Chaps. 32-53.

Chap. 32.—Lees of Vinegar: Seventeen Remedies.

The lees of vinegar, [Their properties are similar to those of wine-lees, but they are no longer used in medicine. The statements here made by our author, Fée remarks, are entirely fabulous.] as a matter of course, considering the material from which they are derived, are much more acrid than those of wine, and more caustic in their effects. This substance prevents the increase of suppuration, and, employed topically, is good for the stomach, intestines, and regions of the abdomen. It has the property also of arresting fluxes of those parts, and the catamenia when in excess; it disperses inflamed tumours which have not come to a head, and is a cure for quinsy. Applied with wax, it is curative of erysipelas. It reduces swellings of the mamillæ when gorged with milk, and removes malformed nails. Employed with polenta, it is very efficacious for the cure of stings inflicted by the serpent called cerastes; [Or horned serpent. See B. xi. c. 45.] and in combination with melanthium, [See B. xx. c..] it heals bites inflicted by crocodiles and dogs.

Vinegar lees, too, by being subjected to the action of fire, acquire additional strength. [This, as Fée observes, is probably the case.] Mixed in this state with oil of mastich, and applied to the hair, they turn [It must be remembered that red hair was greatly admired by the Romans.] it red in a single night. Applied with water in linen, as a pessary, they act as a detergent upon the uterus.

Chap. 33.—Lees of Sapa: Four Remedies.

The lees [The thicker parts of boiled grape-juice. These lees have no affinity with those of wine or vinegar.] of sapa are used for the cure of burns, it being the best plan to employ with them the down that grows on the reed; a decoction too, of these lees, is good for the cure of an inveterate cough. They are boiled also in a saucepan with salt and grease as an ointment for tumours of the jaws and neck.

Chap. 34. (3.)—The Leaves of the Olive: Twenty-three Remedies.

The next rank, after the vine, clearly belongs to the olive. The leaves of the olive-tree are astringent, [They are rich in tannin and gallic acid, and Fée states that they have been proposed as a substitute for quinine. The statements here made by Pliny, he says, in reference to their properties, are hypothetical.] detergent, and binding in the highest degree. Chewed and applied to sores, they are of a healing nature; and applied topically with oil, they are good for head-ache. A decoction of them with honey makes a good liniment for such parts of the body as have been subjected to cauterization, as also for inflammations of the gums, whitlows, and foul and putrid ulcers: combined with honey, they arrest discharges of blood from the nervous [“Nervosis.”] parts of the a body. The juice of olive leaves is efficacious for carbuncular ulcers and pustules about the eyes, and for procidence of the pupil; hence it is much employed in the composition of eye-salves, having the additional property of healing inveterate runnings of the eyes, and ulcerations of the eyelids.

This juice is extracted by pouring wine and rain-water upon the leaves, and then pounding them; after which the pulp is dried and divided into lozenges. Used with wool, as a pessary, this preparation arrests menstruation when in excess, and is very useful for the treatment of purulent sores, condylomata, erysipelas, spreading ulcers, and epinyctis.

Chap. 35.—The Blossom of the Olive: Four Remedies.

The blossom, [No medicinal use is now made of it, but its properties would be very similar to those of the leaves.] too, of the olive-tree possesses similar properties. The young branches are burnt when just beginning to blossom, and of the ashes a substitute for spodium [Impure metallic oxide. See B. xix. c., and B. xxxiv. c. 52. The ashes of the branches would be an impure sub-carbonate of potass, which would act, Fée says, as a powerful irritant.] is made, upon which wine is poured, and it is then burnt afresh. To suppurations and inflamed tumours these ashes are applied, or else the leaves, beaten up with honey; for the eyes, they are used with polenta. The juice which exudes [A sort of pyroligneous acid, which would have the noxious effect of throwing inward the eruptions.] from the wood, when burnt in a green state, heals lichens, scaly eruptions, and running ulcers.

As to the juice [This juice or tear (lacrima) Fée thinks to be the same with the Enhæmon, mentioned in B. xii. c. 38; the properties of which are quite inactive, though Dioscorides, B. i. c. 139, speaks of it as a poison.] which exudes naturally from the olive-tree, and more particularly that of Æthiopia, we cannot be sufficiently surprised that authors should have been found to recommend it as an application for tooth-ache, and to tell us at the same time that it is a poison, and even that we must have recourse to the wild olive for it. The bark of the roots of the olive, as young and tender a tree as possible being selected, scraped and taken every now and then in honey, is good [Probably in consequence of the tannin and gallic acid, which it contains in great abundance.] for patients suffering from spitting of blood and purulent expectorations. The ashes of the tree itself, mixed with axle-grease, are useful for the cure of tumours, and heal fistulas by the extraction of the vicious humours which they contain.

Chap. 36.—White Olives: Four Remedies. Black Olives: Three Remedies.

White olives are wholesome for the upper regions of the stomach, but not so good for the bowels. Eaten by themselves, habitually as a diet, quite fresh and before they are preserved, they are remarkably serviceable, having the effect of curing gravel, [Fée says that all these statements as to the medicinal properties of olives are false.] and of strengthening the teeth when worn or loosened by the use of meat.

Black olives, on the other hand, are not so wholesome for the upper regions of the stomach, but are better for the bowels; they are not good, however, for the head or for the eyes. Both kinds, pounded and applied topically, are good for the cure of burns, but the black olive is sometimes chewed first, and instantly applied to the sore, for the purpose of preventing blisters from forming. Colymbades [Or preserved olives. See B. xv. c. 4.] act as a detergent for foul ulcers, but they are bad for persons suffering from strangury.

Chap. 37.—Amurca of Olives: Twenty-one Remedies.

As to the amurca of olives, we might appear to have said enough on the subject already, [B. xv. c. 8.] taking Cato as our guide; it remains, however, to speak of the medicinal uses of this substance. It is extremely serviceable as a strengthener of the gums, [Fée thinks that it would exercise quite a contrary effect. Marc of olives is no longer used in medicine.] and for the cure of ulcers of the mouth; it has the effect, also, of strengthening loose teeth in the sockets, and an application of it is good for erysipelas and spreading ulcers. For chilblains, the amurca of the black olive is the best, as also as a fomentation for infants; that of the white olive is used, with wool, as a pessary for affections of the uterus. Of both kinds, however, the amurca is much more serviceable when boiled; this being done in a vessel of Cyprian copper, to the consistency of honey. Thus prepared, it is used, according to the necessities of the case, with either vinegar, old wine, or honied wine, for the treatment of maladies of the mouth, teeth, and ears, and for running ulcers, [It would produce no good effect in the treatment of ulcers.] diseases of the generative organs, and chaps on various parts of the body. It is employed topically, for the cure of wounds, in a linen pledget, and for sprains, in wool: as a medicament, it is of great utility, more particularly when old, as in such case it effects the cure of fistula. [Fée remarks that it would have no such effect.]

It is used as an injection for ulcerations of the fundament, the generative organs, and the uterus, and is employed topically for incipient gout and diseases of the joints. Boiled down again, with omphacium, [See B. xii. c. 60.] to the consistency of honey, it extracts decayed teeth; and, in combination with a decoction of lupines and the plant chamæleon, [See B. xxii. c..] it is a marvellous cure for itch in beasts of burden. [Fée thinks that it might prove useful in this case.] Fomentations of amurca in a raw state [Unboiled.] are extremely good for gout.

Chap. 38. (4.)—The Leaves of the Wild Olive: Sixteen Remedies.

The leaves of the wild olive are possessed of similar properties. The spodium [See c.. There is no analogy, Fée says, between marc of olives and the leaves of the wild olive.] that is made by burning the young branches is of remarkable efficacy for arresting fluxes; it allays inflammations of the eyes also, acts as a detergent upon ulcerous sores, makes the flesh grow on wounds from which it has been removed, and acts gently as a caustic upon fleshy excrescences, drying them up and making them cicatrize. The rest of its properties are similar to those of the cultivated olive. There is, however, one peculiarity in it; the leaves, boiled with honey, are given in doses of a spoonful for spitting of blood. [This is hardly a peculiarity, for he has said already that the cultivated olive is employed with honey to arrest the flow of blood.] The oil, too, of the wild olive is more acrid, and possesses greater energy than that of the cultivated olive; hence it is that it is usual to rinse the mouth with it for the purpose of strengthening the teeth. [The tannin which it contains in great abundance may possibly have this effect.]

The leaves, too, are applied topically, with wine, to whitlows, carbuncles, and all kinds of gatherings; and, with honey, to sores which require a detergent. Both a decoction of the leaves and the natural juices of the wild olive form ingredients in medicaments for the eyes; and the latter are found useful as an injection for the ears, in the case of purulent discharges even. From the blossom of the wild olive a liniment is prepared for condylomata and epinyctis: it is applied also to the abdomen, with barley-meal, for fluxes, and to the head, with oil, for head-ache. In cases where the scalp becomes detached from the cranium, the young branches, boiled and applied with honey, have a healing effect. These branches, too, when arrived at maturity, taken with the food, arrest diarrhœa: parched and beaten up with honey, they act as a detergent upon corroding sores, and bring carbuncles to a head and dispers them.

Chap. 39.—Omphacium: Three Remedies.

As to olive oil, we have abundantly treated of its nature and elements already. [In B. xv. c. 2.] It now remains to speak of the medicinal properties of the various kinds of oil. The most useful of all is omphacium, [See B. xii. c. 60.] and next to that, green oil; [See B. xii. c. 60. An inferior kind of omphacium.] in addition to which, we may remark that oil ought to be as fresh as possible, except in cases where old oil is absolutely required. For medicinal purposes, too, oil should be extremely fluid, have an agreeable smell, and be free from [“Non mordeat.” Probably in the sense of “have no pungency.”] all taste, just the converse, in fact, of the property which we look for in food. Omphacium is good for the gums, and if kept from time to time in the mouth, there is nothing better as a preservative of the whiteness of the teeth. It checks profuse perspirations.

Chap. 40.—Oil of Œnanthe: Twenty-eight Remedies.

Oil of œnanthe [Or “Œnanthinum.” See B. xii. c. 61, and B. xv. c. 7.] has just the same properties as oil of roses. Like oil in general, it makes the body supple, and imparts to it strength and vigour; it is injurious to the stomach, promotes the increase of ulcers, irritates the fauces, and deadens the effect of all poisons, white-lead and gypsum in particular, if taken in hydromel or a decoction of dried figs. Taken with water, it is good as an antidote to the effects of opium, and to injuries inflicted by cantharides, the buprestis, the salamandra, and the pine caterpillar. [See c. of this Book.] Taken pure as an emetic, it is highly esteemed as an antidote in all the before-mentioned cases. It is also a refreshing remedy for extreme lassitude, and for fits of shivering from cold. Taken warm, in doses of six cyathi, and more particularly when boiled with rue, [Fée remarks, that a modern physician would dread to administer such a dose, rue being a very dangerous plant in its effects. He also remarks that it is doubtful whether Pliny is speaking throughout this Chapter of olive oil or of oil of œnanthe; and such is the fact, though most probably the latter is intended to be spoken of.] it relieves gripings of the stomach and expels intestinal worms, Taken in doses of one hemina with wine and warm water, or else with barley water, [“Ptisanæ succo.”] it acts as a purgative upon the bowels. It is useful, also, in the composition of plasters for wounds, and it cleanses the complexion of the face. Injected into the nostrils of oxen, till it produces eructation, it cures attacks of flatulency.

When old it is of a more warming nature than when new, and acts more energetically as a sudorific, and as a resolvent for indurations. It is very efficacious [Fée thinks that it can have no such efficacy, whether it be olive oil or oil of œnanthe that is the subject of discussion.] in cases of lethargy, and more particularly in the decline of the disease. Mixed with an equal proportion of honey which has not been smoked, [“Acapni.” See B. xi. c. 15.] it contributes in some degree to the improvement of the sight. It is a remedy, also for head-ache; and, in combination with water, for the burning attacks in fevers. If old oil should happen not to be at hand, the new oil is boiled to act as a substitute for it.

Chap. 41.—Castor Oil: Sixteen Remedies.

Castor [“Oleum cicinum.” See B. xv. c. 7.] oil, taken with an equal quantity of warm water, acts as a purgative [It is still used in medicine for the same purpose.] upon the bowels. It is said, too, that as a purgative this oil acts more particularly upon the regions of the diaphragm. [“Præcordia;” either the diaphragm, or the parts above it, such as the heart and chest.] It is very useful for diseases of the joints, all kinds of indurations, affections of the uterus and ears, and for burns: employed with the ashes of the murex, [See B. ix. c. 52.] it heals itch-scabs and inflammations of the fundament. It improves the complexion also, and by its fertilizing tendencies promotes the growth of the hair. The cicus, or seed from which this oil is made, no animal will touch; and from these grape-like seeds [See B. xv. c. 7.] wicks are made, [Fée is at a loss to know how these wicks could have been made: most probably, however, the seeds were beaten up into a pulp for the purpose. The oil is still used for lamps in some countries, though, as Pliny says, in consequence of its extreme thickness, the light it gives is not good.] which burn with a peculiar brilliancy; the light, however, that is produced by the oil is very dim, in consequence of its extreme thickness. The leaves are applied topically with vinegar for erysipelas, and fresh-gathered, they are used by themselves for diseases of the mamillæ and defluxions; a decoction of them in wine, with polenta and saffron, is good for inflammations of various kinds. Boiled by themselves, and applied to the face for three successive days, they improve the complexion.

Chap. 42.—Oil of Almonds: Sixteen Remedies.

Oil of almonds is of a purgative and emollient nature; it effaces wrinkles on the skin, improves the complexion, and, in combination with honey, removes spots on the face. A decoction of it with oil of roses, honey, and pomegranate rind, is good for the ears, and exterminates the small worms that breed there; it has the effect also, of dispelling hardness of hearing, recurrent tinglings and singing in the ears, and is curative of head-ache and pains in the eyes. Used with wax, it cures boils, and scorches by exposure to the sun; [“A sole ustis.” Not coup de soleil, or “sun-stroke,” as Littré renders it. Oil of almonds is still a favourite ingredient in cosmetics.] in combination with wine it heals running ulcers and scaly eruptions, and with melilote, condylomatous swellings. Applied by itself to the head, it invites sleep. [There is no truth, Fée says, in this assertion.]

Chap. 43.—Oil of Laurel: Nine Remedies.

As to oil of laurel, [Fixed oil of laurel contains a certain proportion of volatile oil, to which it is indebted for the excellence of its smell. It is still used as a liniment for rheumatic pains and other affections.] the fresher and greener it is, the more valuable are its properties. It is of a heating nature, and is consequently applied, warm, in a pomegranate rind, for paralysis, spasms, sciatica, bruises, head-ache, catarrhs of long standing, and diseases of the ears.

Chap. 44.—Oil of Myrtle: Twenty Remedies.

Oil of myrtle has similar properties. [As prepared by the ancients, it has no analogous properties with oil of laurel. Myrtle oil is no longer used in medicine.] It is of an astringent and indurative nature; mixed with the scoria of copper, and wax, it cures diseases of the gums, tooth-ache, dysentery, ulcerations of the uterus, affections of the bladder, inveterate or running ulcers, eruptions, and burns. It exercises a healing effect also, upon excoriations, scaly eruptions, chaps, condylomata, and sprains, and it neutralizes offensive odours of the body. This oil is an antidote [Such is not the case.] to cantharides, the buprestis, and other dangerous poisons of a corrosive nature.

Chap. 45.—Oil of Chamæmyrsine or Oxymyrsine; Oil of Cypress; Oil of Citrus; Oil of Walnuts; Oil of Cnidium; Oil of Mastich; Oil of Balanus; Various Remedies.

Oil of chamæmyrsine, or oxymyrsine, [The wild myrtle, or little holly. See B. xv. c. 7. The oil would be inodorous, and not possessed, as Pliny says, of properties similar to those of oil of myrtle.] possesses similar properties. Oil of cypress [See B. xv. c. 7. Fée thinks that it may have possibly been prepared from a decoction of leaves of cypress.] also, produces the same effects as oil of myrtle, and the same as to oil of citrus. [See B. xiii. cc. 1. 29, and B. xv. c. 7.] Oil of walnuts, which we have previously mentioned [See B. xv. c. 7. Oil of walnuts is used but little in medicine at the present day, but it is employed for numerous other purposes.] as being called “caryinon,” is good for alopecy, and is injected into the ears for the cure of hardness of hearing. Used as a liniment, it relieves head-ache; but in other respects it is of an inert nature and disagreeable taste; indeed, if part only of one of the kernels should happen to be decayed, the whole making is spoilt. The oil extracted from the grain of Cnidos [“Granum Cnidium.” See B. xv. c. 7.] has similar properties to castor [It would only resemble castor oil in its drastic properties; the latter is a fixed natural oil, the former an artificial one.] oil. Oil of mastich [See B. xv. c. 7. An oil is still extracted in Italy from the fruit of the Pistacia lentiscus; but it is no longer used in medicine.] is very useful as an ingredient in the medicinal preparation known as “acopum;” [From the Greek ἄκοπος, “relieving weariness.”] indeed it would be fully as efficacious as oil of roses, were it not found to be somewhat too styptic in its effects. It is employed in cases of too profuse perspiration, and for the cure of pimples produced thereby. It is extremely efficacious also for itch in beasts of burden. Oil of balanus [Or “ben.” See B. xii c. 46, and B. xv. c. 7. Oil of ben is still made, but it has no such effects as those mentioned by our author.] removes spots on the skin, boils, freckles, and maladies of the gums. [Pliny appears to have made the same error here in compiling from the Greek, as he has done in Chapters 4 and 13, in mistaking the Greek word signifying “scars,” for that meaning “gums.”]

Chap. 46.—The Cyprus, and the Oil Extracted from It; Sixteen Remedies. Gleucinum: One Remedy.

We have already enlarged [In B. xii. c. 51, and B. xv. c. 7.] upon the nature of the cyprus, and the method of preparing oil of cyprus. This oil is naturally warming, and relaxes the sinews. The leaves of the tree are used as an application to the stomach, [The cyprus, or henna, is but little known in Europe: but it is employed for many purposes in the East. The leaves, which have a powerful smell, are used for the purpose of dyeing and staining various parts of the body.] and the juice of them is applied in a pessary for irritations of the uterus. Fresh gathered and chewed, the leaves are applied to running ulcers of the head, ulcerations of the mouth, gatherings, and condylomatous sores. A decoction of the leaves is very useful also for burns and sprains. Beaten up and applied with the juice of the strutheum, [Pliny has most probably committed an error here in mentioning the “strutheum,” or sparrow-quince; for the corresponding passage in Dioscorides, B. i. c. 124, speaks of the “struthion,” the Gypsophila struthium of Linnæus, or possibly, as Littré thinks, the Saponaria officinalis. See B. xix. c..] they turn the hair red. The blossoms, applied to the head with vinegar, relieve head-ache, and the ashes of them, burnt in a pot of raw earth, are curative of corrosive sores and putrid ulcers, either employed by themselves, or in combination with honey. The odour [This, Fée thinks, may probably be the case.] exhaled by these blossoms induces sleep.

The oil called “gleucinum” [See B. xv. c. 7.] has certain astringent and refreshing properties similar to those of oil of œnanthe.

Chap. 47.—Oil of Balsamum: Fifteen Remedies.

The oil of balsamum is by far the most valuable of them all, as already stated [In B. xii. c. 54. Balm of Mecca, Fée says, possesses properties little different from the turpentines extracted from the Coniferæ.] by us, when treating of the unguents. It is extremely efficacious for the venom of all kinds of serpents, is very beneficial to the eyesight, disperses films upon the eyes, assuages hardness of breathing, and acts emolliently upon all kinds of gatherings and indurations. It has the effect, also, of preventing the blood from coagulating, acts as a detergent upon ulcers, and is remarkably beneficial for diseases of the ears, head-ache, trembling, [“Tremulis.”] spasms, and ruptures. Taken in milk, it is an antidote to the poison of aconite, and used as a liniment upon the access of the shivering fits in fevers, it modifies their violence. Still, however, it should be used but sparingly, as it is of a very caustic nature, and, if not employed in moderation, is apt to augment the malady.

Chap. 48.—Malobathrum: Five Remedies.

We have already [In B. xii. c. 59. Whatever malobathrum may have been, this was an artificial oil, no doubt.] spoken, also, of the nature of malobathrum, and the various kinds of it. It acts as a diuretic, and, sprinkled in wine upon the eyes, it is used very advantageously for defluxions of those organs. It is applied also to the forehead, for the purpose of promoting sleep; but it acts with still greater efficacy, if the nostrils are rubbed with it, or if it is taken in water. The leaves, placed beneath the tongue, impart a sweetness to the mouth and breath, and put among clothes, they produce a similar effect.

Chap. 49.—Oil of Henbane: Two Remedies. Oil of Lupines: One Remedy. Oil of Narcissus: One Remedy. Oil of Radishes: Five Remedies. Oil of Sesame: Three Remedies. Oil of Lilies: Three Remedies. Oil of Selga: One Remedy. Oil of Iguvium: One Remedy.

Oil of henbane [“Hyoscyaminum.” A fixed oil with narcotic properties, and most probably, highly dangerous in its effects.] is of an emollient nature, but it is bad for the nerves; taken in drink, it disturbs the brain. Therminum, [From the Greek θέρμος, a lupine.] or oil of lupines, is emollient, and very similar to oil of roses in its effects. As to oil of narcissus, we have already [In B. xxi. c. 75.] spoken of it when describing that flower. Oil of radishes, [A fixed oil, charged with a small proportion of essential oil.] cures phthiriasis [Fée is of opinion that applied to the body it would exterminate vermin.] contracted in a long illness, and removes roughness of the skin upon the face. Oil of sesame is curative of pains in the ears, spreading ulcers, and the cancer [Malignant cancer.] known as “cacoethes.” Oil of lilies, which we have previously [In B. xxi. c. 11.] mentioned as being called oil of Phaselis and oil of Syria, is extremely good for the kidneys and for promoting perspiration, as also as an emollient for the uterus, and as tending to bring internal tumours to a head. As to oil of Selga, we have already [In B. xv. c. 7.] spoken of it as being strengthening to the tendons; which is the case, also, with the herbaceous [Similar, probably, to the narcotic oil, or baume tranquille of the French.] oil which the people of Iguvium [See B. xv. c. 7.] sell, on the Flaminian Way.

Chap. 50.—Elæomeli: Two Remedies. Oil of Pitch: Two Remedies.

Elæomeli, which, as we have already [In B. xv. c. 7.] stated, exudes from the olive-trees of Syria, has a flavour like that of honey, but not without a certain nauseous taste. It relaxes the bowels, and carries off the bilious secretions more particularly, if taken in doses of two cyathi, in a semisextarius of water. After drinking it, the patient falls into a torpor, and requires to be aroused every now and then. Persons, when about to drink for a wager, are in the habit of taking [Probably because its oleaginous properties would tend to prevent imbibition and absorption, while its narcotic qualities would in some degree neutralize the strength of the wine. Almonds have a somewhat similar effect.] a cyathus of it, by way of prelude. Oil of pitch [“Pissinum.” See B. xv. c. 7.] is employed for the cure of cough, and of itch in cattle.

Chap. 51.—The Palm: Nine Remedies.

Next in rank after the vine and the olive comes the palm. Dates fresh-gathered have an inebriating [This is not the fact.] effect, and are productive of head-ache; when dried, they are not so injurious. It would appear, too, that they are not wholesome to the stomach; they have an irritating [On the contrary, they are used at the present day as a pectoral; and many so-called pectoral sirops are prepared from them.] effect on coughs, but are very nourishing to the body. The ancients used to give a decoction of them to patients, as a substitute for hydromel, with the view of recruiting the strength and allaying thirst, the Thebaïc date being held in preference for the purpose. Dates are very useful, too, for persons troubled with spitting of blood, when taken in the food more particularly. The dates called caryotæ, [See B. vi. c. 37, and B. xiii. c. 9.] in combination with quinces, wax, and saffron, are applied topically for affections of the stomach, bladder, abdomen, and intestines: they are good for bruises also. Date-stones, [They have no properties, when burnt, to distinguish them from the ashes of other vegetables.] burnt in a new earthen vessel, produce an ash which, when rinsed, is employed as a substitute for spodium, [Impure metallic oxide.] and is used as an ingredient in eye-salves, and, with the addition of nard, in washes for the eye-brows. [“Calliblephara.”]

Chap. 52. (5.)—The Palm Which Produces Myrobalanum: Three Remedies.

Of the palm which produces myrobalanum, [See B. xii. cc. 46, 47.] the most esteemed kind is that grown in Egypt; [Fée is of opinion that this is not the “myrobalanum” of B. xii. c. 46, the behen or ben nut, but the phœnicobalanus of c. 47 in that Book; and, indeed, there can be little doubt that Pliny has committed an error here in substituting one for the other.] the dates of which, unlike those of the other kinds, are without stones. Used with astringent wine, they arrest [“Ciet,” “promote,” is the reading adopted by Sillig, but “sistit” is supported by the parallel passage in Dioscorides.] diarrhœa and the catamenia, and promote the cicatrization of wounds.

Chap. 53.—The Palm Called Elate: Sixteen Remedies.

The palm called “elate,” [See B. xii. c. 62, and the Note, in reference to the mistake which Pliny appears to have committed in reference to this term.] or “spathe,” furnishes its buds, leaves, and bark for medicinal purposes. The leaves are applied to the thoracic regions, stomach, and liver, and to spreading ulcers, but they are adverse to cicatrization. The bark [In reality, it is quite inert.] of the tree, while tender, mixed with wax and resin, heals itch-scab in the course of twenty days: a decoction, also, is made of it for diseases of the testes. Used as a fumigation, it turns the hair black, and brings away the fœtus. It is given in drink, also, for diseases of the kidneys, bladder, and thoracic organs; but it acts injuriously upon the head and nerves. The decoction of this bark has the effect, also, of arresting fluxes of the uterus and the bowels: the ashes of it are used with white wine for griping pains in the stomach, and form a very efficacious remedy for affections of the uterus.