple
down: it frequently exceeds two cubits even in height.[2191] There
are numerous varieties of this plant; the wild nettle, known also as
the female nettle, does not inflict so bad a sting as the others.
Among the several varieties of the wild nettle, the one known as the
dog[2192]-nettle, stings the worst, the stem of it even possessing
that property; the leaves of the nettle are indented at the edge. There
is one kind also, which emits a smell, known as the Herculanean[2193]
nettle. The seed of all the nettles is copious, and black. It is
a singular fact that, though possessed of no spinous points, the
down[2194] of the nettle is of a noxious nature, and that, though ever
so lightly touched, it will immediately produce an itching sensation,
and raise a blister on the flesh similar in appearance to a burn: the
well-known remedy for it is olive oil.
The stinging property of the nettle does not belong to the plant at
the earliest period of its growth, but only developes itself under the
influence of the sun. The plant first begins to grow in the spring, at
which period it is by no means a disagreeable food;[2195] indeed, it
has become quite a religious observance to employ it as such, under
the impression that it is a preventive from diseases the whole year
through. The root, too, of the wild nettle, has the effect of rendering
all meat more tender that is boiled with it.[2196] The kind that is
innoxious and destitute of all stinging properties, is known as the
“lamium.”[2197] Of the scorpio[2198] we shall have occasion to speak
when treating of the medicinal plants.
CHAP. 56. (16).—THE CARDUUS, THE ACORNA, THE PHONOS, THE LEUCACANTHOS,
THE CHALCEOS, THE CNECOS, THE POLYACANTHOS, THE ONOPYXOS, THE HELXINE,
THE SCOLYMOS, THE CHAMÆLEON, THE TETRALIX, AND ACANTHICE MASTICHE.
The carduus[2199] has leaves and a stem covered with a prickly
down; the same is the case, too, with the acorna,[2200] the
leucacanthos,[2201] the chalceos,[2202] the cnecos,[2203] the
polyacanthos,[2204] the onopyxos,[2205] the helxine,[2206] and the
scolymos;[2207] the chamæleon,[2208] however, has no prickles upon the
leaves. There is, however, this difference among these plants, that
some of them have numerous stems and branches, such as the carduus, for
instance; while others, again, have a single stem and no branches, the
cnecos, for example. Some, again, such as the erynge,[2209] are prickly
at the head only; and some blossom in the summer, the tetralix and
the helxine, for instance. The scolymos blossoms late, and remains a
considerable period in flower: the acorna being distinguished only for
its red colour and its unctuous juice. The atractylis would be similar
in every respect to the last, were it not that it is somewhat whiter,
and produces a juice the colour of blood, a circumstance to which it
owes the name of “phonos,”[2210] given to it by some. The smell of
this plant is powerful, and the seed only ripens at a late period, and
never before autumn, although the same may be said of all the prickly
plants, in fact. All of them are capable, however, of being reproduced
from either seed or root.
The scolymos, which belongs to the thistle[2211] genus, differs from
the rest of them in the circumstance that the root of it is boiled
and eaten. It is a singular fact that this genus of plants bears
blossoms, buds, and fruit the whole of the summer through, without any
interruption: when the leaf is dried, the prickles lose their pungency.
The helxine is a plant but rarely seen, and in some countries only.
It throws out leaves at the root, from the middle of which there is a
protuberance in the shape of an apple, covered with leaves of its own:
the head of it contains a thick juice of a sweet flavour, the name
given to which is “acanthice mastiche.”[2212]
CHAP. 57.—THE CACTOS; THE PTERNIX, PAPPUS, AND ASCALIAS.
The cactos,[2213] too, is a plant that grows only in Sicily, having
peculiar characteristics of its own: the root throws out stalks which
creep along the ground, the leaves being broad and thorny. The name
given to these stalks is “cactos,” and they are not disliked as an
article of food,[2214] even when old. The plant, however, has one stem
which grows upright, and is known by the name of “pternix;” it has the
same sweet flavour as the other parts, though it will not keep. The
seed of it is covered with a kind of down, known as “pappus:”[2215]
when this is removed, as well as the rind[2216] of the fruit, it
is tender, and like the pith of the palm: the name given to it is
“ascalias.”
CHAP. 58.—THE TRIBULUS: THE ANONIS.
The tribulus[2217] grows nowhere except in marshy places: though held
in abomination elsewhere,[2218] it is employed on the banks of the
Nilus and Strymon as an article of food. It always bends towards the
water, and has a leaf like that of the elm, with a long stalk. In other
parts of the world there are two varieties of this plant; the one[2219]
with leaves like those of the chicheling vetch, the other with leaves
protected by prickles. This last variety blossoms also at a later
period than the other, and is mostly found in the hedge-rows about
farm-houses. The seed of it is black, rounder than that of the other,
and enclosed in pods: that of the other variety bears a resemblance to
sand.
Among the prickly plants there is also another kind, known as the
“anonis:”[2220] indeed, it has thorns upon the branches, to which
leaves are attached similar to those of rue, the stem being entirely
covered also with leaves, in form resembling a garland. It comes up
in land that has been newly ploughed, being highly prejudicial to the
corn, and long-lived in the extreme.
CHAP. 59.—PLANTS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THEIR STEMS: THE CORONOPUS,
THE ANCHUSA, THE ANTHEMIS, THE PHYLLANTHES, THE CREPIS, AND THE LOTUS.
Some, again, among the prickly plants have a stem which creeps along
the ground, that, for instance, known as the “coronopus.”[2221] On the
other hand, the anchusa,[2222] the root of which is employed for dyeing
wood and wax, has an upright stem; which is the case also with some of
the plants that are prickly in a less degree, the anthemis,[2223] for
example, the phyllanthes,[2224] the anemone, and the aphace:[2225] the
crepis,[2226] again, and the lotus,[2227] have a foliated stem.
CHAP. 60.—PLANTS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THEIR LEAVES. PLANTS WHICH
NEVER LOSE THEIR LEAVES: PLANTS WHICH BLOSSOM A LITTLE AT A TIME: THE
HELIOTROPIUM AND THE ADIANTUM, THE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM WHICH WILL BE
MENTIONED IN THE FOLLOWING BOOK.
The leaves of plants, as well as those of trees, differ from one
another in the length of the footstalk, and in the breadth or
narrowness of the leaf, and the angles and indentations perceptible on
its edge. Other differences are also constituted in respect of their
smell and blossom. The blossom remains on longer in some of those
plants which flower only a little at a time, such as the ocimum,[2228]
the heliotropium,[2229] the aphace, and the onochilis,[2230] for
example.
(17.) Many of these plants, the same as certain among the trees, never
lose their leaves, the heliotropium,[2231] the adiantum[2232] and the
polium,[2233] for instance.
CHAP. 61.—THE VARIOUS KINDS OF EARED PLANTS: THE STANYOPS; THE
ALOPECUROS; THE STELEPHUROS, ORTYX, OR PLANTAGO; THE THRYALLIS.
The eared[2234] plants form another variety: among them we find the
cynops,[2235] the alopecuros,[2236] the stelephuros,[2237] also known
to some persons as the ortyx,[2238] and to others as the plantago, of
which last we shall have occasion[2239] to speak more at length among
the medicinal plants, and the thryallis.[2240] The alopecuros, among
these, has a soft ear and a thick down, not unlike a fox’s tail in
fact, to which resemblance it owes its name. The plant most like[2241]
it is the stelephuros, were it not that it blossoms only a little at
a time. In the cichorium and similar plants, the leaves are near the
ground, the buds springing from the root just after the rising of the
Vergiliæ.[2242]
CHAP. 62—THE PERDICIUM. THE ORNITHOGALE.
It is not in Egypt only that the perdicium[2243] is eaten; it owes its
name to the partridge,[2244] which bird is extremely fond of digging
it up. The roots of it are thick and very numerous: and so, too, with
the ornithogale,[2245] which has a tender white stalk, and a root
half a foot in thickness, bulbous, soft, and provided with three or
four other offsets attached to it. It is generally used boiled in
pottage.[2246]
CHAP. 63.—PLANTS WHICH ONLY MAKE THEIR APPEARANCE AT THE END OF A YEAR.
PLANTS WHICH BEGIN TO BLOSSOM AT THE TOP. PLANTS WHICH BEGIN TO BLOSSOM
AT THE LOWER PART.
It is a remarkable thing that the herb lotus[2247] and the
ægilops[2248] never make their appearance above ground till the end of
a year after the seed has been sown. The anthemis,[2249] too, offers
the singular peculiarity that it begins to blossom at the top, while in
all the other plants which flower gradually, it is at the lower part
that the blossom first makes its appearance.
CHAP. 64.—THE LAPPA, A PLANT WHICH PRODUCES WITHIN ITSELF. THE OPUNTIA,
WHICH THROWS OUT A ROOT FROM THE LEAF.
In the lappa,[2250] too, which clings so tenaciously, there is this
remarkable peculiarity, that within it there grows a flower, which does
not make its appearance, but remains concealed and there produces the
seed, like those among the animals which produce within themselves. In
the vicinity of Opus there grows a plant[2251] which is very pleasant
eating to man, and the leaf of which, a most singular thing, gives
birth to a root by means of which it reproduces itself.
CHAP. 65.—THE IASIONE. THE CHONDRYLLA. THE PICRIS, WHICH REMAINS IN
FLOWER THE WHOLE YEAR THROUGH.
The iasione[2252] has a single leaf only, but that so folded and
involved, as to have all the appearance of being several in number.
The chondrylla[2253] is bitter, and the juice of the root is of an
acrid taste. The aphace, too, is bitter, and so is the plant called
“picris,”[2254] which also remains in flower the whole year through: it
is to this bitterness that it is indebted for its name.[2255]
CHAP. 66.—PLANTS IN WHICH THE BLOSSOM MAKES ITS APPEARANCE BEFORE THE
STEM. PLANTS IN WHICH THE STEM APPEARS BEFORE THE BLOSSOM. PLANTS WHICH
BLOSSOM THREE TIMES IN THE YEAR.
The peculiarities also of the squill and saffron deserve remark; for
while all other plants put forth their leaves first, and then a round
stem, these show the stem before the leaf makes its appearance: in the
saffron, however, the blossom is protruded by the stem, but in the
squill it is the stem that first makes its appearance, and then the
flower emerges from it. This plant blossoms three times in the year,
indicating thereby, as previously stated,[2256] the three seasons for
ploughing.
CHAP. 67.—THE CYPIROS. THE THESION.
Some authors reckon among the bulbs the root of the cypiros, or
gladiolus;[2257] it is a pleasant food, and when boiled and kneaded up
with bread, makes it more agreeable to the taste, and at the same time
more weighty. Not unlike it in appearance is the plant known to us as
the “thesion,”[2258] but it is of an acrid flavour.
CHAP. 68.—THE ASPHODEL, OR ROYAL SPEAR. THE ANTHERICUS OR ALBUCUS.
Other plants of the bulbous kind differ in the leaf: that of the
asphodel[2259] is long and narrow, that of the squill broad and supple,
and the form of that of the gladiolus is bespoken by its name.[2260]
The asphodel is used as an article of food, the seed of it being
parched, and the bulb roasted;[2261] this last, however, should be
cooked in hot ashes, and then eaten with salt and oil. It is beaten
up also with figs, and forms, as Hesiod assures us, a very delicate
dish. It is said, too, that the asphodel, planted before the doors of a
farm-house, will act as a preservative against the effects of noxious
spells.
Homer,[2262] too, makes mention of the asphodel. The bulbs of it are
like moderately-sized turnips, and there is no plant the root of which
has more of them, as many as eighty bulbs being often grouped together.
Theophrastus, and nearly all the Greek writers, with Pythagoras at
the head of them, have given the name of “anthericos” to its stem,
which is one cubit, and often two, in length, the leaves being very
similar to those of the wild leek; it is to the root, or in other
words, the bulbs, that they have given the name of asphodel. The people
of our country call this plant[2263] “albucus,” and they give the
name of “royal[2264] spear” to the asphodel the stem of which bears
berries,[2265] thus distinguishing two[2266] varieties of it. The
albucus has a stalk a cubit in length, large, naked, and smooth, in
reference to which, Mago recommends that it should be cut at the end
of March and the beginning of April, the period at which it blossoms,
and before the seed has begun to swell; he says, too, that the stalks
should be split, and exposed on the fourth day in the sun, after which,
when dry, they should be made up into bundles.
The same author states, also, that the Greeks give the name of
“pistana” to the aquatic plant known to us as the “sagitta;”[2267] and
he recommends that it should be stripped of its bark, and dried in a
mild sun, between the ides of May[2268] and the end of October. He
says, too, that it is usual to cut down to the root, throughout all the
month of July, the variety of the gladiolus called “cypiros,” which is
a marsh-plant also, and at the end of three days to dry it in the sun,
until it turns white; but that care must be taken every day to carry it
under cover before sunset, the night dews being very injurious to marsh
plants when cut.
CHAP. 69. (18.)—SIX VARIETIES OF THE RUSH: FOUR REMEDIES DERIVED FROM
THE CYPIROS.
Mago has likewise given similar recommendations as to the rush known to
us as the “mariscus,”[2269] and which is so extensively employed for
weaving mats. He says that it should be gathered in the month of June,
up to the middle of July, and for drying it he gives the same precepts
that have been already[2270] mentioned, in the appropriate place, when
speaking of sedge. He describes a second kind, also, which I find is
generally called the “marine” rush, and is known to the Greeks as the
“oxyschœnos.”[2271]
Generally speaking, there are three varieties of this last rush:
the pointed rush, which is barren, and by the Greeks is called the
male rush and the “oxys:”[2272] the female rush,[2273] which bears
a black seed, and is called the “melancranis,”[2274] thicker and
more bushy than the preceding one: and a third kind, called the
“holoschœnus,”[2275] which is larger still. Of these varieties, the
melancranis grows separately from the others, but the oxys and the
holoschœnus will grow upon the self-same clod. The holoschœnus is the
most useful for all kinds of basket-work, being of a particularly
supple and fleshy nature; it bears a fruit, which resembles eggs
attached to one another. The rush, again, which we have spoken of as
the male rush,[2276] is reproduced from itself, the summit of it being
bent down into the earth; the melancranis, however, is propagated from
seed. Beyond this, the roots of all the varieties of the rush die every
year.
The rush is in general use for making kipes[2277] for sea-fishing, the
more light and elegant kinds of basket-work, and the wicks of lamps,
for which last purpose the pith is more particularly employed.[2278]
In the vicinity of the maritime Alps, the rushes grow to such a vast
size, that when split they measure nearly an inch in diameter; while in
Egypt, on the other hand, they are so extremely fine, that the people
there make sieves of them, for which, indeed, there can be nothing
better.
Some authors, again, distinguish another kind of rush, of a triangular
shape, to which they give the name of cyperos,[2279] though many
persons make no distinction between it and the “cypiros,” in
consequence of the resemblance of the names; for our own part, however,
we shall observe the distinction. The cypiros, as we have already[2280]
stated, is identical with the gladiolus, a plant with a bulbous root,
the most esteemed being those grown in the Isle of Crete, the next best
those of Naxos, and the next those of Phœnicia. The cypiros of Crete is
white, with an odour strongly resembling that of nard; the produce of
Naxos has a more pungent smell, that of Phœnicia but little odour of
any kind, and that of Ægypt none at all; for it grows in that country
as well.
This plant disperses hard tumours of the body—for we shall here
begin to speak of the remedies derived from the various flowers and
odoriferous plants, they being, all of them, of very considerable
utility in medicine. As to the cypiros, then, I shall follow
Apollodorus, who forbids it to be taken in drink, though at the same
time he admits that it is extremely useful for calculi of the bladder,
and recommends it in fomentations for the face. He entertains no doubt,
however, that it is productive of abortion, and he mentions, as a
remarkable fact, that the barbarians,[2281] by inhaling the fumes of
this plant at the mouth, thereby diminish the volume of the spleen.
They never go out of the house, he says, till they have inhaled these
fumes, through the agency of which they daily become stronger and
stronger, and more robust. He states, also, that the cypiros, employed
as a liniment with oil, is an undoubted remedy for chafing of the skin,
and offensive odours of the arm-pits.
CHAP. 70.—THE CYPEROS: FOURTEEN REMEDIES. THE CYPERIS. THE CYPIRA.
The cyperos, as we have just stated, is a rush of angular shape, white
near the ground, and black and solid at the top. The lower leaves are
more slender than those of the leek, and those at the top are small,
with the seed of the plant lying between them. The root resembles a
black olive,[2282] and when it is of an oblong shape, the plant is
known as the “cyperis,”[2283] being employed in medicine to a great
extent. The cyperos most highly esteemed is that of the vicinity of
the Temple of Jupiter Hammon, the next best being that of Rhodes, the
next that of Theræ, and the worst of all that of Egypt, a circumstance
which tends greatly to add to the misunderstanding on the subject, as
that country produces the cypiros as well: but the cypiros which grows
there is extremely hard, and has hardly any smell at all, while all the
other[2284] varieties of it have an odour strongly resembling that of
nard.
There is also an Indian plant, called the “cypira,”[2285] of a totally
different character, and similar to ginger in appearance; when chewed,
it has exactly the flavour of saffron.
The cyperos, employed medicinally, is possessed of certain depilatory
properties. It is used in liniments for hang-nails and ulcerous sores
of the genitals and of all parts of the body which are of a humid
nature, ulcers of the mouth, for instance. The root of it is a very
efficacious remedy for the stings of serpents and scorpions. Taken in
drink, it removes obstructions of the uterus, but if employed in too
large doses, it is liable to cause prolapsus of that organ. It acts
also as a diuretic, and expels calculi of the bladder; properties which
render it extremely useful in dropsy. It is employed topically, also,
for serpiginous ulcers, those of the throat more particularly, being
usually applied with wine or vinegar.
CHAP. 71.—THE HOLOSCHŒNUS.
The root of the rush, boiled down to one third in three heminæ of
water, is a cure for cough; the seed of it, parched and taken in water,
arrests looseness of the bowels and the menstrual discharge, though
at the same time it causes headache. The name given to this rush is
holoschœnus; the parts of it nearest the root are chewed, as a cure for
the bites of spiders.
I find mention made, also, of one other kind of rush, the name of which
is “euripice;”[2286] the seed, they say, is narcotic, but the greatest
care is necessary, not to throw the patient into a lethargy.
CHAP. 72.—TEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE SWEET-SCENTED RUSH, OR
TEUCHITES.
We will also take this opportunity of mentioning the medicinal
properties of the sweet-scented rush, which is found in Cœle-Syria, as
already stated by us in the appropriate place.[2287] The most esteemed
kind, however, is that which grows in the country of the Nabatæi, and
is known as the “teuchites;”[2288] the next best being the produce
of Babylonia, and the very worst that of Africa, which is entirely
destitute of smell. This rush is round, and when applied to the tongue,
has a pungent, vinous flavour. The genuine kind, when rubbed, gives
out an odour like that of the rose, and when broken asunder it is
red within. It dispels flatulency, and hence it is very good for the
stomach, and for persons when vomiting the bile or blood. It arrests
hiccup also, promotes eructations, acts as a diuretic, and is curative
of affections of the bladder. A decoction of it is used for female
complaints; and in cases of opisthotony, it is applied in plasters with
dry resin, these being highly valued for their warming properties.
CHAP. 73.—REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE FLOWERS BEFORE MENTIONED:
THIRTY-TWO REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE ROSE.
The rose is of an astringent and refreshing nature. For medicinal
purposes the petals, the flowers, and the heads are used. Those
portions of the petals which are quite white are known as the
unglets.[2289] In the flower there is the seed, as distinguished from
the filaments, and in the head there is the bud,[2290] as well as the
calyx. The petals are dried, or else the juice is extracted from them,
by one of the three following methods: Either the leaves are employed
whole for the purpose, the unglets not being removed—for these are the
parts, in fact, that contain the most juice—or else the unglets are
first taken off and the residue is then macerated with oil or wine,
in glass vessels placed in the sun. Some persons add salt as well,
and others alkanet,[2291] or else aspalathus or sweet-scented rush;
as it is, when thus prepared, a very valuable remedy for diseases of
the uterus and for dysentery. According to the third process, the
unglets are removed from the petals, and pounded, after which they are
subjected to pressure in a coarse linen cloth, the juice being received
in a copper vessel; it is then boiled on a slow fire, until it has
acquired the consistence of honey; for this purpose, however, the most
odoriferous of the petals should be selected.
(19.) We have already stated,[2292] when speaking of the various kinds
of wines, how rose wine is made. Rose juice is much used in injections
for the ears, and as a gargle for ulcerations of the mouth, and for the
gums and tonsils; it is employed also for the stomach, maladies of the
uterus, diseases of the rectum, and for head-ache. In fevers, it is
used, either by itself or in combination with vinegar, as a remedy for
sleeplessness and nausea. The petals, charred, are used as a cosmetic
for the eyebrows;[2293] and the thighs, when chafed, are rubbed with
them dried; reduced to powder, too, they are soothing for defluxions of
the eyes. The flower of the rose is soporific, and taken in oxycrate it
arrests fluxes in females, the white flux in particular; also spitting
of blood, and pains in the stomach, if taken in three cyathi of wine,
in sufficient quantity to flavour it.
As to the seed of the rose, the best is that which is of a saffron
colour, and not more than a year old; it should be dried, too, in the
shade. The black seed is worthless. In cases of tooth-ache, the seed
is employed in the form of a liniment; it acts also as a diuretic, and
is used as a topical application for the stomach, as also in cases of
erysipelas which are not inveterate: inhaled at the nostrils, it has
the effect of clearing the brain. The heads of roses, taken in drink,
arrest looseness of the bowels and hæmorrhage. The unglets of the rose
are wholesome in cases of defluxion of the eyes; but the rose is very
apt to taint all ulcerous sores of the eyes, if it is not applied at
the very beginning of the defluxion, dried, and in combination with
bread. The petals, too, taken internally, are extremely wholesome
for gnawing pains of the stomach, and for maladies of the abdomen or
intestines; as also for the thoracic organs, if applied externally
even: they are preserved, too, for eating, in a similar manner to
lapathum. Great care must be taken in drying rose-leaves, as they are
apt to turn mouldy very quickly.
The petals, too, from which the juice has been extracted, may be put
to some use when dried: powders,[2294] for instance, may be made from
them, for the purpose of checking the perspiration. These powders are
sprinkled on the body, upon leaving the bath, and are left to dry
on it, after which they are washed off with cold water. The little
excrescences[2295] of the wild rose, mixed with bears’-grease,[2296]
are a good remedy for alopecy.
CHAP. 74.—TWENTY-ONE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE LILY.
The roots of the lily[2297] ennoble that flower in manifold ways by
their utility in a medicinal point of view. Taken in wine, they are
good for the stings of serpents, and in cases of poisoning by fungi.
For corns on the feet, they are applied boiled in wine, not being
taken off before the end of three days. A decoction of them with grease
or oil, has the effect of making the hair grow again upon burns. Taken
with honied wine, they carry off corrupt blood by stool; they are good,
also, for the spleen and for hernia, and act as an emmenagogue. Boiled
in wine and applied with honey, they are curative of wounds of the
sinews. They are good, too, for lichens, leprous sores, and scurf upon
the face, and they efface wrinkles of the body.
The petals of the lily are boiled in vinegar, and applied, in
combination with polium,[2298] to wounds; if it should happen, however,
to be a wound of the testes, it is the best plan to apply the other
ingredients with henbane and wheat-meal. Lily-seed is applied in cases
of erysipelas, and the flowers and leaves are used as a cataplasm
for inveterate ulcers. The juice which is extracted from the flower
is called “honey”[2299] by some persons, and “syrium” by others; it
is employed as an emollient for the uterus, and is also used for the
purpose of promoting perspirations, and for bringing suppurations to a
head.
CHAP. 75.—SIXTEEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE NARCISSUS.
Two varieties of the narcissus are employed in medicine, the one
with a purple[2300] flower, and the herbaceous narcissus.[2301] This
last is injurious to the stomach, and hence it is that it acts both
as an emetic and as a purgative: it is prejudicial, also, to the
sinews, and produces dull, heavy pains in the head: hence it is that
it has received its name, from “narce,”[2302] and not from the youth
Narcissus, mentioned in fable. The roots of both kinds of narcissus
have a flavour resembling that of wine mixed with honey. This plant is
very useful, applied to burns with a little honey, as also to other
kinds of wounds, and sprains. Applied topically, too, with honey and
oatmeal, it is good for tumours, and it is similarly employed for the
extraction of foreign substances from the body.
Beaten up in polenta and oil it effects the cure of contusions and
blows inflicted by stones; and, mixed with meal, it effectually
cleanses wounds, and speedily removes black morphews from the skin. Of
this flower oil of narcissus is made, good for softening indurations
of the skin, and for warming parts of the body that have been
frost-bitten. It is very beneficial, also, for the ears, but is very
apt to produce head-ache.
CHAP. 76.—SEVENTEEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE VIOLET.
There are both wild and cultivated violets.[2303] The purple violet is
of a cooling nature: for inflammations they are applied to the stomach
in the burning heats, and for pains in the head they are applied to
the forehead. Violets, in particular, are used for defluxions of the
eyes, prolapsus of the fundament and uterus, and suppurations. Worn in
chaplets upon the head, or even smelt at, they dispel the fumes of wine
and head-ache; and, taken in water, they are a cure for quinsy. The
purple violet, taken in water, is a remedy for epilepsy, in children
more particularly: violet seed is good for the stings of scorpions.
On the other hand, the flower of the white violet opens suppurations,
and the plant itself disperses them. Both the white and the yellow
violet check the menstrual discharge, and act as diuretics. When fresh
gathered, they have less virtue, and hence it is that they are mostly
used dry, after being kept a year. The yellow violet, taken in doses
of half a cyathus to three cyathi of water, promotes the catamenia;
and the roots of it, applied with vinegar, assuage affections of the
spleen, as also the gout. Mixed with myrrh and saffron, they are good
for inflammation of the eyes. The leaves, applied with honey, cleanse
ulcerous sores of the head, and, combined with cerate,[2304] they are
good for chaps of the fundament and other moist parts of the body.
Employed with vinegar, they effect the cure of abscesses.
CHAP. 77.—SEVENTEEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE BACCHAR. ONE REMEDY
DERIVED FROM THE COMBRETUM.
The bacchar that is used in medicine is by some of our writers called
the “perpressa.” It is very useful for the stings of serpents,
head-ache and burning heats in the head, and for defluxions of the
eyes. It is applied topically for swellings of the mamillæ after
delivery, as also incipient fistulas[2305] of the eyes, and erysipelas;
the smell of it induces sleep. It is found very beneficial to
administer a decoction of the root for spasms, falls with violence,
convulsions, and asthma. For an inveterate cough, three or four roots
of this plant are boiled down to one-third; this decoction acting also
as a purgative for women after miscarriage, and removing stitch in the
side, and calculi of the bladder. Drying powders[2306] for perspiration
are prepared also from this plant; and it is laid among garments
for the smell.[2307] The combretum which we have spoken[2308] of as
resembling the bacchar, beaten up with axle-grease, is a marvellous
cure for wounds.
CHAP. 78.—EIGHT REMEDIES DERIVED FROM ASARUM.
It is generally stated that asarum[2309] is good for affections of the
liver, taken in doses of one ounce to a semisextarius of honied wine
mixed with water. It purges the bowels like hellebore, and is good for
dropsy and affections of the thoracic organs and uterus, as also for
jaundice. When mixed with must, it makes a wine with strongly diuretic
qualities. It is taken up as soon as it begins to put forth its leaves,
and is dried in the shade. It is apt however to turn mouldy very
speedily.
CHAP. 79. (20.)—EIGHT REMEDIES DERIVED FROM GALLIC NARD.
Some authors, as we have already[2310] stated, having given the name
of “field nard” to the root of the bacchar, we will here mention the
medicinal properties of Gallic nard, of which we have[2311] already
spoken, when treating of the foreign trees, deferring further notice
of it till the present occasion. In doses of two drachmæ, taken in
wine, it is good for the stings of serpents; and taken in water or
in wine it is employed for inflations of the colon, maladies of the
liver or kidneys, and suffusions of the gall. Employed by itself or in
combination with wormwood it is good for dropsy. It has the property,
also, of arresting excessive discharges of the catamenia.
CHAP. 80.—FOUR REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE PLANT CALLED “PHU.”
The root of the plant which we have mentioned in the same place under
the name of “phu,”[2312] is given in drink, either bruised or boiled,
in cases of hysterical suffocation, and for pains of the chest or
sides. It acts as an emmenagogue, and is generally taken in wine.
CHAP. 81.—TWENTY REMEDIES DERIVED FROM SAFFRON.
Saffron does not blend well with honey, or, indeed, with any sweet
substance, though very readily with wine or water: it is extremely
useful in medicine, and is generally kept in horn boxes. Applied
with egg it disperses all kinds of inflammation, those of the eyes
in particular: it is employed also for hysterical suffocations, and
for ulcerations of the stomach, chest, kidneys, liver, lungs, and
bladder. It is particularly useful also in cases of inflammation
of those parts, and for cough and pleurisy. It likewise removes
itching[2313] sensations, and acts as a diuretic. Persons who have used
the precaution of first taking saffron in drink will never experience
surfeit or head-ache, and will be proof against inebriation. Chaplets
too, made of saffron, and worn on the head, tend to dispel the fumes of
wine. The flower of it is employed topically with Cimolian[2314] chalk
for erysipelas. It is used also in the composition of numerous other
medicaments.
CHAP. 82.—SYRIAN CROCOMAGNA: TWO REMEDIES.
There is also an eye-salve[2315] which is indebted to this plant for
its name. The lees[2316] of the extract of saffron, employed in the
saffron unguent known as “crocomagma,” have their own peculiar utility
in cases of cataract and strangury. These lees are of a more warming
nature than saffron itself; the best kind is that which, when put into
the mouth, stains the teeth and saliva the colour of saffron.
CHAP. 83.—FORTY-ONE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE IRIS: TWO REMEDIES
DERIVED FROM THE SALIUNCA.
The red iris is better than the white one. It is very beneficial to
attach this plant to the bodies of infants more particularly when they
are cutting their teeth, or are suffering from cough; it is equally
good, too, to inject a few drops of it when children are suffering
from tape-worm. The other properties of it differ but very little from
those of honey. It cleanses ulcerous sores of the head, and inveterate
abscesses more particularly. Taken in doses of two drachmæ with honey,
it relaxes the bowels; and an infusion of it is good for cough,
gripings of the stomach, and flatulency: taken with vinegar, too, it
cures affections of the spleen. Mixed with oxycrate it is good for the
bites of serpents and spiders, and, in doses of two drachmæ with bread
or water, it is employed for the cure of the stings of scorpions. It
is applied also topically with oil to the bites of dogs, and to parts
that are excoriated: employed in a similar manner, too, it is good
for pains in the sinews, and in combination with resin it is used as
a liniment for lumbago and sciatica. The properties of this plant are
of a warming nature. Inhaled at the nostrils, it produces sneezing and
cleanses the brain, and in cases of head-ache it is applied topically
in combination with the quince or the strutheum.[2317] It dispels the
fumes of wine also, and difficulties of breathing[2318] and taken in
doses of two oboli it acts as an emetic: applied as a plaster with
honey, it extracts splinters of broken bones. Powdered iris is employed
also for whitlows, and, mixed with wine, for corns and warts, in which
case it is left for three days on the part affected.
Chewed, it is a corrective of bad breath and offensive exhalations of
the arm-pits, and the juice of it softens all kinds of indurations of
the body. This plant acts as a soporific, but it wastes the seminal
fluids: it is used also for the treatment of chaps of the fundament and
condylomata, and it heals all sorts of excrescences on the body.
Some persons give the name of “xyris”[2319] to the wild iris. This
plant disperses scrofulous sores, as well as tumours and inguinal
swellings; but it is generally recommended that when wanted for these
purposes it should be pulled up with the left hand, the party gathering
it mentioning the name of the patient and of the disease for which it
is intended to be employed. While speaking of this subject, I will
take the opportunity of disclosing the criminal practices of some
herbalists—they keep back a portion of the iris, and of some other
plants as well, the plantago for instance, and, if they think that they
have not been sufficiently well paid and wish to be employed a second
time, bury the part they have kept back in the same place; their object
being, I suppose,[2320] to revive the malady which has just been cured.
The root of the saliunca[2321] boiled in wine, arrests vomiting and
strengthens the stomach.
CHAP. 84.—EIGHTEEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE POLIUM.
Those persons, according to Musæus and Hesiod, who are desirous
of gaining honour and glory, should rub the body all over with
polium,[2322] and handle and cultivate it as much as possible. They
say, too, that it should be kept about the person as an antidote to
poison, and that to keep serpents away it should be strewed beneath
the bed, burnt, or else carried on the person; decoctions of it in
wine, either fresh-gathered or dried, should be used too as a liniment
for the body. Medical men prescribe it in vinegar for affections of
the spleen, and in wine for the jaundice; a decoction of it in wine
is recommended also for incipient dropsy; and in this way too, it
is employed as a liniment for wounds. This plant has the effect of
bringing away the after-birth and the dead fœtus, and of dispelling
pains in various parts of the body: it empties the bladder also, and
is employed in liniments for defluxions of the eyes. Indeed, there
is no plant known that better deserves to form an ingredient in the
medicament known to us as the “alexipharmacon:”[2323] though there are
some who say that it is injurious to the stomach and is apt to stuff
the head, and that it produces abortion—assertions which[2324] others,
again, totally deny.
There is a superstitious observance also, to the effect that, for
cataract, it ought to be attached to the neck the moment it is found,
every precaution being taken not to let it touch the ground. The same
persons state too that the leaves of it are similar to those of thyme,
except that they are softer and more white and downy. Beaten up with
wild rue in rain water, it is said to assuage the pain of the sting
of the asp; it is quite as astringent too as the flower[2325] of the
pomegranate, and as efficacious for closing wounds and preventing them
from spreading.
CHAP. 85.—THREE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE HOLOCHRYSOS. SIX REMEDIES
DERIVED FROM THE CHRYSOCOME.
The holochrysos,[2326] taken in wine, is a cure for strangury, and it
is employed in liniments for defluxions of the eyes. Mixed with burnt
lees of wine and polenta, it is curative of lichens.
The root of the chrysocome[2327] is warming and astringent; it is taken
in drink for affections of the liver and lungs, and a decoction of it
in hydromel is good for pains of the uterus. It acts as an emmenagogue
also, and, administered raw, draws off the water in dropsy.
CHAP. 86.—TWENTY-ONE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM MELISSOPHYLLUM.
If the bee-hives are rubbed all over with melissophyllum[2328] or
melittæna, the bees will never desert them; for there is no flower
in which they take greater delight. If branches[2329] of this plant
are used, the bees may be kept within bounds without any difficulty.
It is an excellent remedy, also, for the stings of bees, wasps, and
similar insects, as also for wounds made by spiders and scorpions;
it is used, too, for hysterical suffocations, in combination with
nitre, and for gripings of the bowels, with wine. The leaves of it
are employed topically for scrofulous sores, and, in combination with
salt, for maladies of the fundament. A decoction of the juice promotes
the menstrual discharge, dispels inflammations, and heals ulcerous
sores: it is good, too, for diseases of the joints and the bites of
dogs, and is beneficial in cases of inveterate dysentery, and for
cœliac affections, hardness of breathing, diseases of the spleen,
and ulcerations of the thoracic organs. For films on the eyes, it is
considered a most excellent plan to anoint them with the juice of this
plant mixed with honey.
CHAP. 87.—THIRTEEN REMEDIES DERIVED PROM THE MELILOTE.
The melilote,[2330] again, applied with the yolk of an egg, or else
linseed, effects the cure of diseases of the eyes. It assuages pains,
too, in the jaws and head, applied with rose oil; and, employed with
raisin wine, it is good for pains in the ears, and all kinds of
swellings or eruptions on the hands. A decoction of it in wine, or else
the plant itself beaten up raw, is good for pains in the stomach. It is
equally beneficial, too, for maladies of the uterus; and for diseases
of the testes, prolapsus of the fundament, and all other diseases of
those parts, a decoction is made of it, fresh-gathered, in water or in
raisin wine. With the addition of rose oil, it is used as a liniment
for carcinoma. Boiled in sweet wine, it is particularly useful for the
treatment of the ulcers known as “melicerides.”[2331]
CHAP. 88. (21.)—FOUR REMEDIES DERIVED PROM TREFOIL.
The trefoil,[2332] I know, is generally looked upon as being
particularly good for the stings of serpents and scorpions, the seed
being taken in doses of twenty grains, with either wine or oxycrate;
or else the leaves and the plant itself are boiled together, and
a decoction made of them; indeed, it is stated, that a serpent is
never to be seen among trefoil. Celebrated authors, too, I find, have
asserted that twenty-five grains of the seed of the kind of trefoil
which we have[2333] spoken of as the “minyanthes,” are a sufficient
antidote for all kinds of poisons: in addition to which, there are
numerous other remedial virtues ascribed to it.
But these notions, in my opinion, are counterbalanced by the authority
of a writer of the very highest repute: for we find the poet Sophocles
asserting that the trefoil is a venomous plant. Simus, too, the
physician, maintains that a decoction of it, or the juice, poured upon
the human body, is productive of burning sensations similar to those
experienced by persons when they have been stung by a serpent and have
trefoil applied to the wound. It is my opinion, then, that trefoil
should never be used in any other capacity than as a counter-poison;
for it is not improbable that the venom of this plant has a natural
antipathy to all other kinds of poisons, a phænomenon which has been
observed in many other cases as well. I find it stated, also, that
the seed of the trefoil with an extremely diminutive leaf, applied
in washes to the face, is extremely beneficial for preserving the
freshness of the skin in females.
CHAP. 89.—TWENTY-EIGHT REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THYME.
Thyme[2334] should be gathered while it is in flower, and dried in the
shade. There are two kinds of thyme: the white thyme with a ligneous
root, which grows upon declivities, and is the most esteemed of the
two, and another variety, which is of a darker colour, and bears a
swarthy flower. They are, both of them, considered to be extremely
beneficial to the sight, whether used as an article of food or as a
medicament, and to be good for inveterate coughs. Used as an electuary,
with vinegar and salt, they facilitate expectoration, and taken with
honey, they prevent the blood from coagulating. Applied externally
with mustard, they dispel chronic fluxes of the fauces, as well as
various affections of the stomach and bowels. Still, however, these
plants must be used in moderation, as they are of a heating nature, for
which reason it is that they act so astringently upon the bowels. In
cases of ulceration of the intestines, the dose should be one denarius
of thyme to one sextarius of oxymel; the same proportions, too, should
be taken for pains in the sides, between the shoulder-blades, or in the
thoracic organs. Taken with oxymel, these plants are used for the cure
of intestinal diseases, and a similar draught is administered in cases
of alienation of the senses and melancholy.
Thyme is given also for epilepsy, when the fits come on, the smell of
it reviving the patient; it is said, too, that epileptic persons should
sleep upon soft thyme. It is good, also, for hardness of breathing,
and for asthma and obstructions of the catamenia. A decoction of thyme
in water, boiled down to one-third, brings away the dead fœtus, and
it is given to males with oxymel, as a remedy for flatulency, and in
cases of swelling of the abdomen or testes and of pains in the bladder.
Applied with wine, it removes tumours and fluxes, and, in combination
with vinegar, callosities and warts. Mixed with wine, it is used as
an external application for sciatica; and, beaten up with oil and
sprinkled upon wool, it is employed for diseases of the joints, and
for sprains. It is applied, also, to burns, mixed with hogs’ lard.
For maladies of the joints of recent date, thyme is administered in
drink, in doses of three oboli to three cyathi of oxymel. For loss of
appetite, it is given, beaten up with salt.
CHAP. 90.—FOUR REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE HEMEROCALLES.
The hemerocalles[2335] has a soft, pale green leaf, with an
odoriferous, bulbous root. This root, applied with honey to the
abdomen, draws off the aqueous humours and all corrupt blood. The
leaves of it are applied for defluxions of the eyes, and for pains in
the mamillæ, after childbirth.
CHAP. 91.—FIVE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE HELENIUM.
The helenium, which springs, as we have already[2336] stated, from
the tears of Helena, is generally thought to have been produced for
improving the appearance, and to maintain unimpaired the freshness of
the skin in females, both of the face and of other parts of the body.
Besides this, it is generally supposed that the use of it confers
additional graces on the person, and ensures universal attraction.
They say, too, that, taken with wine, it promotes gaiety of spirit,
having, in fact, a similar effect to the nepenthes, which has been so
much vaunted by Homer,[2337] as producing forgetfulness of all sorrow.
The juice of this plant is remarkably sweet, and the root of it, taken
fasting in water, is good for hardness of breathing; it is white
within, and sweet. An infusion of it is taken in wine for the stings of
serpents; and the plant, bruised, it is said, will kill mice.
CHAP. 92.—TWENTY-TWO REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE ABROTONUM.
We find two varieties of abrotonum[2338] mentioned, the field, and
the mountain kind; this last, it is generally understood, is the
female plant, the other the male. They are both of them bitter, like
wormwood. That of Sicily is the most esteemed, and next to it, that of
Galatia. The leaves of it are sometimes employed, but it is the seed
that possesses the most warming properties; hence it is, that it is
so beneficial for maladies of the sinews,[2339] for cough, hardness
of breathing, convulsions, ruptures, lumbago, and strangury. Several
handfuls of this plant are boiled down to one-third, and the decoction
of it, in doses of four cyathi, is administered in drink. The seed is
given, pounded, in water, in doses of one drachma; it is very good for
affections of the uterus.
Mixed with barley-meal, this plant brings tumours to a head, and boiled
with quinces, it is employed as a liniment for inflammations of the
eyes. It keeps away serpents, and for their stings it is either taken
in wine, or else employed in combination with it as a liniment. It is
extremely efficacious, also, for the stings of those noxious insects
by which shivering fits and chills are produced, such as the scorpion
and the spider called “phalangium,”[2340] for example; taken in a
potion, it is good for other kinds of poison, as also for shivering
fits, however produced, and for the extraction of foreign substances
adhering to the flesh; it has the effect, also, of expelling intestinal
worms. It is stated that a sprig of this plant, if put beneath the
pillow, will act as an aphrodisiac, and that it is of the very greatest
efficacy against all those charms and spells by which impotence is
produced.
CHAP. 93. (22.)—ONE REMEDY DERIVED FROM THE LEUCANTHEMUM. NINE REMEDIES
DERIVED FROM THE AMARACUS.
The leucanthemum,[2341] mixed with two-thirds of vinegar, is curative
of asthma. The sampsuchum or amaracus,[2342]—that of Cyprus being
the most highly esteemed, and possessed of the finest smell—is a
remedy for the stings of scorpions, applied to the wound with vinegar
and salt. Used as a pessary, too, it is very beneficial in cases of
menstrual derangement; but when taken in drink, its properties are
not so powerfully developed. Used with polenta, it heals defluxions
of the eyes; and the juice of it, boiled, dispels gripings of the
stomach. It is useful, too, for strangury and dropsy; and in a dry
state, it promotes sneezing. There is an oil extracted from it, known
as “sampsuchinum,” or “amaracinum,” which is very good for warming and
softening the sinews; it has a warming effect, also, upon the uterus.
The leaves are good for bruises, beaten up with honey, and, mixed with
wax, for sprains.
CHAP. 94. (23.)—TEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE ANEMONE OR PHRENION.
We have as yet spoken[2343] only of the anemone used for making
chaplets; we will now proceed to describe those kinds which are
employed for medicinal purposes. Some persons give the name of
“phrenion” to this plant: there are two species of it; one of which
is wild,[2344] and the other grows on cultivated[2345] spots; though
they are, both of them, attached to a sandy soil. Of the cultivated
anemone there are numerous varieties; some, and these are the most
abundant, have a scarlet flower, while others, again, have a flower
that is purple or else milk-white. The leaves of all these three kinds
bear a strong resemblance to parsley, and it is not often that they
exceed half a foot in height, the head being very similar to that of
asparagus. The flower never opens, except while the wind is blowing,
a circumstance to which it owes its name.[2346] The wild anemone is
larger than the cultivated one, and has broader leaves, with a scarlet
flower.
Some persons erroneously take the wild anemone to be the same as the
argemone,[2347] while others, again, identify it with the poppy which
we have mentioned[2348] under the name of “rhœas:” there is, however, a
great difference between them, as these two other plants blossom later
than the anemone, nor does the anemone possess a juice or a calyx like
theirs; besides which, it terminates in a head like that of asparagus.
The various kinds of anemone are good for pains and inflammations of
the head, diseases of the uterus, and stoppage of the milk in females;
taken, too, in a ptisan, or applied as a pessary in wool, they promote
the menstrual discharge. The root, chewed, has a tendency to bring away
the phlegm, and is a cure for tooth-ache: a decoction of it is good,
too, for defluxions of the eyes,[2349] and effaces the scars left by
wounds. The Magi have attributed many very wonderful properties to
these plants: they recommend it to be gathered at the earliest moment
in the year that it is seen, and certain words to be repeated, to the
effect that it is being gathered as a remedy for tertian and quartan
fevers; after which the flower must be wrapped up in red cloth and kept
in the shade, in order to be attached to the person when wanted. The
root of the anemone with a scarlet flower, beaten up and applied to the
body of any animated being,[2350] produces an ulcer there by the agency
of its acrid qualities; hence it is that it is so much employed as a
detergent for ulcerous sores.
CHAP. 95. (24.)—SIX REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE ŒNANTHE.
The œnanthe[2351] is a plant which is found growing upon rocks, has
the leaf of the parsnip, and a large root with numerous fibres. The
stalk of it and the leaves, taken with honey and black wine, facilitate
delivery and bring away the after-birth: taken with honey, also, they
are a cure for cough, and act as a powerful diuretic. The root of this
plant is curative of diseases of the bladder.
CHAP. 96. (25.)—ELEVEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE HELICHRYSOS.
The helichrysos is by some persons called the “chrysanthemon.”[2352]
It has small, white branches, with leaves of a whitish colour, similar
to those of the abrotonum. The clusters, disposed around it, and
glistening like gold in the rays of the sun, are never known to fade;
hence it is that they make chaplets of it for the gods, a custom which
was most faithfully observed by Ptolemæus, the king of Egypt. This
plant grows in shrubberies: taken in wine, it acts as a diuretic and
emmenagogue, and, in combination with honey, it is employed topically
for burns. It is taken also in potions for the stings of serpents, and
for pains in the loins; and, with honied wine, it removes coagulated
blood in the abdominal regions and the bladder. The leaves of it,
beaten up and taken in doses of three oboli, in white wine, arrest the
menstrual discharge when in excess.
The smell of this plant is far from disagreeable, and hence it is kept
with clothes, to protect them from the attacks of vermin.
CHAP. 97. (26.)—EIGHT REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE HYACINTH.
The hyacinth[2353] grows in Gaul more particularly, where it is
employed for the dye called “hysginum.”[2354] The root of it is
bulbous, and is well known among the dealers in slaves: applied to
the body, with sweet wine, it retards the signs of puberty,[2355] and
prevents them from developing themselves. It is curative, also, of
gripings of the stomach, and of the bites of spiders, and it acts as a
diuretic. The seed is administered, with abrotonum, for the stings of
serpents and scorpions, and for jaundice.
CHAP. 98.—SEVEN REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE LYCHNIS.
The seed of the lychnis,[2356] too, which is just the colour of fire,
is beaten up and taken in drink for the stings of serpents, scorpions,
hornets, and other insects of similar nature: the wild variety,
however, is prejudicial to the stomach. It acts as a laxative to the
bowels; and, taken in doses of two drachmæ, is remarkably efficacious
for carrying off the bile. So extremely baneful is it to scorpions,
that if they so much as see it, they are struck with torpor. The people
of Asia call the root of it “bolites,” and they say that if it is
attached to the body it will effectually disperse albugo.[2357]
CHAP. 99. (27.)—FOUR REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE VINCAPERVINCA.
The vincapervinca,[2358] too, or chamædaphne,[2359] is dried and
pounded, and given to dropsical patients in water, in doses of one
spoonful; a method of treatment which speedily draws off the water. A
decoction of it, in ashes, with a sprinkling of wine, has the effect of
drying tumours: the juice, too, is employed as a remedy for diseases of
the ears. Applied to the regions of the stomach, this plant is said to
be remarkably good for diarrhœa.
CHAP. 100.—THREE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM BUTCHER’S BROOM.
A decoction of the root of butcher’s broom[2360] is recommended to
be taken every other day for calculus in the bladder, strangury, and
bloody urine. The root, however, should be taken up one day, and boiled
the next, the proportion of it being one sextarius to two cyathi of
wine. Some persons beat up the root raw, and take it in water: it is
generally considered, too, that there is nothing in existence more
beneficial to the male organs than the young stalks of the plant,
beaten up and used with vinegar.
CHAP. 101.—TWO REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE BATIS.
The batis,[2361] too, relaxes the bowels, and, beaten up raw, it is
employed topically for the gout. The people of Egypt cultivate the
acinos,[2362] too, both as an article of food and for making chaplets.
This plant would be the same thing as ocimum, were it not that the
leaves and branches of it are rougher, and that it has a powerful
smell. It promotes the catamenia, and acts as a diuretic.
CHAP. 102. (28.)—TWO REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE COLOCASIA.
The colocasia,[2363] according to Glaucias, softens the acridity of
humours of the body, and is beneficial to the stomach.
CHAP. 103. (29.)—SIX REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE ANTHYLLIUM OR ANTHYLLUM.
The people of Egypt eat the anthalium,[2364] but I cannot find that
they make any other use of it; but there is another plant called the
“anthyllium,”[2365] or, by some persons, the “anthyllum,” of which
there are two kinds: one, similar in its leaves and branches to the
lentil, a palm in height, growing in sandy soils exposed to the
sun, and of a somewhat saltish taste; the other, bearing a strong
resemblance to the chamæpitys,[2366] but smaller and more downy, with a
purple flower, a strong smell, and growing in stony spots.
The first kind, mixed with rose-oil and applied with milk, is extremely
good for affections of the uterus and all kinds of sores: it is taken
as a potion for strangury and gravel in the kidneys, in doses of three
drachmæ. The other kind is taken in drink, with oxymel, in doses of
four drachmæ, for indurations of the uterus, gripings of the bowels,
and epilepsy.
CHAP. 104. (30.)—EIGHT REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE PARTHENIUM,
LEUCANTHES, OR AMARACUS.
The parthenium[2367] is by some persons called the “leucanthes,” and
by others the “amaracus.” Celsus, among the Latin writers, gives
it the names of “perdicium”[2368] and “muralis.” It grows in the
hedge-rows of gardens, and has the smell of an apple, with a bitter
taste. With the decoction of it, fomentations are made for maladies of
the fundament, and for inflammations and indurations of the uterus:
dried and applied with honey and vinegar, it carries off black bile,
for which reason it is considered good for vertigo and calculus in the
bladder. It is employed as a liniment, also, for erysipelas, and, mixed
with stale axle-grease, for scrofulous sores. For tertian fevers the
Magi recommend that it should be taken up with the left hand, it being
mentioned at the time for whom it is gathered, care being also taken
not to look back while doing so: a leaf of it should be laid beneath
the patient’s tongue, after which it must be eaten in a cyathus of
water.
CHAP. 105. (31.)—EIGHT REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE TRYCHNUM OR STRYCHNUM,
HALICACABUM, CALLIAS, DORCYNION, MANICON, NEURAS, MORIO, OR MOLY.
The trychnon[2369] is by some called “strychnon;” I only wish that the
garland-makers of Egypt would never use this plant in making their
chaplets, being deceived as they are by the resemblance in the leaves
of both kinds to those of ivy. One of these kinds, bearing scarlet
berries with a stone, enclosed in follicules, is by some persons called
the “halicacabum,”[2370] by others the “callion,” and by the people of
our country, the “vesicaria,” from the circumstance of its being highly
beneficial to the bladder[2371] and in cases of calculus.
The trychnon is more of a woody shrub than a herb, with large
follicules, broad and turbinated, and a large berry within, which
ripens in the month of November. A third[2372] kind, again, has a
leaf resembling that of ocimum—but it is not my intention to give an
exact description of it, as I am here speaking of remedies, and not of
poisons; for a few drops of the juice, in fact, are quite sufficient
to produce insanity. The Greek writers, however, have even turned this
property into matter for jesting; for, according to them, taken in
doses of one drachma, this plant is productive of delusive and prurient
fancies, and of vain, fantastic visions, which vividly present all the
appearance of reality: they say, too, that if the dose is doubled, it
will produce downright madness, and that any further addition to it,
will result in instant death.
This is the same plant which the more well-meaning writers have
called in their innocence “dorycnion,”[2373] from the circumstance
that weapons used in battle are poisoned with it—for it grows
everywhere—while others, again, who have treated of it more
at length,[2374] have given it the surname of “manicon.”[2375]
Those, on the other hand, who have iniquitously concealed its real
qualities, give it the name of “erythron” or “neuras,” and others
“perisson”—details, however, which need not be entered into more fully,
except for the purpose of putting persons upon their guard.
There is another kind, again, also called “halicacabum,” which
possesses narcotic qualities, and is productive of death even more
speedily than opium: by some persons it is called “morio,” and by
others “moly.”[2376] It has, however, been highly extolled by Diocles
and Evenor, and, indeed, Timaristus has gone so far as to sing its
praises in verse. With a wonderful obliviousness of remedies really
harmless, they tell us, forsooth, that it is an instantaneous remedy
for loose teeth to rinse them with halicacabum steeped in wine: but at
the same time they add the qualification that it must not be kept in
the mouth too long, or else delirium will be the result. This, however,
is pointing out remedies with a vengeance, the employment of which will
be attended with worse results than the malady itself.
There is a third kind[2377] of halicacabum, that is esteemed as an
article of food; but even though the flavour of it may be preferred
to garden plants, and although Xenocrates assures us that there is no
bodily malady for which the trychnos is not highly beneficial, they are
none of them so valuable as to make me think it proper to speak more at
length upon the subject, more particularly as there are so many other
remedies, which are unattended with danger. Persons who wish to pass
themselves off for true prophets, and who know too well how to impose
upon the superstitions of others, take the root of the halicacabum
in drink. The remedy against this poison—and it is with much greater
pleasure that I state it—is to drink large quantities of honied wine
made hot. I must not omit the fact, too, that this plant is naturally
so baneful to the asp, that when the root is placed near that reptile,
the very animal which kills others by striking them with torpor, is
struck with torpor itself; hence it is, that, beaten up with oil, it
is used as a cure for the sting of the asp.
CHAP. 106.—SIX MEDICINES DERIVED FROM THE CORCHORUS.
The corchorus[2378] is a plant which is used at Alexandria as an
article of food: the leaves of it are rolled up, one upon the other,
like those of the mulberry, and it is wholesome, it is said, for the
viscera, and in cases of alopecy, being good also for the removal of
freckles. I find it stated also, that it cures the scab in cattle very
rapidly: and, according to Nicander,[2379] it is a remedy for the
stings of serpents, if gathered before it blossoms.
CHAP. 107.—THREE REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE CNECOS.
There would be no necessity to speak at any length of the cnecos or
atractylis,[2380] an Egyptian plant, were it not for the fact that it
offers a most efficacious remedy for the stings of venomous animals,
as also in cases of poisoning by fungi. It is a well-known fact, that
persons, when stung by the scorpion, are not sensible of any painful
effects so long as they hold this plant in their hand.
CHAP. 108. (33.)—ONE REMEDY DERIVED FROM THE PESOLUTA.
The Egyptians also cultivate the pesoluta[2381] in their gardens, for
chaplets. There are two kinds of this plant, the male and the female:
either of them, it is said, placed beneath the person, when in bed,
acts as an antaphrodisiac, upon the male sex more particularly.
CHAP. 109. (34.)—AN EXPLANATION OF GREEK TERMS RELATIVE TO WEIGHTS AND
MEASURES.
As we have occasion to make use of Greek names very frequently when
speaking of weights and measures,[2382] I shall here subjoin, once for
all, some explanation of them.
The Attic drachma—for it is generally the Attic reckoning that medical
men employ—is much the same in weight as the silver denarius, and is
equivalent to six oboli, the obolus being ten chalci; the cyathus is
equal in weight to ten drachmæ. When the measure of an acetabulum is
spoken of, it is the same as one fourth part of a hemina, or fifteen
drachmæ in weight. The Greek mna, or, as we more generally call it,
“mina,” equals one hundred Attic drachmæ in weight.
SUMMARY.—Remedies, narratives, and observations, seven hundred and
thirty.
ROMAN AUTHORS QUOTED.—Cato the Censor,[2383] M. Varro,[2384]
Antias,[2385] Cæpio,[2386] Vestinus,[2387] Vibius Rufus,[2388]
Hyginus,[2389] Pomponius Mela,[2390] Pompeius Lenæus,[2391]
Cornelius Celsus,[2392] Calpurnius Bassus,[2393] C. Valgius,[2394]
Licinius Macer,[2395] Sextius Niger[2396] who wrote in Greek, Julius
Bassus[2397] who wrote in Greek, Antonius Castor.[2398]
FOREIGN AUTHORS QUOTED.—Theophrastus,[2399] Democritus,[2400]
Orpheus,[2401] Pythagoras,[2402] Mago,[2403] Menander[2404] who wrote
the Biochresta, Nicander,[2405] Homer, Hesiod,[2406] Musæus,[2407]
Sophocles,[2408] Anaxilaüs.[2409]
MEDICAL AUTHORS QUOTED.—Mnesitheus[2410] who wrote on Chaplets,
Callimachus[2411] who wrote on Chaplets, Phanias[2412] the physician,
Simus,[2413] Timaristus,[2414] Hippocrates,[2415] Chrysippus,[2416]
Diocles,[2417] Ophelion,[2418] Heraclides,[2419] Hicesius,[2420]
Dionysius,[2421] Apollodorus[2422] of Citium, Apollodorus[2423]
of Tarentum, Praxagoras,[2424] Plistonicus,[2425] Medius,[2426]
Dieuches,[2427] Cleophantus,[2428] Philistio,[2429] Asclepiades,[2430]
Crateuas,[2431] Petronius Diodotus,[2432] Iollas,[2433]
Erasistratus,[2434] Diagoras,[2435] Andreas,[2436] Mnesides,[2437]
Epicharmus,[2438] Damion,[2439] Dalion,[2440] Sosimenes,[2441]
Tlepolemus,[2442] Metrodorus,[2443] Solo,[2444] Lycus,[2445]
Olympias[2446] of Thebes, Philinus,[2447] Petrichus,[2448]
Micton,[2449] Glaucias,[2450] Xenocrates.[2451]