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 ...

CAP. XXII.

Of the diseases of the Intestines.

1. Of the Colick.

BEcause, besides a bare distemper, a pituitous humor, a vitrious or flatulent useth oft to be the cause of the Colick; therefore their encrease are to be cut off.

Wine prepared of the berries or flowers work this effect leasurely: Likewise the water of the bark and roots, mixt with a third part of the syrup of the juice of the buds and in∣fusion of the flowers; which won∣derfully mitigate pain; whereof take oft an hour before meat, for preser∣ving you four ounces.

Or where nature is more strong, give a half or whole drachm of the Poly∣chrestick powder of the buds in the syrup of the flowers made thin with Wine.

To dissipate wind, mitigate pain, and loosen the bound belly, use this Clyster.

• Take of Elder-leaves two handfuls.
• Of Elder-flowers and Cammomile-Roman-flowers, of each an hand∣ful.
• Of the stones of Elder-berries dryed drach. 2.

Being cut and pounded boil them in pure wine, or wine of the Elder, till the Colature come into eight ounces; add,

• The oyl of the infused flowers three ounces.
• Of Elder-hony two ounces.
• The Yeolk of one Egg; mix them, and make a Clyster, apply it hot.

The spirit of the berries is of great vertue here, because it dissipateth not only in the stomach, but in the inte∣stines also, all mescusness of pituite and other viscid humors. By its great diaphoretick vertue, it dissipateth all thin and serous humors in the inte∣stines; it warmeth by its penetrating

heat the intrails, made cold by drink, air, &c. and so taken, both inwardly, and anointed, it stilleth the huge pains that arise thence.

I know a Church-man, who by this spirit in a short time dissipateth the Collick, which is familiar to him, and upon the least occasion bred.

In place of this use the spirit of the flowers well purified from its phlegm, &c.

The distilled oyl of Elder-flowers imbibed in silk, and applied to the navel with a ventose, is a most gentle paregorick.

Whereof also give four drops in a spoonful of the spirit of flowers or berries. The spirit of Elder-salt, given in the water of the flowers, or in broth in the quantity of six, or seven, or eight drops, by his cleansing and dissipating vertue, preserving from the Collick: But if you perceive by the thirst in∣tense heat, and constitution of the pa∣tient, that these pains arise from the abundance of hot and sharp boylous

humors, or some other hot cause; you are to use these things which I have set down in the former Chapter, in the heat of the stomach; unto which add the syrup of Elder-flowers, which is either to be taken alone, or made thin with the best stilled water of Elder-flowers.

II. Of Worms.

THe Chrystaline Salt of the Elder preserveth and freeth from worms: It robs them of their nou∣rishment, kills them, and purgeth them out. The dose is, from half a scruple to half a drach or two scrup.

For those of riper years, which are troubled with worms, you are to pre∣pare in the Spring-time a dish made of Elder-buds, delivered from their bitter naucious taste, by the effusion of boyling water, with oyl, salt, and vinegar, which is to be used as a sallet before supper: For the oyl closeth the breathing places of the worms,

and maketh the belly slippery: Salt and vinegar cleanse, cut, and kill the worms. The Elder-buds do loosen the belly, purge the worms and thrust forth their fuel. That this sallet may be more pleasant, you may add some tender leaves of sorrel, which likewise resist worms. At other times the powder of the buds taken in the mor∣ning for a few days, a scruple at once in broth, is commendable.

Give to more delicate persons fre∣quently a spoonful of the syrup of the juice of the buds; with which mix half a scruple of prepared Hearts-horn. Some press out the juice of the recent leaves, and mix it with honey, or honey-roset, and give it sometimes before other meat, and by this means kill and purge out worms.

Where the stomach and intestines are furred and filled with a greater quantity of tenacious putrid pituit mucilage; give twice or thrice the Polichrestick powder of the buds in their syrup.

3. Of Lienterick and Celiaick Fluxes.

ALbeit at the first sight the Elder seem not fit for fluxes; notwith∣standing in Lienteries & Celiaick flux∣es, where the meat and drink are ei∣ther in that form in which they were received, or else half concocted, and not much altered, voided out of the body sooner than was fitting, by rea∣son of the weakness of the retentive faculty of the stomach and intestines, proceeding for the most part from a cold and humid distemper, the spirit of Granorum Actes, both simple and stomatical, is used with a great deal of profit. Therefore a spoonful or two of it is oft to be given with Rie or Wheat-bread; or being imbibed in a double linnen cloth applyed to the stomach or abdomen.

Moreover, Tragea granorum actes, & the cordial powder prepared of it, is profitable; whereof give twice a

day, viz. morning and evening be∣fore meat, a drachm in three or four spoonfuls of generous wine.

For drink in time of meat you may use wine prepared of Elder-berries dried, Cinnamon and Cloves.

4. Of the Dissentery.

IN the Dissentery, which is a blou∣dy and painful emptying of the bel∣ly. Oswald Crollius, from their signi∣ture, commends the Elder-berries; of which the Chymists, but chiefly Quercetan, in lib. 1. cap. 2. of his Dog∣matick Pharmacy, describes this Ta∣geam, communicated to him by D. VVolfius, Professor in the University of Marpurg, so often mentioned and commended by me in this Treatise.

Press the juice out of the Elder-ber∣ries when they are ripe, which is in Autumn; of which Juice and Rye-flower make paste, work it well, and thereof make little Cakes, which in a Oven are to be baked to the hard∣ness

of Bisket, that they may be redu∣ced to a subtile powder; which pow∣der is again to be imbibed in the juice and made in paste, baked and pulve∣rised as before. And this is to be done the third time.

At last, all being done, reduce it a∣gain to a subtile powder, it will keep long, and is a hid specifick against a Dissentery. Take a drachm of this, and as much of the powder of a Nut∣meg, incorporate them well with a soft rosted egg, and sup it up.

This is called Tragea granorum A∣ctes, that is, a powder of the grains of Elder. And thus far Quercetan.

Others prepare it thus: Take Rie∣bread hot out of the Oven, moisten it with the juice of Elder-berries, and bake it again in the Oven; being dry again, moysten it with the juice of Elder-berries, and do so four or five times; then reduce this bread into powder, whereof take a drachm alone or a half, with as much nutmeg-pow∣der. Of which see the famous Sen∣nert.

in the 10 Chapter of the Trea∣tise of the Dissentery. But a care must be taken that the belly be not over soon stopped, but place must be left for the evacuating of sharp hu∣mors, lest that befal which hapned to the Maid mentioned by the learned Fernel. in lib. 6. cap. 9. Pathol.

Therefore to purge the sharp hu∣mors, and mitigate the cruel pain, give two or three days before you use the Astrictive, in the morning, one ounce or one ounce and half of the syrup of Elder-flowers, prepared by three infusions in three ounces of Bar∣ley-water, or in the water of Elder-flowers. You may with profit add to this one scruple or half a drachm of white Mechoacan subtilly pulveri∣sed; for it gently purgeth and bind∣eth the belly.

After three days are past, and we have used all necessary evacuations, & clangings, and pain for the most part is ceased, then we may more safely use our Tragea; for it doth not only

restrain the belly; but together with this gives a contrary motion to these sharp and salt humors, by little and little disposing them for sweat, if it be taken twice a day, morning and evening, mixt after this manner, yet with a fasting stomach.

• R. Tragea Gran. Actes, drach. 1.
• The Spirit of the flowers of the El∣der Gutt. 35.

They being well wrought together in a Marble Mortar, pour on it by little and little;

• The water of Tormentil-roots an ounce and half.
• The Syrup of the juice of Plantain half an ounce.

Mix them and use them hot, they will dissipate the malignity by sweating and evaporation, and will bind the belly by stopping the flux of the hu∣mor.

The same things may be used in a Diarrhoea or white Flux.

5. Of Constipation or Boundness.

THe leaves of the Elder are com∣mended to those that are in health to open their womb, by Egi∣neta, and Hippocrates in his second Book of Diet.

This same is performed by the di∣stilled water of the leaves and bark, with which a third part of the syrup made of the infused flowers, or of the juice of the berries or buds, is to be mixed with it, to make them of a more pleasant taste.

The same syrups being taken alone loosneth the belly; or drink a draught of wine at your breakfast, or in the morning, having taken a little broth; or take a drachm of the powder of the buds in Plum-broth or a soft rosted Egg: Or use in the place of this the conserve of the buds. The recent Rob of the Elder spread thick upon a slice of bread, and eaten before other dish∣es, is our Wives domestick Medi∣cine,

which they use likewise in their Infants and Children whose bellies are stopt longer than ordinary; for this Juice is most pleasant and fami∣liar to children, chiefly if in time of thickning of it you do add a little Sugar, as hath been told.

VI. Of Hemmorhoides.

THere is nothing more excellent to ease the pain of the Hemmor∣hoides than a stove or fomentation made of the flowers of Elder and Ver∣basie or Hony-suckle in water or milk: for in a short time it easeth the greatest pain. I experimented this first in a Countrey Miller, then in a City Baker: which both did wonder at the sudden ease, and have great quantity of the flowers in readiness beside them, to use when necessity shall require.

The anointing with the oyl of the infused flowers, mixed with a third part of Unguent Populeon, is Ano∣dine.

• Or take of the infusion of Elder-flowers, half an ounce.
• Of Elder-kernels and Yeolks of Eggs, of each two drachms.
• Of white Wax enough making, ac∣cording to art an Unguent.

To stay the Hemmorhoides in a night a singular Cataplasm is made of Elder-leaves boiled in water, to the consistency of a Poultice, and mix∣ed with Oyl-olive spread on a scarlet cloath, and apply it warm to the Hemmorhoides: being oft renewed through the whole night, the Patient lying on his face, is commended by Alexis in his Secrets.

By what means their flux is to be stopt is set down in the stopping of the Hemmorhoides in the nose, and monthly terms, and in stopping the blood in wounds.

Mark, that for the falling of the Anus, amongst other things, the out∣most bark of the Elder is commend∣ed by Mindererus, cap. 7. M.M.