CHAP. 76.—THE RHAMNOS; TWO VARIETIES OF IT: FIVE REMEDIES.
Among the several kinds[313] of bramble is reckoned the plant called “rhamnos” by the Greeks. One variety of it is whiter[314] than the other, and has a more shrublike appearance, throwing out branches armed with straight thorns, and not hooked, like those of the other kinds; the leaves too are larger. The other kind,[315] which is found growing wild, is of a more swarthy hue, in some measure inclining to red; it bears too a sort[316] of pod. With the root of it boiled in water a medicament is made, known as “lycium:”[317] the seed of it is useful for bringing away the after-birth. The white kind, however, is of a more astringent and cooling nature, and better adapted for the treatment of gatherings and wounds. The leaves of both kinds, either raw or boiled, are employed topically with oil.