Vienna Dioscorides: Cyclamen
Top Left: κυκλάμινος: Cyclamen. Top Center: κοτυληδὼν ἐτός: True Navelwort. This entry has been crossed out with a single horizontal line.
Starting at Top Center: κυκλάμινος· οἱ δὲ κισσάνθεμον, οἱ δὲ κισσόφυλλον, οἱ δὲ χελιδώνιον, οἱ δὲ ἰχθυοθήρα, οἱ δὲ Κυλλήνη, Ζωροάστρης Στυμφαλῖτις, Ὀσθάνης ἀσφώ, προφῆται μασφώ, Αιγύπτιοι θέσκε, Ῥωμαῖοι ῥάπουμ τέρραι, οἱ δὲ οὐμβιλίκουμ τέρραι, οἱ δὲ ῥάπουμ πορκίνουμ, οἱ δὲ θυρβίλουμ, οἱ δὲ ἀρχαρά.
φύλλα ἔχει ὅμοια κισσῷ, ποικίλα δὲ κάτωθεν καὶ ἄνωθεν, καυλὸν δὲ τετραδάκτυλον, γυμνὰ, ἐφ᾽ οὗ ἄνθη πορφυρίζοντα, ρίζαν μέλαιναν, γογγυλίδι παραπλησίαν, ὑπόπλατυν, ἥτις ποθεῖσα μεθ᾽ ὑδρομέλιτος ἄγει φλέγμα καὶ ὕδωρ κάτω, καὶ ἔμμηνα δὲ κινεῖ προστιθεμένη. φασὶ δὲ ὅτι, κἂν ὑπερβῇ τὴν ῥίζαν ἐγκύμων γυνή, ἐξαμβλώσκειν αὐτήν· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἀτόκιον περιαπτομένη. πίνεται δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὰ θανάσιμα μετ᾿ οἴνου, καὶ μάλιστα πρὸς λαγωὸν θαλάσσιον, καὶ ἑρπετῶν ἐστιν ἀντιφάρμακον καταπλασσομένη, μεθύσκει τε μειχθεῖσα οἴνῳ. ἀποκαθίστησι δὲ καὶ ἔκτερον τριῶν δραχμῶν πλῆθος ποθείσα μετὰ γλυκέος ἢ μελικράτου. κατακλίνειν δὲ δεῖ τὸν πίνοντα ἐν οἴκῳ θερμῷ καὶ πλείοσιν ἱματίοις περιβάλλειν, ὅπως ἱδρώσῃ· ὁ δὲ ἀποκρινόμενος ὑδρὸς χολώδης εὑρίσκεται τῇ χρόᾳ. ἐγχυματίζεταί τε ὁ χυλὸς αὐτῆς μετὰ μέλιτος εἰς τὰς ῥῖνας πρὸς κάθαρσιν κεφαλῆς, καὶ τῷ δακτυλίῳ ἐν ἐρίῳ προστίθεται πρὸς κομιδὴν περιττωμάτων. καταχρισθέντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐπ᾽ ὀμφαλού καὶ ὑπογαστρίου καὶ ἐσχίου κοιλίαν μαλάσσει καὶ ἐκτρωσμούς ἐργάζεται, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ὑποκεχυμένους καὶ ἀμβλυωποῦντας ἐγχριόμενος ὁ χυλός σὺν μέλιτι ἁρμόζει· μείγνυται καὶ εἰς τὰ φθόρια, έδραν τε προπεσοῦσαν σὺν ὄξει καταχριόμενος ὁ χυλός καθίστησι. χυλίζεται δὲ ἡ ῥίζα κοπτομένη καὶ ἐκθλιβομένη, ἑψομένου τοῦ χυλοῦ ἄχρι μελιτώδους συστάσεως. ῥύπτει δὲ καὶ χρῶτα ἡ ῥίζα καὶ ἐξανθήματα στέλλει, καὶ τραύματα μετ’ ὄξους καὶ καθ᾿ ἑαυτὴν καὶ μετὰ μέλιτος ἱᾶται. καταπλασσομένη δὲ καὶ σπλῆνα τήκει, ἀποκαθαίρει δὲ καὶ ἔφηλιν καὶ ἀλωπεκίας, εὐθετεῖ δὲ καὶ πρὸς στρέμματα καὶ ποδάγραν. τὸ δὲ ἀφέψημα αὐτῆς ποιεῖ πρὸς τὰ ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ ἑλκύδρια καὶ χιμέτλας καταντλούμενον, αὐτή τε δι᾿ ἐλαίου παλαιοῦ ἀναζεσθεῖσα ἀπουλοῖ καταχρισμένου τοῦ ἐλαίου. ἐγκοιλανθεῖσα δὲ πληροῦται τοῦ ἐλαίου καὶ τίθεται ἐπὶ θερμοσποδιᾶς, προσεμβάλλεται δὲ ἐνίοτε καὶ κηροῦ Τυρρηνικοῦ ὀλίγον, ὡς γλοιῶδες γενέσθαι, κατάχρισμα ἄριστον χιμετλιῶσιν. ἀποτίθεται δὲ ἡ ῥίζα τμηθεῖσα ὥσπερ σκίλλα. ἱστορεῖται δὲ καὶ πρὸς φίλτρα αὐτὴν λαμβάνεσθαι καεῖσαν ἀναπλασθεῖσάν τε εἰς τροχίσκους. φύεται δὲ ἐν συσκίοις τόποις, μάλιστα δὲ ὑπὸ τὰ δένδρα.
Cyclamen: Some call it cissanthemon, some ivy leaf, some chelidonion, some fish chase, some Kyllene, Zoroaster’s Stymphalis, Osthanes aspho, known as maspho, the Egyptians [call it] theske, the Romans [call it] rapum terrae (turnip of the earth), some [call it] umbilicum terrae (navel of the earth), some rapum porcinum (pig turnip), some thurbilum, and some archara.
It has leaves like ivy, spotted on top and on bottom, and the stem is four finger-lengths and bare [of leaves], upon which are purplish flowers. The root is dark and like a turnip, and rather flat. When drunk with honey water it drives phlegm and water downward, and it sets menstruation going when applied. They say that should a pregnant woman step over the root she will miscarry, and that it causes barrenness when worn. It is drunk with wine for deadly venoms, and most of all for the sea hair, and it is an antidote for snakes when plastered on. It causes drunkenness when mixed with wine. It gets rid of jaundice when an amount of three drachmas is drunk with something sweet or with honey-milk mixture, but the one who drank it must stay in bed in a warm house covered with many cloaks so that he might sweat. The sweat that is emitted is found to be bilious in color. Its juice is instilled with honey into the nose for purging of the head, and is applied to the anus on wool for attending to [i.e. removing] excrement. When it is smeared on the navel and below the belly and on the socket of the hip it loosens the bowels and brings about miscarriages, and the juice when anointed with honey is suitable for those with cataracts and those with poor eyesight. The juice is mixed in abortifacients and it resettles a prolapsed anus when rubbed on with vinegar. The root has juice extracted when chopped and pressed out, with the juice being boiled until honey-like in composition. The root cleanses the skin and rids pimples, and it treats wounds with vinegar both on its own and with honey. When plastered on it warms the spleen, and it also rids freckles and alopecia, and it is also well-disposed for sprains and gout. Its decoction works on sores of the head and chilblains when rinsed on, and it cures them when, having been boiled in old olive oil, the oil is rubbed on. When hollowed out, it is filled with oil and placed on hot ashes, sometimes a little Tyrrhenian wax is put in besides, so that it will become viscous, it is the best ointment for chilblains. After being cut up the root is stored like squill. It is also reported that, after being burned and molded into small disks, it is used as a love potion. It grows in heavily shaded areas, most of all under trees.