Burton begins his discussion of the cures of melancholy with a warning. If we read a book like The Anatomy of Melancholy, we may be tempted to use its advice not just to regulate the habits of our daily lives – our non-naturals – but also to self-medicate. Instead of finding therapy and relief from sadness, fear, and melancholic delusion, we may instead worsen our conditions. We may even run the risk of accidentally killing ourselves. Scenting our rooms with rose water to calm our troubled minds might be safe and beneficial (ii.66); attempting to purge ourselves with hellebore is certainly not.