The Complete Herbal To which is now added, upwards of one hundred additional herbs, with a display of their medicinal and occult qualities physically applied to the cure of all disorders incident to mankind: to which are now first annexed, the English physician enlarged, and key to Physic.

CHAPTER IX.

Chapter 31206 wordsPublic domain

_Of Medicines appropriated to the joints._

The joints are usually troubled with cephalic diseases, and then are to be cured by cephalic medicines.

Medicines appropriated to the joints, are called by the name _Arthritical_ medicines.

The joints, seeing they are very nervous, require medicines which are of a heating and drying nature, with a gentle binding, and withal, such as by peculiar virtue are appropriated to them, and add strength to them. It is true, most cephalics do so, yet because the joints are more remote from the centre, they require stronger medicines.

For removing pains in the joints this is the method of proceeding.

Pain is either taken away or eased, for the true cure is to take away the cause of the pain, sometimes the vehemency of the pain is so great that you must be forced to use _Anodines_ (for so physicians call such medicines as ease pain) before you can meddle with the cause, and this is usually when the part pained is inflamed, for those medicines which take away the cause of pain being very hot, if there be any inflammation in the part pained, you must abstain from them till the inflammation be taken away.

SECTION III.

_Of the propriety or operation of Medicines._