THE WORKS OF DR. JOHANN HARTMANN

of the stomach as well as the head, which should be strengthened with fragrant balsams and other things, taken both internally and applied externally.

The power of Vervain in head pains.

In every kind of headache, the distilled water of Vervain original: "Verbena" is recommended as a specific secret remedy original: "arcanum". When taken often at a weight of 4 ounces with 4 drops of spirit of vitriol Spirit of Vitriol; a dilute form of sulfuric acid used as a tonic, it helps. Also, the whole Vervain plant, crushed and applied to the head, or a piece of it, or even the whole plant with the root hung from the neck by a thread so that the root points upward, acts as an amulet.

Note Well. The Vervain should first be dug up with the earth to which the root clings; afterward, the root itself should be grasped and drawn through the earth in an inverted order.

(In headaches arising from "Tartar" Metabolic wastes or "stones" thought to cause sharp pain, which are the most cruel and acute, I will reveal to you, Blessed Reader, a secret remedy whose powers I have often proven by experience and have not seen anything more excellent until now.

Take as much as you wish of the best purified and crystallized Nitre Nitre; saltpeter or potassium nitrate. Cast it little by little into a crucible made glowing hot by a fire placed beneath it and well-covered. When the nitre flows like clear water, cast in a small glowing coal, and a flame will immediately arise with a hissing and noise. Do this repeatedly and successively until the nitre ceases to flame and crackle. Furthermore, continue a most vehement fire for a quarter of an hour. After the nitre is "fixed" made stable or non-volatile by heat, remove it from the broken crucible and expose it in a cold, damp place in a cellar. Upon mere contact with the air, it will first turn into a buttery substance, and afterward, by "deliquium" Deliquium; the process of a salt melting into a liquid by absorbing moisture from the air, it will become a thick, yellowish liquid like Oil of Tartar. This being done, Take the herb Betony and distill water from it. Pour this water over fresh Betony herb that has been cut and crushed in a stone mortar, adding to every pound of water about 2 or 3 ounces of that liquefied nitre. Let it stand in a moderately warm place in a glass vessel, and within 24 hours the water will be intensely tinted. Filter this and give 4 ounces to the sick person twice a day, and you will find the operation stupendous.

Note. In this way, you can extract a tincture from all specific vegetables. But if you wish to exalt the powers of the medicine, labor to separate the solvent original: "menstruum", which you will accomplish by pouring on a Note Well copious amount of Spirit of Wine alcohol, which will take up the tincture while the solvent is pushed to the bottom.

Note Well. In this way, you can also produce the best tincture of antimony.)

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EXTERNAL REMEDIES FOR HEADACHE.

I. A poultice original: "Epithema" made from Freshwater Crayfish.
II. The best Spirit of Wine, which is highly effective for a headache from a hangover original: "ex Crapula", especially if the testicles are bathed with a sponge soaked in wine vinegar or common water and then squeezed out.
III. A poultice of Zedoary: the powder of Zedoary Zedoary; a root similar to ginger is moistened with elderflower water (or common water), rose water, and betony water, and applied properly to the nape of the neck.
IV. In migraines original: "hemicrania", especially those felt like a localized "nail" in the head, cucumber root taken (1 drachm) with vervain and Roman wormwood, one part of each (used in Hungarian fevers), boiled in wine with rose water. Let a poultice be made.
V. A compound water such as this:
Take rose water,
elderflower water, 4 ounces of each.
Camphor, 2 drachms,
The best Musk, 2 to 6 grains,
Extract of Carline Thistle, half an ounce,
Oil of Spike Lavender oil, 2 drachms.
Dissolve the camphor in the oil of spike, then mix all and apply with cloths to the aching head in cases of great and immense heat; in fevers caused by the heat of the sun, apply it also to the temples and the wrist.
VI. This is a specific for "cold" headaches, such as often vex women, especially if they believe coldness stays in the back of the head with a certain fluctuating sensation.

Take 4 drachms of Long Pepper (essence of long pepper: crush it in a mortar into a coarse powder, then extract it with Spirit of Wine and keep it). The use is as follows: Let a small bag be made of white amber, coarsely powdered; let the bag be quilted, and after being moistened in this essence of long pepper, let it be applied warm to the coronal suture The top of the skull (this is most beneficial). If necessary, let a universal evacuation of the bowels be performed first.

VII. In the most severe headaches (with sleeplessness, especially during urgent "distillations" or catarrhs), one must have recourse to Opiated Laudanum, as the other remedies will surely do no good.

VIII. Let several river crabs be moistened with rose vinegar and crushed, and let them be wrapped around the head in place of a plaster.

IX. Plantain root hung around the neck cures headache by its specific property.

X. Let soft ivy leaves be toasted with Rose Vinegar and Oil original: "Oxyrhodino" and applied to the forehead and temples. This is excellent for a bilious headache.

XI. Vervain, as said above, is a remarkable specific used both internally and externally.

XII. Peach kernels crushed with betony or vervain water and applied help wonderfully in a headache from a cold cause.

Alabaster Ointment.

XIII. Alabaster Ointment.
Take Bramble shoots, 2 handfuls,
Rue leaves, 1 pinch,
Fresh Chamomile flowers, 3 ounces,
Alabaster stone, very finely powdered, half a pound,
Oil of Roses, 1 pound,
Wax, half an ounce,
White wine, 2 pounds.
Place in a new glazed jar for three days, afterward boil until the wine is consumed; when cooled, add the whites of 4 eggs. Mix.

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FOOLISHNESS Delirium or mental disturbance.

In such cases, all things being equal, let there be administered I. "Blessed Water" original: "Aq. Bened." or Aqua Benedicta, often an emetic.

Potable Silver.

II. The green juice of the moon (otherwise called Liquor of the Moon, and indeed "Potable Silver" original: "Luna potabilis" can be obtained. For the true tincture requires a universal solvent), which is made in this way:
Take the best purified Water of Tartar, 2 parts,
White Sealed Earth Sealed Earth; a medicinal clay, Terra Sigillata, 1 part.
Let them be powdered very finely on a porphyry stone, then placed in a crucible covered at the top (with clay). Observe the degrees of fire from the beginning in a wind furnace, and let them remain for 24 hours until finally the fire is more vehement, almost to the point of flowing (though the material does not flow because of the sealed earth, it seems as if it might). When all have cooled, the Water of Tartar is found in the crucible like green glass; take this out and reduce it to a fine powder. Take 1 part of this, and 2 parts of the "calx" powdered oxide of fixed silver original: "Lunae" (dissolved by Aqua Fortis and commonly precipitated by copper in plenty of water, and afterward carefully sweetened of all sharpness). Mix them together skillfully, and again place them in a box or a cemented crucible, well-luted, in sand. Provide a slow fire from the first degrees. Afterward, make it even stronger from below and above so that the vessel glows and the material is "cemented" for 12 hours, yet in such a way that it does not melt; if it happens to melt, repeat the labor again. When the vessel is cooled, take out the whole mass and grind it finely. In a wide-bottomed glass flask original: "cucurbita", pour on the best Spirit of Wine and extract the redness—the redness comes not from the silver (which contains only a blue or green color) but from the tartar—for 6, 7, or 8 days. Decant this Spirit of Wine, pour on more, and in digestion, as before, extract the redness or yellowness by repeated turns. Keep all the extractions. The silver in the flask after the extraction of the redness will appear somewhat blue. Therefore, dry this little by little and reduce it to a powder by grinding on a marble; keep it carefully. Distill the collected red extractions in a water bath, and the Spirit of Wine will come over, while all the redness will remain in the glass like blood. Grind this most minutely with that reserved blue silver,

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