Anatomia sambuci, or, The anatomy of the elder cutting out of it plain, approved, and specific remedies for most and chiefest maladies : confirmed and cleared by reason, experience, and history / collected in Latine by Dr. Martin Blochwich ...

CAPI.

Of the Medicaments from the Berries.

1. Of the Rob, Tincture, Extarct, or Essence,

TAke the ripe Berries of the Elder picked from their stalks, press the juice out of them, which being strained is to be thickned on a soft and clear fire. Some in time of their inspissating add a little sugar, that the pallat may rellish it the better; and this is called the Rob of Elder berries with sugar. Of the Rob, or inspissat juice of the Berries without sugar, the Tincture and extract is prepared after this manner.

Take a pound of this Rob, put it in a long and capacious Glass, called by the Chymists a Cucurbite, put thereon the spirit of Wine, or the proper spi∣rits of the Elder, described in this

Chapter, so that it be a handful high above it. The Glass being well clo∣sed, that the spirit may not exhale; di∣gest it in Balneo four or five days, sha∣king the Glass twice a day: After that strain the whole matter contain∣ed in the Cucurbit, through gray pa∣per. Take the strained liquor (which is obscurely reddish, and is called of some, the Tincture of the Elder or Granorum actes, and may be kept with∣out further distillation to good pur∣pose) put it in a Glass Cucurbit, and having put on the Alembick, distil it on a slow Balnean heat, till the Men∣struum, or that spirit, drop by drop se∣parate, and the extract of the berries remain in the bottom like hony. If the Menstruum be not totally extracted, that which remains in the Cucurbit is called by the modern Chymists, the liquid extract of Granorum Actes. You shall find another extract taken out of Quercetan in the third Section, and 26 Chapter.

II. WINES.

Take the Elder Berries cleaned of their stalks, beat them in a stone mor∣tar, or earthen vessel, with a wooden pestle, till all the Kernels be well brui∣sed; with this succulent matter fill the 8, 10, or 12 part of a little barrel, as you will have it of more or less effica∣cy, fill up the rest with Must, or new Wine, that they may work together.

Some boyle equal parts of this suc∣culent matter and Must together, till the consumption of a third part of the whole, on a slow fire; then straining it through a thin linnen cloth, they put it (as is said) in a greater quantity into a Barrel, put Must thereon, and so suffer them to work.

Quercetans receipt thereof is set down in seat. 3. cap. 24.

This is an excellent way.

• R. Of Elder Berries well dried in an Oven, lib. 1.
• Cinnamon, the strongest and sharp∣est, unc. 3.
• ...

• Caryophill. Aromatic. ounc. 1. and an half.

Being all grosly pulverised, sow them loosly in a knot; put them in a vessel that holds twelve English quarts, or thereabouts, fill up the rest with the best and most fragrant white Wine, and place it a fortnight or above in a Wine Cellar; which is to be used in time of repast, for tis an ex∣cellent stomachical drink, most deli∣cious in colour, taste, and smell.

III. The Spirit and Water.

Take the ripe berries, express the juice, at least break them together, and let them stand in a wood vessel till they begin to ferment; and that they may work the sooner, some add a little of the yiest of beer or wine: some add none, but keep the same process. D. Finck. keeps in the extracting of the Spirit of black sweet Cherries, En∣chiridii, c. 6. After the fermentation let them be distilled in a Vesica, and rectified acording to Art.

The rectification is best accom∣plished first in a Vesica, and then in Bal∣neo; where in place of a Concurbit use a long-necked Viol, then the most spiritous part will de abstracted, the phlegm beating again the sides of the Viol will again fall down.

Others prepare it thus;

Take the ripe berries of the Elder dryed in the weak heat of an oven, be∣ing pulverised grosly with a third part of Barley meal with them; being well mixed, put them in an Oken Bar∣rel, and put boyling water on them, in which some hops have been before macerated; stop the Vessel close, and suffer them to ferment some four or five days: To hasten the fermentation and digestion add some dreggs of Wine or Beer, (as we have said before) distill and rectifie it.

But the first way is preferred de∣servedly by most, as more simple and pure: The Purging water, as it is ex∣tracted by Quercetan and others, out of the berries, is set down sect. 3. c. 24.

IV. The Syrup and Tragea.

The Syrup is thus prepared: Take of the juice extracted from the new gathered ripe berries, and clarified, lib. 1. Sugar clarified, lib. 1. boyl it a little on a soft fire in a double Vessel, or in Bal. Mar. to the consistency of a liquid Syrup.

You shall find the Tragea Granorum Actes, or the Tragea of the Bore-tree-berries set down in the 22 cap. of the third sect.

V. Oyle drawn out of the Stones or Kernels.

Take the grains, or stones of these berries left in the cloth after the juice is strained from them, wash them well, and dry them in the aire, bedew them with odoriferous white-Wine, and then in a press strongly squeeze out the oyle of them, as you do out of the seeds of the flaxes or line, rocked

Poppy or Henbane, and such like; that being purified by residency, keep it for your use in a glass; for 'tis an ex∣cellent Vomitive, and a good Balsam in externals.

The Dose to take it inwardly, is a drachme, or a drachme and a half in hot ale, or some other convenient li∣quor.

This Oyl may be more Hematick and Cathartick, if instead of the Wine, the Kernels be bedewed with Malago, wherein Crocus metallorum hath been infused, and then Oyl ex∣pressed out of them; which in the same dose will be much more effectual.