On Medical Matters

...from meat, or the lye made from wood ash. Having carefully brought up 34 the substances through vomiting, so that nothing remains in the belly, we shall draw out what has remained in the intestines with an acrid clyster. Nitre taken smooth with hydromel is effective, as is the drinking of many old wines, chicken broths, fatty fish, and old, fatty meats, and those prepared with fat or fresh butter. For, as I have said, they move the bowels and dissolve the stomach, making the stomach more ready for vomiting. They also blunt the acrimony of the drugs and, by coating the passages, prevent the sharpness of the drugs' power. Medicines that are generally suitable are also given; among these are rubrica lemnia Lemnian earth/red ochre, agaricum agaric mushroom, abrotanum southernwood, erysimum hedge mustard, root of eryngium sea holly, seed of staphylinus wild carrot and calamintha calamint, nardus celtica Celtic nard, castoreum beaver secretion, the pith of green narthex giant fennel, the flower of the oleander original: "νηρίου" which is called rhododendron, the juice of prasion horehound 35,

34. Aldus, Asulanus, Cornarius: "having brought up"; Goupyl and Saracenus: "having brought them up." Our reading is vindicated by the text of Paullus, Book 5, ch. 29, p. 168.
35. Aëtius and Paullus: "leek."

...decoction, or glaucium, or goose fat, or the broth of fatty meats, or lye of wood ashes. After we have diligently provoked vomiting, so that nothing is left in the belly, we shall call out the remnants that have stuck to the intestines with an acrid clyster. For this purpose, nitre triturated and taken with hydromel is effective, as are old wines drunk liberally, chicken broths, rich fish, and mature and fatty meats, and those things seasoned with fat or fresh butter. For they move the bowels, as we have said, and resolve the stomach, rendering it more prone to vomiting. They also blunt the acrimony of poisons and, while obstructing the pores, prevent the swiftness of the poisonous faculty. Indeed, medicines are also exhibited which are of common benefit; of this number is rubrica lemnia, agaricum, abrotanum, erysimum, root of eryngium, seed of daucus and calamintha, nardus celtica, castoreum, and the pith of green ferula giant fennel, the flower of the nerium, which is called rhododendron, juice of marrubium...