Chap. 56.] 
THE AEGEMONIA. 
119 
them, being taken in drink or applied to the wound. For a 
similar purpose also, the root of the greater centaury is taken, 
in doses of one drachma to three cyathi of white wine. Gentian, 
too, is particularly good for the stings of snakes, taken either 
fresh or dried, in doses of two drachmae, mixed with rue and 
pepper in six cyathi of wine. The odour, too, of lysima- 
chia'^ puts serpents to flight. 
Chelidonia^^ is also given in wine to persons who have been 
stung ; and betony in particular is used as an external appli- 
cation to the wound, a plant the virtues of which are so ex« 
traordinary, it is said, that if a circle of it is traced around a 
serpent, it wiU lash itself to death with its tail. The seed 
of this plant is also administered in such cases, in doses of one 
denarius to three cyathi of wine ; or else it is dried and pow- 
dered, and applied to the wound, in the proportion of three 
denarii of powder to one sextarius of water. 
Cantabrica, dittany, and aristolochia, are also similarly used, 
one drachma of the root of this last plant being taken every 
now and then in a semisextarius of wine. It is very useful 
too, rubbed in with vinegar, and the same is the case, also, 
with plistolochia indeed it will be quite sufficient to suspend 
this last over the hearth, to make all serpents leave the house. 
CHAP. 56. (9.) THE ARGEMONIA : EOUE EEMEDIES. 
The argemonia,^^ too, is remedial in such cases ; the root of 
it being taken, in doses of one denarius, in three cyathi of 
wine. It will be as well, however, to enter into some further 
details in reference to this plant and others, which I shall have 
occasion next to mention ; it being my intention first to describe, 
under each head, those plants which are the most efficacious 
for the treatment of the affection under consideration. 
The argemonia has leaves like those of the anemone, but 
divided like those of parsley : the head grows upon a slender 
stem resembling that of the wild poppy, and the root is also 
S3 See c. 35 of this Book. 34 gee c. 50 of this Book. 
^ See B. xvi. c. 24. 
See c. 54 of this Book. As Fee remarks, these asserted remedies for 
the stings of serpents are not deserving of discussion. 
3'' The Papaver argemone of Linnaeus, the Eough poppy. It is a native 
of France, and many other parts of Europe. 
This, Fee remarks, is not stated by Uioscorides, whose description is 
more correct. 
