Of Raisins And Currants

raisins and currants are of the same nature, and abound with a sweet juice,which is very nourishing. They keep the body open when stoned, increase the appetite, are good in diseases of the breast, and cure a hoarseness. Eaten with their stones, they are more binding, help digestion, and are good in fluxes. They are bad in inflammatory fevers, be-cause they increase the effervescence of the humours. Their too frequent use is bad for the gums, and disposes them to grow rotten.

Of Mulberries

Mulberries, before they are ripe, are rough and astringent, and are used in gargles for ulcers of the mouth, and disorders of the throat. When they are ripe, they are cooling, moistening, quench thirst, open the body, soften the humours of the breast, and promote expectoration or spitting. They are apt to be windy, are bad in the colic, and to cold and moist constitutions.

Of Medlars

Medlars are fit to gather in September, but they seldom grow ripe on the tree, and therefore they are laid on straw, till they grow soft, and are fit to eat, otherwise they would be hurtful to the stomach, to which at the best they are not very friendly. They are said to stop vomiting, to be good in fluxes, and to prevent drunkeness. The riper they are the less astringent they become.

Of Services

There is a great affinity between services and medlars, and they have much the same properties; for they are astringent, flop vomiting, fluxes, ex-cessive bleedings, and help an offensive breath. They should be ripe, well tailed, and of an agreeable smell. They do not ripen on the tree like other fruits, but are gathered in the autumn, and laid upon straw, till, from being hard, rough, dis-agreeable, they become soft, sweet, and delicious. They are proper in the winter for hot constitu-tions, and a weak, stomach, provided they are used moderately; for if they are eaten to excels, they breed gross humours, ferment in the stomach and guts, causing colics and gripings.

Of Barberries

Barberries are rather a medicine than an aliment, and are accounted cooling and binding. They restrain the efrervescence of the humours caused by the sharpness and heat of the gall; they cure bilious fluxes, strengthen the stomach and intestines, resto-re a decayed appetite, are helpful in fluxes, and flop bleeding from the acrimony of the humours, and the dissolution of the blood. They are not proper for those that are troubled with a pain in the stomach, or who are afflicted with, or who have a weak bread or a difficulty of breathing.

Of Walnuts

Walnuts have an agreeable taste while they are new, but in proportion as they grow old they become oily, rancid, disagreeable, and prejudicial to health. The excessive use of the best, will cause a stubborn cosliveness, and bring on the iliac passion.

They are hard of digestion, occasion a cough, bring on a hoarseness, and a heaviness of the head. When they are dry, they should be steeped in water, and then the skin will readily come off.