CHAP. 87. (14.)—REMEDIES FOR ULCERS AND WOUNDS.
Of ulcers there are numerous kinds, which are treated in
various ways. The root of all the varieties of panaces
1 is
used as an application for running ulcers, in warm wine.
That which we have spoken of as the "chironion"
2 is particularly good as a desiccative: bruised with honey, it opens
tumours, and is useful for serpiginonus ulcers, the cure of which
appears more than doubtful; in which case it is amalgamated
with flower
3 of copper tempered with wine, either the seed,
flower, or root, being employed for the purpose. Mixed with
polenta
4 it is good for old wounds. The following are also
good detergents for wounds: heraclion siderion,
5 apollinaris,
6
psyllion,
7 tragacantha,
8 and scordotis
9 mixed with honey.
Powdered scordotis applied by itself, consumes fleshy excrescences on the body. Polemonia
10 is curative of the malignant
ulcer known as "cacoëthes." The greater centaury,
11 sprinkled
in powder, or applied in the form of a liniment, or the leaves of
the smaller
12 centaury, boiled or pounded, act as a detergent
upon inveterate ulcers, and effect a cure. To recent wounds,
the follicules of the clymenus
13 are applied. Gentian is applied
to scrpiginous ulcers, the root being bruised or else boiled down
in water to the consistency of honey; the juice also of the
plant is employed. For wounds, a kind of lycium
14 is prepared
from gentian.
Lysimachia
15 is curative of recent wounds, and plantago
16 of
all kinds of ulcerations, those on females, infants, and aged persons more particularly. This plant, when softened by the action
of fire, is better still: in combination with cerate it acts as a
detergent upon ulcers with indurated edges, and arrests the
progress of corrosive sores: when applied bruised, it should be
covered with its own leaves. Chelidonia
17 also acts as a
desiccative upon suppurations, abscesses, and fistulous ulcers;
indeed, it is so remarkably useful for the cure of wounds, as
to be employed as a substitute for spodium
18 even. In cases
where the cure is almost hopeless, it is applied with axle-
grease. Dittany,
19 taken internally, causes arrows to fall from
the flesh; used as a liniment, it has the effect of extracting other
kinds of pointed weapons: the leaves are taken in the proportion of one obolus to one cyathus of water. Nearly equal
in its efficacy is pseudo-dictamnon:
20 they are both of them
useful, also, for dispersing suppurations.
Aristolochia
21 cauterizes putrid sores, and, applied with honey,
acts as a detergent upon sordid ulcers. At the same time also,
it removes maggots, and extracts hard cores, and all foreign
bodies adhering to the flesh, arrows more particularly, and,
applied with resin, splintered bones. Used by itself, it fills the
cavities made by ulcers with new flesh, and, employed with
iris,
22 in vinegar, it closes recent wounds. Vervain, or cinquefoil with salt and honey, is remedial for ulcers of long standing. Roots of persolata
23 are applied to recent wounds inflicted with iron, but for old wounds, it is the leaves that are
employed: in both cases, in combination with axle-grease, the
sore being then covered with the leaves of the plant. Damasonium
24 is used for wounds the same way as for scrofula,
25 and
leaves of verbascum
26 are employed with vinegar or wine.
Vervain is useful for all kinds of callosities or putrid sores;
root of nymphæa heraclia
27 is curative of running ulcers; and
the same is the case with root of cyclaminos,
28 either used by
itself, or in combination with vinegar or honey. This last root
is useful also for the cure of steatomatous tumours, and hyssop
for that of running ulcers; an effect equally produced by peucedanum,
29 a plant which exercises so powerful an influence upon
fresh wounds, as to cause exfoliation even of the bones. The two
varieties of anagallis
30 are possessed of similar properties, and
act as a check upon the corrosive sores known as "nomæ" and
upon defluxions; they are useful also in cases of recent wounds,
those of aged people in particular. Fresh leaves of mandragora,
31 applied with cerate, are curative of apostemes and
sordid ulcers: the root too is used, with honey or oil, for wounds.
Hemlock, incorporated with flour of winter wheat
32 by the
agency of wine—as also the plant Aizoüm
33—is curative of herpetic eruptions, and corrosive or putrid sores. Erigeron
34
is employed for ulcers which breed maggots. Root of astra-
galus
35 is used for the cure of recent wounds or of ulcers of
long standing; and upon these last either kind of hypocisthis
36
acts as a detergent. Seed of leontopodium,
37 bruised in water
and applied with polenta,
38 extracts pointed weapons from the
flesh: a result equally produced by using seed of pycnocomon.
39
The tithymalos characias
40 supplies its juice for the cure of gangrenes, phagedænic sores, and putrid ulcers; or else a decoction
is made of the branches with polenta and oil. Roots of orchis
41 have a similar effect; in addition to which, 'applied,
either dry or fresh gathered, with honey and vinegar, they are
curative of the ulcer known as "cacoëthes." Onothera
42 also,
used by itself; is curative of ulcers when rapidly gaining head.
The people of Scythia employ scythice
43 for the treatment
of wounds. For carcinoma, argemonia,
44 applied with honey,
is extremely efficacious. For sores that have prematurely
closed, root of asphodel is boiled, in manner already
45 stated.
and then beaten up with polenta,
46 and applied. For all kinds
of wounds apollinaris
47 is very useful. Root of astragalus,
48
reduced to powder, is good for running ulcers; the same, too,
with callithrix,
49 boiled in water. For blisters, more particularly when caused by the shoes, vervain is used, as also pounded
lysimachia,
50 or nymphæa
51 dried and powdered; but when
they have assumed the form of inveterate ulcers, polythrix
52
will be found more serviceable.