THE
SPAGYRICAL PHARMACOPOEA:
OR
DISPENSATORY.
What Vegetables are, or what is meant by the name of Vegetables?
You are in the first place to note, that under the name Vegetable, comes all that which hath its Food out of the Earth, which grows or is encreased, be they Herbs, Shrubs, or tall Trees with what appertains unto them, as the Root, Stalk, Leaves, Flowers, Seeds, and Fruits of them, as well cultivated as wild, both of our own Countrey, and Forreign, as well the known wholsomes one, as the unknown and hurtfull, whatsoever name they are called by, the kinds, shape, form, property, virtue, and power; of which, may be found described by many ancient and later Philosophers and Physicians, so that ’tis needless to make any farther rehearsal of them.
My purpose is onely to tell by what means, and by what most excelling way that innate virtue, operation, and efficacy, which God hath implanted into them, may, and indeed ought, by the dexterity and industry of Man, to be separated from their dead Fæces and Husks, and be concentrated and applied in a convenient form to Diseases, and be reduced into a most pleasant and acceptable Essence. But some may object and say, what good is here in bestowing such a deal of labour and care to extract the virtues out of Herbs, and concentrate them, and so at last administer them to the Sick? Will it not be all one, if any one know their natures, virtues and properties, (the which may abundantly enough be known by the large description given of them, in the Books both of the Ancient and Modern Physicians) and so make use of them, green and dryed, according as they are at hand, or else first steep them in Wine, Ale, Water, or any other drink used at Meals, or else boil them therein, or omit the decoction, and drink the infusion, and so administer help. Will not that perform the very same effect, that the well prepared, pure, subtile, sweet, and efficacious essence will? I answer that without question, there is extracted some kind of virtue out of the Herbs, by such a kind of infusion in Wine, Ale, or such other like drinks, and is together with the Wine carried into the Body, and effects no small things, if it meets not with too much matter that is to be turned out. But yet no body will deny but that their virtues being extracted and concentrated, and taken in a spoonfull of Wine or Ale, will operate more speedily, and be taken in more pleasantly, and display its virtues more effectually than the boiled Herbs, or its infusion; wherein by reason of the virtue of some few drops as it were lying hid in a whole handfull of Herbs, we are constrained to drink down together herewith such a deal of Wine or Ale, which too is rendred very unpleasant and ungratefull by the Herbs: This the Ancient Physicians well observed, and made an accurate search many Ages ago, by what means they might best of all prepare Herbs sundry ways, so as to be taken inwardly with delight, and be encreased in their virtues. Thence it came to pass that so many preparations are brought into the Dispensatories, which abide in use even to this very day: amongst which there are distilled Waters, Oils, Balsoms, Ointments, Juices, Electuaries, Conserves, and such like; the which I do not by any means reject, but onely mention how the virtues of Herbs may be administred to the Sick, in a far more pleasant form. It is all one to me, if the aforesaid and usual preparation of Herbs be still in best repute and so continue, for I neither sow there, nor expect to reap thence. And should I need their help (which God forbid) and that I had no better to supply my necessity, I would give God thanks, for his vouchsafing me a part of those prepared Herbs, lest I be constrained to make use of raw Herbs, in that manner that the Cows eat grass, but yet that I have better, no Body can blame me, if I rather use them, and am willing to communicate them out of love and duty to my Neighbour. Verily no Body is compelled to do otherwise than as pleaseth him, one useth Herbs in an infusion of Wine, another eats them with Vinegar, Salt, and Oil, another takes them green as they are, and cuts them small, mixeth them with Sugar, and assoon as they are come to a dryness, brings them into Powder, and takes them in some Broth; Another may thicken them with Honey, and Sugar, squeeze them in a Press, and so use them. And plainly ’tis no matter what way a Man takes in using them. Some there are that can’t abide any Powders, because they stick to their Gullet and will not pass down into the Stomach, others can’t endure Pills, and some you will meet with to whom all sweet things as Honey and Sugar are distastfull. And you will find many too that can’t endure Wine or Ale, wherein Herbs have been steeped but all night. Upon this account venerable Antiquity considered of so many preparations of Herbs, that if haply one way did not like them in administring them, the Physician might make use of another way, and so Men did year after year attempt more and more the preparation of sweet Medicaments, and so trimmed and adorned their Pharmacopœa’s daily by little and little, and brought it to a better state: And that is thus evident (I will now speak onely of the Vegetables,) viz. there are to be found almost in all well constituted Pharmacopœa’s, burning Spirits, which are produced (by distillation) out of fermented Herbs, as likewise Salts, which are extracted out of calcined Herbs and again coagulated; also extracts, and (by the mediation of the Spirit of Wine) thickned Juices are extracted; also distilled Oils, and some coagulated into Balsoms. And many more preparations of this kind, and better sorts there are, which have not been of any very long standing, but have been by little and little added by good and faithfull Physicians, all which things do perform as much as they ought (or may be expected in the rank in which they are) nor ought any one to throw them clear off. But now if any one knows how ingeniously to extract the virtue of an Herb, and to concentrate it in such a manner, as that one onely drop shall be of as much efficacy as a whole cupfull of distilled Water, or as a spoonfull of Powder, Juice, Syrrup, or Conserve. Why I pray, should not one drop be in all likelyhood more willingly taken than a full Cup, or a spoonfull? That which may be done by a few, needs not be done by a great many. But haply some other will say, how can I be certain that there is a greater virtue in some drops of some good Essence, than in a whole spoonfull of dryed and finely powdered Herbs, or of green Herbs condited and beaten with Sugar, or than a Potfull of distilled waters; now this may be known by the virtue, odour, and tast, and that on this wise. If a few drops be put into a potfull of pure fountain water, and be stirred with a Spatula, the said water doth then exactly resemble the odour of the Herb when whole, and doth as to its tast agree with that water which is drawn out of the green Herb by distillation. If therefore the odour and tast be there, the virtue cannot be far off, besides the use will easily shew it, if both of them are in the proof compared together. And this now cannot be contradicted by any probable argument, for it is clearly evident to every one, that such a kind of Essence is an hundred thousand times more efficacious (respect being had to the quality and quantity of the same) than the Herb either green or dryed: Besides there also ariseth this benefit, that such a kind of Essence doth not at all lose any thing of its virtues though kept a great many years, whereas the other preparations and especially the distilled waters will grow musty and putrifie. But an Essence will (if warily preserved) endure as efficacious above ten, yea an hundred years, as it was the very first day that it was made. Forasmuch therefore as these things are without controversie thus, we should rather mind the chusing of such things which being but small in quantity, are pleasanter and more efficacious than those that are of so great a bulk, which indeed are of little or no efficacy at all. There is no body will deny, but that the virtues of Herbs are widely dispersed and hidden in themselves, and for which virtues sake we are forced to take the whole Herb, that is, the dead body for that little virtue that lies hidden therein, just as if a Man instead of Bread should eat the crude wheat together with the stalk whereon it grows, which certainly would prove very hurtfull to the Stomach, and would together with its allaying our hunger corrupt the Stomach, and make it unfit for digestion. If therefore the Countrey-men who are the most sluggish and unaptest Men of all others, have by a long course of time arrived unto and experimented this Wisedom and Dexterity, viz. that the Corn is not just as it comes out of the ground in its husk and stalk, at all fit for the use of Man, and do likewise well know that it is far more profitable (if the grain be first threshed out of the Eare, then ground small in a Mill, the husky Bran be separated, and then the pure Meal mixed with a little water and Salt, or ferment Leaven, and so the Past suffered to ferment, and afterwards be baked) than to use the crude Corn just as it grows, why should we not use also the utmost of our endeavours to extract the most pure Essence out of medical Herbs, and so to administer them to the Sick; than to use the crude Herb as it comes out of the Earth? And this I instance onely for example sake, that it may appear that a legitimal preparation exalteth a thing into a far better state than it was before. And this may be demonstrated by sundry examples, if need required, but sure here is no body that is such an unwise Tatler as to dare to oppose it. Forasmuch then as the case stands thus, that an extracted, pure, and subtile Medicine, operates far more speedily and safely, than when prepared after the common manner, I judge it much amiss to conceal the way that leadeth thereunto, and not to give directions for the use and profit of ones Neighbour. Nor indeed can I say that this invention of preparing Essences of Herbs did proceed first of all from my self; for ’tis unknown to me what another may either have done, or is able to do. But this I know, that no body hath hitherto mentioned the same either in Writings or otherwise, and that this preparation is no where known or in use. Well be it as it will, whether or no others know it as well as I, or have known it before me, yet it ought to be accompted a good thing, that I bring it forth to light for the sake of so many sick People. And it would have been much more acceptable unto me, if any body else had published it before me, and had eased me of this labour. But that I may return to my purpose; I will begin a brief but very clear description of the way whereby the virtue of Herbs is to be extracted and concentrated, that so by this means they may be more effectually operative in Diseases, and be more commodiously administred than the crude and unprepared Herb, and it is to be done as followeth.
The Preparation of the Essences of Vegetables.
Take of an Herb cleansed from the Earth, and its withered and putrified Leaves, both Root, Stalk, Leaves, Seed if they may be had, as much as you list, but however let it be at the least some fifty pounds weight, for the Fermentation will not succeed so well in a lesser quantity, as if taken in a due measure and plenty. Cut the Herb, &c. small, pour Water hereupon as much as is sufficient to fill your Copper Still, within an hands breadth of the top, urge your fire somewhat strong, and there will distill forth a clear and well smelling Water, together with a little Oil, which you must separate from the Water by a tritory or separating glass, and reserve it apart: then take out the Herbs remaining in the Still, put more of your Herbs in, and distil the Water and Oil as before, this repeat so long, until you have distilled all the Herbs, always separating the Oil from the Water, and keeping it apart. Now then all the Herbs being thus distilled, pour water on them again, and put thereto a spoonfull of good new Ale yeast, and let them ferment together in a woodden Vessel covered over for some three or four Days: Then when the Herb begins to leave off working, ’tis enough, and is fitted to send forth in a volatile manner by distillation its most pure parts, viz. Salt and Sulphur. Stir the matter well with a stick, that so both thick and thin may be well mixed together; fill your Still herewithal, give a fire by degrees, that the Herbs burn not too, and the Spirit tast of an Empyreume. Distill it with a Refrigatory so long as the water hath any savour, the which you may easily find by tasting it often, when the water comes forth insipid cease from the Distillation, keep what is distilled forth in glasses: Then empty your Still and fill it again with more fermented Herbs, even within an hands breadth of the top, distil thence the Spirit, the which so long repeat until there remains nothing of the Herb undistilled. Then having cleaned the Still and Refrigatory, pour hereinto all your distilled Spirits, and rectifie them, take onely the strong Spirits, pour out the insipid water left in the Still; rectifie the Spirit again in an Alembick in B. M. and it will again put off an insipid water; and if need be repeat this rectification yet once more in a glass Alembick, that so the Spirit being exalted by a farther operation may become very strong and subtil, and its internal Vertue may be concentrated. So then, now take the Herb from which the Oil and Spirits proceeded, make thereof small Balls which dry in the Sun or at the Fire, burn them unto Ashes, from which Ashes extract the Salt with the insipid water left in rectifying your Spirit, and coagulate it: This Salt you must again dissolve with more new water and filter, and coagulate it and then it is enough. To one part of this Salt, pour two parts of the rectified Spirit, and gently abstract it in a B. M. and so the Spirit will receive into it self asmuch as it needeth of the fixed Salt, and bring it over with it self by the Alembick: But the fixed Salt holds back the Phlegm, which as yet lurked in the Spirit. But now the Salt thus moist, if it be again fired (or calcined) is as good as it was before. To this Spirit thus concentrated even to the utmost, pour an half or a third part of the Oil you distilled before out of the said Herb, mix them together by shaking them well, and the concentrated and Alkalizated Spirit will in a moment devour his said proper Oil, and will all of it be converted into a clear efficacious and pleasant Essence. In which Essence the volatile Salt and Sulphur of that Herb are united with the fixed Salt, and are to be accompted of, as a pleasant, penetrative, efficacious Essence, and friendly to nature; the which may be mixed and profitably taken with any Liquor: A few drops of which have more Vertue than a whole handfull of the crude Herb. And this Essence being taken into the Body, doth not onely operate more efficaciously in those kinds of Diseases which the Herb served for before its being thus prepared, but doth also (by reason of its subtil purity) more speedily display its Vertues, and being externally applied, doth (by its Odour) corroborate the Heart and Brain beyond all other, how sweet and odoriferous soever thickened Oils, prepared with Civet, Musk and Ambergrese; all which it compared with this Essence, are to be esteemed of as a dead Body: For in this Essence, the volatile Salt which is conjoyned with the Oil, doth presently introduce (or lead it inwards) and make it subtil, even to Admiration. And so this Medicine serves as well for inward, as for outward Uses. And certain it is, that the sweet Odour of any Herb, such an one as by which the Heart might be comforted, as it were in a moment, doth sometimes effect more than another comforting Medicine taken into the Body. For the Heart of a Man lives of the Air, as a Fish doth in the Water, the which being pure, the Heart becomes also well thereby, and so on the contrary ill. Why should a Man love to smell a Flower, did not the sweet Odour comfort his Heart and Brain, and were not his Spirits refreshed thereby. If then the Flower and Herb effecteth thus much, where the sweet and comforting Spirits are as yet encompassed, involved, wildly diffused, and tied to their dead Body; what will the Spirit do, being separated from the Body, highly depurated and again concentrated. Besides the daily, and (to all) well known experience, that a pleasant Air refresheth the Heart, but a corrupt and infected Air (as is evident in the time of the Plague) doth (on the other hand) debilitate it, and plainly suffocate it; It might be an easie matter to produce Histories to prove and verifie the same, but that it would be too tedious. But yet I must needs set down here one or two memorable ones, for the better confirmations sake of my Opinion. Josephus de Acosta an acute and very expert Philosopher, of the Order of the Jesuits, wrote a Book of the Condition and Property of the Isles of the West Indies newly found out, and amongst other things in the third Book, and ninth Chapter, speaks of things no less incredible than true, concerning the nature of some Winds which (in some Provinces scituate beyond Chili) leap down as it were from the Tops of Mountains and Desarts, and saith of them, that these Winds, do (by reason of the notable piercing cold) not onely cast or throw down for dead, the Passengers passing that way, who not dreaming of any such thing are not well provided against it, but doth also wholly kill some meerly from that most subtile Cold, so contrary and extremely inimicitious to the Spirits and Life of Man. For even as a pleasant and temperate Air doth preserve and cherish our vital Spirit, and nourisheth it; so on the contrary an intemperate and cold Air, doth suffocate and kill it: The which thing is wont to happen to such as sail at Sea, for there the Air is infected by the motion of the salt Sea, and doth so affect and debilitate those that are unaccustomed thereunto, and especially their Brain, Heart, and Ventricle (as we said above concerning the cold Wind, in the Desarts about Chili) that it causeth men to vomit, their Head and Heart pains them, they loath both Meat and Drink, until they are accustomed to the Air, and can well brook it. Besides this story I will yet add another, to shew that an infected Air can bring more detriment to the life of a man, than any corporal Poyson. For a corporal Poyson invades the stomach onely, which by the help of Nature doth easily expel the same again, which is sufficiently witnessed by all well known Histories, viz. that a man casts out by vomit a Poyson that is drunk down inwardly, but that spiritual Poysons do hasten to the Heart, to suffocate the vital Spirit, unless a man be well armed, and this shall be instanced unto you by the following History.
About some 30 years ago, there were two Mountebanks at Paris, that had their stations not much distant from one another, and they did each of them to their utmost commend their own Treacle which they sold to the Inhabitants, thereby to disparage each other, and each to allure the men to himself onely. But at last they came to a bargain betwixt themselves, which was this, each of them should defend himself with his own Treacle, against the Poyson the one should give unto the other, and thereby defend the excellency of his Medicine. Well, one of them takes a huge Toad, swallows down one half, gives the other half to his Companion to devour, the which he also swallowed and neither of them hurt. The next day following, the other invites his Adversary and used this Stratagem. He took a Viper, together with a Toad and put them into a Drum, adding hereto an handfull of Salt, and ordered the Drum to be beaten a while with Drum-sticks, with which unwonted noise both the Serpent and Toad being enraged, breathed forth their spiritual Venome, and filled all the Drum herewith: This done, he bid his guest put his nose to the hole of the Drum, which is usually about the middle of it, for the letting forth of the sound, who as soon as ever he had drawn in the spiritual Venome, fell backwards and died presently, not dreaming any such matter, nor understanding that the spirits either good or bad have as effectual operation upon the body, as a corporal Poyson hath.
I have not inserted these two stories, to fill the Paper up with words, but to shew, that Spirits being separated and freed from their bodies, are in there virtue and operation an hundred times stronger than the bodies themselves are, though conjoined with their Spirits. The which thing doth as well take place in such subjects that are wholsome and friendly to Man’s nature, as in these here rehearsed. It is abundantly known how many good and subtile Spirits I have described for the sake of the Sick, in my second part of Philosophical Furnaces; yet few are here to be found that set about the preparation of them. Amongst which Spirits, that of Sal Armoniack is not the meanest, which because of its penetrating and temperate heat, doth exhibit a most present operation, and is a Spirit worth all Men’s knowledge, and worthy every where to be had at the Apothecaries Shops. Yet I have not as yet seen it any where to be had, though I described a short easie way of preparing of it: But of this (if God will) more shall be spoken in the next part, where we treat of such Medicaments as are prepared out of Animals. Such as are their volatile Salts, and fixed ones, wherein a great virtue lieth hidden, and are (in some cases) to be far preferred before those Medicaments that are made out of Vegetables. But yet though it be thus, I cannot but admonish here that good and subtile Medicines are to be circumspectly used, and not to be administred to the Sick in a greater quantity than their nature will bear. Good and sound Wine is able to comfort, and conserve in health, the Heart, Brain, and whole Body of him that useth it aright. Whereas another that useth it immoderately, even the same Wine is able to inflame and infect his Lungs and Liver, to possess his Head, to bring a trembling into his Hands, and a Gout into his Feet, to weaken his Sight, and to fill his Reins and Bladder with the Stone; and for this end it was never given by God, nor gotten with so much labour, but was created onely to serve for the health of Man. O what curious secrets do lie hidden in the Wine onely (not to speak of Corn and other Fruits) all which the World neither knows nor cares to know, and I have determined with my self to publish, in my Vegetable Work, but yet it is at the pleasure of God, whether he will permit so to do or not. It is sufficiently manifest by Wine alone, that the abuse of a thing hurts not the abused subject, and the same may be said of other penetrating Medicines, whose operation is according as you use them. We do not suffer a Child or a Fool, neither of which are compos mentis, to meddle with a sharp Knife, for fear lest they should hurt both themselves and others too; but now a Wise Man useth it aright, and knows how to employ it both to his own and the use of other Men. If then one hurts another with a Knife, the fault lies not in the Smith that made it, because he gave it such a keen edge, but in him rather that used it amiss.
Thus much I judged it worth the while to advise you of, lest haply some of the Essences which I have described, should undergo a wrong censure, as if they were too hot, but if they should, it may be known what answer to give. For I confess that too much heat doth as well extinguish the Vital Spirit (seeing it is a temperate warmth that is its life and nutriment) as the cold, which is an enemy to nature: and therefore you are here taught not to drink down these fiery Essences as if they were your ordinary drink, but they must be wisely administred, viz. 1, 2, 3, or 4 drops at a time according as the Patient is, in a spoonfull of Ale, Wine, or other liquors. And so the Medicine penetrateth through the whole body, and performeth that effect which God hath given it. But this is to be known, that the force and essence of all good and wholsome Herbs consisteth of heat, the which by how much the more it is dilated and diffused throughout the body of that Herb, so much the less observable is it; and by how much it is contracted, by so much the more visibly and sensibly is it apprehended. Whatsoever yields a temperate heat, is acceptable and wholsome to nature; and contrarily, whatsoever refrigerateth too much, all that is inimicitious and deadly, and this even every one, to whom nature is in any small measure known, is enforced to acknowledge.