94 pliny's natural iiistoey. [Book XXV. 



a handful of this plant is boiled down to one half, in two 

 sextarii of water, the decoction being taken with salt and 

 honey : it a pig's foot or a cock is boiled with it, it wdll be all 

 the more beneficial. Some persons have been of opinion, that 

 as a purgative the two kinds of mercurialis ought to be used 

 together, or else that a decoction should be made of the plant 

 in combination with mallows. These plants act as a detergent 

 upon the chest, and carry off the bilious secretions, but they are 

 apt to be injurious to the stomach. We shall have to speak 

 further of their properties on the appropriate occasions.^ 



CUAP. 19. — THE ACniLLEOS, SIDEKITIS, PANACtS HEKACLEON, 

 MILLEFOLIUM, OR SCOP^ KEGIJE ; SIX VAKIETIES OF IT : 

 THKKE KEMEDIES. 



Achilles too, the pupil of Chiron, discovered a plant which 

 heals wounds, and which, as being his discovery, is known as 

 the *'achilleos." It was by the aid of this plant, they say. 

 that he cured Telephus. Other authorities, however, assert that 

 he was the first^* to discover that verdigris^^ is an extremely 

 useful ingredient in plasters ; and hence it is that he is some- 

 times represented in pictures as scraping with his sword the 

 rust from off a spear^'^ into the wound of Telephus. Some again, 

 are of opinion that he made use of both remedies. 



By some persons this plant is called ''panaces heracleon," 

 by others, " sideritis,'"^' and by the people of our country, 

 " millefolium : '"^ the stalk of it, they say, is a cubit in length, 

 branchy, and covered from the bottom with leaves somewhat 

 smaller than those of fennel. Other authorities, hov/ever, 

 Avhile admitting that this last plant is good for wounds, affirm 

 that the genuine achilleos has a bluish stem a foot in length, 



»•'' B. xxvi. cc, 74, 76, 89. 



*** Both stones are equally improbable. 



**= See B. xxxiv. c. 45. 



^6 The weapons in early time, it must be remembered, were made of 

 copper or bronze. 



*^ The third Sideritis of Dioscoridos is thought to be the same w^ith the 

 Ileracleon siderion of c. lo of this Book. Pliny evidently confounds the 

 Achillea and the Sideritis, totally different plants. The Achillea is identified 

 by Fee with the Achillea tomentosa or abrotonifolia of Linnaeus. As to 

 the Sideritis, see B. xxvi. c. 12. The real Panaces heracleon has been 

 mentioned.m c. 12 of this Book. 



*^ Ot ■'•Thousand leaves," probably identical Avith the Achillea mille- 

 folium of Linnaeus, milfoil or yurrow. See B. xxiv. c. 95. 



