The Kitchin-physician, or, A guide for good-housewives in maintaining their families in health wherein are described the natures, causes, and symptoms of all diseases, inward and outward, incident to the bodies of men, women, and children : prescribing natural, useful and proper medicines, both in physick and chirurgery, as well for the prevention as speedy cure of the said distempers : adorned with sculptures ... / published for the common good ... by T.K., Doctor in Physick.

59. A Remedy against Tooth-ach.

The Tooth-ach proceeds from divers as well cold as hot causes; in case it is occa∣sioned by cold, then use these following means.

You shall rinse the Teeth with strong vinegar, in which Wormwood is boyl'd; Strawberries, or red-wine, in which are boyl'd leaves of Strawberries, with La∣vender, Sage, and Marjoram; or White-Wine wherein the leaves and Nots of the Cypress-tree, Juniper-berries, and Roses, Mirtle-leaves, are boiled; or the Flowers of Lavender, Cinamon, Fenickle, Roots of Sparagus boiled in Wine: oyl of Juniper-tree is good being put in the Teeth if they are hollow; but this following is better.

Oyl of Pepper, Cloves, Sage, Bame, Oyl of Spike and Aqua-fortis, being gent∣ly put into the hollow Tooth with Cot∣ton, takes away the pain, and breaketh it if it is corrupted.

If the Tooth-ach proceeds from an hot cause, then you shall put to the painful Teeth Oyl of Poppeys, Mandragora, Hen∣bane-seed, together or alone; or in want of oyls, the Mandragora and Henbane mixt with Wine; or Henbane Roots mixt with Rose-water and Wine-vineger; or you shall hold in the Mouth Wine-vineger wherein Campher has been boiled: from what cause soever the Tooth-ach proceed∣eth, you shall appease the pain with Oyl of Henbane-seed, which is made after this manner: sprinkle the seed of Hen∣bane with Brandy, then put it into a glass, which you shall cover very close, put it in a kittle full of water, and let it boil four and twenty hours; then take the glass out of the water, and put the seed before 'tis cold into a little linnen bag, and then press out the Oyl.

This pain is also helped with the Roots of Thousand-leaf, or of Agrimony, being held between the Teeth: and the same operation has the Root of Bertram (Py∣retrum.)

Likewise against the Tooth-ach, you may boil the Root of Henbane, or of Mul∣berries, in vineger and Rose-water, and hold the water in the Mouth: or take a head of Garlick, let it roast in the hot

ashes; then bruise it, and put it as hot as ••ver is possible to the Teeth, and put some of it into the Ear, on the side where the ••ain is nearest. Some bruise a head of Garlick, and put it upon the Artery or great Vein of the Arm, on the painful side.

Or take Bertram bruised, (one quarter ••f an ounce) Rosemary, Sage, of each ••ne handful, large Figs, to the number of ••hree; let these boil in half a pint of wine, until the Wine is all consumed; then lay ••ne of these Figs upon the painful Tooth, ••s hot as you can bear it.

Or, put very hot upon the Temples of ••he Head, a plaister of Pitch, beaten Gal∣••••uts and Allum: it is good also to lay upon the Teeth the juyce of Garlick, Rue, Tansie, (Matricaria) or any hot Oyl, as of Sage, which is excellent on this occasi∣on; or wash and rinse oftentimes your Teeth with a Decoction of Pennyroyal boiled in Wine, till two third parts are consumed. Some hold for a secret, that a Tooth of a Man wrapt up in Taffeta, or a Bean with a hole, in which a Louse is ••hut up, being hanged about the neck, ••nd that these driveth away the greatest Tooth-ach that can be.

Great care has always been taken to drive away heavy and intollerable Tooth∣ach,

and to preserve the Teeth, because of the necessity of their service; for which two things the most choicest means have been searcht for; insomuch, that if the Proverb be made true in this point, that Necessity is the Mother of Arts, I have amongst many innumerable means or re∣medies which are found for the Teeth, brought forth a small number, as being the choicest and most approved: and when all these Remedies will not help you, and that there is not any more hope of being delivered from the pain, then you must draw them. Sometimes the Teeth are spoiled because of the putrefaction, but you must not inconsiderately begin this, but first consult about it well, and then employ thereto a man that has skill there∣in, for fear of the many dangerous Sym∣ptomes, which are many times occasioned thereby, when by a mischance the good Tooth is taken for the bad, or that it is drawn out with too great force, whereby the blood runs out in abundance, inso∣much that the Patient runneth the hazard of his life: it were rather to be wisht, that the corrupted Tooth might fall out through any other means, than by force: but the difficulty lyes in the finding out of those things which have such a proper∣ty and vertue.

Some have used to put into the holes and hollowness of the Teeth, the ashes of earth-worms, or mice-turd, or of the Tooth of a Hart, and these ashes shall cause the Tooth to fall out immediately: or they put thereupon Mulberry-kernels, or put a soaking fifteen days in strong Wine-vinegar, beaten Mulberry-Roots; after the soaking, the same being dryed in the Sun, they make a Powder thereof, to put it on the Tooth; or put thereon the brains of a Partridge, or the juyce of Cherry-leaves; or put into the hollowness of the Tooth the juyce of the Herb Sa∣landine, and strong-water.