4A. Cephalic
Materia Medica in Arabic & Persian, Shirazy, 1793Cephalics are medicines appropriated to the Head. They strengthen and benefit the Brain and senses.
Aphorisms on Cephalics, collected by Culpeper, (Composita, 1656):
- Such medicaments as are accommodated to diseases of the Brain, are properly called Cephalics
- Of Cephalics, some are hot, some cold, whereby they remedy the affects of the Brain by a manifest way.
- For the Brain, seeing it is the seat of Reason, the rise of the Sense, the original of the Nerves, is by its own nature temperate.
- Therefore it is sooner afflicted than any other part of the body, for if it be but a little too hot, Sense and Reason is suddenly and inordinately moved; if but a little too cold, they languish and are stupefied.
- Therefore because the Brain is usually offended with Phlegm, therefore those things may be accounted Cephalics, which (beside a hidden faculty whereby they strengthen the brain), warm, cleanse, cut and dry.
- Besides, if you consider the situation of the Brain, viz. in superior part of all the body, you may conceive it very apt to receive hot vapors [Wind]. These afflict men with Watchings [Insomnia] and Headache, these must be strained by cooling Cephalics.
- If the Brain be afflicted, it cannot be strengthened, except if it be purged [cleansed].
- If it be purged, it must be purged with Cephalics.
- Neither can it be purged with Cephalics, before the whole body be evacuated; for otherwise it will soon be filled with vapors.
Cephalics in Ayurveda
Ayurveda has the Group of Cephalics, used for Headache, Migraine, Apoplexy, Epilepsy etc.
Black Pepper, Long Pepper, Turmeric, Mustard seed, Garlic, Basil, Sacred Basil, Nigella, Lesser Cardamon, Greater Cardamon, Embelia ribes, Achyranthes aspera, Berberis asiatica, Clitoria ternatea, Moringa pterygosperma, Albizzia lebbek, Salt, Rock Salt
Warming Cephalics
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Rose Willow leaf Borage Myrtle leaf Lettuce seed Elder flowers Tabasheer Ruby Silver |
Violet Water Lily flower Bugloss Dodder Poppy seed Purslane seed Camphor Pearl |
Western Classification