The Complete Herbal / To which is now added, upwards of one hundred additional herbs, with a display of their medicinal and occult qualities physically applied to the cure of all disorders incident to mankind: to which are now first annexed, the English physician enlarged, and key to Physic.

by Nicholas Culpeper

2. The sentence of authors about repulsive medicines is various.

For seeing an influxion may be caused many ways, a repulsive hath got as many definitions.

For such things as cool, bind, stop, and make thick, stay influxions, and therefore repulsives are by authors opposed, not only to attractives, but also to attenuating, and discussing medicines.

But properly such things are called repulsives, which do not only stay influxions, (for so do such medicines which stop and make thick) but such as drive the humours flowing to, or inherit in the place, to some other place.

The truth is, binding is inherent to repulsives, so is not coldness nor making thick: Yet such as are binding, cold and thin in operation, are most effectual.

Your taste will find repulsives to be, tart, or sharp, or austere, with a certain binding which contracts the tongue.

Use 1. Their use is manifold, as in hot tumours, head-aches, or the like.

Use 2. By these in fevers are the vapours driven from the head, Vinegar of Roses is notable.

Time of giving. They are most commodious in the beginning and encrease of a disease, for then influxions most prevail.

But seeing that in the cure of tumours there are two scopes, 1. That that which flows to it may be repelled. 2. That that which is already in it may be discussed; repulsives are most commodiously used in the beginning, discussives in the latter end.