Ficariam

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Ficariam vocant milmorbiam que et scrophularia et urtica mortua a quibusdam vocatur eo quod folia urtice similia habet non tamen urentia.


Apparatus:

Ms. e: Fictaria est scrophularia vocãt qʒ milmorbiaʒ et vrtica mortua ….

Ficariam B f | Fictaria ms. e | Filcarian AC

milmorbiam (-biaʒ e; -biã AB) BC e | vulmorbiã f {'mi' misread as 'vu'}

habet C | ha͞t ms. e | hʒ A | he͞at B f

tamen C f | tñ AB | tantũ ms. e

vrentia (vrẽ- A; uren- B) ABC | vrencia ef


Translation:

Ficaria {lit. "herb good for figs, i.a. haemorrhoids" see Commentary} they also call milmorbia {lit. "good for a thousand ailments"}, which is also called by some urtica mortua {lit. "deadnettle"}, because its leaves are similar to those of urtica {"stinging nettle"}, but it does not have the burning sting.


Commentary:

Much of this text is repeated under Millemorbia.

This is a list of synonyms with an explanation of the naming motive for urtica mortua.

Ficaria, sc. herba ficaria, is derived from ficus "fig".


Botanical identification:

In accordance with the doctrine of signature the plant's fruit, the fig, is associated with diseases where very often the signs are small nodules or granulomas, which can of course represent a large variety of underlying afflictions, i.a. the eponymous scrofula [[1]].

Thus André (1985: 104), s.v. fīcāria says it is a plant whose root shows granulations that resemble a collection of haemorrhoids, and according to said doctrine of signature the plant was used to combat this condition. He identifies it with Scrofularia nodosa L., "(common) figwort", [[2]].

Genaust (1996: 248), s.v. ficária, identifies it with "Scharbockskraut" {lit. "scurvy herb"}, Ficaria verna Huds., syn. Ranunculus ficaria L., i.e. "lesser celandine", and according to him this was used to treat genital warts, cf. German Feigwarze {lit. "fig wart"}, again as shown by its "signature" of the fleshy root nodules or its flower bulbils. Cf. also the older English name "pilewort", i.e. "haemorrhoid herb". [[3]]. The use of this plant to fight scurvy is only of more recent origin.

WilfGunther 10:40, 7 August 2014 (BST)


See also Millemorbia, Scrophularia, Urtica maura

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