ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, IX. xni. 1-3 



Marathon and in parts of Crete : the Boeotians, who 

 eat the fruit, call it madondis. It has a large leaf 

 which lies on the water : and it is said that it acts as 

 a styptic if it is pounded up and put on the wound : 

 it is also serviceable in the form of a draught for 

 dysentery. 



1 ' Scythian root ' (liquorice) is also sweet ; some 

 indeed call it simply ' sweet-root.' 2 It is found 

 about Lake Maeotis : it is useful against asthma or a 

 dry cough and in general for troubles in the chest : 

 also, administered in honey, for wounds : also it has 

 the property of quenching thirst, if one holds it in 

 the mouth : wherefore they say that the Scythians, 

 with the help of this and mares' milk cheese 8 can go 

 eleven or twelve days without drinking. 



4 [Birthwort is fragrant to the smell but in taste is 

 very bitter : in colour it is black. The best grows 

 on the mountains : it has a leaf like alsine, but 

 rounder : it is useful for many purposes, and is best 

 for sores on the head 5 and other sores, also for bites 

 of reptiles, for inducing sleep and for disorders of 

 the womb. 6 It is directed that it should be applied 

 as a plaster, steeped in water, and for the other 

 purposes should be given shredded into honey and 

 olive-oil : for snake-bites it should be taken in sour 

 wine and also used as a plaster on the bite : to induce 

 sleep it should be scraped up 7 and administered in 

 black dry wine ; in cases of prolapsus uteri a lotion of 

 it mixed with water should be applied.] 



4 Diosc. 3. 4 ; Plin. 25. 93. This section is repeated 9. 20. 4. 

 with considerable variations : that seems to be its proper 

 place. 



5 Ke^oAyjs conj. W. ; K0a\V Aid. cf. 20, Kc<t>a\66\a(TTa. 



6 vtrrtpav conj.W., cf. below, eai> Se at /njrpai AC.T.A. and the 

 duplicate passage 20 ; erepo MSS. 



7 Kviffai conj.W.; Kvlaras U*Ald. 



283 



