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

Chapter 461: CHAP. 16.—REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE SEXUAL CONGRESS.

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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. 16.—REMEDIES DERIVED FROM THE SEXUAL CONGRESS.

Democritus spoke in condemnation of the sexual congress, as 2193 being merely an act through which one human being springs from another; and really, by Hercules! the more rarely it is used the better. Still however, athletes, we find, when they become dull and heavy, are re-established by it: the voice, too, is restored by it, when from being perfectly clear, it has degenerated into hoarseness. The congress of the sexes is a cure also for pains in the loins, dimness of the eyesight,2194 alienation of the mental difficulties, and melancholy.