jus of peletur of spayne

Ingredients

jus of peletur of spayne

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The recipe for treating a tooth cavity requires taking a raven's turd ('rauenes turde') and placing it into the 'holewe toght'. Before application, the substance is to be colored with the juice of pellitory of Spain ('jus of peletur of spayne') so that the patient ('þe seke') does not recognize the nature of the ingredient (p. 243).

Evidence

"Tak a rauenes turde and put hit in þe holewe toght bot furst colore hit with <peletur> þe jus of peletur of spayne þat þe seke knowe noht what hit be"

Remarks

This entry illustrates the use of plant-based dyes to manipulate the appearance of medical preparations. The text notes that while animal excrement was common in remedies, it was often concealed using dyes made from plant sap (p. 243). This practice reflects a reader or practitioner response intended to mitigate the 'lothynge' (revulsion) or 'wlatyng' (nausea) associated with certain ingredients (p. 243).