MEDICAL CANNABIS
A SHORT GRAPHICAL HISTORY
THE WEST - 1561


A MOST EXCELLENT AND PERFECT APOTHECARY

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
Publication Date: 1561 By (author) Hieronymus Brunschwig

Brunschwig Cov
Brunschwig pg10

To heale all maner disease of the eares.
SOmtyme is the hearing lost clene / so that a man heareth nothinge at al / or a litle. He that is so diseased / must be layd in the sunne in summer / and loke into hys eares / whether ought be fallen into them: or els whether an apostemacion / or bluster / or any other thinge be in it / whereby his hearinge might fayle. But if nothing is found nor sene in therein / then is it sure / yt the grefe commeth from within ye head / of some vapor yt is gathered ther / wher by the hearing is stopped / or els of some apostemacion in ye head / wher ye organes of hearing are. And he yt is so diseased / speaketh so softly / yt he can scarsely be vnderstand / & is troubled with slepe. To thesame ought be geuen iij. pilles de iera picra Galeni / the same draw the humors from ye eares & head / & cause him to nyse. After yt set boxes vpon the one eare / to draw the fylt out of ye head. But if a man is lette~ blood in the head out of scason / thesame hurteth him sore / and causeth hym to become deafe.

If a man haue a sounding or piping in his eares / the same cometh somtyme of a hote slymy fylthynesse / or of a hote slymy moystnesse. He that is so diseased / ought to take pilles de iera picra / & then put oyle of Hempsede warme into his eares / mixt wt a litle vinegre / after yt let him leape vpon hys one legge / vpon that syde / where the disease is / than let hym bowe doune ye eare of that syde / if happely any moysture or fylth would issue out.


Brunschwig p14
Brunschwig p14B

Of suppuration or matteringe in the breste.
HE that hath a mattering in ye brest caused of cold / ought to beware for colde / and eschue the ayer / let him lye hygh or sitt vpright / let him not slepe much / & in his slepe ought he be waked otherwhiles / yt he may himme. Make hym a butter suppe of halfe water and halfe butter / let that be well sodden / and putte not muche breade therein / and eate that broth as hote

as he can. Thesame broth let hym drinke to bedwarde / that weakeneth the corrupcion very well / and maketh it apt to be cast out. Also ought litle meat be geuen hym at ones / and lytle drinke: for the corruption groweth ye more of muche eatinge and drinking. Let him alwaye be hungery and thyrstye / nether eat any fishes nor speces / nether drinke any soure drinke. A syrop of Violettes were good for him: but if ye haue not that syrop / tha~ make a milk of Hempsede / of water and hempsede / or els in stede therof take creme / and eat that / thesame cooleth and softeneth the harte wythoute hurte or daunger. After meate ought he to walke a litle / hauinge alwaye a warme cloth before hys mouth / that the ayer do not hurte him: for of the walkinge doth the corruption louse.


Brunschwig P18

But when a man dyd cough / and were strayght aboute the brest and harte / and had heate therewyth / so that it were taken for an apostemacion.
TAke~ a dishe full of Hempe sede / put thereto a litle warm water / braye it well / and strayne it wyth warme water / so that it become as a thyn parage. After that when it is colde / geue the patient therof to drinke so muche as he listeth wythout hurte: the same doth mollifye & coole very well / slaketh thyrste / and maketh large aboute the harte. And it is hood to seth that hempsede milke wyth butter / suppe there of wyth a spoune as hote as ye can suffre it / and in thre dayes ye shalbe whole without hurte or payne. It is good also for stich about the hart.

Brunschwig P20

Another drinke for the cough / that cooleth and mollifieth very well / and speciallye apostemes.
TAke Hempsede well beaten / mixte wyth water / and strayned through a cloth / so that it waxe euen as milk / drinke therof in the nyght and toward night when ye are thyrstye.

Or els take Rapes or Nauettes as much as a fyst / roste the same wel in ashes / yt they become as weke as a pere / ye reader they be / ye better are they: it greueth not though they be burnt somwhat. Thesame shall ye eate when ye go to bedde / as warm as ye can suffer it / and lykewyse in the morninge. This is good also for horsenesse.


Brunschwig P31

Of all diseases of the bellye / and hys partes annexed.
ANis sede / howsoeuer it is vsed / driueth out windes / that be strayenge in the guttes / and combre the stomake / and chafe the lyuer: it maketh also good digestion / and is good agaynst belkinge or breakinge vp of soure windes / of a colde and vndigested stomacke.

If any person / ether man or woman had a grepinge in hys guttes / specially the frettinge in the great guttes / and he or she were poore: let him take a litle waxe candle / and make therof a crosse vpright / vpon a pece of papir / the bignes of a groate / festened or clyued vpon the belly / and lightened / and a litle glasse set thereon: thesame draweth the payne to it. Or els take a bondel of rawe hempe threde / and seth it in water where are manye ashes / and laye it so warme vpon the belly.

If ye haue no hempe threde / then do as I did when I was called by a woman / that was at the poynt of trauaylinge / and had so greate payne in her bellye / that the chylde lept vp and doune / so that all they that were aboute her / were astonnyed / nether durst anye man minister oughte to her: I bande both her legges aboue the kne hard and faste wyth a bande / and let it so alwaye an Aue Maria / and then losed it agayne a litle space / and band it agayne so oft / tyll the payne was holy taken awaye.


Brunschwig P41

Of Agues / and fyrst howe he maye be cured that is ouertaken wyth Ephemera.
Ephemera is a feuer so called / because it is apte to be cured in one daye / but if it is not regarded / turneth to sundery kindes of agues or feuers. This disease happeneth somtyme of the Sonne heate / whereby the head waxeth hoter then anye other membres. Somtime commeth it of excesse of colde / and then becommeth a man redish vnder hys eyen / & his body waxeth cold outwardly / & the head heuy. Somtime commeth it with surfettinge wyth meates or drinkes that be hote or colde / and thereof waxeth hys vrine reed. Somtime happeneth it of anger / & then waxeth his face reed / and his eyen drawe forwarde / and turne very swyftlye in his heade. Also doth it happen . . . .

When the ague beginneth to fayle / then geue him the seconde or thyrde daye to drinke water distilled out of ye rootes of broade Planteyn / thre morninges one after another / at eche tyme an vnce and an halfe / or two vnces / and make him an Epithema / that is a medicine vpon the liuer of thys wise: take two vnces of Endiue water / an vnce of water Cicory / and halfe an vnce of water of Roses / mixe these together / and dippe towe of Hempe therin / and laye it vpon the liuer. Let him also eate meates of good digestio~ as are yonge Mottons / Lambes / Chyckens / Hogges fete / and such like. Let him eschue salt meates / and be sobre in eating and drinking: and after meate let him vse moderate walkinge or stearing / where good ayer is / and so shall he recouer easely and well.




Our thanks to EEBO [Early English Books Online] for much of the enclosed material.

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