WESTERN CLASSIFICATION of the MATERIA MEDICA
4g. HEPATIC
Medicines for the Liver
Materia Medica in Arabic & Persian, Shirazy, 1793
Aphorisms on Hepatics, collected by Culpeper, (Composita, 1656):
- Hepatics may be divided into three divisions: 1. Such as delight the Liver. 2. Such as add strength to it. 3. Such as take away its vice
- The Liver is delighted with some medicines as well as nourishments. For all those things as are sweet, the Liver greedily draws to it.
- Such things as strengthen sthe Liver, do gently bind.
- For Concoction [digestion] requires adstriction, to keep together both the heat and the humor to be concocted, lest it be dispersed.
- Amongst all the rest of the entrails, the Liver is most subject to obstructions. Therefore such Medicines as hinder obstructions, or help them being made, are appropriated to the Liver, and they are such, which cut and attenuate without vehement heat, such as have both a cleansing and binding quality.
- Inflammations commonly follow obstructions, and they require cooling things, yet will not any cool thing serve the turn, but such as are Hepatical.
