Herbal & Animal Medicines — Medieval Manuscript

...so that you may use it thus.

To paint the Betony herb.

A botanical illustration of a betony plant (Betonica officinalis) depicted with a central reddish stem, several pairs of opposite, green, serrated leaves, and a cluster of small reddish-pink flowers at the terminal spikes.

Name of the herb: Betonica. The Greeks call it psychotrophos soul-nourisher. Others call it cestros, others cerone, others indicem, others cosmiten, others epicotrophos, others thastrya, others feropris, others theriophonon, others pandona, others siderites, the priests hyerocarunae, the Gauls betonica, others vettonica, in Italian it is called betonica. This herb, Betonica, grows in meadows and on mountains, in insidious and shady places around shrubs. It guards the souls and bodies of men, nocturnal walks, and holy places, graves, and [keeps them] from nothing to be feared, from every holy thing. Gather it in the month of August without iron, and do not let the earth touch it when you have pulled it up, and you will place it in the shade, and thus you will grind it, reduced to a very soft powder in an aromatic sieve, so that you may use it thus.

i

For a fracture of the head: Betony herb, crushed and placed upon the head, will heal it by gluing it together with wondrous speed, because it is more effective on the third day; apply it more frequently as it is refreshed, that is, [use] more recent [herb] until its power grows old. Such utility is said of the herb, that it extracts broken bones.

ii

Root with water: For vices or pains of the eyes, boil Betony herb to one-third...

...in any water, and foment the eyes; place its own crushed leaves upon the forehead.

iii

For bad odor: Or for colors likely referring to discoloration or pallor, take the fresh leaves of Betony, or if it has persisted, into heated water, take its juice, then having added something before, immediately instill it into the ears; it is argued to be wondrously pleasing to the sides if [one] instills it.

iiii

For dimness of the eyes: Let one drink one drachma a unit of weight, approx. 3.4g of Betony herb with four cyathos a small measuring cup of hot water while fasting. It draws down the lower part of all blood that causes dimness in the eyes.

v

For tears of the eyes: Chewing Betony herb makes it better.

vi

For blood flowing too much from the nostrils: Take crushed Betony herb, having added a little, two fingers' worth referring to a pinch between thumb and middle finger, and make a small round ball, and insert it into the nostrils.

vii

For toothache or pain: Gargle with Betony herb boiled down to one-third in old wine or vinegar; it heals wondrously and dispels toothache.

viii

For colic or for those who are short of breath: Give half a drachma to be drunk in two cyathos of warm water. The same is beneficial for those short of breath.

uiiii

For those who have a cough or vomit pus: Give three drachmas of Betony herb with honey. Ginger, while fasting; it does something wondrous.

x

For stomach pain: Give three drachmas of Betony herb to chew for three days, and let [the patient] drink four cyathos of cold water.

xi

For iliac pain: Take three drachmas of Betony water...

xii

For a hot liver: Drink four cyathos for three days, and it will be better.

xiii

For spleen issues: Betony herb boiled with wine and given in a drink is affirmed by experts to be beneficial for the spleen.

xiiii

For pain in the kidneys: Two drachmas of Betony herb with honeyed wine, and two [cups] to be drunk; it will heal.

xv

For side pain: Three cyathos of Betony herb in old wine, and twenty grains of pepper, and [drink]... and heat the wine, and let [the patient] drink while fasting.

xvi

For lower back pain: With Aminean wine and three cyathos, pepper...