BOOK XXVII. XXIV. 41-XXV11. 44 



the root, which have tips Hke those of thyme ; a 

 Hgneous plant, scented, sweet to the taste, pro- 

 moting saHva, and with a long, red root. It grows on 

 rocks (hence its surname petraeum, " rocky "), and is 

 very useful for afFections of the sides and kidneys, for 

 coHc, chest, lungs, spitting of blood, and sore throat. 

 The root is pounded and taken in drink or boiled 

 down in wine ; sometimes too this is used as embroca- 

 tion. Moreover, chewed it allays thirst, and is 

 especially cooHng to the lungs. It is also appHed 

 to dislocations and bruises, and it soothes the in- 

 testines. Cooked in hot ashes, pounded, after 

 removal of the pods, with nine peppercorns and taken 

 in water, it is binding to the bowels. So excellent 

 is it for heaHng wounds that, added even to pieces of 

 meat that are being boiled, it binds them together, 

 Hence its Greek name symphyton." It is also good 

 for broken bones. 



XXV. Red seaweed for scorpion stings. Aiga mfa. 



XXVI. Actaea has leaves with an ofFensive smell, Actaea. 

 rough and jointed stems, black seed Hke that of ivy, 



and soft berries. It grows on shaded, rough, watery 

 ground. In doses of a full acetabulum it is given for 

 internal diseases of women. 



XXVII. Ampelos agria is a name given to a plant Ampeios 

 vvith hard leaves of an ashy colour, as I have described '^^"'^' 

 in my account of cultivated trees.* It has long, 

 hard-skinned twigs, of a red colour Hke the blossom 



we call flame of Jupiter. It bears in Httle clusters 

 seed Hke pomegranate pips. Its root, boiled down 

 in three cyathi of water with the addition of two 

 cyathi of Coan wine, is a gentle aperient, and there- 

 fore is given to dropsical patients. The clusters 

 remove the spots on women's faces. Sciatica too is 



415 



