Dedication

...it is. For I remember while I was living in Venice in years past, I saw a certain man condemned to the gallows original: "suspendiò damnatum" for whom every door was opened and the iron bars cast aside, simply by applying a single herb and chanting certain spells over the locks. Another plant of similar power is known to me, growing in the mountains of Italy; when horses step upon it, their iron shoes are immediately loosened.

Other effects from mere contact.

The authors of histories report that Herophilus, the most illustrious physician of antiquity, recorded for posterity that there are certain plants which can be beneficial or even harmful merely by being stepped upon. It has certainly been observed that wounds and ulcers become inflamed by the arrival of those who have traveled on foot through places teeming with harmful plants. Conversely, diseases are cured when healthy plants are trodden upon by the wounded travelers. For we know that those suffering from spleen ailments original: "spleneticos" were healed by contact with Mule-fern original: "Hemionitidis"; those with the "falling sickness" epilepsy by the root of the Roman Peony hung around the neck; and those with jaundice by placing Greater Celandine or Shepherd’s Purse in their shoes against their bare feet. It is certain that Leopard's-bane Aconite original: "Aconitum pardalianches", upon touching only the private parts of the female sex, brings about death shortly thereafter. It has been observed that no one is troubled by inflammation of the eyes as long as they carry the root of Wild Sorrel original: "syluestris Rumicis" in a very clean state. One who is tormented by difficulty in urinating original: "stranguria" will find relief if they extinguish a piece of burning Tamarisk wood with their own urine. It is believed that a tumor of the groin will by no means grow in those who carry a sprig of Myrtle with them. They write that varicose veins in the legs are healed when the roots of Ivy, dug up while the Moon is in the constellation of Aquarius, are bound around the affected area. The same effect is achieved if three berries of that same ivy, the kind that creeps along walls, are tied to the affected leg. The records of not only Mithridates but also Galen testify that corpses are preserved by contact with Water Germander original: "Scordij".

The great power of the Scythian herb to drive away hunger.

The Scythians discovered the Scythian herb likely Licorice growing around Lake Maeotis the OCR reads "Bætiam", but historical context suggests the Maeotian marshes; it is exceedingly sweet to the taste, and its great recommendation is that those who hold it in their mouth feel neither hunger nor thirst. The plant called Hippice performs the same function for them, as it provides the same effect for horses; they say that with these herbs, the Scythians can endure hunger and thirst for as long as twelve days. Some have attributed so much glory to the herb Betony original: "Vetonicæ" that a house in which it is planted is considered safe from all evils and spiritual pollutions. Pythagoras recorded that the herb Coriacesia, and also Callitia, can freeze water. He also recorded that the bite of serpents is immediately healed by the juice of Minais boiled in water if they are bathed with it; yet, if the same juice is poured out upon the grass, any who touch it with their footprint or are splashed by it perish incurably due to the monstrous nature of the poison—unless it is used specifically against poisons. That same Pythagoras calls the herb Aproxis, whose root catches fire from a distance no less than naphtha. Democritus mentions the Achemenis original: "Achemenidon" plant, which grows without leaves in the Tardistylis region of India and is the color of amber.

The herb that forces criminals to confess their misdeeds.

When its root is processed into lozenges and drunk in wine during the day, criminals will confess everything at night through torments and empty visions of divine beings. They say the Adamantida is a native of Armenia and Cappadocia; when it is moved toward lions, they immediately fall on their backs with their mouths gaping wide. They say the cause of its name is that, like a diamond original: "Adamantis", it cannot be crushed. By the contact of the herb Ariamis, wood previously smeared with oil is immediately set on fire, provided the herb is gathered when the Sun is in the sign of Leo. The ancients recorded that Therionarca, which grows in Cappadocia and Mysia, causes all wild beasts to become numb and stiff when it is moved toward them; they cannot be revived except by being sprinkled with the urine of a hyena. They also report that Ophiusa grows on the island of Elephantine in Ethiopia; it is livid and horrible to look upon, and if drunk, it causes terrifying visions of threatening serpents to appear, so that those who drink it commit suicide out of that fear—for which reason the sacrilegious are forced to drink it. However, palm wine acts as an antidote to it. They say Potamantis is found at the Indus river; when drunk, it makes men go mad with strange miracles appearing before them. Mad Nightshade original: "Manicum Solanum" (as Dioscorides is the authority) causes various shapes and not unpleasant images to appear if a drachm of its root is drunk in wine. Theangelis grows on Mount Lebanon in Syria; if eaten, men can prophesy the future. In Bactria and around the Borysthenes the Dnieper River, a plant grows called Gelotophyllis Laughter-leaf; they say if it is drunk with wine and myrrh, various phantoms appear and there is no end to the laughing, unless the drinkers take the kernels of pine nuts with pepper and honey in palm wine. The herb Asciomenes (according to Apollodorus) contracts its leaves into itself when sprinkled with wine. Oenotheta (Crateuas is the authority), when sprinkled with unmixed wine...