212 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTORY. [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, 86 arrests menstruation when in excess ; while ba- 

 trachion, 87 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, 88 it has a burning 

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

 the addition of salt, oil, and cummin. Daucus, 89 taken in drink, 

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

 in a very high degree. Ladanum, 90 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, 91 used 

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

 is crethmos, 92 according to Hippocrates, that is the most effica- 

 cious, the seed or root of it being taken in wine. 93 * * * 

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

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

 geranion 94 also, which is peculiarly useful for the after-birth, 

 and for inflation of the uterus. Hippuris, 95 taken in drink 

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

 polygonos, 96 taken in drink, promotes menstruation ; and the 

 same with root of alcima. 97 Leaves of plantago, 98 and agaric 

 in hydromel, have a similar effect. Artemisia, 99 bruised and 

 applied as a pessary, with oil of iris, 1 figs, 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 



86 See B. xxxv. c. 50. 87 See B. xxv. c. 109. 



88 In B. xxv. c. 109. 89 See B. xxv. c. 64. 



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



91 See Chapters 53 and 54 of this Book. 



92 See B. xxv. c. 96. 



93 Probahly the word "juice," or " decoction,-' is lost here. 



94 See c. 68 of this Book. 



35 See Chapters 20 and 83 of this Book. M See B. xxvii. c. 91. 



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

 Book. Also B. xxvii. c. 6. 



98 See B. xxv. c. 39. 99 See B. xxv. c. 36. 

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



