RULES FOR GATHERING AND PRESERVING HERBS, &c. 



45 



are only to be mixed together upon a marble, by working 

 them with a thin knife. This is for disorders of the eyes ; 

 the foregoing for the itch, and other complaints, but it 

 must be used cautiously} and those before named, for old 

 sores. 



Of the same nature with the ointments, are, in some de- 

 gree, the Oils made by infusion of herbs and flowers in com- 

 mon oil. These are also very easily prepared, and an in- 

 stance or two will serve to explain the making of them all. 



1. The most regarded among these is the Oil of St. John's- 

 wort, and that is thus made : pick clean a quarter of a pound 

 of the flowers of Common St. John's-wort, pour upon them 

 a quart of olive oil, and let them stand together till the 

 oil is of a reddish colour. 



2. Oil of Elder is made of a pound of Elder flowers, which 

 are to be put into a quart of olive oil, and boiled till they 

 are crisp, and the oil is to be then strained off. 



3. What is called the Green Oil, is thus made : bruise in 

 a marble mortar three ounces of green Camomile, with the 

 same quantity of Bay leaves, Sea-wormwood, Rue, and 

 Sweet Marjoram ; then boil them in a quart of oil of olives, 

 till they are a little crisp. The oil is then to be poured 

 off, and when cold, put up for use. 



These oils are used to rub the limbs when there is pain 

 and swellings ; their virtues will be found at large, under the 

 several herbs which are the principal ingredients : and after 

 one or other of these methods, may be made the oil by in- 

 fusion, or by boiling of any plant, or of any number of 

 plants, of like virtue. 



Lastly though herbs are now left out of the composition 

 of Planters, even the melilot being now made without the 

 herb from which it was first named, it may be proper to 

 add the way of preparing a few that are most useful, and 

 ought to be kept in families. 



1. The common plaister is thus made ; boil together a 

 gallon of oil, five pounds of powdered litharge, and a quart 

 and four ounces of water. When the water is boiled away, 

 the rest will be united into a plaister, but it must be stirred 

 all the time : this used to be called diachylon. To make 

 diachylon with the gums, add to a pound of the last de- 

 scribed, two ounces of galbanum, and an ounce of common 

 turpentine, and the same quantity of frankincense. Melt 

 them all together, the gums first, and then add the 

 plaster. 



2. For a strengthening plaister ; melt two pounds of the 

 common plaister, and add to it half a pound of frankincense, 

 and three ounces of dragon's blood. 



3. For a drawing plaister ; melt together yellow wax and 

 yellow resin, of each three pounds, and a pound of mutton 

 suet. This is used, instead of the old melilot plaister, to 

 dress blisters ; and the blister plaister itself is made of it, 

 only by adding half a pint of vinegar, and a pound of Spa- 

 nish flies in powder, to two pounds of it, just as it begins 

 to cool from melting. The quicksilver plaister is thus 

 made : rub three ounces of quicksilver, with a drachm of bal- 

 sam of sulphur, till it no longer appears in globules, then 

 pour in a pound of the common plaister melted, and mix 

 them well together. 



A few recipes for making waters without distillation, are 

 added, which being cheap and very serviceable, ought not 

 to be omitted. 



1. Lime-water; this is made by pouring gradually six 

 quarts of water upon a pound of quick lime ; when it has 

 stood to be clear, it must be poured off. If a pound of 

 Lignum-vitae wood, an ounce of Liquorice root, and half 

 an ounce of Sassafras bark, be added to three quarts of 



VOL. i. t. 



lime-water, it is compound lime-water, and is excellent in 

 foulnesses of the blood. 



2. The blue eye-water ; this is made by putting a drachm 

 of sal ammoniac into a pint of lime-water, and letting it 

 stand in a brass vessel, till it is of a sky-blue colour. 



3. Alum-water is made by boiling half an ounce of white 

 vitriol, and the same quantity of alum, in a quart of water, 

 till they are dissolved. 



Thus have we described all the drugs and compositions, 

 that need be kept for family use, or to relieve the neighbour- 

 ing poor in their greatest of all distresses, that of sickness. 

 The diseases for which these remedies are to be used, will 

 be found enumerated at large under the several heads of 

 the principal ingredients as described in the succeeding 

 pages. It only remains to say a few words about the man- 

 ner of putting these things most conveniently together, 

 and we then shall have prepared for all that follows. 



Concerning the best Methods of putting Medicines together for 

 present taking. 



IN the first place, although these several forms of syrups, 

 conserves, and the like, have been named as what will be 

 sometimes necessary ; the great practice in tlie country will 

 lie in the infusions and decoctions of the fresh plants and 

 roots. 



The strength of these infusions and decoctions is to be 

 proportioned to the taste : for as they are made to be swal- 

 lowed in quantities, if they be made so strong as to be very 

 disagreeable, that end will be defeated : they may be ren- 

 dered more pleasant by sweetening them with sugar, about 

 an ounce of which is to be allowed to a quart ; and occa- 

 sionally a little white wine, or a small quantity of some of 

 the cordial waters, may be added to them. The dose of 

 either decoction or infusion, will be in general about half 

 a pint, except where they are intended to purge or vomit ; 

 there they must be more carefully and exactly proportioned 

 to the strength, than can be told in this general manner. 



Of the simple waters, about a quarter of a pint is a dose ; 

 and of the cordial waters, less than half that quantity. 

 These may be occasionally given alone; but they are mostly 

 intended for mixing with other ingredients. 



The tinctures are to be given in drops, from ten to an 

 hundred, according to their strength and nature ; but to 

 name a general dose it is about five and twenty drops. 

 These, however, will be also more serviceable in mixtures, 

 than singly. 



Of the purging tinctures in wine, and the elixir salutis, 

 three, four, or more spoonfuls, is the dose. 



It would be well to keep tinctures of many of the roots 

 recommended in nervous cases, as cordials, astringents, and 

 of many other kinds ; and also to keep powders of these 

 roots in readiness : and thus the common forms of medi- 

 cines, as sent from apothecaries, will be very easy. 



For julep, six ounces of one of the simple waters, two 

 ounces of one of the compound waters, or those made with 

 spirit, two drachms of a syrup, and fifty drops of a tincture, 

 make a very agreeable one. Thus, for an hysteric julep, 

 let the simple water be Pennyroyal, the strong water the 

 strong Pennyroyal, the syrup that of Saffron, and the tinc- 

 ture of Castor ; and it is a very pleasant julep : and so o, 

 all the rest. If a pearl cordial be desired, it is only mixinj 

 the simple and strong waters without syrup or tincture 

 and adding two drachms of sugar, and half a drachm 

 levigated oyster-shells. 

 N 





