alder buckthorn berries

During the Renaissance, the great botanist Andrea Mattioli published a commentary edition of Dioscorides De Materia Medica in 1554. In it, he said, according to Font Quer’s quote, that the “alder buckthorn bark is a mild purgative, which cleanses the liver. But it must be only used when dry. When fresh, it causes vomiting.” The…