Examination of Officinal Medicines

oil or the pouring in of wax; you achieve nothing; within a few days the flavor loses much of its original and natural grace. This likewise tends to happen to the juice of barberries and currants, and much more so to those which are sweeter, more watery, and less acidic, such as the juice of Birch, Roses, Houseleek, Raspberries, Strawberries, Mulberries, Borsdorf Apples A historic German variety of dessert apple, Cherries, and Quinces. I shall say nothing of omphacium original: "omphacio", that is, the juice of unripe grapes. With a clear conscience, therefore, we can also eject these juices along with their fruits from the apothecary shop, leaving it to the discretion of the Pharmacopoeia The professional pharmacist or the official book of medicinal standards that if such a thing is prescribed by anyone, he may make up the deficiency—taking the season into account—either from gardeners or from the importers of exotic fruits, such as the Italians here in Leipzig. Nor can this be turned into a fault for anyone, since he is in no way bound to keep in stock things that are easily obtained and better procured elsewhere; otherwise, he would also have to include wine, milk, whey, eggs, bread crusts, and countless other things in his catalog.

But why are they tolerated: those things which are poisonous and clearly hostile to us? I do not fear to pronounce this regarding Armenian stone and Lapis Lazuli original: "lapide Armeno & Lazuli", which contain within themselves a true ore of copper—the more abundant it is, the more blue color they possess. Moreover, they upset and erode the stomach in the manner of venereal In this context, "venereal" refers to substances associated with the planet and metal Venus, which in alchemy is Copper; these are copper-based minerals substances; for this reason, they are washed many times so that they might lose their sharpness and burning power, and thus be able to be administered to those suffering from melancholy or mania. Indeed, let us suppose that in a desperate illness their use was once harmless; let us even suppose that among purgatives Lapis Lazuli is most suitable by reason of its stony substance, which might simultaneously destroy the offending acid in such ailments; does it therefore have the power of gladdening, or a "Cordial" quality to be praised indiscriminately for everyone, just because it happens to help some by precipitating and driving out sharp humors? However, Lapis Lazuli is hidden with epithyme, polypody, stoechas, Indian spikenard, and the juice of agrimony and celery in the Indian pills of Haly Refers to Haly Abbas, a 10th-century Persian physician; with epithyme, polypody, anise, and endive juice in the blue stone pills of Mesue Refers to Masawaih, a Persian or Assyrian Christian physician; with epithyme, anise, fennel, mastic, and fennel...