CHAP. 56.—THE ERYTHRODANUS: ELEVEN REMEDIES.
The erythrodanus,236 by some called “ereuthodanus,” and in Latin “rubia,” is quite a different plant. It is used for dyeing wool, and skins for leather are prepared with it. Used medicinally, it is a diuretic, and, employed with hydromel, it is curative of jaundice.237 Employed topically with vinegar, it heals lichens; and a potion is prepared from it for sciatica and paralysis, the patient while using it taking a bath daily. The root of it and the seed are effectual as an emmenagogue; they act astringently upon the bowels, and disperse gatherings. The branches, together with the leaves, are applied to wounds inflicted by serpents; the leaves too have the property of staining the hair.238 I find it stated by some writers that this shrub is curative of jaundice, even if worn as an amulet only, and looked at every now and then.