Serapio, Senior: Practica Io. Serapionis dicta breuiarium, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
(cont. from f. 211r, Sugar)
if there is more water it is not bad, unless on account of this, that cooking it down takes longer.
Sugar is made in this way: those canes in which it grows, when they are mature from the roots, the tips of them, to the measure of 2 to 3 palms, are fixed at once in the earth in the manner of grass.[1] They grind the cut remainder to bits in a mill and collect the liquid with the canes in vessels. They force the whole mass into a kettle, and the whole seems to transform into foam, and ladeling it out, they put it into round vessels. They put them thus in the corners of rooms and cover it at once with straw. And they sprinkle cold water over it, and it boils more strongly as a consequence, and the more it is cooked and purified the finer and the whiter it becomes. But if a small amount of water is sprinkled on it stays yellow and especially hot; thus it should not be administered in emergencies, and it is called honeyed sugar. In this, there is sometimes a small ring about the base, but above it is white and praiseworthy. Cook this with vinegar until it is cooked down and form it into little cakes: these are the best suppositories in emergencies against constipation of the belly.
Chapter 3 (f. 211v): Concerning Zedoary[2]
Zedoary is warm in the 3rd degree, dry in the first. It is the root of an herb. It may be kept for 10 years. Wine in which it has been steeped is effective against a cough from a cold cause, and for stomachache or intestinal distress from windiness or cold. A suppository made from trifera magna and ground zedoary warms and cleanses the womb. A sauce made from it and rosemary and vinegar, with toasted bread mixted together stimulates the appetite and aids digestion.
The book of medicinal simples of the most excellent master Johannis[3] Platearius ends.
[1] Sugar cane can be grown from stem cuttings.
[2] Zedoary (Curcuma zedoaria) is a member of the ginger family. It has fallen out of use as a spice, with ginger and turmeric substituted today.
[3] Johannis, sic.
