TEARS, LIQUORS, AND ROZINS.
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Culpeper, Nicholas
Laudanum, is of a heating, mollifying nature, it opens the mouth of the veins, stays the hair from falling off, helps pains in the ears, and hardness of the womb. It is used only outwardly in plaisters.
Assafœtida. Is commonly used to allay the fits of the mother by smelling to it; they say, inwardly taken, it provokes lust, and expels wind.
Benzoin, or Benjamin, makes a good perfume.
Sanguis Draconis, cools and binds exceedingly.
Aloes, purges choler and flegm, and with such deliberation that it is often given to withstand the violence of other purges, it preserves the senses and betters the apprehension, it strengthens the liver, and helps the yellow-jaundice. Yet is naught for such as are troubled with the hemorrhoids, or have agues. I do not like it taken raw. See Aloe Rosata, which is nothing but it washed with the juice of roses.
Manna, is temperately hot, of a mighty dilative quality, windy, cleanses choler gently, also it cleanses the throat and stomach. A child may take an ounce of it at a time melted in milk, and the dross strained out, it is good for them when they are scabby.
Scamony, or Diagridium, call it by which name you please, is a desperate purge, hurtful to the body by reason of its heat, windiness, corroding, or gnawing, and violence of working. I would advise my countrymen to let it alone; it will gnaw their bodies as fast as doctors gnaw their purses.
Opopanax, is of a heating, molifying, digesting quality.
Gum Elemi, is exceeding good for fractures of the skull, as also in wounds, and therefore is put in plaisters for that end. See Arceus his Liniment.
Tragacanthum, commonly called Gum Traganth, and Gum Dragon, helps coughs, hoarseness, and distillations on the lungs.
Bdellium, heats and softens, helps hard swellings, ruptures, pains in the sides, hardness of the sinews.
Galbanum. Hot and dry, discussing; applied to the womb, it hastens both birth and after-birth, applied to the navel it stays the strangling of the womb, commonly called the fits of the mother, helps pains in the sides, and difficulty of breathing, being applied to it, and the smell of it helps the vertigo or diziness in the head.
Myrh, heats and dries, opens and softens the womb, provokes the birth and after-birth; inwardly taken, it helps old coughs and hoarseness, pains in the sides, kills worms, and helps a stinking breath, helps the wasting of the gums, fastens the teeth: outwardly it helps wounds, and fills up ulcers with flesh. You may take half a dram at a time.
Mastich, strengthens the stomach exceedingly, helps such as vomit or spit blood, it fastens the teeth and strengthens the gums, being chewed in the mouth.
Frankinsense, and Olibanum, heat and bind, fill up old ulcers with flesh, stop bleeding, but is extremely bad for mad people.
Turpentine, Purges, cleanses the reins, helps the running of them.
Styrax Calamitis, helps coughs, and distillations upon the lungs, hoarseness, want of voice, hardness of the womb, but it is bad for head-aches.
Ammonicaum, applied to the side, helps the hardness and pains of the spleen.
Camphire, eases pains of the head coming of heat, takes away inflammations, and cools any place to which it is applied.