ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, IX. vm. 2-4 



the form of a sort of gum,, as with tragacanth ; for 

 incision of this plant cannot be made ; but in most it 

 is obtained by incision. In some cases the juice is 

 collected straight into vessels, for instance that of 

 tithymallos (spurge) or mekonion (for the plant has both 

 names) and in general the juice of specially juicy 

 plants is so collected. But that of those which do 

 not yield abundant juice is taken with a piece of wool, 

 as also that of wild lettuce. 1 



2 In some cases there can be no collection of juice, 

 but there is a sort of extraction of it, for instance in 

 the case of plants which are cut down or bruised ; 

 they then pour water over them and strain off the 

 fluid, keeping the sediment ; but it is plain that in 

 these cases the juice obtained is dry and less copious. 

 In most ' roots ' the juice thus extracted is less 

 powerful than that of the fruit, but in hemlock it is 

 stronger and it causes an easier 3 and speedier 4 death 

 even when administered in a quite small pill ; and it 

 is also more effective for other uses. 5 That of thapsia 

 is also powerful, while all the rest are less so. Such 

 then is a general account of the various ways of 

 obtaining the juices of plants. 



Of the cutting of roots for medicinal purposes, and of certain 

 superstitions connected therewith. 



As to cutting of the roots there is no such 

 diversity of practice, except as to the season, which 

 may be summer or autumn, and as to the particular 

 roots selected. 6 Thus in hellebore the slender lower 

 roots are taken, for they say that the thick upper 

 part 7 which forms a sort of head is useless, and that 



4 edrrw conj. Sell.; eAarro) UM ; Qarrov U*M*Ald. 



5 cf. Plin. 13. 125. 6 Plin. 25. 53. 7 i.e. rhizome. 



2 55 



