Florum et coronariarum historia

original: "Epistola" - The Epistle or Dedicatory Letter

of cooling, restraining, strengthening, concocting The process of "ripening" or preparing humors for expulsion, digesting, dispersing, dissolving, opening, thinning, softening, and any others of a similar nature; flowers are so beneficial that no part of the body can be poorly affected for which a remedy cannot be applied from flowers. Likewise, there are few compositions and mixed medications that do not admit some flowers into their recipe. For headaches and most other diseases of the same part, flowers provide a cure. For the lungs or for those suffering from pain in the side likely referring to pleurisy, flowers serve as a protection. They strengthen the stomach; they restrain a loose bowel; and they loosen and open one that is constricted. Flowers are mixed into medications for the liver and the spleen. If the pain of stones, the colon, or the bladder urges, flowers are ready at hand. They soothe the pains of the uterus; they stop or summon the monthly menses. They are mixed with great utility into antidotes and other compound medicines. They are received into poultices cataplasmata: soft, moist applications of herbs, emollient plasters malagmata: topical treatments to soften inflammatory swellings, plasters, ointments, fomentations warm, medicinal washes, and baths. Enemas are rare without flowers. There are many compositions of oils made from flowers. Flowers are preserved. From flowers are made sweetmeats tragemata: sugar-coated treats or medicinal lozenges and syrups serapia: medicinal syrups, often from the Arabic 'sharab'; a liquid is elicited from them. To wine, honey, and vinegar, flowers [add] their powers