368 Chap.i4» ’Theatrum Botanicurn. Tribe 3. 
growne ripe, flit or cut with a knife in two or three places, that the milkeiffuing forth, may be gathered into 
fome convenient thing, and hardned afterwards in the Sunne, butnotat thefire, which will not be lo blacke 
asthat Opium,' that commeth ufually to us, which is rather Meconium as Diofcorides fettethitdowne which 
is made ofthejuiceofbothleavesandheades prefled forth,of the white aswell as of the blacke Poppy, for 
the true bell Opium is fome what ofawhitifh yellow or brownifh colour, and giveth no fuch yellow tinflure, 
as that which is fophifticate andmade with (ala«aum,( which is the yellow Juice of an hcrbe.with leaves like un¬ 
to horned Poppy, but divers have thought Glaucinm ,to be the Juice ofCbelidomui majm ,others of Pomum amorit 
ma'jut, and laftly Bmb'imi and fome others,thinke it to be of this thorny Poppy,becaufe it givech a yellow Juice) 
but as Belhmim writeth, that to have any quantity of true Opium, it rather confifleth in the multitude ofgathe- 
rersffor it mult be both fpeedily gathered,and in the heat of the day ) then in the great quantity of ground fowen 
therewith, it being a tedious worke; for a very ftnall quantity can be but gathered by any one in a day, in that 
every head yeeldeth but little, and mud be attended tobe taken from them, before it be dryed too much upoa 
them. r 
ThcVertues. 
All the forts of Poppyes are col din the fourth degree, but efpecially or the condenfate Juice, as Galen 
and divers other authours doe aflame, yet CMatthiolw fticketh thereat, thinking it rather to be hot, by the fharpe¬ 
nefle and bitternell'e thereof, and is Anoditmm medicamentum, that is fuch a medicine, that by procuring lleepe, 
eafeth many paines lor the prefent, which indeede it doth but palliate or caufe ro be quiet for a time; the conti¬ 
nual! Life whereof, bringeth very often more harme,and a more dangerous dileafe then it hath allayed, that is an 
infenfibleneffe or ftupefaftionofa part or member, which commeth to be the dead palfie, for although Diofco¬ 
rides,Galen, and others write, thatthe white feed is familiarly taken in bread, and made into cakes and eaten 
with pleafure, and CMatthiohu and divers others have obferved that in our dayes, the while Poppy leede, is 
fo-.ven in Italy and other places, and much uled, yea and the blacke feede alfo, although as they ail agree, it is 
ftronger in operation, and onely medicineable, or onely to be ufed in Pliylicke to helpe difeafes; for Matthioltet 
Writeth that the inhabitants about Trent, doe fow the blacke feede in their fields and grounds, among Beanes 
and other pulfe, w hich they familiarly eate, being made into cakes, that arc made ofmany foldes, the feede be¬ 
ing cafl in betweene the folds, and fo kneaded together, and yet hee faith, they are no whit more fieepy or 
drowiie, then thofe that eate none of them: as alfo that in Stiria and the upper Aujlria, the inhabitants doe cate 
the oyleprefled out of the blacke feede in their meates familiarly, inthefteadofSalletoyle, and bride no incon- 
venicncy of drowfineffeat all thereby ; which made him as he faith, venture to give the creame of the (eede 
made up with Barly water oftentimes, and in great quantity, in the hot fits ofagues, and burning feavers, both 
to afwade third, and to procure reft, and hereby as he faith, hefhookeof that feare of Poppy, that his wife 
Mailers had by their grave admonitions, feafoned him withall in former times: ti e Garden Poppy heads with 
feedes made into a Syrupe, is both frequently ufed in our dayes,and to very good efteift to procure reft and fleepe 
ill the ficke and weake, and to flay catarrhes, and defluxions of hot and thinnerheume, from the head into the 
llomacke, and upon the lungs, caufing acontinuall cough, the forerunner of a confumption; but hath not halfe 
that force in thofe tnat are ftronger, for the ftrength or debility of nature worketh divers effects, as you fee, as 
well in this, as in all or moft other things; the fame alfo helpeth the hoarfenefle of the throate, and when one 
hath loft their voyce, which the oyle of the feede doth likewife : the blacke feed boyled in wine and drunke, is 
faid alfo to flay the fluxe of the belly, and the immoderate courfe of womens fickenefle : the empty fhelsofrhe 
Poppy heades, are ufually boyled in water, and given to procure reft and fleepe; fo doe the leaves in the fame 
manner, as alfo if the head and temples be bathed with the decoftion warme, or with the oyle of Poppyes, the 
greene leaves or heads bruifed, and applyed with a little vinegar, or made into a pultis with Early litealc and 
Axuag,a, cooleth and tempereth all inflammations, as alfo that difeafe called Saint Anthonyn fire. The Opium, 
but I may rather fay the Meconium, ('which is the juice of the Poppy thickned) that is commonly ufed in the A- 
pothecaries (hops,and is much weaker by the judgement of all,both moderne and ancients,then the true Opium,') 
is mnch colder, and ftronger in eflea-, than any other part of the plant, but if we may know the temperature and 
qualities of things, by their tafte and effeft, we may rather Judge Opium to be hot then cold, or at the lead, to 
have very hot parts in it, witneffe the bitternefle thereof, the heate and fharpenefle that is felt in the mouth,up¬ 
on the tailing, and keeping it in the mouth a while, that it is ready to blifter both tongue and pallate; as alfo 
the grievous or heady heavy fmell, as well in it, as in the whole plant: but it may be faith Matthiolttf, the bit- 
terneffe, heate, and fharpenefle in Opium, or Mecer.ium, is rather accefTory then innate, and is therein by the 
mixture and adulterating of it with Cjlauciitm, and to give a yellow Juice, for cur Opium ifitbe diflolved doth 
fhew a brownifh yellownefl'e ; yet by his leave I may fay, that even the frefh milke with us,is bitter and (Irons 
m fmell like the Meconium or Opium, but becaufe our ancients, who have found out the qualities of thingsand 
left them for our knowledge, have fo found and Judged of Opium, I muff as Mattbiolw faith, leave it for others 
to defcant theron, as reafon and experience fhall direift them : It is generally ufed as 7 faid before in Treakle and 
CMithridatum, and in all other medicines that are made to procure reft and lleepe, and to eafe paines in the head, 
as well as in other parts, as I faid before, or rather to palliate them, it is ufed alfo, both to code inflammations, 
agues, or frenfies, and today defluftions, which caufe a cough or confumption, as alfo other fluxes of the belly, 
or womens courfes, and generally for all the properties that the feede or any other part of the plant is ufed : it is 
alfo put into hollow teeth to eafe the paine ; ic isufed bothin ocular auricular medicines with fome and to 
flayfluxesand to eafe paines, but Galen, and divers others in the former as well as in our times, have forbid¬ 
den fuch medicines,as too dangerous for the eyes, and even any other wayes ufed inwardly, iris not to beta¬ 
ken, but with good dorredlion and great caution, yet divers have found that applyed to the gout, it hath given 
much eafe of paine : The wild or red Poppy that groweth in the come, while it isycung, is a Sallet herbe in 
Italy, in many places, and in the territory of Trent efpecially,as faith, asalfoto prevent the falling 
fickneffc, which Theophrafiw alfo faith in his p. booke and 15, Chapter, was common in his time: the Syrupe 
made of the flowers is with good effeft, given to thole that have a Plurifie, and the dryed flowers alfo, either 
boyled in water or made into powder and drunke, either in the diftilled water of them,or in fome other drinke, 
VVOrkeththeii^sefFjHj the fame alfo is availeable, in all other ccphalicall or peftorall griefes; the diftilled 
water 
