On the Herb Called Ololiuhqui

Chapter 14. On the herb they call Ololiuhqui, which means 'plant of round leaves.'

Ololiuhqui, which others call cohuaxihuitl, meaning 'serpent herb,' is a twisting herb bearing thin, green, heart-shaped leaves; its stems are round, slender, and thin; its flowers are white, elongated, almost round, much like coriander, whence it took its name; its roots are thin as threads. This plant is hot in the fourth degree; it cures the French disease [syphilis]; it eases pains born of cold; it relieves flatulence and swelling. The powdered root, mixed with turpentine, expels cold, and is a great remedy for broken and dislocated bones, and for women's strained hips; the seed is also used in medicine, for, ground and drunk, or applied to the head, it cures ailments of the eyes; and drunk it also provokes lust; it is [uncertain: "of such-and-such flavor"] and of an acidic and very hot temperament. Formerly the priests of the idols, who wished to commune with the devil and receive answers to their doubts, ate of this plant to go mad, and to see the thousand phantasms that appeared before them; and [uncertain clause], this plant is nothing other than the maniacal [uncertain: "Solanum"] of [uncertain: "Dioscorides"]. It will be no great error to omit saying here where it grows, since it would matter very little whether this herb were written of here at all, even if the Spaniards knew it.