Vienna Dioscorides: Centaury
Top Right: κενταύρειον τό μέγ[α]: Centaury. Top Center: οἱ δὲ νάρκην καλοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ λιμνήσιον, οἱ δὲ Μαρώνιον, οἱ δὲ Πελεθρονιάς, οἱ δὲ χειρωνιάς, οἱ δὲ λίμνηστις, προφῆται αἷμα Ηρακλέους, Ῥωμαῖοι φέλ τέρραι, οἱ δὲ οὐνίφερα.
Some call it narke, some limnesion, some Maronion, some Pelethronias, some cheironias, some limnestis, known as Herakles’ blood. The Romans [call it] felterrae, some unifera.
Bottom Center: φύλλα έχει καρύᾳ βασιλικῇ ἐοικότα, προμήκη, χρώματι χλωρὰ ὡς κράμβης· τὸ δὲ περιφερὲς αὐτῶν ἐντέτμηται ὥσπερ πρίων· καυλὸν δὲ ἔχει ὡς λάπαθον, δίπηχυν ἢ καὶ τρίπηχυν, παραφυάδας ἀπὸ τῆς ῥίζης ἔχοντα πολλάς, ἐφ᾽ ὧν κεφαλαὶ ὅμοιαι μήκωνι, ὑπομήκεις ἐν τῷ περιφερεῖ, ἄνθος κυανίζον· καρπὸς δὲ ὅμοιος κνήκῳ, ἐγκείμενος ὥσπερ ἐν ἐριώδεσι τοῖς ἄνθεσι, ῥίζα παχεῖα, στερεά, βαρεῖα, περὶ πήχεις δύο, μεστὴ χυλοῦ, δριμεῖα μετὰ ποσῆς στύψεως καὶ γλυκύτητος, ὑπέρυθρος· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ὁ χυλός ερυθρός. φιλεῖ δὲ λιπαρὰν γῆν, εὐήλιον, δρυμοὺς καὶ γεώλοφα· πλεονάζει δὲ ἐν Λυκίᾳ καὶ ἐντὸς τῆς Πελοποννήσου ἐν Ηλιδι καὶ ᾿Αρκαδίᾳ καὶ Μεσσηνία καὶ περὶ Φολόην καὶ Λύκαιον καὶ Κυλλήνην. ἁρμόζει δὲ ἡ ῥίζα ῥήγμασι, σπάσμασι, πλευριτικοῖς, δυσπνοίᾳ, βηχὶ παλαιᾷ, αἱμοπτυϊκοῖς, ἀπυρέτοις μὲν μετ᾿ οἴνου, πυρέσσουσι δὲ μεθ᾽ ὕδατος δραχμῶν δυεῖν πλῆθος τῆς ῥίζης διδόμενον καὶ πρὸς στρόφους ὁμοίως καὶ ὑστέρας ἀλγήματα. ἄγει δὲ καὶ ἔμμηνα καὶ ἔμβρυα εἰς σχῆμα κολλυρίου ξυσθεῖσα καὶ προστεθεῖσα τῇ ὑστέρᾳ· ὁ δὲ χυλὸς τὰ αὐτὰ ποιεῖ. ἔστι δὲ καὶ τραυματική, ὑγρὰ μὲν κοπεῖσα, ξηρὰ δὲ προβραχεῖσα καὶ οὕτως κοπεῖσα· συνάγει γὰρ καὶ κολλᾷ, καὶ τὰ ἑψόμενα δὲ κρέα συνάγει, ἐάν τις αὐτὴν κόψας συνεψήσῃ. οἱ δὲ ἐν Λυκίᾳ χυλίζοντες χρῶνται αὐτῷ ἀντὶ λυκίου.
It has leaves like that of the royal filbert, oblong, green in color like cabbage. Their edges are serrated like a saw, it has a stalk like rhubarb, two or even three cubits long, having many shoots from the roots, upon which are heads similar to poppy, somewhat long on the edge, the flower is blue. The fruit is like safflower, being wrapped as though in woolly flowers, the root is thick, firm, and heavy, about two cubits, and full of juice that is sharp with a certain astringency and sweetness, reddish [in color]. Likewise the juice is also red. It likes rich soil, a sunny area, thickets and hillocks. It is common in Lycia and, within the Peloponnese, in Elis, Arcadia, Messenia, and around Pholoe, Lycaion, and Kyllene. The root is suitable for ruptures, spasms, those with pleurisy, dyspnea, an old cough, and those who spit blood, [if they are] free of fever, when mixed with wine. But for those with fever two drachmas’ amount of the root is given mixed with water, likewise for colic and uterine pains. It leads on menstruation and fetuses when whittled to the shape of a pessary and applied to the uterus. The juice does the same things. It is also useful for wounds, chopped when moist, but first moistened when dry and likewise chopped. For it also acts as a coagulate, and it gathers together boiling meats, is someone having chopped it cooks it in. Those in Lycia use it with the juice extracted instead of dyer’s buckthorn.