Page:Chronicles of pharmacy (Volume 1).djvu/58

 pot in the bottom of which a hole had been made. A reed was fitted to the hole and the vapour inhaled. "Afterwards eat some fat," says the writer.

To draw the blood from a wound:—Foment it four times with a mixture made from wax, fat, date wine, honey, and boiled horn; these ingredients boiled with a certain quantity of water.

To prevent the immoderate crying of children a mixture of the seeds of the plant Sheben with some fly-dirt is recommended. It is supposed that Sheben may have been the poppy. Incidentally it is remarked that if a new-born baby cries "ny" that is a good sign; but it is a bad sign if it cries "mbe."

To prevent the hair turning grey anoint it with the blood of a black calf which has been boiled in oil; or with the fat of a rattlesnake. When it falls out one remedy is to apply a mixture of six fats, namely those of the horse, the hippopotamus, the crocodile, the cat, the snake, and the ibex. To strengthen it anoint with the tooth of a donkey crushed in honey.

A few other prescriptions are appended.

As Purges:—Mix milk, one part, yeast and honey, two parts each. Boil and strain. A draught of this to be taken every morning for four days. Pills compounded of equal parts of honey, absinth powder, and onion. In another formula "kesebt" fruits are ordered with other ingredients. Ebers conjectures that kesebt may have been the castor oil tree.

For Headache:—Equal parts of frankincense, cummin, berries of u'an tree and goosegrease are to be boiled together; the head to be anointed with the mixture.

For Worms:—Resin of acanthus, peppermint flowers, lettuce, and "as" plant. Equal parts to make a plaster.