Serum, Whey
Cheese Water
Pharmaceutical name:
Serum
Parts used:
The liquid extracted from curdled Milk.
Temperature & Taste:
Cool, moist. Sweet
Classification:
3E. DIURETIC. 3H. LACTAGOGUE
4f. SPLENETIC 4g. HEPATIC
Preparers and Purgers of Melancholy
Uses:
1. Clears Heat:
–Burning Urine
–Diarrhea, Dysentery
2. Purges Bile and Melancholy:
–very useful for Bile and Melancholy diseases
–Leprosy, Elephantiasis
–Eczema, Psoriasis
–Fibroids, Cancer
3. Nourishes Yin, Softens:
–strengthens the Weak and debilitated
–can help put on weight and build strength
-Bleeding from the Lungs
4. Promotes Milk:
–promotes and enriches Breast Milk
5. Moderates Medicines:
–can soften and moderate harsh medicines like Turbith and Scammony
6. Externally:
-Burns, Scalds
–inflammations
-used in cooling enemas
Dose:
2–4 oz. or more.
To purge Bile and Melancholy, it was often taken with Oxymel.
Preparation:
Whey:
Milk 250 mls.
Lemon juice 30 mls.
Mix the 2 at room temperature. Once the Milk curdles, strain it through cheesecloth, then twist the cheescloth and express all the whey.
This process can be quickened by heating the Milk, just until it starts to foam, but before boiling, then remove from the heat and add the acidic liquor.
Cow Milk can be used but Goat Milk was generally preferred.
Vinegar (20mls) or other acidic liquids can be used in place of Lemon juice.
In modern times, Rennet is used to coagulate the milk. Half ml. of liquid rennet per liter of milk is generally used. Vegetable Rennets are also available.
Main Combinations:
1. Gentle laxative, with Honey and Salt
2. To purge Bile:
i. Boil Tamarind in Whey and add Syrup of Rose or Violet
ii. with Rhubarb, Yellow Myrobalan
3. Diarrhea or Dysentery, or Burning Urine, Tragacanth boiled in Whey (Unani)
4. To purge Melancholy
i. with Fumitory and Dodder
ii. with Senna, Dodder, Black Myrobalan
5. Chronic Skin conditions: Psoriasis:
i. with Fumitory, Dodder, Agrimony
ii. with Fumitory, Madder, Rhubarb
6. Leprosy, Elephatiasis:
i. take long-term with Calamint (Dioscorides)
ii. with Senna, Dodder, Fumitory
7. Fibroid Tumors–with Dodder, Polypody, Agaric
8. Cancer
i. with Fumitory, Senna, Dodder, Rosemary
9. Chronic Gonorrhea, Whey, Milk and Sesame oil are boiled with Asparagus juice to a plaster and applied to the pubic region.
10. To beutify the skin:
i. Fumitory boiled in whey and used as a wash to improve skin complexion and make it fair.
Major Formulas:
Decoction of Fumitory Compound
Potion for Unulcerated Cancer
Arabian Confect Purging Melancholy (Confectio Hamech) (Mesue)
Electuary of Dodder and Fumitory (Mesue)
Electuary for Bile and Melancholy (Mesue)
Cautions:
None noted
