Grape-husks, used by themselves, are less injurious to the head and bladder than grape-stones are: beaten up with salt, they form an excellent liniment for inflammations of the mamillæ. A decoction of them, taken in drink, or employed as a fomentation, is good for inveterate dysentery, and cœliac affections.
CHAP. 11.—THE GRAPES OF THE THERIACA: FOUR REMEDIES.
The grape of the theriaca, of which we have already made mention[2859] on the appropriate occasion, is eaten by way of antidote to the stings of serpents. It is recommended, too, to eat the young shoots of this tree, and to apply them topically. The wine and vinegar made from these grapes are productive of a similar salutary effect.[2860]
CHAP. 12.—RAISINS, OR ASTAPHIS: FOURTEEN REMEDIES.
Raisins, the name given to which is “astaphis,” would be injurious to the stomach, abdomen, and intestines, were it not for the stones within them, which act as a corrective.[2861] When the stones are removed, raisins, it is thought, are beneficial to the bladder, and good for cough:[2862] in the last case, the raisin of the white grape is considered the best. Raisins are good also for the trachea and the kidneys, and the wine made from them is particularly efficacious for the sting of the serpent called hæmorrhoïs.[2863] In combination with meal of cummin or coriander, they are employed topically for inflammations of the testes. For carbuncles and diseases of the joints, the stones are removed, and the raisins are pounded with rue; if used for ulcers, the sores must be first fomented with wine.
Used with the stones, raisins are a cure for epinyctis, honeycomb ulcers,[2864] and dysentery; and for gangrenes they are applied topically with radish rind and honey, being first boiled in oil. They are used with panax,[2865] for gout and loose nails; and they are sometimes eaten by themselves, in combination with pepper, for the purpose of cleansing the mouth and clearing the brain.
CHAP. 13.—THE ASTAPHISAGRIA, OTHERWISE CALLED STAPHIS OR TAMINIA: TWELVE REMEDIES.
The wild astaphis, otherwise called staphis,[2866] is by some persons erroneously called “uva taminia;”[2867] for it is altogether a distinct plant from the other. It has a black, upright stem, with leaves resembling those of the labrusca,[2868] and bears what we may call a pod,[2869] rather than a grape, green, similar to a chick-pea in appearance, and enclosing a kernel of triangular form. The fruit of it ripens with the vintage and turns black, while the berries of the taminia,[2870] as is well known, are red; this last, too, as we are aware, grows only in shaded spots, while the wild astaphis, on the other hand, loves a site that is exposed to the sun.
I would not recommend any one to use the kernels[2871] of the wild astaphis as a purgative, as it is very doubtful whether they might not choke the patient; nor would I advise them to be employed for the purpose of attenuating the phlegm, as they are extremely irritating to the throat. Beaten up, however, and applied topically, they kill vermin[2872] in the head and other parts of the body, more particularly if they are used with sandarach; they are very useful, too, for itch-scabs and prurigo. A decoction of the kernels is made with vinegar, for the cure of tooth-ache, diseases of the ears, cicatrices[2873] that are slow in healing, and running sores.
The blossoms of the plant are beaten up and taken in wine for stings[2874] inflicted by serpents; but, as to the seed, I would strongly recommend its rejection, on account of its extremely pungent properties. Some persons give to this plant the name of “pituitaria,”[2875] and use it as a common application for stings inflicted by serpents.