A nephritic medicine from dessert-fruits, for ulceration of the bladder and kidneys. Of the white grape, deprived of its stones, of fresh pine-nuts, of each, oz. ij; of the seed of cucumber, stripped of its bark; of myrtles deprived of their bones; of bitter almonds, of fatty dates, of parsley-seed, of poppy-seed, of saffron, of each, dr. j; of myrrh, oz. ij. Give a drachm of it in must to the patient, fasting.
The satyriac antidote. Of ginger, of the superior satyrion (herb dogs-tooth?), of each, dr. viij, of the tail of a scink, of spignel, of asarabacca, of stone-parsley, of cardamom, of seseli, of each, dr. iv; of the seed of rocket, of cinnamon, of each, dr. iij; of all-good (horminum), of white pepper, of the seed of bastard saffron, of each, dr. ij; of the schœnanth, of spikenard, of each, dr. j, of goat’s blood, a mystrum (spoonful). A drachm is given with wine, but to those who are weaker, with milk.
Pills from xylomacer for dysenteries. Of xylomacer, of opium, of Pontic rhubarb, of each, scr. vj; of gall, of myrrh, of each, oz. j; mix with palm wine.
Remedies for the gout. The antidote from corallium. Of rheum barbarum, of pæony, of troglodytic myrrh, of spikenard, of each, oz. ij; of Indian leaf, oz. j; of cloves, gr. xv, of the pimpernel having the purple flower which they call corallium, oz. ss; of long birthworth, oz. iv, and of round, oz. vj. One scruple is to be given as a dose every day to the patient, when digestion is accomplished. We must begin at the autumnal equinox, which is about the 24th of the month of September; and it is to be taken regularly for fifty days, and then interrupted for fifteen days; and this is to be done until the whole 365 days be completed. It is to be given up during the whole of the dog-days, that is, from the 24th of June to the end of August. The patient must abstain from venery, from flesh, particularly that of swine, and from pickle, sauce, beet, carrot, mint, and from boiled lettuces and pompions; from fishes, as the mullet, gomphi (gobii?), mollusca, and the testacea; from all the legumes, and in short from all things which furnish a thick chyme, and from black wine, and from much wine of any kind. He is to bathe every day, and take exercise either on foot or on horseback, or in a vehicle. Those who are of a drier habit have not been injured by a less restricted diet.
The podagric antidote of Agapetus. Of Indian leaf, of rheum barbarum, of saffron, of spikenard, of troglodytic myrrh, of costus, of germander, of each, oz. ij; of hepatic aloes, oz. v; of St. John’s wort, of pæony, of each, oz. iij; of long birthwort, of valerian, of spignel, of vervain mallow, of pimpernel, of each, oz. iv. The mode of using it is the same as that of corallium.
The podagric remedy, called atactos. Of Indian leaf, of spignel, of vervain mallow, of the pimpernel having the blue flower, of madder, of mastich, of saffron, of cassia, of hepatic aloes, of gentian, of germander, of each, oz. j; of cloves, of white and of black pepper, of each, oz. ss; of spikenard, of myrrh, of rheum barbarum, of the root of pæony, of the long birthwort, and of the round, of each, oz. ij. To be used in like manner.
The podagric antidote of Proclus, answering also with ischiatic disease. Of germander, oz. ix; of centaury, oz. viij; of birthwort, oz. vij; of gentian, oz. vj; of St. John’s wort, oz. v; of Macedonian stone-parsley, oz. iv; of spignel, oz. iij; of agaric, oz. ij; of valerian, oz. j; of Attic honey, two heminæ.
The composition from seven ingredients for the same purposes. Of St. John’s wort, of long birthwort, of each, oz. j; of centaury, of ground pine, of agaric, of each, oz. iij; of germander, oz. vj; of gentian, oz. v. Some add likewise, of stone-parsley, oz. j; of honey, dr. v. The dose is dr. j.
Commentary. Celsus thus defines the nature of antidotes: “Antidota raro, sed præcipue interdum necessaria sunt, quia gravisismis casibus opitulantur. Ea recte quidem dantur collisis corporibus vel per ictus, vel ubi ex alto deciderunt, vel in viscerum, laterum, faucium, interiorumque partium doloribus; maxime autem desideranda sunt adversus venena, vel per morsus, vel per cibos, aut potiones nostris corporibus inserta.” He gives prescriptions for three antidotes. They consist principally of stimulant and aromatic medicines, mixed with honey and wine. (v, 23.)