Euphorbium quidem est gumme arboris: i.e. euphorbia is the gum of a tree which grows in India, and which exudes gumminess in the summer time. When it has coagulated around it, it is changed to euphorbium matter.
Nature: hot and dry in the fourth degree. It purges phlegm primarily, and melancholia secondarily. For that reason it relieves all arthritis, podagra, chirogra, iliac, lethargy, and epilepsy. The pills made from it relieve paralysis, and should they be mixed with various spices they relieve the diseases we have mentioned. It is best when it is bright, fresh, and yellow tending towards green.
Dosage: it suffices as maximum dose of it from one scruple to one half scruple, and the minimum dose of it up to one quarter scruple. For Avicenna says that three drams of it kills a person in three days by injuring the stomach and entrails. It is proper to mitigate its powder with oil of rose.