§5#1Οὕτω γὰρ ἑψημένη τὸ μὲν φυσῶδες ἀποτίθεται πᾶν, ἐπικτᾶται δ’, ὅσα περ αὐτῇ ἀγαθὰ ὁ Ἱπποκράτης προσμαρτυρεῖ.
For when boiled in this way, it sheds all its flatulent quality and acquires all those good properties that Hippocrates attributes to it.
τὸ γὰρ γλίσχρασμα αὐτῆς, φησὶ, λεῖον καὶ συνεχὲς καὶ προσηνές ἐστι, καὶ ὀλισθηρὸν, καὶ πλαδαρὸν μετρίως, καὶ ἄδιψον, καὶ εὐέκπλυτον καὶ εὐέκκριτον, εἴ τι καὶ τούτου προσδέοι, καὶ οὔτε στύψιν ἔχει, οὔτε ἄραδον κακὸν, οὔτε ἀνοιδίσκεται ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ.
For its mucilage, he says, is smooth, continuous, pleasant, slippery, moderately moist, thirst-quenching, easily washed out, and easily excreted, if there should be any need of this too; and it has neither astringency, nor harmful disturbance, nor does it swell up in the stomach.
ἀνῴδηκε γὰρ ἐν τῇ ἑψήσει, ὁκόσον πλεῖστον ἐπεφύκει διογκοῦσθαι.
For it has already swelled during the boiling to the greatest extent that it was naturally disposed to expand.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν οὐδὲν ἔχει κολλῶδες καὶ ἐμπλαστικὸν ἡ πτισάνη, καθάπερ πάντα τὰ γλίσχρα, πρόδηλον.
It is therefore evident that the barley-gruel has nothing sticky and obstructive, unlike all other mucilaginous substances.
ῥύπτει γὰρ οὐ τὸν ῥύπον μόνον τοῦ σώματος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ φλεγματικὸν χυμὸν ἀποκαθαίρει πως διδομένη.
For when administered, it not only cleanses the dirt of the body, but also somehow purifies the phlegmatic humor in the stomach.
ἡ δὲ πολλὴ ἕψησις καὶ ἀκριβὴς ἕνωσις τῶν μιχθέντων τὴν φαινομένην ταύτην ἐργάζεται γλισχρότητα.
And the long boiling and the precise unification of the mixed ingredients produce this visible stickiness.
τοῦτο τοίνυν τὸ φαινόμενον αὐτῆς γλίσχρασμα οὐδεμίαν ἔχει τραχύτητα, ἀλλὰ λεῖόν ἐστι πάντῃ, καὶ ὁμαλὸν, καὶ μένον, καὶ συνεχές.
This visible mucilage of it, then, has no roughness, but is entirely smooth, even, stable, and continuous.
οὐδεμιᾶς γὰρ στύψεως μετέχον ἢ δριμύτητος, ἐξ ὧν ἡ τραχύτης γίνεται, τὸ λεῖον ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἔχει, οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἁφὴν μόνον, ἀλλ’ ἤδη καὶ τὴν δύναμιν.
For sharing in no astringency or acridity, from which roughness arises, it of necessity possesses smoothness, not only in touch, but already also in its power.
τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλα γλίσχρα, ὥσπερ τὸ ἔλαιον, καὶ τὸ μέλι, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ, ἁπτομένῳ σοι φανεῖται λεῖα καὶ ὁμαλῆ, μηδὲν ἔχοντα ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀνώμαλον, ὡς τὸ μὲν εἶναι λεπτὸν, τὸ δὲ παχὺ, ἢ διεσπασμένον τε καὶ διηρημένον, ὡς διὰ τοῦτο τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἁφὴν λεῖον κεκτῆσθαι, κατὰ δὲ τὴν πρὸς ἄλλα τινὰ ἐνέργειάν τε καὶ δύναμιν οὐδαμῶς.
For other mucilaginous things, such as oil, honey, and the rest, will appear smooth and even to you when you touch them, having nothing uneven in themselves, such that one part is thin and another thick, or torn apart and divided, so that while they possess smoothness in touch because of this, they by no means do so in their action and power toward other things.
οὐ γὰρ διαβρέχει πάντα τὰ μόρια τοῦ σώματος ὁμαλῶς τε καὶ συνεχῶς, ὧν ἂν προσεγγίζῃ, ἀλλὰ διίστανται κατὰ τοῦτ’ ἀπ’ ἀλλήλων τὰ τῶν γλίσχρων ἁπάντων μόρια χωρὶς τῆς πτισάνης.
For they do not moisten all the parts of the body that they approach evenly and continuously, but rather, in this respect, the parts of all mucilaginous things, except for barley-gruel, stand apart from one another.
αὕτη γὰρ, λεία τυγχάνουσα κατὰ τὴν ἁφὴν καὶ συνεχὴς καὶ ἀδιάσπαστος, καὶ κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν τοιαύτη καθέστηκε.
For the latter, being smooth to the touch, continuous, and undivided, is established as such also in its power.
κᾀκεῖνα μὲν οὐδεμίαν ἔχουσιν ἡδονὴν κατὰ τὴν γεῦσιν, αὕτη δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ τὸ κατὰ τὴν γεῦσιν ἡδὺ καὶ προσηνὲς κέκτηται, καὶ μάλιστ’ ἐπὶ τῶν νοσούντων.
And while those things have no pleasure in taste, this one, in addition to the other properties, has acquired a sweet and pleasant taste, especially for the sick.
ἄρτος δ’, εἰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὑπερέχει κατ’ ἀρετὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος ἀηδίαν ἔχει πολλὴν, κᾂν ὕδατι διάβροχος ᾖ, ὡς δεόμενος μασσήσεως.
And bread, even if it excels other things in virtue, yet even this has much unpleasantness, even if it is soaked in water, as it requires chewing.
δεύτερον δὲ ἡ πτισάνη καὶ τοῦτο πλεονεκτεῖ, τὸ μηδεμίαν ἐκ τῆς μασσήσεως ἀηδίαν ἐμποιεῖν.
Secondly, barley-gruel has this advantage too, that it causes no unpleasantness from chewing.
ἔχει μέντοι καὶ τὸ ὀλισθηρὸν, καὶ μάλισθ’ ὁ χυλὸς, μηδὲν ἐμπεπλασμένον καταλιπὼν κατὰ τὴν δίοδον, καθάπερ πάντα τὰ γλίσχρα χωρὶς τῆς πτισάνης· αὕτη γὰρ ῥᾳδίως διέρχεται εἰς τὰ κατὰ τὸν θώρακα μόρια διὰ τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ ῥυπτικὸν, ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὑποχώρησίν ἐστιν
It also has, however, a slippery quality, and especially the juice, leaving nothing obstructive in its passage, unlike all mucilaginous things except barley-gruel; for it easily passes through to the parts around the chest because of the cleansing quality in it, just as it is also favorable for evacuation.