CHAP. 32.—LEES OF VINEGAR: SEVENTEEN REMEDIES.
The lees of vinegar,2972 as a matter of course, considering the material from which they are derived, are much more acrid than those of wine, and more caustic in their effects. This substance prevents the increase of suppuration, and, employed topically, is good for the stomach, intestines, and regions of the abdomen. It has the property also of arresting fluxes of those parts, and the catamenia when in excess; it disperses inflamed tumours which have not come to a head, and is a cure for quinsy. Applied with wax, it is curative of erysipelas. It reduces swellings of the mamillæ when gorged with milk, and removes malformed nails. Employed with polenta, it is very efficacious for the cure of stings inflicted by the serpent called cerastes;2973 and in combination with melanthium,2974 it heals bites inflicted by crocodiles and dogs.
Vinegar lees, too, by being subjected to the action of fire, acquire additional strength.2975 Mixed in this state with oil of mastich, and applied to the hair, they turn2976 it red in a single night. Applied with water in linen, as a pessary, they act as a detergent upon the uterus.