GALEN ON THE COMPOSITION OF MEDICINES

Chartier Edition XIII. [529.] Basel Edition II. (257.)

...from these ingredients, a lickable medicine eclegma: A medicinal paste or syrup meant to be dissolved slowly in the mouth, often used to soothe the throat or lungs. is produced. In the Attic dialect, they also call these "lickable preparations."

Immediately following the previously described recipe, Andromachus wrote a second one as follows: A windpipe-medicine made from poppy heads.

1,200 fresh original: "chlorai/viridia" poppy heads;
4 pounds litra: A unit of weight, approximately 327 grams or about 12 ounces. of Attic honey;
4 drachmae drachma: A small unit of weight, roughly 3.4 grams. of Cilician saffron (though some versions say 10);
10 drachmae of hypocystis juice A juice extracted from a parasitic plant found on the roots of rockroses, used for its drying and binding effects.;
10 drachmae of acacia;
Rainwater to cover the poppy heads.

Rainwater is added so that the medicine is less likely to spoil. This water also clearly possesses a certain astringent styptic: A quality that causes tissues to contract and reduces the flow of secretions. quality within itself. The goal of this specific medicine is to aid the "concoction" In Galenic medicine, concoction is the process where the body’s natural heat "ripens" or processes harmful humors so they can be expelled. of the ailment affecting the windpipe. It achieves this through sleep and through ingredients that aid concoction while providing a moderate amount of astringency.

However, the simple version of the medicine made from poppy heads, which I usually prepare, contains only the heads soaked in water. Once the heads have become soft and tender, we discard them. We then mix the remaining water with Attic honey alone and boil the mixture until it reaches the proper consistency for a lickable medicine. This is exactly how I am accustomed to preparing it. As for the specific amount of water and honey to use...