CHAP. 71.—THE LATHYRIS: TWO REMEDIES.
The lathyris [Note] has numerous leaves like those of the lettuce, [Note]
with numbers of small buds, in which the seed is contained,
enclosed in envelopes like that of the caper. When these buds
are dry, the seeds, about the size of a peppercorn, are taken out:
they are white, sweet, and easily cleansed from the husk.
Twenty of them, taken in pure water or in hydromel, are
curative of dropsy, and carry off bile. Persons who require a
stronger purgative, take them with the husks on. They are
apt, however, to be injurious to the stomach; for which reason
a plan has been adopted of taking them with fish or else
chicken broth.
