Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
An Irish Materia Medica (Author: Tadhg Ó Cuinn)
subsection 1
COMPOUND MEDICINES
The Irish text is, as the formal title of its principal source, Circa Instans, indicates, a book of the simple medicines. However, a number of compound medicines are mentioned in the course of the text, and all of those mentioned below except diaeringe, diaturbit and scilleticum are included in the Antidotarium of Nicolaus, which was widely used for some centuries.
Nicolaus Salernitanus compiled his Antidotarium (spelt Antidotarius in the printing I used) early in the twelfth century, at a time when the medical community of Salerno was at its most productive. C. H. Talbot describes this book as an antidotary transmitted by Greek and Latin writers with additions and modifications imported from Arabic sources (1967, p. 42). It consists of a collection of recipes for standard compound medicines.
Trease and Hodson (1965) suggest that Hexham must have purchased some of his materials ready made, and that there may have been an
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embryo pharmaceutical industry already in being at the time, which would, no doubt, have made up these commonly used compounds, and supplied the apothecaries with them.
- Apostolicon
Our author describes apostolicon as uinnemint imcubaidh na cneadh, the appropriate ointment for wounds, and he says it is amongst the tretaib discailteacha, the dissolving plasters. Nicolaus calls it an emplastrum, and explains the Greek name as meaning supra positum vel supra missum. The main ingredients appear to be litharge (lead monoxide) and zinc, with wax and resinous substances, and some herbs. Mysteriously, an ounce of mistletoe is also required, as well as some hair clippings.
- Benedicta
This was an electuary, that is, a confection made by mixing a powdered drug with honey or syrup, and used to render some remedies palatable. The main ingredient by weight was spurge, with turbit and sugar, and lesser quantities of spices and flavoursome herbs. Honey was added as required.
- Blanca
Blanca is said to be so called because it purges the white phlegmatic humour. The ingredients include a number of resins and herbs, with a shot of spices, finishing with honey as required.
- Diaeringe
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Presumably this was a compound of species of Eryngium. It is not mentioned by Nicolaus.
- Diagalanga
This was a confection of galangal rhizome, allied to ginger, hyssop, etc.
- Dialtia
Dialtea was an unguent, made chiefly from marshmallows, and also flax seed and fenugreek; smaller quantities of squills were added, and some resins. It is said to warm, soften and moisten, and was used for the chest.
- Diamargariton
This was an electuary containing 28 ingredients, mostly powdered pearls and spicey substances. Nicolaus says it is good for heartburn, depression, weakness of the heart or stomach, and consumption.
- Diamoron
An electuary made from mulberries, blackberries and honey, used for problems of the throat and gullet.
- Diantos
This was made from flowers of rosemary, roses and violets, with spices, and honey as required. It was good for depression, the undernourished, and convalescents.
- Diapapaver
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The white poppy and barley sugar figure largely in this electuary, together with liquorice, some gums, and the melon family. It was marvellous for lung problems.
- Diapinidi
Diapenidion was a concoction of barley sugar (penidia) and appears to have been used for pulmonary problems.
- Diaradon
Dyarodon, said to contain more of roses than of other medicines, but this is not too clear!
- Diesene
Diasene was an electuary of senna, containing sugar, and lesser quantities of spices etc. Our author says it purges the melancholic humour, and Nicolaus indicates it was used to treat depression.
- Diasiminum
Diaciminum, a confection of cumin.
- Diaturbit
Diaturbit was a confection or electuary based on turpeth, which is a cathartic drug obtained from the roots of certain plants of the Convolvulus family. Strictly, turpeth is the root of the Indian Ipomoea turpethum, but roots of Calystegia soldanella may have been used as a substitute.
- Hierae
There is a chapter in the Irish text on Yera pigra Galieni, based on the account of the drug given in the Antidotarium Nicolai. The
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text also mentions Yera logodion, Yera pigra Constantini, and Yera Ruffini.
Yera is from the Greek hierós (ιερς), sacred. Avicenna devotes a tract in his Antidotarium ( Canon, Lib. 5, Su. 1, Tr. 2) to the hierae. He says they are purifying laxatives and his theme is that the name means divine medicine. The first of them that was known was hiera ruffi: at one time the name was confined to that hiera, but subsequently it came to be used for others as well. The hiera is regarded as a divine medicine because the action of a laxative is a divine thing which soothes because of the virtues of its nature. The hierae used not be given in a drink except when the doctors feared bad effects from the simple laxatives such as colocynth pulp, hellebore, etc ... . The doctor should know that the hierae are more soothing than decoctions or pills.
- Marsiatan
Ogden (1969, p. 103) says Oile Marciaton was another of the elaborate unguents, and she quotes Sigerist as showing how it grew from a comparatively simple compound of seven or eight ingredients in the works of the Byzantine writer, Paul of Aegina (seventh century), to an elaborate preparation of some fifty odd ingredients in the Antidotarium of Nicolaus. Nicolaus says it is named from Marcianus, the medico and philosopher who invented it. Apart from lots of wax and oil, and a long list of herbs in small quantities, the main items appear to be rosemary, laurel leaves, and rue.
- Scilleticum
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This item is not included by Nicolaus. It appears to be a mixture of vinegar and honey, flavoured with squills.
- Teotoricon anacardinum
Nicolaus spells this Theodoricon Anacardi, and explains the first word in the name as meaning the Gift of God. Anacardi is the kidney-shaped nut of the Indian cashew tree, Semecarpus anacardium, which is included in Nicolaus' recipe. The number of other ingredients is not large, the main item being aloes. Principally a purgative, it also helps with the memory.
- Trifera sarracenica
Nicolaus lists a number of triferas (the Greek word τρυφερς seems to mean effeminate, or delicate, the significance being that it makes a man young), but the one mentioned by Ó Cuinn may be taken to be Trifera Sarracenica. The Arabic influence is to be seen in the ingredients, which include a number of Eastern fruits which the Europeans learnt about from the Arabs, notably myrobalans, the fruit, mainly, of Terminalia chebula, a tree common in India. There are also sugar, and shots of anise and fennel. Violets are used, partly at least for colouring purposes. The uses mentioned by Nicolaus seem to refer mostly to cases where the head is hot.