Pharmacopœia Londinensis, or, The London dispensatory further adorned by the studies and collections of the Fellows, now living of the said colledg ... / by Nich. Culpeper, Gent.

Of the Choyce of Purging Medicines.

WE told you before, that purging Medicines were apropriated to certain humors, the redundancy or overflowing of which causeth diseases in the Body of Man, of these such as proceed from Blood are not to be remedied by Purging.

The Humors to be purged are Four, viz.

• Flegm.
• Watry Humor.
• Choller.
• Melancholly.

According to the quality of these are Purging Medi∣cines to be chosen.

Before I come to them, give me leave to premise one word or two, I shall only here quote Purging Sim∣ples because I am now upon the Simples, I shall touch upon the Purging Compounds when I come unto them, and if any ask why I meddle with no other Medicines than what the Colledg makes use of, tell them the reason is, Because the Colledg have so ordered the matter, that a man can buy no other for his money.

The most noted qualities of Purging Medicines. I shall first give you a Synopsis or Joynt-view of Pur∣ging Simples usually to be had.

Secondly, speak as briefly as I can of their Proper∣ties.

Purging Sim∣ples work

• Gently.
• Strongly.

Such as work gently, either 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Choller, As,

Wormwood, Centaury, Aloes, Hops, Mercury, Mallows, Peach leaves and flowers, Damask Roses, Blew Violets, Cassia Fistula, Citron Mirobalans, Prunes, Tamarinds, Rhubarb, Rhapontick, Manna.

Purge Flegm, As,

Hysop, Hedg Hysop, Bastard Saffron, Broom flo∣wers, Elder flowers, Myrobalans, Bellerick, Chebs, and Emblicks, the Seed of Bastard Saffron and Broom, Jallap and Mechoacan.

Watry Humors.

The Leaves, Bark and Roots of Elder, and Dwarf Elder, or Walwort, Elder Flowers, Broom Flowers, Agrick, Jallap, Mechoacan, Orris, or Flower-de∣luce Roots.

Melancholly.

Senna, Fumitory, Dodder, Epithimum, Indian Myrobalans, Polipodium, Whey, Lapis Lazuli &c.

Violent Simples purge Choller, As

The Seeds of Spurge, the Bark and Root of the same, Scammony, Elaterium.

Flegm and Water.

Elaterium, Euphorbium, Spurge, Opopanax, Sar∣cocolla, Briony Roots, Turbith, Hermodactils, Co∣locynthis, Wild Cucumers, Sowbread, Mezereon, Squils.

Melancholly.

Hellebore white and black.

Secondly, In all these observe, That such as are gentle are only to be given to delicate and tender bo∣dies, whether the body be weake naturally, or caused so by sickness, above all give not vomits to weak sto∣machs, for the Fundament is ordained by nature to avoid the Excrements and not the mouth, which was ordained to take in, not to vomit out, therefore use vomits as seldom as may be.

But for the Election of Purges, Let such as are a∣propriated to flegm and Melancholly be mixed with such things as are thin in substance, and of a cutting quality, because these humors are tough, gentle Me∣dicines will serve to evacuate Water and Choller usu∣ally, I say [usually] because sometimes water requires such Medicines, as are of force to call them from the extream parts of the Body, and such must needs be violent in operation. I entreat all yong Students in Physick to be very careful in administring violent Medicines, and that never without due preparation of the Body beforehand, never unless the humor be so repugnant that it will not yield to gentler: And oh! that simple people would learn to be but so wise as to let them alone, and not take them themselves, the evil they may do them (if not regulated by an abler brain than dwels in their skuls) is certain, the good very uncertain; for such violent Medicines as purge Choller if immoderately taken, first draw the Chol∣ler, then the Flegm, afterwards the Melancholly, then they cuase corrosions and draw the blood; Such as purge Flegm and Water violently when they have drawn that, then they draw the Choller, then Me∣lancholly, they then corrode, and so either by exco∣riation or opening the mouths of the Veins, bloody Fluxes also follow, and many times the disease ends in the Grave; and so also the immoderate Purgation of Melancholly, first draws Choller (I mean after the Melancholly is evacuated) then Flegm, and ends as the other do, but I think this is enough to wise men. To return.

If you prepare the body beforehand (you will not want instructions how to do it in the COM∣POUNDS) then gentler Medicines will serve the turn, and therefore such Medicines as purge Water, ad but cutting Medicines to them, and they purge Flegm.

And then again, I desire you to take notice that such Medicines as have a binding quality in them are very hurtful to tough Flegm, and Melancholly, be∣cause the humors themselves being tough they make them the tougher, but they are most proper for chol∣ler and putrified 〈◊〉〈◊〉, because the first of them often causeth Defluxions, the second a loosness.

Again, Another thing I thought good to give no∣tice of, and so much the rather because I have seen it printed in English, and heard it contended for by Students in Physick, yet is the conceipt very dange∣rous, viz. That the operations of Purging Medi∣cines may be known by their colors, for say they, white Medicines purge Flegm; black, Melancholly; and yellow, Choller: I confess some Ancient Phy∣sitians were of this apish Opinion, which in no wise holds true in the general, though in some particulars it may.