Electuary for Back Pain

Tradition:

Western

Source / Author:

Galen (Omnia Quae extant in Latinum Sermonem Conversa, 1556)

Herb Name	Latin	Amount *
Clove	Eugenia caryophyllus	1 oz.
Cinnamon	Cinnamonum zeylanicum	4 oz.
Ginger	Zingiber officinalis	3 drams
Costus	Saussurea lappa	1 oz.
Frankincense	Boswellia sacra	2 oz.
Asparagus seed	Asparagus officinale	5 oz.
Asparagus root	Asparagus officinale
Galangal	Alpina officinarum	3 oz. ea.
Pellitory	Anacyclus pyrethrum	2 oz.
Indian Spikenard	Nardostachys jatamansi	8 oz.
Sa ff ron	Crocus sativus	3 oz.
Myrrh	Commiphora molmol	1 oz.
Macedonian Parsley seed	Petroselinum macedonicum	4 oz.
Hog Fennel	Peucedanum officinale	2 oz.
Saxifrage	Pimpinella saxifraga
Milium Solis	Lithospermum officinale	4 oz. ea.
Dock seed *	Rumex spp.
Henbane seed	Hyoscyamus niger	3 oz. ea.
Coriander seed	Coriandrum sativum
Celtic Spikenard **	Valeriana celtica	1 oz. ea.
Asarabacca	Asarum europeum	2 oz.
Parsley seed	Petroselinum crispum	4 oz.
Spignel root	Meum asthmaticum	10 oz.
Valerian	Valeriana officinalis	1 oz.
Gromwell	Lithospermum officinale
Lovage	Levisticum officinale	4 oz. ea.
Black Pepper	Piper nigrum	1 oz.

* Lapathi, as listed in the text, can refer to several species of Dock. Burdock seed would be a suitable choice in this case.
** Celticae, listed in the text, probably refers to Celtic Spikenard

Preparation:

Powder and with sufficient Honey, form an Electuary

Function:

Strengthens Kidneys and Back, Promotes Urine, Breaks Stones, Eases Pain

Use:

1. Back Pain
2. Stones
3. Strangury
4. Dysuria

Dose:

2 drams

Comment:

This would be easy to simplify and remodel, reducing the number of ingredients and rewriting the proportions.

Doses as given in the text seem unlikely. All measurements are listed in ounces with the exception of Ginger, and there is a wide range range of variation in the doses with some of the herbs with largest doses seeming unlikely.

Cautions:

None noted

Modifications:

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