radishes in wine

Original passage

The cultivated radish, too, in addition to what we have already said of it, purges the stomach, attenuates the phlegm, acts as a diuretic, and detaches the bilious secretions. A decoction of the rind¹ of radishes⁵ in wine, taken in the morning in doses of three cyathi⁶, has the effect of breaking and expelling calculi of the bladder. A decoction, too, of this rind in vinegar and water, is employed as a liniment for the stings of serpents. Taken fasting in the morning with honey, radishes are good for a cough. Parched radish-seed, as well as radishes themselves, chewed, is useful for pains in the sides. A decoction of the leaves, taken in drink, or else the juice of the plant taken in doses of two cyathi, is an excellent remedy for phthiriasis. Pounded radishes, too, are employed as a liniment for inflammations under the skin, and the rind, mixed with honey, for bruises of recent date. Lethargic persons are recommended to eat them as hot as possible, and the seed, parched and then pounded with honey, will give relief to asthmatic patients.

Pliny the Elder, The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 4 (of 6): Books XVIII–XXIII, translated by John Bostock; H. T. Riley (1856 edition) · Book 20, chapter 13 · THE CULTIVATED RADISH: FORTY-THREE REMEDIES. · lines 8546–8561 · passage pliny-nh:b20:c013:001