Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
An Irish Materia Medica (Author: Tadhg Ó Cuinn)
subsection 287
287. Yringi, socacul: i.e. sea holly; it is hot and wet; its roots greatly comfort the digestion, and they open the oppilation of the
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liver and spleen. If the root of this herb be boiled in water, and small discs be made of them, and they be pounded finely in a mortar and boiled in honey that has been purified by skimming until it is thick like an electuary, and these powders be put in it: powder of galangal, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, sweet flag rhizome, mace, cubebes, dill seed and seed of anise powdered; putting these into the same electuary produces the electuary named Diaeryngium. Item, this drink may be made against disease of the kidneys, and against oppilation of the liver and spleen: take a handful of the roots of this herb, roots of fennel, parsley, burnet, celery, roots of carrot, hart's tongue fern, fresh maidenhair spleenwort, ox-eye daisy, root of mugwort, meadow sweet, tops of calamint and of sage, red rose, equal amounts of each, boil them in good worts, or in the liquid known as mulsa (i.e. eight parts water and the ninth part honey) and put the powder of the following seeds in at the end of the boiling: powder of the seeds of fennel, parsley, burnet, alexanders, pignut seed, and foreign burnet, boil it until a quarter of it has evaporated, strain it well, purify it with honey and sugar, and put powder of liquorice and yeast into it; if it be drunk in the morning and before going to bed, this drink will clean the vagina and the kidneys, it will facilitate conception and clean the womb, it will open the oppilation of the liver and spleen and kidneys, it will increase sexual desire and the genital fluids, and it will comfort the digestion. Item, if the same herb together with meal of barley or with knawell be boiled in wine, it will help with stranguria and dysuria, and it will be suitable against the illness called diabetes, as we have said.
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