the flowers. Of plants, the flowers of St. Johns wort, the rootes of fennell, and asparagus, bruscus or butchers broom, of parsley, brooke-lime, basill, balme, beto∣ny, garlicke, onions, crista marina, costmary, the rinde or barke of cassia fistula, cala∣mint, origanum, pennyroyall, mugwort, thyme, hissope, sage, marjoram, rosema∣ry, horehound, rue, savine, spurge, saffron, agaricke, the flowers of elder, bay ber∣ries, the berries of Ivie, scammony, Cantharides, pyrethrum or pellitory of Spaine, suphorbium. The aromaticke things are amomum, cynamon, squinanth, nutmegs, ca∣lamus aromaticus, cyperus, ginger, cloves, galangall, pepper, cubibes, amber, muske, spiknard, and such like; of all which let fomentations, fumigations, baths, broaths, boles, potions, pills, syrupes, apozemes, and opiates be made as the Physitians shall thinke good.
The apozeme that followeth is proved to be very effectuall. ℞. flo. & flor. dictam. an. pii. pimpinel. m ss. omnium capillar. an. p i. artemis. thymi, marjor. origan. an. m ss. rad. rub. major. petroselin. faenicul. an. ℥ i ss. rad. paeon. bistort. an. ʒ ss. cicerum rub. sem. paeon. faenicul. an. ʒ ss. make thereof a decoction in a sufficient quantity of water, ad∣ding thereto cinamon ʒ iii. in one pinte of the decoction dissolve (after it is strained) of the syrupe of mugwort, and of hissope, an. ℥ ii. diarrhod. abbat. ʒ i. let it bee strai∣ned through a bagge, with ʒ ii. of the kernells of dates, and let her take ℥ iiii. in the morning.
Let pessaries bee made with galbanum, ammoniacum, and such like mollifying things, beaten into a masse in a mortar with a hot pestell, and made into the forme of a pessary, and then let them be mixed with oile of Jasmine, euphorbium, an oxegall, the juice of mugwort, and other such like, wherein there is power to provoke the flowers, as with scammony in powder: let them be as bigge as ones thumbe, sixe fin∣gers long, and rowled in lawne, or some such like thinne linnen cloath; of the same things nodula's may bee made. Also pessaries may be prepared with hony boyled, adding thereto convenient powders, as of scammony, pellitory, and such like. Nei∣ther ought these to stay long in the necke of the wombe, lest they should exulcerate, and they must be pulled backe by a threed that must bee put through them, and then the orifice of the womb must be fomented with white wine of the decoction of pen∣nyroyall or mother-wort.
But it is to be noted, that if the suppression of the flowers happeneth through the default of the stopped orifice of the womb, or by inflammation, these maladies must first bee cured before wee come unto those things that of their proper strength and vertue provoke the flowers: as for example, if such things be made and given when the wombe is enflamed, the blood being drawne into the grieved place, and the hu∣mours sharpened, and the body of the wombe heated, the inflammation will be en∣creased. So if there be any superfluous flesh, if there be any Callus of a wound or ul∣cer, or if there be any membrane shutting the orifice of the wombe, and so stopping the fluxe of the flowers, they must first bee consumed and taken away before any of those things bee administred. But the oportunity of taking and applying of things, must be taken from the time wherein the sicke woman was wont to be purged before the stopping, or if she never had the flowers, in the decrease of the moone; for so we shall have custome, nature, and the externall efficient cause to helpe art. When these medicines are used, the women are not to bee put into bathes or hot houses, as many doe, except the malady proceed from the density of the vessels, and the grossenesse and clamminesse of the blood. For sweats hinder the menstruall fluxe, by diverting and turning the matter another way.