The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher: Containing his Complete Masterpiece and Family Physician; his Experienced Midwife, his Book of Problems and his Remarks on Physiognomy
Aristotle · en
If barrenness in the woman proceed from a hot cause, let her take whey
and clarify it; then boil plantain leaves and roots in it, and drink it
for her ordinary drink. Let her inject plantain juice into her womb with
a syringe. If it be in the winter, when you cannot get the juice, make a
strong decoction of the leaves and roots in water, and inject that up
with a syringe, but let it be blood warm, and you will find this
medicine of great efficacy. And further, to take away barrenness
proceeding from hot causes, take of conserve of roses, cold lozenges,
make a tragacanth, the confections of trincatelia; and use, to smell to,
camphor, rosewater and saunders. It is also good to bleed the basilica
or liver vein, and take four or five ounces of blood, and then take this
purge; take electuarium de epithymo de succo rosarum, of each two
drachms and a half; clarified whey, four ounces; mix them well together,
and take it in the morning fasting; sleep after it about an hour and a
half, and fast for four hours after; and about an hour before you eat
anything, drink a good draught of whey. Also take lilywater, four
ounces; mandragore water, one ounce; saffron, half a scruple; beat the
saffron to a powder, and mix it with waters, drink them warm in the
morning; use these eight days together.
_Some apparent Remedy against Barrenness and to cause Fruitfulness._
Take broom flowers, smallage, parsley seed, cummin, mugwort, feverfew,
of each half a scruple; aloes, half an ounce; Indian salt, saffron, of
each half a drachm; beat and mix them together, and put it to five
ounces of feverfew water warm; stop it up, and let it stand and dry in a
warm place, and this do, two or three times, one after the other; then
make each drachm into six pills, and take one of them every night before
supper.
For a purging medicine against barrenness, take conserve of benedicta
lax, a quarter of an ounce; depsillo three drachms, electuary de
rosarum, one drachm; mix them together with feverfew water, and drink it
in the morning betimes. About three days after the patient hath taken
this purge, let her be bled, taking four or five ounces from the median,
or common black vein in the foot; and then give for five successive
days, filed ivory, a drachm and a half, in feverfew water; and during
the time let her sit in the following bath an hour together, morning and
night. Take mild yellow sapes, daucas, balsam wood and fruit, ash-keys,
of each two handfuls, red and white behen, broom flowers, of each a
handful; musk, three grains; amber, saffron, of each a scruple; boiled
in water sufficiently; but the musk, saffron, amber and broom flowers
must be put into the decoction, after it is boiled and strained.
_A Confection very good against Barrenness._