212 plint's katueal histoet. [Book XXVI. 



uterus; the juice, employed in a pessary, promotes menstruation 

 and expels the dead foetus. The seed of this plant, used with 

 live sulphur,^^ arrests menstruation when in excess ; while ba- 

 trachion,^''' 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,®^ it has a burning 

 flavour ; but when cooked, the taste of it is greatly improved by 

 the addition of salt, oil, and cummin. Daucus,^^ taken in drink, 

 promotes the catamenia, and is an expellent of the after-birth 

 in a very high degree. Ladanum,^" 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 ex- 

 pellent of the dead foetus. Either kind of hypericon,^^ used 

 as a pessary, promotes menstruation : but for this purpose it 

 is crethmos,''- according to Hippocrates, that is the most effica- 

 cious, the seed or root of it being taken in wine.^^ ^' * "^ 

 of the outer coat brings away the after-birth. This plant, 

 taken in water, is good for hysterical suffocations ; root of 

 geranion^* also, which is peculiarly useful for the after-birth, 

 and for inflation of the uterus. Hippuris,^^ taken in drink 

 or applied as a pessary, acts as a detergent upon the uterus : 

 poh'gonos,^^ taken in drink, promotes menstruation ; and the 

 same with root of alcima.^^ Leaves of plantago,^^ and agaric 

 in hydromel, have a similar effect. Artemisia,^^ bruised and 

 applied as a pessary, with oil of iris,^ tigs, 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 foetus 

 even. A decoction of the branches, used as a sitting-bath, 

 promotes menstruation and brings away the after-birth ; the 



^ See B. sxxv. c. 50. 87 See B. xxv. c. 109. 



«" In B. xxv. c. 109. so gee B. xxv. c. 64. 



^ See B. xii. c. 37, and c. 30 of this Book. 

 ^^ See Chapters 53 and 54 of this Book. 

 92 See B. xxv. c. 96. 



^■^ Probably the word "juice," or "decoction," is lost here. 

 '^^ See c. 68 of this Book. 



^^5 See Chapters 20 and 83 of this Book. ^^ gee B. xxvii. c. 91. 



9" The same as "Alcea" probably; see Chapters 79 and 81 of this 

 Book. Also B. xxvii. c. 6. 

 «^ See B. xxv. c. 39. 99 See B. xxv. c. 36. 



^ See B. xiii. c. 2, and B. xxi. cc. 19, 83. 



