390 
THE COMPLETE HERBAL 
medicine but is in some measure or other 
discussing. The difference then is only 
this; that discussive medicines are hotter 
than attractive, and therefore nothing else 
need be written of their nature. 
Use. Their use may be known even from 
their very name; for diseases that come by 
repletion or fulness, are cured by evacu- 
tion or emptying; yet neither blood nor gross 
humours are to be expelled by sweating, or 
insensible transpiration (as they call it) 
but the one requires blood-letting, the other 
purgation, but scrosus or thin humors and 
filthy vapours, and such like superfluities, 
are to be expelled by sweat, and be wary 
in this too, for many of them work violently, 
and violent medicines are not rashly to be 
a 
Caution 2. Besides, swellings are some- 
times made so hard by sweating medicines, 
that afterwards they can never be cured; for 
what is thin being by such medicines taken 
away, nothing but what is perfectly hard 
remains: If you fear such a thing, mix 
emolients with them. 
Caut. 8. Again, sometimes by using dis- 
cussives, the humours offending (which) 
physicans usually call the peccant humours) 
is driven to some more noble part of the 
body, or else it draws more than it dis- 
cusseth; in such cases, concoct and at- 
tenuate the matter offending before you go 
about to discuss it. 
From hence may easily be gathered at 
what time of the disease discussive medi- 
cines are to be used, viz. about the declin- 
ing of the disease, although in diseases 
_ arising from heat of blood, we sometimes 
_ use them in the encrease and state of them. 
_ They are known by the same marks and 
tokens attenuating medicines are, viz. by 
obit; and of thin parts, void of any 
n quality, Sa ek ceepiemeats 
CHAPTER VI. 
Of repelling Medicines. 
Repelling medicines are of contrary 
operation to these three last mentioned, viz. 
attenuating, drawing, and discussive medi- 
cines: It is true, there is but little difference 
between these three, some hold none at all; 
and if you will be so nice, you may oppose 
them thus. And so medicines making 
thick, correspond to attenuating medicines, 
or such as make thin, repelling medicines 
are opposed to such as draw, and such as 
retain the humours and make them tough, 
are opposite to such as discuss, some hold 
this niceness needless. 
2. The sentence of authors about repul- 
sive 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 re- 
pulsives, 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 repul- 
sives, 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, Vencgee of Roses is 
aapresrpiis ; 
t Time of giving. ‘They are most comtn0-" 
