Chaps. 54-75.

Chap. 54.—The Rhus or Sumach-tree; Two Varieties of It: Eight Remedies. Stomatice.

Nor yet has the tree called “rhus” [See B. xiii. c. 13. The sumach-tree; the Rhus coriaria of Linnæus.] any Latin name, although it is employed in numerous ways. Under this name are comprehended a wild plant, [Identified by Fée with the Coriaria myrtifolia of Linnæus, or myrtle-leaved sumach. It is used in the preparation of leather, Fée says, and is intensely poisonous.] with leaves like those of myrtle, and a short stem, which is good as an expellent of tapeworm; and the shrub [The sumach-tree.] which is known as the “currier’s plant,” of a reddish colour, a cubit in height, and about the thickness of one’s finger, the leaves of which are dried and used, like pomegranate rind, for curing leather.

Medical men also employ the leaves of these plants for the treatment of contusions, and for the cure of cœliac affections, and of ulcers of the rectum and phagedænic sores; for all which, purposes they are pounded with honey and applied with vinegar. A decoction of them is injected for suppurations of the ears. With the branches, boiled, a stomatice [Or “mouth-medicine.” See B. xxii. c. 11, and B. xxiii. cc. 58 and 71.] is also made, which is used for the same purposes as that prepared from mulberries; [See B. xxiii. c. 71.] it is more efficacious, however, mixed with alum. This preparation is applied also to reduce the swelling in dropsy.

Chap. 55.—Rhus Erythros: Nine Remedies.

Rhus [Or “ros.” See B. xiii. c. 13] erythros is the name given to the seed of this shrub. It possesses properties of an astringent and cooling nature, and is used as a seasoning [Fée says that this is still done in some parts of Turkey.] for provisions, in place of salt. It has a laxative effect, and, used in conjunction with silphium, it gives a finer flavour to meat of all kinds. Mixed with honey, it is curative of running ulcers, pimples on the tongue, [“Asperitati linguæ.”] contusions, bruises, and excoriations. It causes ulcers of the head to cicatrize with the greatest rapidity; and taken with the food, it arrests excessive menstruation.

Chap. 56.—The Erythrodanus: Eleven Remedies.

The erythrodanus, [“Red rose;” our madder. See B. xix. c. 17. Beckmann is of the opinion that the “sandix” of B. xxxv. c. 12, is our madder, and identical with the Rubia. It is not improbable, however, that in reality it was a mineral. See Beckmann’s Hist. Inv. Vol. II. p. 110, Bohn’s Ed.] by some called “ereuthodanus,” and in Latin “rubia,” is quite a different plant. It is used for dyeing wool, and skins for leather are prepared with it. Used medicinally, it is a diuretic, and, employed with hydromel, it is curative of jaundice. [Fée says that it does not possess this property.] Employed topically with vinegar, it heals lichens; and a potion is prepared from it for sciatica and paralysis, the patient while using it taking a bath daily. The root of it and the seed are effectual as an emmenagogue; they act astringently upon the bowels, and disperse gatherings. The branches, together with the leaves, are applied to wounds inflicted by serpents; the leaves too have the property of staining the hair. [Madder has no colouring matter which can produce any effect upon the hair.] I find it stated by some writers that this shrub is curative of jaundice, even if worn as an amulet only, and looked at every now and then.

Chap. 57.—The Alysson: Two Remedies.

The plant known as the “alysson” [Or “anti-frantic” plant. C. Bauhin identifies it with the Rubia silvestris lævis, or wild madder; Fée is at a loss for its identification, but is inclined to think that it was a species of cultivated madder.] differs only from the preceding one in the leaves and branches, which are more diminutive. It receives its name from the fact, that, taken in vinegar and worn as an amulet, it prevents persons bitten by dogs from becoming rabid. It is a marvellous fact too, that is added, to the effect that the person bitten has only to look at this shrub, and the flow of corrupt matter from the wound will be staunched immediately.

Chap. 58.—The Radicula or Struthion: Thirteen Remedies. The Apocynum: Two Observations Upon It.

The radicula, which we have already [In B. xix. c. 18. The Gypsophila struthium, or soap-plant, possibly. Its identity is discussed at great length by Beckmann, Hist. Inv. Vol. II. p. 98-102, Bohn’s Ed.] mentioned as being called “struthion” by the Greeks, is used by dyers for preparing wool. A decoction of it, taken internally, is curative of jaundice and diseases of the chest. It is diuretic also, and laxative, and acts as a detergent upon the uterus, for which reasons medical men have given it the name of the “golden beverage.” [“Aureum poculum.”] Taken with honey, it is a sovereign remedy for cough; and it is used for hardness of breathing, in doses of a spoonful. Applied with polenta and vinegar to the parts affected, it removes leprous sores. Used with panax and root of the caper-plant, it breaks and expels calculi, and a decoction of it in wine with barley-meal disperses inflamed tumours. It is used as an ingredient in emollient plasters and eye-salves for the sight, and is found to be one of the most useful sternutories known; it is good too for the liver and the spleen. Taken in hydromel, in doses of one denarius, it effects the cure of asthma, as also of pleurisy and all pains in the sides.

The apocynum [Desfontaines says that it is the Periploca angustifolia; Fée gives the Apocynum folio subrotundo of C. Bauhin, round leafed dogsbane.] is a shrub with leaves like those of ivy, but softer, and not so long in the stalk, and the seed of it is pointed and downy, with a division running down it, and a very powerful smell. Given in their food with water, the seed is poisonous [This is the fact; and hence one of its names “cynanche,” or “dog-strangle.”] to dogs and all other quadrupeds.

Chap. 59.—Rosemary: Eighteen Remedies.

There are two kinds of rosemary; one of which is barren, and the other has a stem with a resinous seed, known as “cachrys.” The leaves have the odour of frankincense. [This, Fée says, is the fact. The plant is rich in essential oil, and is consequently a powerful excitant. See B. xix. c. 62.] The root, applied fresh, effects the cure of wounds, prolapsus of the rectum, condylomata, and piles. The juice of the plant, as well as of the root, is curative of jaundice, and such diseases as require detergents; it is useful also for the sight. The seed is given in drink for inveterate diseases of the chest, and, with wine and pepper, for affections of the uterus; it acts also as an emmenagogue, and is used with meal of darnel as a liniment for gout. It acts also as a detergent upon freckles, and is used as an application in diseases which require calorifics or sudorifics, and for convulsions. The plant itself, or else the root, taken in wine, increases the milk, and the leaves and stem of the plant are applied with vinegar to scrofulous sores; used with honey, they are very useful for cough.

Chap. 60.—The Seed Called Cachrys.

As already [In B. xvi. c. 11.] stated, there are several kinds of cachrys; [A gall or fungoid production, or, in some instances, a catkin. Fée says that Pliny has committed an error here in attributing a cachrys to rosemary, the Libanotis stephanomaticos, which, in reality, belongs to the Libanotis canchryphorus or Libanotis prima.] but that which is produced by rosemary above-mentioned, when rubbed, is found to be of a resinous nature. It neutralizes poisons and the venom of animals, that of serpents excepted. It acts also as a sudorific, dispels griping pains in the bowels, and increases the milk in nursing women.

Chap. 61.—The Herb Savin: Seven Remedies.

Of the herb savin, known as “brathy” by the Greeks, [So called from the Greek βραδύ, “slow,” according to some authorities; by reason of the slowness of its growth.] there are two varieties, one of them [Identified by Fée with the Sabina vulgatior of Lobelius, or Juniperus Sabina, variety β, of Lamarck.] with a leaf like that of the tamarix, the other [The Sabina baceifera of J. Bauhin, the male savin, the type of the plant.] with that of the cypress; for which reason some persons have called this last the Cretan cypress. It is used by many for fumigations, as a substitute for frankincense; [See Ovid’s Fasti, B. i. l. 341, as to this custom, and Virgil’s “Culex,” l. 403.] employed in medicine, it is said to have the same effect as cinnamon, if taken in doses twice as large. It reduces gatherings, disperses corrosive sores, acts as a detergent upon ulcers, and, used as a pessary and as a fumigation, brings away the dead fœtus. [It is still a common notion, though Fée says an ill-founded one, that it produces abortion. Indeed we find Galen stating to the same effect.] It is employed as a topical application for erysipelas and carbuncles, and, taken with honey in wine, is curative of jaundice.

The smoke of this plant, they say, cures the pip in all kinds of poultry. [Fée ridicules this notion with considerable zest.]

Chap. 62.—Selago: Two Remedies.

Similar to savin is the herb known as “selago.” [The Lycopodium selago of Linnæus, upright club-moss, or fir-moss, according to Sprengel. Fée, however, dissents from that opinion, for the Lycopodium, he says, is but some three inches in height, while savin, with which the Selago is here compared, is more than eight or ten feet high. De Théis (Gloss. Botan.) thinks that it must have been a succulent plant; but upon what grounds he bases that conjecture, Fée declares himself at a loss to conjecture.] Care is taken to gather it without the use of iron, the right hand being passed for the purpose through the left sleeve of the tunic, as though the gatherer were in the act of committing a theft. [Evidently a superstition derived from the Druids.] The clothing too must be white, the feet bare and washed clean, and a sacrifice of bread and wine must be made before gathering it: it is carried also in a new napkin. The Druids of Gaul have pretended that this plant should be carried about the person as a preservative against accidents of all kinds, and that the smoke of it is extremely good for all maladies of the eyes.

Chap. 63.—Samolus: Two Remedies.

The Druids, also, have given the name of “samolus” [Sprengel thinks that it is the Samolus Valerandi of Linnæus, the round-leaved water-pimpernel, and Anguillara identifies it with the Anemone pulsatilla, or pasque-flower. Fée inclines to the opinion that it is the Veronica beccabunga of Linnæus, the brook-lime.] to a certain plant which grows in humid localities. This too, they say, must be gathered fasting with the left hand, as a preservative against the maladies to which swine and cattle are subject. The person, too, who gathers it must be careful not to look behind him, nor must it be laid anywhere but in the troughs from which the cattle drink.

Chap. 64.—Gum: Eleven Remedies.

We have already [In B. xiii. c. 20.] spoken of the different kinds of gum; the better sort of each kind will be found the most effective. Gum is bad for the teeth; it tends to make the blood coagulate, and is consequently good for discharges [Gum is still used, Fée says, for this purpose.] of blood from the mouth. It is useful for burns, [It is of no use whatever for burns, or as a diuretic.] but is bad for diseases of the trachea. It exercises a diuretic effect, and tends to neutralize all acridities, being astringent in other respects. The gum of the bitter-almond tree, which has the most [Fée says that it is not different in any way from the gum of other trees.] astringent properties of them all, is calorific also in its effects. Still, however, the gum of the plum, cherry, and vine is greatly preferred: all which kinds, applied topically, are productive of astringent and desiccative effects, and, used with vinegar, heal lichens upon infants. Taken in must, in doses of four oboli, they are good for inveterate coughs.

It is generally thought that gum, taken in raisin wine, improves the complexion, [Fée remarks, that gum is injurious as a cosmetic.] sharpens the appetite, and is good for calculi [Gum is of no use whatever in such a case.] in the bladder. It is particularly useful too for wounds and affections of the eyes.

Chap. 65. (12.)—The Egyptian or Arabian Thorn: Four Remedies.

When speaking [In B. xiii. c. 19. In speaking there, however, of this gum, the Acacia Nilotica of Linnæus, he makes no mention whatever of Arabia; for which reason Sillig concludes that this passage is corrupt.] of the perfumes, we have descanted upon the merits of the Egyptian or Arabian thorn. This, too, is of an astringent nature, and acts as a desiccative upon fluxes of all kinds, discharges of blood from the mouth, and excessive menstruation; for all which purposes the root is still more efficacious.

Chap. 66.—The White Thorn: Two Remedies. The Acanthion; One Remedy.

The seed of the white thorn is useful as a remedy for the stings of scorpions, and a chaplet made of it, is good for headache. Similar to this plant is that known to the Greeks as the “acanthion;” [The Onopordum acanthium of Linnæus, the cotton-thistle, or woolly thistle.] though it is much smaller in the leaf, which is pointed at the extremity, and covered with a down like a cobweb in appearance. This downy substance is gathered in the East, and certain textures are made of it similar to those of silk. An infusion of the leaves or root of this plant is taken for the cure of opisthotony.

Chap. 67.—Gum Acacia: Eighteen Remedies.

Gum acacia is produced also from the white and black [The Mimosa Nilotica of Linnæus; see B. xiii. c. 19. Fée seems inclined to identify the white thorn with the Cratægus oxyacantha of Linnæus, the white hawthorn, or May. In the present passage, however, it is doubtful whether the colours apply to the varieties of gum, or to the trees which produce them. Sillig considers the passage to be corrupt.] thorns of Egypt, and from a green thorn as well; the produce, however, of the former trees is by far the best. There is also a similar gum found in Galatia, but of very inferior quality, the produce of a more thorny tree [The Prunus spinosa of Linnæus, Fée thinks, the sloe, or black thorn.] than those last mentioned. The seed of all these trees resembles [Fée says that the difference in appearance is very considerable between them.] the lentil in appearance, only that it is smaller, as well as the pod which contains it: it is gathered in autumn, before which period it would be too powerful in its effects. The juice is left to thicken in the pods, which are steeped in rain-water for the purpose, and then pounded in a mortar; after which, the juice is extracted by means of presses. It is then dried in the mortars in the sun, and when dry is divided into tablets. A similar juice is extracted from the leaves, but it is by no means [The leaves containing little or no tannin.] so useful as the other. The seed is used also, as a substitute for nut-galls in curing leather. [In India, the bark of the Acacia Arabica is still used for tanning leather.]

The juice extracted from the leaves, as also the extremely black juice of the Galatian [This juice, Fée says, obtained from the Prunus spinosa, is known at the present day in commerce by the name of Acacia nostras.] acacia, is held in no esteem. The same too with that of a deep red colour. The gum which is of a purple, or of an ashy, grey colour, and which dissolves with the greatest rapidity, possesses the most astringent and cooling qualities of them all, and is more particularly useful as an ingredient in compositions for the eyes. When required for these purposes, the tablets are steeped in water by some, while some again scorch them, and others reduce them to ashes. They are useful for dyeing the hair, and for the cure of erysipelas, serpiginous sores, ulcerations of the humid parts of the body, gatherings, contusions of the joints, chilblains, and hangnails. They are good also for cases of excessive menstruation, procidence of the uterus and rectum, affections of the eyes, and ulcerations of the generative organs [Fée queries, without sufficient foundation, it would appear, whether he is here speaking of syphilitic affections.] and mouth.

Chap. 68. (13.)—Aspalathos: One Remedy.

The common [Fée suggests that this may be the Dipsacus fullonum of Linnæus, the fuller’s thistle.] thorn too, with which the fulling coppers are filled is employed for the same purposes as the radicula. [See B. xix. c. 18, and c. 58 of this Book.] In the provinces of Spain it is commonly employed as an ingredient in perfumes and unguents, under the name of “aspalathos.” There is no doubt, however, that there is also a wild thorn of the same name in the East, as already mentioned, [In B. xii. c. 52. But in that passage he makes the Aspalathos to be identical with the Erysisceptrum, which he here distinguishes from it. Fée thinks that there can be no identity between the common thorn here mentioned, and the Aspalathos. This latter, as mentioned in B. xii., according to Fée, is the Convolvulus scoparius of Linnæus, the broom bindweed, but Littré says that M. Fraäs has identified it with the Genista acanthoclada.] of a white colour, and the size of an ordinary tree.

Chap. 69.—The Erysisceptrum, Adipsatheon, or Diaxylon: Eight Remedies.

There is also found in the islands of Nisyros and of Rhodes, a shrub of smaller size, but full as thorny, known by some as the erysisceptrum, [See the preceding Note. Fée identifies this Aspalathos with the Spartium villosum of Linnæus, making that of B. xii. c. 52, to be the Lignum Rhodianum of commerce, probably the Convolvulus scoparius of Linnæus.] by others as the adipsatheon, and by the Syrians as the diaxylon. The best kind is that which is the least [The corresponding passage in Dioscorides has βαρύς, “heavy,” i.e. the most solid in the stem.] ferulaceous in the stem, and which is of a red colour, or inclining to purple, when the bark is removed. It is found growing in many places, but is not everywhere odoriferous. We have already [In B. xii. c. 52.] stated, how remarkably sweet the odour of it is, when the rainbow has been extended over it.

This plant cures fetid ulcers of the mouth, polypus [“Ozænas.”] of the nose, ulcerations or carbuncles of the generative organs, and chaps; taken in drink it acts as a carminative, and is curative of strangury. The bark is good for patients troubled with discharges of blood, and a decoction of it acts astringently on the bowels. It is generally thought that the wild plant is productive of the same effects.

Chap. 70.—The Thorn Called Appendix: Two Remedies. The Pyracantha: One Remedy.

There is a thorn also known as the appendix; [The Berberis vulgaris of Linnæus, or barberry, Fée thinks.] that name being given to the red berries which hang from its branches. These berries eaten by themselves, raw, or else dried and boiled in wine, arrest looseness of the bowels and dispel griping pains in the stomach. The berries of the pyracantha [Identified by Fée with the Mespilus pyracantha of Linnæus, the evergreen thorn. It receives its name probably from the redness of its berries, which are the colour of fire.] are taken in drink for wounds inflicted by serpents.

Chap. 71.—The Paliurus: Ten Remedies.

The paliurus, [Fée considers this to be the Paliurus aculeatus of Decandolle, and not identical with the Paliurus mentioned in B. xiii. c. 33.] too, is a kind of thorn. The seed of it, known by the people of Africa as “zura,” is extremely efficacious for the sting of the scorpion, as also for urinary calculi and cough. The leaves are of an astringent nature, and the root disperses inflamed tumours, gatherings, and abscesses; taken in drink it is diuretic in its effects. A decoction of it in wine arrests diarrhœa, and neutralizes the venom of serpents: the root more particularly is administered in wine.

Chap. 72.—The Agrifolia. The Aquifolia: One Remedy. The Yew: One Property Belonging to It.

The agrifolia, [Fée thinks that the copyists have made a mistake in this passage, and that the reading should be “aquifolia,” the same plant that is mentioned afterwards under that name. He identifies them with the Ilex aquifolium, or holly. See B. xvi. cc. 8, 12, where Pliny evidently confounds the holm oak with the holly.] pounded, with the addition of salt, is good for diseases of the joints, and the berries are used in cases of excessive menstruation, cœliac affections, dysentery, and cholera; taken in wine, they act astringently upon the bowels. A decoction of the root, applied externally, extracts foreign bodies from the flesh, and is remarkably useful for sprains and tumours.

The tree called “aquifolia,” planted [Dioscorides says, B. i. c. 119, “the branches of the rhamnus, it is said, placed at the doors and windows, will avert the spells of sorcerers.” It is not improbable that Pliny, in copying from some other author, has mistaken the one for the other.] in a town or country-house is a preservative against sorceries and spells. The blossom of it, according to Pythagoras, congeals [An exaggeration, no doubt. The Cissampelos Pareira of Lamarck, an Indian plant, abounds in mucilage to such an extent, that an infusion of it in water becomes speedily coagulated.] water, and a staff [One would be induced to think that this story is derived from some vague account of the properties of the Boomerang. Although supposed by many to have been the invention of the natives of Australasia, representations of it are found on the sculptures of Nineveh. It is not improbable that Pythagoras may have heard of it from the Magi during his travels in the East. See Bonomi’s Nineveh, p. 136.] made of the wood, if, when thrown at any animal, from want of strength in the party throwing it, it falls short of the mark will roll back again [“Recubitu” seems preferable to “cubitu.”] towards the thrower, of its own accord—so remarkable are the properties of this tree. The smoke of the yew kills [This is very doubtful, Fée says.] rats and mice.

Chap. 73. The Bramble: Fifty-one Remedies.

Nor yet has Nature destined the bramble [See B. xvi, c. 71.] to be only an annoyance to mankind, for she has bestowed upon it mulberries of its own, [See B. xvi. c. 71.] or, in other words, a nutritive aliment even for mankind. These berries are of a desiccative, astringent, nature, [Blackberries are still used in the country, Fée says, as an astringent medicine, and all here stated that is based upon that property is rational enough. The same cannot, however, be said of the greater part of the other statements in this Chapter.] and are extremely useful for maladies of the gums, tonsillary glands, and generative organs. They neutralize also the venom of those most deadly of serpents, the hæmorrhoïs [See B. xx. cc. 23, 81, and B. xxiii. cc. 12, 18.] and the prester; [See B. xx. c. 81, B. xxii. c. 13, and B. xxiii. c. 23.] and the flowers or fruit will heal wounds inflicted by scorpions, without any danger of abscesses forming. The shoots of the bramble have a diuretic effect: and the more tender ones are pounded; and the juice extracted and then dried in the sun till it has attained the consistency of honey, being considered a most excellent remedy, taken in drink or applied externally, for maladies of the mouth and eyes, discharges of blood from the mouth, quinzy, affections of the uterus, diseases of the rectum, and cœliac affections. The leaves, chewed, are good for diseases of the mouth, and a topical application is made of them for running ulcers and other maladies of the head. In the cardiac disease they are similarly applied to the left breast by themselves. They are applied topically also for pains in the stomach and for procidence of the eyes. The juice of them is used as an injection for the ears, and, in combination with cerate of roses, it heals condylomata.

A decoction of the young shoots in wine is an instantaneous remedy for diseases of the uvula; and eaten by themselves like cymæ, [Cabbage-sprouts. See B. xix. c. 41.] or boiled in astringent wine, they strengthen loose teeth. They arrest fluxes of the bowels also, and discharges of blood, and are very useful for dysentery. Dried in the shade and then burnt, the ashes of them are curative of procidence of the uvula. The leaves too, dried and pounded, are very useful, it is said, for ulcers upon beasts of burden. The berries produced by this plant would seem to furnish a stomatice [Or “mouth-medicine.” See B. xxiii. c. 71.] superior even to that prepared from the cultivated mulberry. Under this form, or else only with hypocisthis [See B. xxvi. cc.,,, and.] and honey, the berries are administered for cholera, the cardiac disease, and wounds inflicted by spiders. [The spider called “phalangium” is meant, Fée says. See B. xi. c. 28.]

Among the medicaments known as “styptics,” [Astringents.] there is none that is more efficacious than a decoction of the root of the bramble in wine, boiled down to one third. Ulcerations of the mouth and rectum are bathed with it, and fomentations of it are used for a similar purpose; indeed, it is so remarkably powerful in its effects, that the very sponges which are used become as hard as a stone. [“Lapidescunt.”]

Chap. 74. The Cynosbatos: Three Remedies.

There is another kind of bramble also, [The eglantine. See B. xvi. c. 71.] which bears a rose. It produces a round excrescence, [He alludes to “bedeguar,” a fungous excrescence found on the wild rose-tree, and produced by the insect known as the Cynips rosæ. It is somewhat rough on the exterior, like the outer coat of the chesnut.] similar to a chesnut in appearance, which is remarkably valuable as a remedy for calculus. This is quite a different production from the “cynorrhoda,” which we shall have occasion to speak of in the succeeding Book. [The fruit, Fée says, of the wild eglantine. See B. xxv. c..]

(14.) The cynosbatos [Or “dog-bramble.”] is by some called “cynapanxis,” [“Dog-strangle,” apparently.] and by others “neurospastos;” [“Drawn with a string.” Fée thinks that Pliny has confused the account given of this plant with that of the Aglaophotis, mentioned in c. 102 of this Book, and that the Cynosbatos is only a variety of the Rubus or bramble. Other authorities identify it with the Rubus caninus, or with the Rosa sempervirens. Desfontaines thinks that it is the Ribes nigrum, or black currant; and Littré is of opinion that some gooseberry or currant tree is meant.] the leaf resembles the human footstep in shape. It bears also a black grape, in the berries of which there is a nerve, to which it is indebted for its name of “neurospastos.” It is quite a different plant from the capparis [See B. xiii. c. 44.] or caper, to which medical men have also given the name of “cynosbatos.” The clusters [“Thyrsus.” Fée thinks that the allusion is to the produce of the caper, while Hardouin says that it is the first cynosbatos that he is speaking of. Hardouin is probably right.] of it, pickled in vinegar, are eaten as a remedy for diseases of the spleen, and flatulency: and the string found in the berries, chewed with Chian mastich, cleanses the mouth.

The rose [The blossom, perhaps, of the Rubus fruticosus, or blackberry.] of the bramble, mixed with axle-grease, is curative of alopecy: and the bramble-berries themselves, combined with oil of omphacium, [See B. xii. c. 60.] stain [Fée says that they have no such property, and that the blossoms of the bramble are entirely destitute of any known medicinal qualities. The roots and leaves are somewhat astringent.] the hair. The blossom of the bramble is gathered at harvest, and the white blossom, taken in wine, is an excellent remedy for pleurisy and cœliac affections. The root, boiled down to one third, arrests looseness of the bowels and hæmorrhage, and a decoction of it, used as a gargle, is good for the teeth: the juice too is employed as a fomentation for ulcers of the rectum and generative organs. The ashes of the root are curative of relaxations of the uvula.

Chap. 75.—The Idæan Bramble.

The Idæan bramble [The raspberry; see B. xvi. c. 71.] is so called from the fact that it is the only plant of the kind found growing upon Mount Ida. It is of a more delicate nature than the others, and smaller; the canes too are thinner, and not [There is one variety which is very diminutive, and entirely destitute of thorns, the Rubus Idæus lævis of C. Bauhin, the Rubus Idæus non spinosus of J. Bauhin.] so prickly: it mostly grows beneath the shade of trees. The blossom of it, mixed with honey, is applied topically for defluxions of the eyes, and is administered in water for erysipelas and affections of the stomach. [See B. xvi. c. 71.] In other respects, it has properties similar to those of the plants [Of the bramble genus.] already mentioned.