A most excellent and perfecte homish apothecarye or homely physik booke, for all the grefes and diseases of the bodye. Translated out the Almaine speche into English by Ihon Hollybush

¶Of all accidentes and diseases of the stomake / and howe it maye be healed.

VVhan the stomake is full / and can not digest / it is to be marcked / whether the matter indigested commeth of superfluous eatinge and drinkinge:* 1.1 for that weakeneth the stomake and hys naturall operacion. And these are the tokens / whereby it is knowen / whe∣ther the disease commeth therof: the vapors come out of the stomake / & clim vp into the head: or els is hys mouth bitter / and he is thyrsty / & hath greate payn in hys eyen. Somtyme commeth the disease by vnmeasurable and in∣ordinate eatinge of colde meetes / and thereby is the naturall operation of the stomake altered and weakened: and in the bottom of the stomacke en∣gendre euill humores / causinge that man can not digest. And these are y^e sig∣nes whereby this is knowen: the vrine is whyte / thick and pale: aboue & in the midde is it clere / and in the bottom is it whyte as whey of milcke / syn∣ckinge and cleninge to the bottom as it were corrupt matter. The patiente hath greate payne in the kidneys and backbone toward the lefte syde. He hath also great colde in hys braynes / whych commeth thereby / that the sto∣mak and braynes be farre asunder / and the vapors drawe vp out of the sto¦make into the heade / and thereby is the colde of the braynes augmented.

If the stomake were full of euell humors / that are hote / and were enge∣dred of such hote meates / as are Garleke / Ouyons / Mustard / Pepper / and suche lyke / then are these the tokens of it: The paciente hath greate payne in the heade / he hath greate heate in the leuer / whyche is by reason of the hote meates that he hath eaten: for they inflamme the leuer / and consume hyr moysture. And if the paciente is of Sanguine or read Colera com∣plexion / and eate suche hote meates / then getteth he feruente heate / and burneth lyke fyre: he consumeth his naturall heate / and getteth an vn∣naturall heate in al his body / and at the last getteth he a feruente ague / cal∣led stinkinge febres / by reason the naturall heate and the natural moystnes which manteyn the body / are consumed.

If the patiente is sycke of the heate / then muste he beware of all maner of hote meates / and that he eate not muche at ones / nor surfet. Hypocrates sayeth: Lyke to lyke / mistempereth the bodye: and therefore oughte colde meates be geuen hym / that is hote: and contrarywyse hoate meates to hym that is colde / to sette the bodye agayne in a frame. Therefore also is it conueniente to geue the patient lyghte meates of digestion / and colde / to re¦strayne the heate of the bloode and the read Colera.

And if the disease were of flegma or black colera / or els of surffeting / thē must he be holpen of thys wyse: He ought not to eate nor drinke muche / but hys meates ought to be suche / as warme & comforte the stomak. He oughte also to eat cōfectes of quinches / made with quinches / suger / or cheries / or w^t suger & appels: thesame augment and restore agayn naturall moysture.

Item when a man hath hys stomake full of superfluous hote moysture / of sa••guin or reade Colera complexion: then must the euill humors be di∣gested and prepared wyth anye of these drinckes / whyche ye can best gett. Take Barlye halfe a pounde / thre quartes of water / and seth them to the fourth parte / then strayne it / and put therein the rootes of Succorye two vnces / Fenel rootes an vnce / Mayden heyre / Endyue of eche an vnce / the herbe Buglosse / the herbe Borage of eche half an vnce: poure ouer thys the foresayde Barly water / and seth the fourth parte awaye / and then strayne it agayne / put an vnce or an vnce and an halfe of suger to it / and geue the patient to drinke of it in the mornyng and euenynge. And when the mat∣ter beginneth to be ready / then purge the stomake of thys wyse: Take elec∣tuarium de succo Rosarum thre quarters of an vnce / a quarter of an vnce Diaprunis laxatiui / Cassie fistule extracte halfe an vnce / Hony of roses half an vnce / water of Buglosse / Borage and Endiue of eche thre quarters of an vnce. Mixe all this together / and geue y^e patient the one half at euening / and the other in the morning in the dawning / let him walk vpon this / and not lye doune agayne vntill nyne or ten of the clocke: for assone as the hote moysture is prepared and digested / then is she easy to be caste oute / and wy¦ded. And if the patient sweat muche / then is it to be marked / that the bodye is full of superfluous humours: and wyth digestyng of the humours / accor¦ding to mans complexion / is he cured and made whole: and this aforemen∣cioned drinke and purgacion is the digestion and auoydinge of suche fylth. After that ought some conserues and Electuaries be ministred to him.

The stomake doth somtyme wābel & is quasy by reason of a heate / that

is engendred by vndigested meates / or vnwholsom meates / and the vapor thereof beateth vp into the head. Thesame disease happeneth somtyme of rawe humors in the stomake / and if ye take the patient by the body / then is it outwardly weake / and yet feble. Geue to thesame in the morninge halfe an vnce of Diacarthami / or els geue him halfe an vnce of Electuarij de suc¦co rosarum: thesame clenseth the rough moysture out of the stomak.

But if the stomak doth wamble of Melancoly / then is hys bodye hard and drye / when a man grypeth thereon. He that hath that disease / ought to anoynt the body w^t oyle of oliue / wherin are sodden Fenkel sede or Kumin.

If a man had some euell matter / vpon the mouth of the stomak / whiche he wolde gladly vomite out: or els dyd perceyue / he had muche slymy fylth within him / & wold fayne be rid therof by perbreakinge: or that his stomak did wamble: let him take grene Oken leafe in hys mouth / and chawe it. If ye can haue no grene leafe / then take a drye or seer oken leafe / and laye it in water / and then put it into thy mouth. Do this twise / thryse or foure times / and it shall drawe much slyme and fylth. And if he hath any matter within him / then doth he cast it out by perbreakinge. Or els take a litle springinge water / and vinegre of lyke quantitie / and drinke thereof as muche as an egge conteyneth.

If a man had gotten vnlustynesse / that he had no appetite to meat / and waxeth heuy & faynt / nether can tell wherby it commeth / nor yet hath great heat:* 1.2 then is nothing better for him / then that he take thre hennes egges in the morning / and let them be thorow warmed. After y^t let him breake them vp / and take away the whyte therof / and suppe out the yolkes / and drinke therevpon a good draughte of wyne / and faste thereon vntill the eueninge / & walke somtyme: y^t consumeth the euill humors / whych cause vnlustinesse.

But if he had gotten this vnlustinesse after meate / then let him eate no more after that vntill the euen / and then lette him eate a thynne pappe of oetmeel / made wyth wine / and let him drincke litle / for that is good. And when he will go to bed / then let hys fete be rubbed wyth vinegre / wherein is sodden Wormwod: thys wil happely cast him in a sweate / that were ve∣ry good.

If the vnlustinesse commeth by aduersitye and heuinesse / then is he ho∣lye dismade and heauy / and all what he doth / that greueth him. Thesame muste be cured of thys wyse: Lette him resorte oft wher myrth is vsed / and eate meates good of digestion / and in all hys meates lette a litle saffron be put: for that comforteth the harte / but it causeth vnluste in the stomacke / therefore oughte but a litle be put therein / yet causeth it good blood / and re∣ioyceth the harte.

He that hath an vnmeasurable lust to meate or drinke / the same hath al∣so somtyme vnmeasurable sieges:* 1.3 for the meat goeth oft from him not well digested / seynge the stomake nedeth not ouermuch meate / to digest well / & that it leaue not at the last euil humors. Thesame ought to drink good read wyne / and eat meates that do not ouerchafe the stomake.

They that haue many cold humors in their stomake / let the same eat fas¦ting rawe onyons wyth salte and course breade.* 1.4 Garlike doth also cōsume superfluous humors in the stomacke / and helpeth it to digeste: wherefore

it is good for labourers / that drinke much water / and eate colde meates: it driueth awaye also the dropsey.

But if the stomack had ouermuch slymy humors in it / then oughte it he losed wyth D••acartami / or pilles of iera picra. But if it hath ouermuch heat then purge it wyth Electuarium de sucro rosarum / in the morninge / wyth a peasebreth. And after two or thre houres geue him yet peasebroth that is not salted nor sauoured / and let him walke / and not lye doune if he haue so muche strength. Ye maye also eate grene ginger agaynst a slymy stomake / the same warmeth it / and maketh digestion. Or els make a potage of yong Nettels / thesame warmeth the stomake / and consumeth euill humors in it / and causeth good digestion. Grene Calmus doth lykewise eaten in the mor¦ning and euening / and purgeth the stomack.

But if it is in winter / then eate in the morning and eueninge Anis sede vpon breade / dipped in wyne / thesame clenseth the stomak from slyme / and maketh good digestion. S. Ihons beries called in Latine Berberis / slake thyrste / specially that commeth of Colera or the gal / and stoppe the flixe / and make appetite to eate and drinke: they be good for the quauering harte / re∣frayne vomitinge / and are good eaten agaynst blusters or reed pustuls / a∣gaynst the pestilence / speciallye when they are rype / stamped and strayned through a cloth / and sodden to the thycknesse of a pappe: kepe this through the whole yeare / and take therof a Walnut shell full at ones.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of the ac¦cidences and disea¦ses of the stomack. Tokens of the e∣uill dige¦stion in the sto∣mack.
• * 1.2

  To auoy¦de quasi∣nesse and euell ap∣petite.
• * 1.3

  Gredy∣nesse to meat and drinke.
• * 1.4

  Cold hu¦mours in the sto∣make.