BOOK XXVII. XIV. 31-XV11. 34 



physician of no small authority, spread its fame, as 

 did Aristogiton ; it is excellent for wounds if appUed 

 pounded in water ; taken however in drink it is 

 equally good for blows on the breasts or on the 

 hypochondria," Hkewise for spitting of blood. Some 

 authorities have held that wounded patients should 

 take it in drink. The further statement I think 

 fabulous, that if burnt fresh it acts as solder for iron or 

 copper. 



XV. Apai-ine, called by some omphalocarpos, by Apanne. 

 others philanthropos, is branchy, hairy, and with 



five or six leaves arranged at intervals in a circle 

 around the branches. The seed is round, hard, 

 hollowed,'' and rather sweet. It grows in cornfields, 

 or gardens, or meadows, and is so prickly as even 

 to cling to the clothes. The seed, taken in drachma 

 doses in wine, is efficacious against the bite of serpents 

 and poisonous spiders. The leaves, apphed locally, 

 check excessive bleeding from wounds. The juice is 

 poured into the ears. 



XVI. Arction, which some prefer to call arcturus, Arctiun. 

 has leaves Hke those of verbascum, except that they 



are more hairy. The stem is long and soft, and the 

 seed Hke that of cummin. It grows on rocky soils, 

 and has a tender root, whitish and sweet. A decoc- 

 tion of it in wine is given for tooth-ache, but it must be 

 retained in the mouth.<^ The decoction is drunk for 

 sciatica and strangury. In wine the root '^ is appHed 

 to burns and chilblains, which are also fomented with 

 the seed pounded in wine with the root. 



XVII. Asplenon, called by some hemionion, has Asphnon. 

 many leaves four inches long, a slimy root, pitted as is 



■* It is necessary to put a full stop at stranguriam and to 

 understand herba or radix as the subject of inponitur. 



409 



