176 Flint's natuea.l histoet. [Book XXVI. 



being fibrous, and of a grass green colour within, about the 

 thickness of the little finger, and covered with cavernous 

 suckers like those on the arms of the polypus. This plant is of 

 a sweetish'''^ taste, and is found growing among rocks and under 

 trees. The root is steeped in water, and the juice extracted; 

 sometimes, too, it is cut in small pieces and sprinkled upon 

 cabbage, beet, mallows, or salt meat ; or else it is boiled with 

 pap,'® as a gentle aperient for the bowels, in cases of fever even. 

 It carries off bile also and the pituitous humours, but acts 

 injuriously upon the stomach. Dried and powdered and ap- 

 plied to the nostrils, it cauterizes polypus^' of the nose. It has 

 neither seed^® nor flower. 



CHAP. 38. — scammony; eight eemedies. 



Scammony,'^ also, is productive of derangement of the 

 stomach. It carries off bile, and acts strongly as a purgative 

 upon the bowels ; unless, indeed, aloes are added, in the propor- 

 tion of two drachmae of aloes to two oboli of scammony. The 

 drug thus called is the juice of a plant that is branchy from 

 the root, and has unctuous, white, triangular, leaves, with 

 a solid, moist root, of a nauseous flavour : it grows in rich 

 white soils. About the period of the rising of the Dog- 

 star, an excavation is made about the root, to let the juice 

 collect : which done, it is dried in the sun and divided into 

 tablets. The root itself, too, or the outer coat of it, is some- 

 times dried. The scammony most esteemed is that of Colophon, 

 Mysia, and Priene. In appearance it ought to be smooth and 

 shiny, and as much like bull glue as possible : it should present 

 a fungous surface also, covered with minute holes ; should melt 

 with the greatest rapidity, have a powerful smell, and be sticky 

 like gum. "When touched with the tongue, it should give out 

 a white milky liquid ; it ought also to be extremely light, and 

 to turn white when melted. 



"^^ It is for this reason that it is called "reglisse," or "liquorice," in 

 some parts of France. It contains a proportion of saccharine matter, 

 which acts as a purgative. ''^ " Pulticula." 



'' This fancy is solely based on the accidental resemblance of the name. 



'** He very incorrectly says this of all the ferns. See B. xxvii. cc. 17, 

 48, and 55. 



'S The produce of the Convolvulus scammonia of Linnaeus, the Scam- 

 mony bind- weed. The scammony of Aleppo is held in the highest esteem, 

 and is very valuable. That of Smyrna also is largely imported. 



