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. XXV.

Of the Stone.

IN the Stone of the Bladder a La∣xative of the Elder Locusts, which is most useful in this and other diseases, because it only helps nature naturally to go to stool, Petraeus No∣solog. harm. diss. 40. Thes. 53.

The wine made of the flowers and berries help greatly here; for first they disburden the stomach and inte∣stines of that serous and mucid hu∣mor, whereby pure Chyle, and less impregnant with those tartarous tin∣ctures is brought to the liver. Whence it is that the serous comes not so im∣pure & muddy to the urinal passages. And besides, if any slip be committed here, and the tartarous humor be ga∣thered together in these vessels, this wine changeth them, and with the urine thrusts them out of the body: Drink it fasting in the morning, the

dose a cup full, having supt a little broth before it.

An Anodyne and Emollient Cly∣ster may be made of the decoction of the flowers and leaves of the Elder; unto every eight ounces of the strain∣ed decoction, add three or four ounces of the oil of infused Elder-flowers; if we will change more, pour this deco∣ction through the ashes of Elder-leaves a little, and mix with it, be∣sides the oyl, two ounces of Elder-hony.

The pith being cut and swallowed, is commonly much praised for mo∣ving urine, and purging those dregs. And I know a man, who being trou∣bled with the Ascites and Stone, by the perswasion of a Country-woman, used only this pith; having avoided these dregs, and much serousness dai∣ly by his urine, was cured of his Ne∣phritick pains and Hydropsie.

There are some that cutting it in thin shaves, infused it in the spirit of the berries; and after a fortnight,

press the pith strongly and strain the spirits, and give a spoonful of the Co∣lature, which they commend much.

The Lithonthryptick Elder-spirit.

Take two ounces of the Elder-pith cut as is said: put thereon as much of the spirit of the berries well rectified as will cover it. Let them stand seven days in a hot place, in ves∣sels well closed, that nothing evapo∣rate. After pressing the pith, strain hard the spirit a few times: Put into the Colature some bruised Juniper-berries, viz. two ounces. Leave it likewise for two days in infusion, in a hot place, in a close vessel: After∣ward press it again, & strain it. Again infuse as much Juniper-berries into the colature, and leave it for three days in the infusion, and again press it, and strain it, and purifie it from all the feculent grounds, as much as you are able. And so you have the stone-break spirit of the Elder indued

with the essence of Elder-pith, and Juniper-berries; which you are to keep in a stopt close glass, whose use is excellent in breaking and expelling the stone, especially if it be used as followeth.

First, the nefritick person is to purge his belly with Polychrestick powder of the buds, or with the Cly∣ster prescribed a little before; and ha∣ving anoynted his loynes with Elder-oyle, he must go into a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 made of Pease-straw and Mallows▪ the flowers of Elder and Cammomile; afterward let him drink a spoonfull of this spirit in white-Wine, and stay in the Bath till he avoid the Stone. And to avoid swouning, let him hold to his nose a sponge dipt in Elder-vinegar, and let him moisten his pulses with this same vinegar, or some cordial Epithem.

This Medicine hath its original from the experiments set down in the Dutch Matthiolus, and is called a wonderfull Medicine by Muller in his Mysteries Medicinal. Neverthe∣less

this is to be preferred to that in respect of the vertues it hath from the pith, or spirit of the Elder, to break the stone.

A Stonebreak Essence, or Extract.

He that pleaseth may prepare an excellent Essence, or Extract, against stony & tartarous diseases, as follow∣eth:

• Take of the Pith of the Elder one ounce,
• Of the dryed Berries of the Elder,
• Of recent Juniper-berries, of each an ounce and half;
• Of Liquorice mundified, six drach∣mes.

The Pith and Liquorice are to be cut in small pieces, and the ber∣ries grosly powdered; being mixed, let them be infused in a sufficient quantity of Elder spirit; and let them stand in a hot place for a fortnight together, stirring each day the glass, and stopping the mouth

thereof well; that time being ended, put them in a linnen bag, and in a press press them strongly; put the strained liquor in a Cucurbit, and putting to the Alimbeck thereof, di∣stil that spirit in Balneo, till that which remains in the bottom become as thick as hony, having mixed be∣fore with it two drachms of the Ma∣gisterie or salt Ocular. Cancror. be∣ing mixed, keep them in a glass ves∣sel: whereof give from a scruple to a drachm dissolved in a spoonful of that spirit that was distilled from them, and in the water of Linaria distilled with Rhenish wine; obser∣ving those things which were pre∣scribed before in the administration of the stonebreak spirit of the Elder.

The salt of the Elder is commenda∣ble in salt & tartarous diseases, given alone or mixed with the former ex∣tract in a convenient liquor, 8 or 6 grains of the spirit of salt doth cleanse these tartarous muddinesses.

Dysuria and Ischuria.

In the difficulty of making water, and in the not making water at all, these Medicines are excellent; seeing these symptomes arise from a muddy and mucid humor, or from a glew∣ish toughness that obstructeth the urinal passages.

But chiefly the stonebreak extract of the Elder is good in this case; whereof give a scruple in the water of the flowers of Vinaria, and the dis∣eased is to be fomented about the se∣crets with the decoction of the Ra∣dish and Vinaria. Pliny saith, that the stones being drank in two ounces weight move urine.