Helleborus niger, et cetera i.e. black hellebore is in chips when cut. Its piquancy is more powerful than that of white hellebore. The people who cut it are saved from its evil effects in this way: by taking garlic and wine. It is best when it is intermediate between young and old, when it has a yellow color, and when it is brittle. Nature: hot and dry in the second degree. It purges melancholia, and is for that reason suitable for impetigo, serpigo, and leprosy. Dosage: it suffices as maximum dose of it up to one half dram; and as minimum dose up to one half scruple. Before administering it, it is proper to correct it with origanum or catnip.