The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 5 (of 6)

Chapter 283: CHAP. 53.—HYPERICON, CHAMÆPITYS, OR CORISON: NINE REMEDIES.

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This volume catalogs remedies derived from forest trees and wild plants, presenting systematic entries for dozens of species with prescribed treatments and applications. It enumerates specific uses for resins, barks, leaves, berries, and sap, and gives instructions on preparation, dosage, and testing of potency. The text also records variations among species, regional observations on growth and harvesting, and anecdotes on how certain plants were discovered or associated with animals and human practices. Overall it functions as a practical herbal compendium combining botanical description with medicinal recipes and empirical notes.

CHAP. 53.—HYPERICON, CHAMÆPITYS, OR CORISON: NINE REMEDIES.

Hypericon,1259 otherwise known as the “chamæpitys”1260 or “corison,”1261 is possessed of similar properties. It is a plant 1262 with a stem like that 1263 of a garden vegetable, thin, red, and a cubit in length. The leaf is similar to that of rue, and has an acrid smell: the seed is enclosed in a swarthy pod, and ripens at the same time as barley. This seed is of an astringent nature, arrests diarrhœa, and acts as a diuretic: it is taken also for diseases of the bladder, in wine.