My dear fellow courtiers,

as i promised last time, this month i will provide you a nice recipe to cure some of human's most embarrassing diseases... No i am not mentioning the Smallpox or the Rabies... but annoying constipation.

Again i am using a recipe found in that very usefull notebook compiled by members of the family of Rev. William Twigge, archdeacon of Limerick from 1705 to 1726.

Enjoy !

Dr. Panacek, War Surgeon.

The ingredients of the purging ale.

Take 6 ounces of senna Alexander, 6 ounces of
polypodium of the oake, two ounces of bay berries huld,
2 ounces of anyseed, 12 drams of rhubarbe or if it be
English rhubarbe halfe the quantity, 3 ounces of ashe
keys bruised, 2 ounces of sasafras wood, one ounce of
sarsaparella, 2 ounces of saldanella. All these must be
bruised into gross powder except the senna. Then take 4
gallons of the first sprouting of strong worte, tun it up in a
stand and put the above named ingredients into a canvas
bag with hazelstick through the bag soe that the end of it
may be out of it two inches below the botome of the bag
or else put a stone in it to keep it from floating on the top
with the barme and hang it soe it may come within 2 inches
of the bottome of the vessell. Put barme to it and
within two or three days as soon as it hath done working
it will be fit to drink. It must be drunk spring and fall for a
month together, in the morning fasting half a pint and
about eleven a clock take a little warme broath, goeing to
bed take 3 parts of a half pint and nothing after it.

Here is an early 20th century remedy: "Confection of Senna"

Perhaps this was one of the few maladies that medicine at the time could successfully treat!

updated by @docteur-panacek: 19 Oct 2016 04:48:12PM

the senna alone should clear you out

I found another interesting remedy btw:

For thousands of years, Caper Spurge or Euphorbia lathyrus was taken as a violent purge. Purging was the first resort of many traditional medical systems and never more so than in Western medicine in the 18th century. Caper seeds were commonly used, but an oil extracted from them was also used, in very small doses, as it is highly toxic.

If one plans to kill his rival, or certain members of High Placed Families... Caper Spurge is THE herb to use....

(For a certain amount of goldpieces, i will close my eyes while you sneak into my private botanical garden)

Dr. P.