CHAP. 90.—REMEDIES FOR FEMALE DISEASES.
One great remedy for all female diseases in common, is the
black seed of the herbaceous plant pæonia,
1 taken in hydro-
mel: the root also is an effectual emmenagogue. Seed of
panaces,
2 mixed with wormwood, acts as an emmenagogue and
as a sudorific: the same, too, with scordotis,
3 taken internally
or applied topically. Betony, in doses of one drachma to
three cyathi of wine, is taken for various affections of the
uterus, as also directly after child-birth. Excessive menstruation is arrested by a pessary of achillea,
4 or else a sitting-bath
composed of a decoction of that plant. Seed of henbane in
wine is used as a liniment for diseases of the mamillæ,
and the root is employed in the form of a plaster for uterine
affections; chelidonia,
5 too, is applied to the mamillæ.
Roots of panaces,
6 applied as a pessary, bring away the
after-birth and the dead fœtus, and the plant itself, taken in
wine, or used as a pessary with honey, acts as a detergent
upon the uterus. Polemonia,
7 taken in wine, brings away the
after-birth; used as a fumigation, it is good for suffocations of
the uterus. Juice of the smaller centaury,
8 taken in drink, or
employed as a fomentation, acts as an emmenagogue. The root
also of the larger centaury, similarly used, is good for pains in
the uterus; scraped and used as a pessary, it expels the
dead fœtus. For pains of the uterus, plantago
9 is applied as
a pessary, in wool, and for hysterical suffocations, it is taken in
drink. But it is dittany that is of the greatest efficacy in cases
of this description; it acts as an emmenagogue, and is an expellent of the fœtus when dead or lying transversely in the
uterus. In these cases the leaves of it are taken, in doses of
one obolus, in water: indeed so active is it in its effects that
ordinarily it is forbidden to be introduced into the chamber of
a woman lying-in. Not only is it thus efficacious when taken
in drink, but even when applied topically or used as a fumiga-
tion. Pseudodictamnum
10 possesses pretty nearly the same virtues, but it acts as an emmenagogue also, boiled in doses of one
denarius in unmixed wine. Aristolochia,
11 however, is employed
for a greater number of purposes: in combination with myrrh
and pepper, either taken in drink or used as a pessary, it acts
as a powerful emmenagogue, and brings away the dead fœtus
and the after-birth. This plant, the smaller kind in particular,
used either as a fomentation, fumigation, or pessary, acts as a
preventive of procidence of the uterus.
Hysterical suffocations and irregularities of the catamenia
are treated with agaric, taken in doses of three oboli, in one
cyathus of old wine: vervain is used also in similar cases, as a
pessary, with fresh hog's lard; or else antirrhinum,
12 with rose
oil and honey. Root of Thessalian nymphæa,
13 used as a
pessary, is curative of pains in the uterus; taken in red wine,
it arrests uterine discharges. Root of cyclaminos,
14 on the
other hand, taken in drink and employed as a pessary, acts as
an emmenagogue: a decoction of it, used as a sitting-bath,
cures affections of the bladder. Cissanthemos,
15 taken in drink,
brings away the after-birth, and is curative of diseases of the.
uterus. The upper part of the root of xiphion,
16 taken in
doses of one drachma, in vinegar, promotes menstruation. A
fumigation of burnt peucedanum
17 has a soothing effect in
cases of hysterical suffocation. Psyllion,
18 taken in the proportion of one drachma to three cyathi of hydromel, is particularly good for promoting the lochial discharge. Seed of
mandragora,
19 taken in drink, acts as a detergent upon the
uterus; the juice, employed in a pessary, promotes menstruation
and expels the dead fetus. The seed of this plant, used with
live sulphur,
20 arrests menstruation when in excess; while batrachion,
21 on the other hand, acts as an emmenagogue. This
last plant is either used as an article of food, or is taken in
drink: in a raw state, as already stated,
22 it has a burning
flavour; but when cooked, the taste of it is greatly improved by
the addition of salt, oil, and cummin. Daucus,
23 taken in drink,
promotes the catamenia, and is an expellent of the after-birth
in a very high degree. Ladanum,
24 used as a fumigation, acts
as a corrective upon the uterus, and is employed topically for
pains and ulcerations of that organ.
Scammony, taken in drink or used as a pessary, is an expellent of the dead fœtus. Either kind of hypericon,
25 used
as a pessary, promotes menstruation: but for this purpose it
is crethmos,
26 according to Hippocrates, that is the most efficacious, the seed or root of it being taken in wine.
27
of the outer coat brings away the after-birth. This plant,
taken in water, is good for hysterical suffocations; root of
geranion
28 also, which is peculiarly useful for the after-birth,
and for inflation of the uterus. Hippuris,
29 taken in drink
or applied as a pessary, acts as a detergent upon the uterus:
polygonos,
30 taken in drink, promotes menstruation; and the
sane with root of alcima.
31 Leaves of plantago,
32 and agaric
in hydromel, have a similar effect. Artemisia,
33 bruised and
applied as a pessary, with oil of iris,
34 figs, or myrrh, is curative
of diseases of the uterus; the root, too, of this plant, taken
in drink, is so strongly purgative as to expel the dead fœtus
even. A decoction of the branches, used as a sitting-bath,
promotes menstruation and brings away the after-birth; the
same, too, with the leaves, taken in doses of one drachma in
drink. The leaves, if applied to the lower regions of the
abdomen with barley-meal, will prove equally efficacious.
Acoron
35 is very useful for internal complaints of females;
as also the two varieties of conyza,
36 and crethmos.
37 Either
kind of anthyllis,
38 taken in wine, is remarkably good for uterine
affections, griping pains in that organ, and retardations of the
after-birth. Callithrix,
39 applied as a fomentation, is curative
of affections of the vagina: it removes scaly eruptions
40 also
of the head, and, beaten up in oil, it stains the hair. Geranion,
41 taken in white wine, or hypocisthis
42 in red, arrests
all uterine discharges. Hyssop modifies hysterical suffocations.
Root of vervain, taken in water, is a most excellent remedy
for all accidents incident to, or consequent upon, delivery.
Some persons mix bruised cypress seed with peucedanum
43 in
red wine. Seed, too, of psyllion,
44 boiled in water and taken
warm, has a soothing effect upon all defluxions of the uterus.
Symphyton,
45 bruised in wine, promotes menstruation. Juice
of scordotis,
46 in the proportion of one drachma to four cyathi
of hydromel, accelerates delivery. Leaves of dittany are given
for the same purpose, in water, with remarkable success. It
is a well-known fact, too, that these leaves, to the extent of a
single obolus even, will bring away the fœtus instantaneously,
even when dead, without the slightest inconvenience to the
patient. Pseudodictamnum
47 is productive of a somewhat
similar effect, but not in so marked a degree: cyclaminos,
48
too, attached as an amulet; cissanthemos,
49 taken in drink;
and powdered betony, in hydromel.