Page 386
STorax is the gummeous and rosinous concrete and dry succe of a certa in Syrian tree, none whereof is liquid, humid, and fluxile, as some have judged, who constituted two sorts of Storax, to wit, the humid, and the sicce, both flowing from one tree: But the sto∣racifluous tree distils onely a coagulable lacryma, which presently concretes to a dense, fat, and rosinous lump: no portion turning in∣to fluxile liquor, as the old and false opinion of the Arabians avers, whose defendants were deceived by the affinity of the word Storax and Stacte, which in consistency, odour, sapour, quality, original and nature, * 1.1 are farre dissident: For Stacte is the pinguetude of new Myrrhe, tunded and expressed with a little water, and reducted to the liquid form of an unguent; or rather, the fat creamy Gumme of Myrrhe, or the fat Oyl of Myrrhe tunded and expressed; or its succe educed by some tortive instrument.
The Stacte which is oleous, is best; it participates not onely of the calefactive quality, but many other faculties of Myrrhe.
As soon as Storax erupts out of the tree, it concretes into a hard, dense, solid, and rosinous lump, with some white spots in it, and ve∣ry fragrant. That which comes from Pamphilia in reeds, and is fat, viscid, white with spots, and of a persevering odour, is best; the furfurous, hoary, and inodorate, is naught. There comes also very good to us from Cyprus, Sidon, and Pisidia.
It eructates out of a tree, like a Quince-tree, but its leaves are lesser, less rigid, and hoary on the averse part: its flower is white, of the magnitude of an Orange-tree's flower, but not so in odour: small berries included in three ungles, and adhering to long pedi∣cles, grow on its surcles. The concreted liquor of this tree, is much celebrated, which besides the aforesaid qualities, permanes very long suaveolent.
Storax califies, * 1.2 mollifies, concocts, cures the Cough, heaviness, hoarsness; and whether introsumed or applied, opens the Matrix, and moves flowers: it is a good ingredient for cordial and laetifica∣tive Antidotes; it is adverse to such poisons, as hurt or kill by refri∣geration. By way of liniment, it discusses swellings in the neck, and knots of sinews.
There are certain concrete liquors, which fall within the verge of our In∣stitutions, which do possess a medium between the nature of Gumme and Ro∣sines; neither are they so easily nor speedily dissolved with water, as some are; nor with oyl, as others: but either they subside, or burn to the bottom, or else grow harder; and so thereby are more averse from commixion: Of which sort are Bdellium and Myrrhe.