176 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [ Book 



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 75 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, 76 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' 7 of the nose. It has 

 neither seed 78 nor flower. 



CHAP. 38. SCAMMONY; EIGHT EEMEDIES. 



Scammony, 79 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. 



75 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. 76 " Pulticula." 



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



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

 48, and 55. 



79 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. 



