Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
An Irish Materia Medica (Author: Tadhg Ó Cuinn)
subsection 25
25. Alumen, stipteria, sucarium: i.e. the three names of alum; it is said to be hot and dry in the fourth degree; it has a consuming and drying virtue; if a bath be made with alum and salt for the person with dropsy, it. will help with the dropsy. Item, if earthworms and alum be powdered together and put on a place that is ulcerating, it will help it. Item, powder it and put it on the wounds in which there is proud flesh and it will help with it; it cures bleary eyes, and if water of alum be put on the bleary eyes it will shrink and dry them.
p.470
Item, cook honey and vinegar and boil them until they are as thick as honey, put powdered alum through them then, keep a mouthful of it in the mouth, and it will consolidate the teeth and harden the gums; there are three sorts of alum, round, clear (?), and fractured, and it is the fractured sort that we use; it is obtained in very hot countries. Item, Platearius says that if the water of alum be put in the opening of a festering sore it will help it. Item, take sulphur and alum, an equal amount of both, boil them in vinegar, and it will help with any scabby head; the doctors say that alum is the mordant for every colour.