32 PLT^TY's natural history. [Book XX1\. 



CHAP. 45. THE PRIVET : EIGHT REMEDIES. 



The ligustrum, or privet, if it is the same tree as the cyprus^^ 

 of the East, has also its own medicinal uses in Europe. The 

 juice of it is used for affections of the sinews and joints, and 

 for sudden chills ; and the leaves are universally employed, 

 with a sprinkling of salt, for the cure of inveterate sores and 

 of ulcerations of the mouth. The berries are curative of 

 phthiriasis and chafings between the thighs, for which last 

 purpose the leaves also are employed. The berries are made 

 use of for the cure of pip in poultry.^* 



CHAP. 46. THE ALDER : ONE REMEDY. 



The leaves of the alder, steeped in boiling water, are an 

 undoubted remedy for tumours. 



CHAP. 47. THE SEVERAL VARIETIRS OF THE IVT : THIRTY-NINE 



REMEDIES. 



We have already^' enumerated some twenty varieties of the 

 ivy. The medicinal properties of them all are of a doubtful 

 nature ; taken in considerable quantities they disturb the 

 mental faculties and purge the brain. Taken internally they 

 are injurious to the sinews,^^ but apj)lied topically they are 

 beneficial to those parts of the body. Ivy possesses properties 

 similar^" to those of vinegar. All the varieties of the ivy are 

 of a refrigerative nature, and taken in drink they are diuretic. 

 The softer leaves, applied to the head, allay head-ache, acting 

 more particularly upon the brain and the membrane which 

 envelopes that organ. For this purpose the leaves are bruised 

 with vinegar and oil of roses and then boiled, after which some 

 more rose-oil is added. The leaves too are applied to the fore- 



^3. See B. xii. c. 51. The botanical characteristics, Fee says, and the 

 medicinal properties of the privet, diifer essentially fron'i those of tlie Cypros 

 or Lawsonia incrmis. 'J'he leaves of the privet are bitter and astringent. 



5^ Fee says, that on reading this passage it is impossible to preserve one's 

 gravity. 



^5 In B. xvi. c. 62. The ivy is but little used for any of the purposes 

 of modern medicine. It is said by some authoriti(;s tliat a decoction of the 

 leaves will kill vermin, and that the berries are purgative and emetic. 



»« "Nervis." 



^ Fee states that in reality no such similarity exists ; but that acetic acid 

 is soTuetimes developed by tlie rapid fermentation of the juices of a great 

 number of vegetable substances. 



