The family herbal, or, An account of all those English plants, which are remarkable for their virtues, and of the drugs which are produced by vegetables of other countries; with their descriptions and their uses, as proved by experience ... [electronic resource]

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TUtE

FAMILY HERBAL.

' OR AN ACCOUNT OF ALL THOSE

ENGLISH PLANTS,

wmcn ARE

KEMARKABLE FOR THEIR VIRTUES,

UJ^D OF THE DRUGS

VrmCH ARB PRODUCED BY

Vegetables of other Countries;

■VriTH THEIR

PESCRIPTiONS AND THEIR USES,

PROFED BT EXPERIEJrCS.
ALSO

Directions for the gathering and
preserving roots, herbs, flowers, and
feeds J the rarious methods of pre-
tW(siag these simples for present

nse ; receipts for making distilled
waters, conserves, syrups, electua-
ries, juleps, draughts, &c. &c. with
necessary cautions in giving thenu

INTENDED FOR THE USE OF FAMILIES.

BY SIR JOHN HILL, M. D.

F. R. A. OF SCIENCCS AT BOVRDEAUX.
SMBELLISUED WITH

JpiFTY-FOUR boLOURED PLATES.

BUNGAY:

VMHTBS AKD PUBLISHED BT C. BRiaJWCI^V).
AHO X. KINM£RSI<ST.
#0 1 o

PREFACE.

MANY books have been written upon the same
subject with this, but if one of them had
treated it in the same manner, this would have been
rendered unnecessary, and would never have employ-
ed the attention of its author.

It is his opinion, that the true end of science is
use ; and in this view, the present work has been
undertaken. It appears to him a matter of more
consequence, and a subject of more satisfaction,
to have discovered the virtues of one herb unknown
before, than to have disposed into their proper
classes sixteen thousand ; nay, so far will a sense
of nltlity get the better of the pride of mere
curiosity, that he should suppose this a thing
preferable to be said of him, to the having dis-
covered some unknown species ; to having picked
from the bottom of some pond an undescribed con-
ferva ; or to having fetched, from the most remote
parts of the world, a kind of tree moss, with heads
larger than those at home.

It grieves a man of public spirit and humanity,
to see those things which aris the means alone of
the advantages of mankind studied, while in the end
that advantage itself is forgotton. And in this
Tiew he will regard a Culpepper as a more
respectable person than a Linnaeus or a D;lle-

That Botany is an useful study is plain; he-

PREFACE.

cause it is in vain that we know betony is goodi
for head-achs, or self-heal for wounds, unless we
can distinguish betony and self-heal from one
another, and so it runs through the whole study.
We are taught by it to know what plants belong
to what names, and to know that very distmctly ;
and we shall be prevented by that knowledge from
giving a purge for an astringent, a poison for a
remedy ; let us therefore esteem the sfudy of
botany, but let us know, that this use of the dis-
tinctions it gives is the true end of it ; and let us
respect those, who employ their lives in establish-
ing those distinctions upon the most certain founr
dation, upon making them the most accurately,
and carrying them the farthest possible : these
are the botanists ; but with all the gratitude we
owe (hem for their labours, and all the respect
we shew them on that consideration let us under-
stand them as but the seconds in this scieiice. The
principal are those who know how to bring their
discoveries to use, and car] say what are the ends
that will be answered by those plants, which they
have so accurately distinguished. The boy col-
lects the specimens of herbs with great care,
and bestows ten years in pasting them upon pa-
per, and writing their names to them : he does
well. When he grows a man, he neglects his
useful labours ; and perhaps despises himself for
the misemployment of so much time : but if he
has, to the knowledge of their forms, added afr
terward the study or their virtues, he will be
fir from censuring himself for all the pains he
took to that end.

He who wishes well to science and to raanr
kind, must wish this matter understood: and thig
is the way to bring a part of knowledge into cre-
dit, which, as it is commonly practised, is not a

PREFACE.

V.

jot above the studies of a raiser of tulips or a car-
uation fansier.

When we consider the study of plants, as the
search of remedies for diseases, we see it in the
light of one of the most honourable sciences in
the world ; in this view, no pains are too great
to have been bestowed in its acquirement ; and
in this intent, the principal regard ought to be
had to those of our own growth. The foreign
plants brought into our stoves with so much ex-
pence, and kept there with so much pains, may
fill the eye with empty wonder : but it would
be more to the honour of the possessor of them,
to have found out the use of one common herb
at home, than to have enriched our country with
an hundred of the others. Nay, in the eye of rea-
son, this ostentatious study is rather a reproach.
Why should he, who has not yet informed himself
thoroughly of the nature of the meanest herb
which grows in the next ditch, ransack the earth
for foreign wonders ? Does he not fall under the
same reproach with the generality of those, who
travel for their improvement, while they are igno-
rant of all they left at home ; and who are ridicu-
lous in their inquiries concerning the laws and
government of other countries, while they are not
able to give a satisfactory answer to any question
which regards their own ?

I have said thus much to obviate the censures
of those, to whom an inquiry into the virtues of
herhs may seem the province of a woman. It is
an honour to the sex, that they have put our
studies to use ; but it would be well, if we had
done so ourselves; orif, considering that they might,
we had made our writings more intelligible to
them.

The intent of words is to express our meaning;

Iri.

PREFACE.

writings are published that they mar tinaer-
stood ; and in this branch, I shall always suppose
he writes best, who is to be understood most uni-
versally. Now so far are we from having had this
point in view in botany, that more new and more
strange words have been introduced into it, than
into all the sciences together : and so remarkable
is the Swede before mentioned, Linnaeus, for this,
that a good scholar, nay the best scholar in the
world, shall not be able to understand three line*
together in his best writings, although they are
written in latin, a language in which he is ever so
familiar. The author has not been at the paini
to explain his new words himself, but refers his
reader to nature ; he bids him seek them in the
flowers, where he found them.

We see, that the most curious botanists have not
concerned themselves about the virtues of plants at
all ; that many of the others who have written
well on plants, have thought it no part of their
subject : let us examine the others ; those who
are of less repute. If we look into the English
Herbals in particular, we find them large upon
that subject ; indeed they are too large by much.
They say so many things, that we know not which
of them to credit ; and therefore in the uncertainty,
we credit none of them. There is not the most
trifling herb, which they do not make a remedy for
almost all diseases. We may therefore as well take
one plant for any case as another ; and the whole of
their labours amount to this, that the English herb*
are full of virtues, but that they know not what they
are.

When knowledge is perplexed with unintelligi-
ble terms, and the memory of tlie student cou-
tounded with a multiplicity of names ; vvhen the
ignorant only, who have written concerning plants.

PREFACE.

have given themselves any trouble about thcr
virtues ; when physic is becoming entirely chymi-
cal, and a thousand lives are thrown away daily
by these nu^dicines, which might be saved by a
better practice ; it appeared a useful undertaking,
to separate the necessary from the frivolous know-
ledge ; and to lay before those who are inclined
to do good to their distressed fellow-creatures, all
that it is necessary for them to know of botany for
that purpose, and that in the most familiar man--
ner ; and to add to this, what experience has con-
firmed of the many things written by others con-
cerning their virtues. This is tire intent of the fol-
lowing work.

The plants are arranged according to the English
alphabet, that the English reader may know where
to find them : they are called by one name only in
English, and one in Latin ; and these are their
most familiar names in those languages ; no matter
what Caspar, or John Bauhine, or Linn^us
call them, they are here set down by those names
by which every one speaks of them in English ;
and the Latin name is added, under which they will
be found in every dictionary. To this is subjoined
a general description of the plant, if it be a com-
mon one, in a line or two ; that those who already
know it, may turn at once to the uses ; and foi*
8uch as do not, a farther and more particular
account is added. Last come the virtues, as they
are confirmed by practice : and all this is delivered
in such words as are common, and to be understood
by all.

£very thing that is superfluous is omitted, that
the useful part may remain upon the memory :
and to all this is prefixed, in a large introduc-
tion, whatsoever can be necessary to com pleat the
good intentions of the charitable ifl this way,

PREFACE.

There are rules for gathering and preserving
herbs, and their several parts, directions for making
such preparations from them, as can conveniently
l)e prepared ih families, and general admonitioos
and cautions in their respective uses.

If 1 could have thought of any thing farther,
that could tend to the making the book more use-
ful, I should have added it ; as it is, the candid
reader is desired to accept it, as written with a
real view to be of service to mankind.

INTRODUCTION.

Containing general rules for the gathering
and preserving herbs, roots, barks, seeds,
and flowers ; together with the methods
of making sucli preparations from them, as
may best retain their virtues, or be mosl:
useful to be kept in families.

CHAP. I.

Tlie design and purpose of this work, and the
thod observed in it.

THE infent of the author in publishing this
book, is to inform those who live ,in the
country, and are desirous of being useful to
their ifamilies and friends, or charitable to the
poor in the relief of their disorders, of the virtues
of those plants which grow wild about them : that
they may be able to supply this necessary assis-
tance, in places where apothecaries are not at hand ;
and that they may be able also to do it without
putting themselves to the cxpence of medicines
of price, when the common herbs, that may bi

ft

ii.

INTRODUCTION.

had for gathering, will answer the same pur-
pose.

However, as there are cases, in which more
help may be had from drugs brought from abroad
than from any thing we can procure at home, an
account of. those roots, barks, seeds, gums, and
other vegetable productions, kept by the druggists
and apothecaries, is also added ; and of the several
trees and plants from which they are obtained ;
together with their virtues.

This work, therefore, will tend to instruct those
charitable ladies who may be desirous of giving
this great relief to the afflicted poor in their
neighbourhood, and to remind apothecaries of
what they had before studied : but the first men-
tioned purpose is by much the most useful, and
the most considerable, and for this reason the
greatest regard is paid to it.

The plants are disposed in the alphabet, ac-
cording to their English names, that they may be
turned to tlie more readily ; and an account is
given, in two or three lines, of their general as-
pect and place of growth, that those who in part
know thera already, may understand them at once :
iif they are not perfectly known from this, a more
particular description is added, by observing
which they cannot be mistaken or confounded
with any others ; and after this follow, not only
their virtues, as others ars content to set them
down, but the part of each plant which contains
them in most perfection is named, and the manner
in which they may best be given

With regard to the virtues of plants, it has been
the custom to attribute too many to most of them :
so much is said more than the trufh on these oc-
casions, that those who would be informed, know

INTRODUCTION.

• • •

in.

not what they should believe. This is more cau-
tiously regulated here. The real irirtues alone
are set down, as they are assured by experience :
and the principal of these are always set in the
most conspicuous light. Perhaps it may be allow-
ed the author, to speak with more assurance than
others of these things, because he has been accus-
tomed to the practice of physic in that way. Very
few things arc named here that he has not seen tri-
ed ; and if some are set down^ which other wri-
ters have not named, and some, of which they
have said most, are slightly mentioned, it is owing
to the same experience which has added to the ca-
talogue in some things, and has found it too g:reat
for truth in others.

Nature has, in this country, and doubtless also
in all others, provided, in the herbs of its own
growth, the remedies for the several diseases to
which it is most subject ; and although the addi-
tion of what is brought from abroad, should not
be supposed superfluous, there is no occasion that
it should make the other neglected, ^his has
been the consequence of the great respect shewn
to the others ; and besides this, the present use of
chemical preparations has almost driven the whole
of galenical medicine out of our minds.

To restore this more safe, more gentle, and
often more efficacious part of medicine to its na^-
tural credit, has been one great intent in the wri-
ting this treatise ; and it is the mOre necessary for
the service of those, who are intended most to
be directed in this matter, since this is much less
dangerous than the other : nay, it is hard to
say, that this is dangerous at all, in most in-p
stances.

The apothecaries are apt, in their unfeeling
laiockery, to say, they are obliged to the good

INTRODUCTION.

ladies who give medicines to their sick neigh-
bours, for a great deal of tbeir business ; for out
of little disorders thej make great ones. This
may be the case where their shops supply the
means ; for chemical medicines, and some of the
drugs brought from abroad, are not to be trusted
with (hose who have not great experience ; but
Ihere will be no danger of this kind, when the
fields arc the supply. This is the medicine of na-
ture, and as it is more efficacious in most cases;
it is more safe in all. If opium may be danger-
ous in an unexperienced hand, the lady who will
give in its place a syrup of the wild lettuce,
(a plant not known in common practice at this
time, but recommended from experience in this
treatise) will find that it will ease pain, and that
it will cause sleep, in the manner of that foreign
drug, but she will never find any ill consequen-
ces from it : and the same might be said in many
other instances.

As the descriptions in this work, very readily
distinguish what are the real plants that should be
used, the great care will remain, in what nian^-
ner to gather and preserve, and in what man-
ner to give them ; it will be useful to add a chap-
ter or two on those heads. As to the former, I
would have it perfectly understood, because a
great deal depends upon it ; the latter cannot easi-
ly be mistaken.

Having displaced the drugs brought from
abroad in a great measure from this charitable
practice, I would have every lady, who has the
spirit of this true benevolence, keep a kind of
druggist's shop of her own : this should be sup-
plied from the neighbouring fields, and from her
garden. There is no reason the drugs should not
be as well preserved, and as carefully bid up.

INTRODUCTION.

as if the product of a different climate, though
the use of the fresh plants will in general be
best when they can be had.

As there are some which will not retain their
virtues in a dried state, and can be met with only
during a small part of the year; it will be pro-
per to add the best methods of preserving these
in some way, according to the apothecaries' man-
ner ; and these chapters, with that which shall
lay down the method of making the preparations
from them for ready service, will be sufficient to
lead to the perfect use of the medicines of our
own growth : and it will be found upon experi-
ence, that those who sufficiently know how to
make a proper use of these, need seldom have
recourse to any others.

CHAP. II.

concerning the methods of collecting and pre-
serving plants and parts of them for use.

THE virtues of different planls residing princi-
pally in certain parts of them, and those
different according to th& nature of the herb,
these several parts are to be selected, and the rest
left ; and these are in sonic to be used fresh and
just gathered ; in others, cither necessity, or the
natural preference, make it proper to dry'^and pre-
serve them.

In some only the leaves are to be used ; in
others the whole plant cut from the root ; in others
the flowers only ; in others the fruits ; in others
the seeds ; in some the roots ; and of some trees

iNTRODUeXION.

the barks ; some the woods ; ajid onlj the excresen-
ces of others: while some vegetables are to he
used entire, whether it be fresh gathered, or dried
and preserved. Of all these, instances will be
given in great number in the following sheets,
and the matter will be specified under each article,
as the part of the plant to be used will always be
named ; and it will be added whether it be best
fresfj, or best or necessarily dried or otherwise
preserved ; but it will be proper in this place to
enter into the full examination of this matter,
to save unnecessary repetitions under the several
particular articles.

The whole of most plants native of our coun-
try, dies off in winter, except the root ; and in
many that perishes also^ leaving the species to be
renewed from the fallen seeds. When the whole
plant dies, the root is seldom of any virtue ; but
when the root remains many years, and sends up
new shoots in the spring, it commonly has great
virtue. This may be a general rule : for there
is very little to be expected in the roots of annual
plants : their seeds, for the most part, contain their
greatest virtues.

In others, the root lives through the winter, and
there arise from it large leaves in the spring, be-
fore the stalk appears. These are to be distinguish-
ed from those which afterwards grow on the stalk,
for Ihey are more juicy, and for many purposes
much better. In the same manner, some plants,
from their seeds dropped in autumn, produce a
root and leaves which stand all the winter, and
the stalk does not rise till the succeeding spring.
These are of the nature of those leaves, which
rise from the root of other plants before the stalks
in spring ; and are in the same manner to be dis-
tinguished from those which grow upou the stalks :

INTRODUCTION.

they fcave the fufl nourisbmetit from the root,
wLereas the others are starved by the growth of
the stalk and its branches, and, the preparations
made bj nature for the flo%vers and seeds ; which
are the great purpose of nature, as they are to
continue the pifiint.

For this reason, when the leaves of any plant
are said to be the part fittest for use, they arc not
to be taken from the stalk, but these large ones
growing from the root are to be chosen ; and these
where there is no stalk, if that can be ; for then
only they are fullest of juice^ and have their com-
plete virtue ; the stalk running away with the
nourishment from them. This is so much done in
some plants, that although the leaves growing
irom the root were very vigorous before the
stalk grew up, they die and wither as it
rises.

When the juice of the leaves of any plant is
required, these are the leaves from which it is
to be pressed : when they are ordered in decoction,
notice is always taken in this book, w hether they
be best fresh or dried; if fresh, they should be
just gathered for the occasion ; they should be
cut up close from the root, and only shook clean,
not washed ; for in manj', that carries off a part of
the virtue : they arc to be cut into the pot. If
they are to be dried, the same caution is to be
used ; and they are best dried, by spreading thera
upon the floor of the room, with the windows
open; often turning them. When thoroughlv
dried, they should be put up in a drawer, pressing
them closedown, and covered with paper. When
the entire plant is to be used except the root,
care is to be taken that it be gathered at a pro-
per season. Nature in the whole growth of plantij,
tends to the production of their flowers and seuds.

tiii. INTRODUCTION.

T)ut when ihcy are ripe, the rest begrns to decays
havijig done its duty ; so that the time when the
entire plant is in its most full perfection, is wlien
it is in tlie bud ; whew the heads are formed for
flowering, but not a single flower has yet dis-
closed itself : this is the exfict time.

When herbs arc to be used fresh, it is best not
to take them entire, but only to cut off the tops ;
three or four inches long, if for infusion, and if
for other purposes, less: if they are to be beaten
up with sugar, they should be only an inch, or
less ; just as far as they are fresh and tender.
The tops of the plant thus gathered, are al-
ways preferable to the whole plant for immedi-
ate use.

When the entire herb is to be dried, the season
for gathering it is to be as just described, when
the flowers are budding ; and the time of the day
must be when the morning dew is dried away.
This is a very material circumstance, for if they
be cut wet with the dew, herbs will not dry
well, and if they be cut at noon-day, when the
sun has made the leaves flag, they will not have
their full power.

Care must also be taken to cut them in a dry
day ; for the wet of rain will do as much harm,
'as that of dew.

When the herbs arc thus gathered, they are to
be looked over, the decayed leaves picked oft",
and the dead ends of the stalks cut away : they
are then to be tied up in small bunches, (tlie
less the betk^r,) and hung upon lines drawn across
a room, where the windows and doors are lo be
kept open in sood weather ; the bunches are to
be half a foot asunder, and they are to hang till
perfectly dry. They are then to be taken softly
down, without shaking off (he buds of the flow-

INTRODUCTION.

IX.

ers, and laid evenly in a drawer, pressing them
down, and covering them with paper. They
are tlius ready for infusions and decoctions^ and
are better for distillation than when fresh.

The flowers of plants arc principally nsed
fresh, though several particular kinds retain their
■virtue very well dried ; they are on these different
occasions to be treated differently.

Lavender flowers, and those of stoecha, keep
very weii ; they are therefore to be preserved dry ;
the lavender flow^ers arc to be stripped off the
stalks, husk and all together, and spread upon
the floor of a room to dry. The stcechas flowers
are to be preserved in the whole head ; this is to
be cut off from the top of the stalk, and dried in
the same manner : when dry, they are to be kept
as the herbs.

When rosemary flowers are dried, they are ge-
nerally taken with sora(! of the leaves about them",
and this is very right, for the leaves retain more
virtue than the flowers. Some dry borage, bu-
gloss, and cowslips, but they retain very little
virtue in that condition. Rose buds arc to be
dried, and to this purpose, their white heads are
to be cut off ; and the full blown flowers may be
preserved in the same manner. The red rose
is always meant, when we speak of the dried
flowers. '

For the rest of tha flowers used in medicine,
ihey are best fresh ; but as they remain only a
small part of the year in that state, the method,
is to preserve them in the form of syrups and
conserves. Such as the syrup of cloves and pop-
pies, the conserves of cowslips, and the like. Of
these, a short general account shall be subjoined,
,that nothing may be wanting to make this book

b

«. INTRODUCTION.

as (iseful for families, as the nature of such an
one will admit.

Among tlie fruits of plants, several are to he
used fresh, as the hip for conserve, and tlie
quince, nuilberry, and black currant ; from the
juices of which, syrups are made. As to those
which are to be dried, as the juniper berries, the
hay berries, and the like, they are only to be ga-
thered when just ripening, not when quite mel-
loyv, and spread upon a table or floor, often
turning them till they arc dry. But of these
we use very few of our own growth ; most of the
fruits used in medicine are brought from abroad,
and must be purchased of the druggist or apothe-
cary.

With respect to the seeds and plants, it is
otherwise : many of them are of our own growth,
and nothing is so easy as to preserve them. These
are all to be used dry ; but nature has in a man-
ner dried them to our hands : for they are not
to be gathered till perfectly ripe, and then they
need very little farther care. They are only to
be spread for three or four days upon a clean floor,
where the air has free passage, but where the sun
does not come ; and they are then ready to be
put up.

The seeds used in medicine may be referred
to three general kinds. They either grow in
naked ncads or umbels, as in fennel, parsley, and
the like ; or in pods, Jis in mustard and crosses ;
or in large fleshy fruits, as in melon and cu-
cumbers. In each case they must ho left upon
the plant till perfectly ripe ; then they are only
to be shook from the heads upon the floor, or if
in pods, a smart stroke or two of the plant upon
the floor, when they arc thoroughly ripe, will

INTRODUCTION, xi.

dislodge them. In the other case, the fruit must
be cut open, and they must be taken out froni
among the wet matter, separated from the mem-
brane^ that are about thetn, and spread upon a
table, in a dry phice, where they must be of-
ten turned and rubbed as they grow dry,
that in the end thoy may be perfectly dry and
clean.

Among the roots a great many are to be used
fresh, but a greater number are best dried. The
black and white briony, the arum, and some
others, lose all their virtues in drying ; and
many that retain some, yet lose the greater part
of it : there are others which arc excellent both
fresh and dried, as the marshmallow and some
more.

As to the few which lose their virtue entirely
in drying, it will be best to keep some of them
always in the garden, that they may be taken up
as they are wanted. The others are to be mana-
ged according to their several natures, and they
do a great deal toward the furnishing this drug-
gist's shop, which should be filled with medicines,
the produce of our own country.

The best season for gathering roots for drying
is in the earlier part of the spring : what nature
does for plants when they arc just going to flower,
she does for roots when the leaves are just goiqg
to bud: the juices are rich, fresh, and full, and
the virtue is strongest in them at this season, there-
fore they are to be then taken up.

In the end of February and the beginning of
March, the ground should be searched for the
first budding of leaves, and the roots taken up.
They are to he wiped clean, not washed ; and,
according to their several natures, prepared for
drying.

Some are fuUof a mucilaginous juice, as marsh-

xii.

INTRODUCTION.

mallow, and above all other roots the squill,
and in some degree many others of that kind :
these must be cut into thin slices cross-wise, ajid
they will dry best if laid upon a hair cloth stretch-
ed across a frame. They must be frequently turn-
ed ; hud be very thoroughly dry, before they are
put up, else they will become mouldy : but, right-
ly piepared, they keep very well.

Other roots have juices, that evaporate more
easily. These have the virtue either throughout
the whole substance, or only in the outer part, and
they are to be prepared accordingly. When roots
arc of one uniform substance, they generally
have the virtue equal, or nearly so, in all parts.
These should be split open length-wise, first cut-
ting off the head, and the little end ; or if con-
siderably thick, they may be quartered ; when
this is done, they are to be strung upon a line,
by drawing a needle threaded with a small twine
through their thickest part, and they are then to
be hung up to dry in the manner of the herbs ;
the line being stretched across a room, the doors
and windows of which are to be kept open in
good weather.

When roots consist of a sort of thick rind, or
fleshy substance within the rind, and a hard sticky
part in the middle, this fleshy substance under
it possesses all the virtues, the hard inner substance
having none ; in this case, the root is to be
sp^lit long-wise as before, and the hard woody
part is to betaken out and thrown away ; the rest
is to be strung as before described, and dried in
the same manner.

When roots consist of fibres, these are gene-
rally connected to a bead, if it be ever so small,
and the best way is to split this in two, and then
string up the separate parts for drying.

It is needless to enumerate the examples of the

INTRODUCTION.

several kinds of roots here ; they follow in their
places I but if the charilahle lady would, on first
looking over thiss book to see what are most use-
ful, order her gardener to take out of his ground,
and to seek in the fields, the several roots there
raeiitionedj and see them dried and preserved ac-
cording to these directions^ she would be possess-
ed of a set of drugs of a new kind indeed ; but
they would save the price of many brought from
other countries, and might be used with less
danger.

The barks of trees make but a small part of
the English drugs, and most of them are best
fresh ; but such as will preserve and retain their
virtues dried, are very easily prepared that way :
nothing more is required, than to cut them into
moderate pi«ces, and string them up in the
same manner as the roots. When they are
dry, they are to be put up as the others ; and
they will keep ever so long ; but in all this
time they are for the most part losing of their
virtues.

It may be prudent to preserve drugs brought
from abroad a great while because of their
price ; but as these cost only the trouble of gar
thering and preserving them, I would advise,
that the whole shop be renewed every year ;
what is left of the old parcel of every kind, being
thrown away as the fresh one is collected in its
season.

The place for keeping these should be a dry
room, neither damp nor hot ; and they should
now and then be looked at, to see that they are
in order ; that they do not grow mouldy, or smell
mnaty through damp, or become lighter, and lose
their virtue by too much heat.

It may be proper just to mention, that the

XIV.

INTRODUCTION.

\V(K>ds which we use are best kept in the block,
and shaved ofi' as tliey are %vatited ; for beina:
kept in shavings, tliej lose (heir virtue: and in
the same manner as to the foreign woods, it is
best to keep a block of sassafras, and of lignum
\itaR in the house, aad cut them as they are
wanted.

As to the excrescences, such as galls of the
oak, and the burr upon the wild briar, they are na-
turally so dry, that they only require to be ex-
posed a few days to the air, upon a table, and
then they may be put up with safety, and will
keep a long time.

Lastly, the funguses, such as Jew's ears and
the like, are to be gathered when they are full
grown, and strung upon a line, that they may
dry leisurely, for else they spoil : they must be
very well dried before they are put up, else
they will grow mouldy in damp weather ; and
if once that happen, no art can recover their
virtues.

Thus may a druggist's shop of a new kind
be filled, and it will consist of as many articles
as those which receive their furniture from abroad ;
and there will be this advantage in having every
thing ready ; that when custom has made the vir-
tues of the several things familiar, the lady may
da from her judgment as the physician in his pre-
scription, mix several things of like virtue to-
gether, and not depend upon the virtues of any
one singly, when the case requires something of
power. These roots and barks powdered, will
make as handsome and as efficacious boluses and
mixtures, as any furnish-ed by the apothecary.

INTRODUCTION.

CHAP. III.

Concerning the various methods of 'preparing
simples for present use.

THERE is no form of medicines sent from
the apothecary, which may not be prepared
from the herbs of our own growth in the same
manner as from foreign drugs. Electuaries may
be made with the powders of these barks, roots,
and seeds, with conserves of flowers, and of the
tops of fresh herbs ; and syrups, made from their
juices and infusions ; the manner of making
which is very simple, and shall be subjoined to
this chapter, that all may be understood be-
fore we enter on the book itself : and in the same
manner their boluses may be made, which are only
some of these powders mixed up with syrup : and
their draughts and juleps, which are made from
the distilled waters of these herbs, with spirit, or
without these syrups being added ; and tlie tinc-
tures of the roots and barks ; the method of
making which shall be also annexed in a familiar
manner.

But beside these several forms of giving them,
there are others much more simple, easy, and
ready, and these are generally more efficacious.
I shall arrange these under three kinds, juices, in-
fusions, and decoctions. These are the forms of
giving the medicines most frequently mentioned
in the course of the work, and there is less trouble
in them than in the others. They are not in-
deed contrived for shew, nor would they answer
the purpose of the apothecary, for his profits
would be small upon them ; but when the design

xvi. INTRODUCTION.

is only to do good, they are the most to be cliosen
of any.

Juices are to be expressed from leaves or root<? ;
and in order to this^ they are to be first beaten
in a mortar. There ig no form whatever in which
herbs have so much effect, and yet this is in
a manner unknown in the common practice of
physic.

These are to be obtained in some plants from
the entire herb, as in water cresses, brook-lime,
and others that have juicy stalks ; in others the
leaves are to be used, as in nettles, and the like,
where the stalk is dry, and yields nothing ; but
is troublesome in the preparation. When the
juice of a root is to be had, it must be fresh
taken up, and thoroughly beaten. A marble
mortar and wooden pestle serve best for this pur-
pose, for any thing of metal is improper : many
plants would take a tincture from it, and the
juice would be so impregnated with it, as to
become a different medicine, and probably very
improper in the case in which it was about to be
l^iven.

As these juices have sometimes an ill taste, and
as some of them are apt to be cold upon the
stomach, or otherwise to disagree with it, there
are methods to be used, to make them sit better up-
on it ; and in some cases these increase their vir-
tues.

When the thick juice, fresh drawn, is too coarse
for the person's stomach, it may be suffered to
settle and grow clear : a little sugar may be ad-
ded also in beating the herb, and in many cases,
as in those juices given for the scurvy, the juice
of a Seville orange may be added, which will
greatly improve the flavour.

INTRODUCTION. xvii.

To tlie roots it is often proper to add a little
white wine in the bruising, and they will operate
the better for it. Thus, for instance, the juice
of the flower-de-luce root will not stay upoa
munv stomachs alone ; but witli a little white wine
added in the bruising, all becomes easy, and
ifs effects are not the less for the addition. The
same addition may be made tf) some of tlie cold-
er herbs ; and if a little sugar, and, upon occa-
sion^ n few grains of powdered ginger be added,
there will be scarce any fear of the medicine dis-
agreeing with the stomach, and its effects will
be the same, as if it had been bruised and pressed
alone.

Infusions are naturally to be mentioned after
the juices, for they are in many cases used to sup-
ply their place. Juices can only be obtained from
fresh plants, and tiierc are times of the year when
the plants are not to be had in that state. Re-
course is then to be had to the shop, instead of
the field ; the plant whose juice cannot be had,
is there to be found dried and preserved ; and if
that has been done according to the preceding
directions, it retains a great part of its virtues 5
in this case it is to be cut to pieces, and hot wa-
ter being poured upon it, extracts so much of its
qualities, as to stand in the place of the other.
Often, indeed, the virtues are the same : in some
plants they are greatest from the infusion ; but
then some others lose so much in drying, that
an infusion scarce has any thing. But it is not
only as a help in the place of the other, that
this preparation is to be used, for infusions arc
very proper from many fresh herbs ; and are
of great virtue from many dry ones, of which,
when fresh, the juice would have been woxik
little.

c

xviii. INTRODUCTION.

• Infusions arc the fittest foriTis for those liofbs
v/hosc qualities arc light, and wliose virtue is
easily extracted : in this case, hot water poured
upon them takes up enough of their virtue, and
none is lost in the -operation ; others require to be
boiled in the water. From these arc thus made
what we call decoctions : and as these last would
not give their virtues in infusion, so the others
would lose it all in the boiling. It would go
olF with the vapour. We know very well, that
the distilled water of any herb is only the vapour
of the boilod herb caught by proper vessels, and
condensed to water : therefore, whether it be
caught or let to fly away, all that virtue must be
lost in boiling. It is from this, tbat some plants
are fit for decoctions, and some for infusioiis.
There are some which, if distilled, give no virtue
to the water, and these are fit for decoctions,
which will retain all their virtue, as bistort, and
tormentill roots, and the like. On the contra-
ry, an infusion of mint, or pennyroyal, is of i\
strong taste, and excellent virtue ; whereas, a
decoction of these herbs is disagreeable or good for
nothing.

There are herbs also, which have so little juice,
tbat it would be impossible to get it out ; and
others whose virtue lies in the husks and buds,
and this would be lost in the operation. An in*
fusion of these is the right way of giving them.
Thus mother of thyme is a dry little herb, from
which it would he hard to get any juice, and when
gotten, it would possess very little of its virtues :
but an infusion of mother of thyme possesses it
entirely.

Infusions arc of two kinds. They are cither
prepared in quantity, to be drank cold ; or they
are drank as they are made, in the manner of tea.

INTRODUCTION.

this last method is the best but people will not
be prevailed upon to do it, unless the taste of the
herb be agreeable ; for the flavour is much strong-
er hot, than it is cold.

It)fufion.s in the manner of tea, are to be made
just as tea, and drank with a little sugar : the
others are to be made in this manner :

A stone jar is to be fitted with a close cover ;
the herb, whether fresh or dried, is to be cut to
pieces ; and when the jar has been scalded out
with hot water, it is to be put in : boiling water
is then to be poured upon it ; and the top is to be
fixed on it is thus to stand four, five^ ©r six
hoursj or a whole night, according to the nature
of the ingredient, and then to be poured off
elear.

It is impossible to direct the quantity in general
for these infusions, because much more of some
plants is required than of others : for the most
part, three quarters of an ounce of a dried plant,
or two ounces of the fresh gathered. The best
rule is to suit it to the patient's strength and palate.
It is intended not to be disagreeable, and to have as
much virtue of the herb as is necessary : this is
only to be known in each kind by trial ; and the
virtue may be heightened, as well as the flavour
mended, by several additions. Of these sugar
and a little white wine are the most familiar, but
lemon juiee is often very serviceable, as we find
in sage tea; and a few drops of oil of vitriol
give colour and strength to tincture of roses.
Salt of tartar makes many infusions stronger
also than they would be, but it gives them a
very disagreeable taste. It is, therefore, fit only
for such as are to be taken at one draught, not for
such as are to be swallowed in large quantities time
^ifter time.

Among the herbs that yield their virtues most

XX,

INTRODUCTION.

commodiously by infusion^ may be accouuUd
many of those wliich are pectoral, and good m
coughs, as colts-fool, ground-ivy, aud the like ;
the light and aromatic, good in nervous disorders,
as mother of thyme, balm, and the like; the
bitters are also excellent in infusion, but very
disagreeable in decoction ; thus boiling water
poured upon Roman wormwood, gentian root,
and orange peel, makes a very excellent bitter.
It need only stand till the liquor is cold, and may
bethe!> pou-ed off for use.

It is often proper to add some purging ingre-
dient to this bitter infusion ; and a little fresh
polypody root excellently answers that purpose,
without spoiling the taste of the medicine.

Several of the purging plants also do very well
id infusion, as purging flax, and the like ; and
the fresh root of polypody alone is a very good
one : a little lemon juice added to the last named
iinfusion does no harm ; and it takes off what is
disagreeable in the taste, in the same manner as
it does from an infusion of sena.

Thus we see what a great number of purposes
may be answered by infusions, and they are the
most familiar of all preparations. Nothing is re-
quired, but pouring some boiling water upon
the plants fresh or dried, as already directed, and
pouring it off again when cold.

Decoctions are contrived to answer the purpose
of infusions, upon plants which are of so firm a
texture, that they will not easily yield forth their
useful parts. In these the ingredients are to be
boiled in the water, as in the others, the boiling
water was to be poured over them. In general,
leaves, flowers, and entire plants, whether fresh
or dried, are used in infusions ; the roots and
barks in decoctions.

An earthen pipkin, with a close cover, is the

INTRODUCTION.

best vessel for preparing these ; for many of those
medicines which are little suspected of it, will
take a tincture from the nrietal ; and it would be as
improper to boil them m a copper pan, (as it is
too common a custom,) as to beat the herbs and
roots in a metal mortar.

Fresh roots are used in decoction, as well as
those which are dried ; and the barks and other
ingredients in like manner. Wlicn the fresh are
used, the roots are to be cut into thin slices, and
the barks and woods should be shaved down ; as
to the loaves and entire plants, they need be cut
but slightly. When dry ingredicHts are used,
the roots and barks arc best pounded to pieces,
and as to the herbs and flowers, little is to be
done to them, and in general, they are best added
toward the end of the decoction.

It is always best to let the ingredients of a de-
coction stand in the water cold for twelve hours,
before it is set on the fire, and then it should be heat-
ed gradually, and afterwards kept boiling gently
as long as is necessary : and this is to be propor-
tioned to the nature of the ingredients. Generally
a quarter of an hour is sufficient, sometimes much
longer is necessary. They arc then to be strained
olF while they are hot, pressing them hard, and
the liquor s^3t by to cool : when they are thorough-
ly cold, they are to be poured oif clear from
the settlement, for they always become clear as
they cool, and sweetened with a ^iltle sugar.
Frequently also, it is proper to add to them a,
little white wine, as to the infusions.

3tJ4iu INTRODUCTION.

CHAP. IV.

Concerning distilled waters, and other prepara*
Hons to be kept in the house.

I SHALL bring the charitable lady farther in thi$
matter than perhaps she was aware at the
first setting out ; hut it will be with little expcnce,
and little trouble. She will find, that I now in-
tend she should keep a sort of chemist's or at
least an apothecary's shop^ as well as a druggist's ;
but it will hd founded upon the same materials.
No dru^ brought from abroad, or to be purchased
at a great price, will have place in it ; they are
all natives of our own country ; and the prepa-
ration of these medicines from them will cost only
a little spirit, a little sugar, and the labour of a
servant.

That spirit is best which is called molosses spi-
rit ; it is to be bought at a small price at the dis-
tillcFS ; and as to the sugar, the most ordinary
loaf kind will do for most purposes ; where other
is necessary, it will be particularly named.

Few families are without an alembic or still,
and that will be of material service. With that
instrument the simple waters are to be made,
with no expence beside the fire ; and it will be
proper to keep those of the following ingredi-
ents.

Mint water, pepper-mint water, and penny-!
royal water, arc to be made of the dry herbs.
Three pounds of each is to be put into the still,
with four gallons of water, and two gallons is
to be distilled ofi". Milk water is to be made
thus ; a pound and half of spear-mint, a pound
of rue, half a pound of Roman wormwood, and

INTRODUCTION.

xxih

half a pound of angelica leaves arc to be put
into the still with five gallons of water^ and
three gallons are to be distilled off. Common
mint water is good in sicknesses of the stomach,
pepper-mint water in colics, and pennyroyal to
promote the menses. Milk water is good in fe-
vers, and to make juleps. It used to be made
with milk, but that answers no purpose. Only
one simple water more need be kept, and that for
colics : it is best made of Jamaica pepper : a
poimd of Jamaica pepper is to be put into the
still over night, with three gallons of water ; and
the next morning two gallons of water distil-
led off.

It has been customary to keep a great many
simple waters, but these are all that are necessary
or proper. The other herbs arc better to be given
in infusion and decoction.

As for cordial waters, they are made as the
others, only with the addition of spirit. It may be
proper to keep the following; and no more arc ne-
cessary.

1. Cinnamon water; which is made by putting
into the still a pound of cinnamon, a gallon of
spirit, and a gallon of water, and the next day
distilling off a gallon. This is good in sickness at
the stomach, and i*a fine cordial.

2. Spirituous milk water; made from a pound
of spear-mint, half a pound of angelica, and a
quarter of a pound of Koman wormwood, all
green. To these is to be put a gallon of spirit,
and a gallon of water, and a gallon to be distil-
led off ; to whic?i is to be added a pint of
vinegar : this is good to promote sweat, and is used
instead of treacle water, being better.

3. Strong pennyroyal water, which is used
instead of hysteric water, in all hysteric cases.

xxiv: INTRODUCTION.

and to promote the menses, is made of a pound
and half of dry pennyroyal, a gallon of spi-
rit, and six quarts of water, drawing ofl' a
gallon.

4. Anniseed water, wl)ich is good in the colic,
and is made wi(h a pound of anniseed, a poundl
of angelica seed, and two gallons of spirit, Trith
on« gallon of water, distilling olf two gallons. No
more of these are necessary : but before I close
this article of distilling, I shall add the making
of lavender water, spirit of lavender, and Hun-
gary water, which are preparations of the same
kind, and very easy.

havender water, is made from a pound of
fresh lavender flowers, and a gallon of molosses
spirit, with two quarts of water ; five pints are to be
distilled off. Hungary water is made of a pound
and half of rosemary tops with the flowers, 3
gallon of spirit, and a gallon of water, distilling
off five pints : and to make the spirit of laven-
der, or palsy drops, mix three pints of lavender
water, and one pint of Hungary water, and
add to this half an ounce of cinnamon, the
same quantity of nutmegs, and three drams of
red saunders wood ; these are to stand together
till the spirit is well coloured.

This is all the family practitioner will need
with distilling : a short account, but suflicient.

As for tinctures, which arc a great article
with the apothecary aud chemist, making a
great shew, .md really very useful ; I would
have several of them kept, and they arc as
easily made as the waters, nay, more easily.
Molosses spirit is all that is necessary for this
purpose.

It would be well to keep tinctures of all
roots and barks, which arc said to be good drievl

INTilODUCTION. xjcy.

in the course of this work, fori; a tihcturei . will
contain more or less of the yirtue of every one of
these, and be often convenient, where the powder
or decoction could not be given; It is needleg^s to
enumerate these, and one rule of making, serves for
them all: two ounces of the ingredient- is to be
cut to thin slices, or bruised in a mortar, and
put into a quart of spirit ; it is to stand a fort-
night in a place a little warm, and'be often shook ;
at the end of this time, it is to be taken out, strain--
«d off, and made to pass through a funnel,! lined
with whitish brown paper, .and put up with the
name of the ingredient. . - . ■,.:>■ :!i.>i ii.

To these tinctures of the 'English roots, barkik«
and seeds, it would be well to add a few made of
foreign ingredients. As,

1. The bitter tincture for the stomach> is made
of two oiuices. of gentian^ an ounce of dried
orange peel, and half an ounce of cardamom
seeds, and a quart of spirit : or it may be made
in white wiile,iallowing two quarts.

2. Tinctuje of castor, good in hysteric com-
plaints, and made with two ounces of castor arid
a quart of f/pirit.

3. Tincture of bark, which will cure those who
will not take the powder, made^of four ounces
of bark, and a quart of spirit.

■ 4. Tincture of soot for fits, made with two
ounces of . wood-spot^ one ounce of; assafoBtida,
and a quart of spirit]'' '-.t . '

5. Tincture of steel, for the stoppage of the
menses, made of flowers of iron four ouaices, and
spirit a quart. ■ . -i ,,,( . ) i.y. .

6. Tincture of myrrh^ made of three ounces
of myrrh, and a quart of spirit, good for curing
the scurvy in tlie gums.

7. Tincture of rhubarb, made of two buiioes

d

xivi. INTRODUCTION.

of rhubarb, half an ounce of cardamom seeds,
and a quarter of an nunce of saffiop, with a
quart of spirit.

8. Elixir salutis, made of a pound of stoned
raisinsj a pound of scna, an ounce and half of
carrawaj seeds, and half an ounce of cardamoms,
in a gallon of spirit.

9. Elixir of vitriol, made of six drams of cin-
namot), three drams of cardamoms, two^ drams
of long pepper, and the same of Jjingrr ; and
a quart of spirit : to a pint of this tincture strain-
ed dear off, is to be added four ounces uf oil of
vitriol : this is an excellent stomachic. Lastly,
to these it may bfe well to add the famous frier's
balsam, which is made of three ounces of ben-
jamin, two ounces of strained storax, one ounce
of balsam of Tolu, half an ounce of aloes, and
a quart of spirit of wine, such a» is burnt under
lamps. This spirit may be made by pu'ting
a gallon of molosses spirit into the still, am! draw-
ing off two quarts, and this w'ill be useful Oijr
spirit of wine and camphire, which is made
by dissolving an ounce of camphire in a quart of
the spirit. Lastly, we are to add what is called
the asthmatic elixir, made with flower of benja-
min and opium, of each a dram, camphire two
scruples, oil of aniseed forty drops, liqu(>rice
root half an ounce, honey one ounce, and a
quart of spirit. This is a gentle opiate, and fs
much better in families than the strong lauda-
num.

As to the tinctures made with white wine
instead of spirit, a few arc sufficient. Steel
wine is made of a quarter of a pound of filii>g«
of iron, and half an ounce of mace, and the
sarnc quantity of cinnamon, put into two quarts
of Rhenish. Hiera picra is made of half a pound

INTRODirCTION.

of aloes, two ounces of winter's biw-k, and five
quarts of white wine. The first is a restorative
cordial and strciigthener ; the latter is sufficiently
linown as a purge. Laudanum is made of two
ounces of opium, a dram of cloves, and a dram
of cinnamon, and a pint of wine. Viper wine
is made of two ounces of dried vipers, and two
quarts of white wine ; and the tincture of ipeca-
cuanha for a vomit, of two ounces of that root,
half an ounce of dry orange peel, and a quart
of sack. Lastly, what is called elixir proprieta-
tis is made of aloes, myrrh, and saffron, of
each an ounce, sal armoliiac six drams, and salt
of tartar eight ounces, in a quart of mountain
wine.

These are all the tinctures and wines that
need be kept in a family, whose charity is design-
ed to be very extensive ; the expence of the whole
is a trifle, not worth naming, and the trouble
scarce any thing. Books are full of directions
in particular for every tincture, as if every one
wore to he made a different way ; but the best
method is to give a good deal of time, and fre-
quent shaking, and that will stand in the place
of heat in most things of this kind : nevertheless,
I advise that they should stand in a room
where a fire is kept while they are making ; and
those which require heat, that is, those that
take a colour most slowly, are to be placed nearest
to it.

Easy as these are, they are by far the most dif-
ficult part of the task, the rest is as it were
nothing. Conserves, syrups, and ointments .will
be wanting ; but in the same manner one direc-
tion will serve for the making the whole assort-
ment of each, and the irigredjents will be at
huud. As to plaisters in general, they do more

.HJiviii.

INTRODUCTION.

liarm than good. Surgeons at this time make
very little use of thera ; and in the course of this
work, many herbs will be named, the bruised
leaves of which are better t'han all the plaislers
iq .the , world..

J, Conserves should be made of rue, mint, scurvy-
grass, wood-sorrel, and Roman wormwood. As
to the four first, the leaves are to be picked
off from the stalks, and beaten up with three
times the weight of sugar. The tops of the
young shoots of the latter are to be cut off, and
they are to be beat up in the same manner. In
the course of this work, many plants will be
named, the green tops of which contain their
virtue, these may all be made into conserves in
the same manner, or as many of them added
to those here named, as shall be thought pro-
per.

Conserves of the flowers of rosemary, mal-
lows, archangel, and lavender, are to be made
also in the same manner, and of red rose buds.
These last are to be picked from the husk, and
the white heels are to be cut off. They are all
to be beat up with three times their weight of
sugar ; and in the same manner may be made
conserves of cowslip flowers, and of those of
.many other plants mentioned in the following
pages.

The outer rinds of Seville oranges and lemons,
arp also to be made into conserves in the same
manner, beating them first to a pulp, and then
adding the sugar; and to these must be added the
conserve of hips and sloes, which arc to be made
in a particular manner. The hips are to be
gathered when fully ripe, afterwards set by in
a cellar, till they grow very soft ; then they are
tp be. laid upon the back of ^ large hair sieve.

INTRODUCTION"; xx^

a dish being put underneath ; they are to
broke with the hand or, a wooden pestle, and rub-
bed about till all the soft matter, is forced through
the hair-cloth;, the. seeds and skins only rcniaining.
This soft nnatter is to be weighed, and to b§ beat
up in a mortar wjth twice its weight of loaf
sugar, first powdered. )> > r .

Sloes are to be gathered when they arc - mode-
rately ripe, and they are to be set over the fire
in water, till they swell and arc softened, but
not till the skin bursts ; they are then to be
laid upon a sieve, and the soft matter driven
through as in the other case, and three times
the quantity of sugar is to be mixed with this,
that it may make a conserve by beating toge-
ther.

Syrups are to be made of many ingredients :
they may be made indeed of any infusion, with
sugar added to it in a due quantity ; and the
way to add this so that the syrups shall keep
and not candy, is to proportion the sugar to the
liquor very exactly. One rule will serve for all
this matter, and save a great deal of repetition.
The liquor of which a syrup is to be made
may be the juice of some herb or fruit, or a
decoction, or an infusion ; which ever it be, let
it stand till quite clear ; then to every wine pint
of it, add a pound and three quarters of loaf
sugar, first beat to powder : put the sugar and
the liquor together into an earthen pan that
will go into a large saucepan ; put water in the
saucepan, and set it over the fire. Let the pan
stand in it till the sugar is perfectly melted, scum-
mingitall the time ; then as soon as it is cold,
it may be put up for use, and will keep the
year round without danger.

This being set down as the general method of

tNTRODUCTION.

making the liquor into a syrup, the rest of the
descriptions of them will be easy. They are to
he made in this manner. For syrup of cloves,
weigh three pounds of clove July flowers picked
from the husks^ and with the white heels cutoff :
pour upon them five pints of boiling water. Let
them stand all night, and in the raorniDg pour
off the clear liquor, and make it into a syrup
as directed above : in the same manner are to
be made the syrups of violets and red poppies :
out less of the violet flowers will do, and more
of the poppies may be added : thus, also, are to
be made the syrups of damask roses^ peach blos-
soms, cowslip flowers, and many others which
■will be recommended for that purpose in this
book.

Syrup of buckthorn, 'is to be made by boiling
the juice down to half its quantity, with a little
cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and then adding
the sugar.

The syrups of lemon-juice, mulberries, and
the like, are to be made with a pound and half
of sugar to every pint of the clear juice,
which is to be melted as in the former man-
ner.

Syrup of garlic, leeks, orange-peel, lemon-
peel, mint, and many other things are to be made
of strong infusions of those ingredients, made
as before directed, with the first mentioned quan-
tity of sugar added to them, when they have
stood to settle.

Syrup of marshmallows, and of poppy heads,
and some others, are to be made in the same
manner with the strongest decoctions that can
possibly be made from those infjrcdicnfs, with
the «amc quantity of «ugar as is first men-
tioned.

INTRODUCTION. xxxf.

Syrup of' balsam is made by boiling a quarter
of a pound of balsam of Tdlu, in a pint and half
of water in a close vessel, and then making the ^
water into a syrup, with the usual quantity of
sugar : and thu« may be made syrups of any of
the balsams.

Syrup of saffron is made of a strong tincture
of saffron in wine. An ounce of saffron being
put to a pint of mountain, and this, when strain-
ed off, is to be made into a syrup, with the usual
quantity of sugar.

At one time it was a eustom to keep a quantity
of syrups of a particular kind under the name of
honeys. They were made with honey instead of
sugar, and some of them, which had vinegar in
the composition, were called oxymels. A few
of the first kind, and very few, are worth keep-
ing, and two or three of the latter, for they
have very particular virtues. The way of mak-
ing fhem is much the same with that of making
syrups ; but to be exact, it may be proper just
to give some instance of it.

Honey of roses is the most useful, and it is
to be made of an infusion of the flowers and
honey in this manner. Cut the white heels from
some red rose buds, and lay them to dry in a
place where there i« a draught of air ; when
they are dried, put half a pound of them into
a stone jar, and pour on them three pints of
boiling water ; stir them well, and let them
stand twelve hours ; then press off the liquor,
and when it has settled, add to it five pounds
of honey, boil it well, and when it is of the
consistence of a thick syrup put it by for use.
It is good against sore mouths, and on many
ether occasions. In the same manner may fee
made the honey of uny flower; or with the

xxxii.

INTRODUCTION.

juice of any plant thus mixed with honey and
boiled down, inay be made what is called the
liotaey of that plant. As to the oxymels, they
arealso madb in a very uniform manner. The
foiiqwing are so useful, that it will be proper
always to keep them in readiness.

For oxymel of garlic, put half a pint of vi-
negar into an earthen pipkin, boil in it a quarter
of an ounce of caraway seeds, and the same quan-
tity of sweet fennel seeds, at last add an ounce
and half of fresh garlic root sliced thin ; let it
boil a minute or two'longer, then cover it up to
stand till cold, then press out the liquor, and
add ten ounces ' of honey, and boil it to a con -
sistence.

1 iFor vinegar of squills, put into a pint of vi-
■negar three ounces of dried squills ; let it stand two
days in a gentlie heat, then press out the vinegar,
and when it has stood to settle, add a pound and a
half of honey^ and boil it to a consistence. Both
.these. are excellent in asthmas.

To these also should be added, flie common sim-
ple) bji^ymel; which is made of a pint of vinegar, and
two pounds of honey boiled together to the con-
sistence of a syrup.

.;: Finally, as to ointments, nothing can be so easy
as the making them of the common herbs, and
the expence is bnly so much hog's-lard. The lard
is to be melted, and the fresh gathered leaves of
the herb are to be chopped to pieces, and thrown

.into it : they are to be boiled till the leaves begin
to feel crisp, and then the lard is to be strained
off. It will, be green, and will have the virtues of
the herb, and must be called ointment of such an
herb. To these I shall take the opportunity of
adding the way of making two or throe more,
which^ though not the. produce of English herbs^

INTRODUCTION. xxxiii.

are very useful, and our charitable shop should
not be without them.

1. The white ointment, called unguentum ; this
is made hy melting together four ounces of white
•w ax, and three ounces of spermaceti, in a pint of
sallaJ oil, and adding, if it be desired, three
ounces of ceness, and a dram and half of camphire :
But it is better for all common purposes without
these.

2. Yellow basilicon, which is made by melting
together yellow wax, resin, and burgundy pitch,
of each half a pound, in a pint of oil of olives,
and adding three ounces of turpentine.

S. Black basilicon, which is made by melting
together in a pint of olive oil, yellow wax, resin,
and pitch, of each nine ounces.

4. The mercurial ointment, which is thus made:
rub together in an iron mortar, a pound of qaicfc-
silver, and an ounce of turpentine ; when they are
well mixed, add four pounds of hog's-lard melted,
and mil all thoroughly together. The ointment
of tutty is prepared with levigated thtty, and as
much viper's fat as will make it into a soft ointment :
these are only to be mixed together upon a marble,
by working them with a thin knife. Tins is
for disorders of the eyes, the foregoing for the
itch, and many other complaints, but it must be
used cautiously. And those which were before
named for old sores.

Of the same nature with the ointments, are, ia
some degree, the oils made by infusion of herbs
and flowers in common oil. These are also very
easily prepared, and an instance or two will serve
to explain the making of them all. The most
regarded among these is the oil of St. John's-
wort, and that is thus made ; pick clean a quartet
of a pound of the flowers of common St. Jobn't-

XXXIV. INTRODUCTION.

wort, pour upon them a quart of olive oil, and
let them stand together till the oil is of a reddish
colour. Oil of elder is made of a pound of elder
flowers, which are to be put iuto a quart of olive
oil, and boiled till thej are crisp, and the oil is to
be then strained off.

3. What is called the green oil, is thus made,
bruise in a marble mortar three ounces of green
chamomile, with the same quantity of bay leaves,
sea-worrawood, rue, and sweet marjoram ; then
boil them in a quart of oil of olives, till they are
a little crisp. The oil is tben to be poured off,
and when cold put up for use.

These oils are used to rub the limbs when there
is pain and swellings ; their virtues will be found
at large, under the several herbs which are the
principal ingredients: and after one" or other of
these methods, maj be made the oil by infusion, or
by boiling of any plant, or of any number of plants
of like virtue.

Lastly, though herbs are now left out of the
composition of piaisters, even the melelot being now
made without the herb from which it was first
named : it may be proper to add the way of pre-
paring a few that are most useful, and ought to be
kept in families.

1. The common plaister is thus made ; boil
together a gallon of oil, five pounds of powdered
litharge, and a quart and four ounces of water.
"When the water is boiled away, the rest will be
united into a. plaister, but it must be stirred all the
time : this used to be called diachylon. To make
diachyfbn with the gums, add to a pound of the
last described, two ounces of galbaiium, and an
ounce of common turpentine, and the same quan-
tity of frankincense. Mell. them all together, the
gums fint, and then add the plaister.

INTRODUCTION.

XTXY,

S. For a slrengthning plaister, melt two pounds
of the common plaister, and add to it half a pound
of frankincense, and three ounces of dragdn's
blood.

3. For a drawing plaister, melt together jellow
wax and yellow resiuj of each three pounds, and
a pound of mutton suet. This is used instead of
the old melilot plaister to dress blisters ; and the
blister plaister itself is made of it, only by adding
half a pint of vinegar, and a pound of Spanish
flies in powder, to two pounds of it, just as it
begins to cool from melting. The quicksilver
plaister is thus made ; rub three ounces of quick-
silver, with a dram of balsam of sulphur, till it
no longer appear in globules, then pour in a pound
of the common plaister melted, and mix tliem well
together.

To close this chapter, I shall add a few wa~
tcrs made without distillation, which are very
cheap and very serviceable, and the family shop
will then be quite compleat.

1 . Lime water. This is made by pouring gra-
dually six quarts of water upon a pound of quick
lime ; when it has stood to be clear, it must be
poured olf. If a pound of lignun vitje wood, an
ounce of liquorice root, and half an ounce of sas-
safras bark be added to three quarts of lime wa-
ter, it is called compound lime water ; and is ex-
cellent in foulnesses ojf the blood.

2. The blue eye water. This is made by put-
ting a dram of sal ammoniac into a pint of lime
water, and letting it stand in a brass vessel, till it
is of a sky blue colour.

3. Alum water is made by boiling half an ounce
of white vitriol, and the same quantity of alum
in a quart of water, till they are dissolved.

Thus have wc described all the drugs and com*

xxxvi. INTRODUCTION.

I

positions that need be kept in the charitable sliop
J of the family, which intends to relieve a neigh--
bourhood of poor in their jrrealcst of all distrt:ss-
cs, that of sickness. The di.^eascs for which
these remedies are to be used will he f<.unri enu-
merated at large under the several heads of the
principal ingredients, as described in the succeed-
ing pages. It only remains to say a few words
about the manner of putiing these things most con-
veniently together, and we then shall have pre-
pared for all that follows.

CHAP. V.

Concerning the hest methods of pntt'mg medicines
together for present taking,

IN the first place, although these several forms
of syrups, conserves, and the like, have been
named, as what will be sometimes necessar^y. The
great practice in the conniry will lie in the in-
fusions and decoctions of the fresh plants and
roots.

Tlic strength of these infusions and decoctiona
is to be proportioned to the taste : for as they are
made to be swallowed in quantities, if thev be
made so strong as to be very disagreeable, that
end will be defeated : they may "be rendered mofe
pleasant by sweetening them with sugar, about an
ounce of which is to be allowed to a quart ; and
occasionally a little white wine, or a small quan-
tify of some of the cordial waters may be added
to them. The dose of either decoction or infu-
sion, will bp in general about half a pint, except

INTRODUCTION. xxxyii.

where they are intended to purge or vomit ; there
tliey must be more carefully and exactly propor-
tioned to the strength, than can be told in this
geueral manner.

Of the suiiple waters, about a quarter of a
puit is a dose^ and of the cordial waters, less than
half that quantity. These may be occasionally
given alone ; but they are mostly intended for
mixiijg" with other ingredients.

The tinctures are to be given in drops, from
ten to an hundred, according to their strength
and nature: but to name a general dose, it is
about tive atid twenty drops. These, however, will
be also more serviceable in mixtures, than sing-
ly. Of the purging tinctures in wine, and the
elixir salutis, three, four, or more spoonfuls is the
dose.

It would be well tc keep tinctures of many of
the roots recommended in nervous cases, as cor-
diais, asiringeiits/ and of many other kinds; and
also to keep powders of these roots in readiness :
and thus the rommon forms of medicines, as sent
from apothecatics, will be very easy.

For a julep, six ounces of one of the simple
waters, two ounces of one of the compound wa-
ters, or those made with spirit, two drams of a
syrup, and fifty drops of a tincture, make a very
agreeable one. Thus for an hysteric julep, let
the simple water be pennyroyal, the strong water
the strong pennyroyal, the syrup that of saffron,
and the tincture of castor, and it is a very pleasant
julep; and so of all the rest. If a pearl cordial
be desired, it is only mixing the simple and strong
waters without syrup or tincture, and adding two
drams of sugar, and half a dram of levigated
oyster-shells. The apothecaries will not be plea-
sed with this disclosing the mysteries of their pro-

xxxviii. INTRODUCTION.

fcssion, but the public good is of more consequence
fhau their pleasure.

Draughts arc only little juleps, with more pow-
erful ingredients added to them. An ounce and
half of a simple -water, three drams of a strong
Mater, one dram of a syrup, and forty drops of
a tincture, make a draught ; but to these may b«
a«ided a siinple of some power to increase the
virtue. What waters, tinctures, lyrups, or pow-
diiis shall be used will be determined from the
case itself.

Boluses are made with these powders in a cer-
tain dose. A scruple or half a dram, is made
tnto a sort of paste with syrup. The custom is
to cover it with a little leaf-gold, but this h
better let alone : some use leaf-brass, which is
abominable.

Electuaries nrc to be made of powders, con-
serves, and syrups, they diflfei" from boluses in this,
as well as in the size, that the dose is smaller, al-
though the piece taken be as large ; which is ow-
ing to the conserve, that having in general little
virtue in comparison of the other ingredients.
This is the form most convenient for medicines
that are to be taken for a continuance of time, and
the dose of which needs not be so very punctually
regarded.

Thus for an electuary against an habitual loose-
ness, when it exceeds the proper bounds ; mix
together an ounce of conserve of red roses, and
six drams of syrup of cloves, add to these two
drams of powdered bistort root, one dram of
powdered tormentill, and half a dram of toasted
rhubarb. This- makes an electuary, a piece of
which, of the bigness of a nutmeg, taken once m
two days, will check the abundance of stools, with-
out stopping the customary loosenesg iutirely: it

INTRODUCTION. xxxix.

will also be a pleasant medicine. If a draught of
tincture of roses^, which will be described in the
following part of this work, under the article
red rose, be taken after this, it will increase the
power.

In this manner the charitable lady may supply
the place of the apothecary, to those who could
not afford such assistance: and experience is so
good a guide, that she will be able in most cases
to save the expence of the doctor also : and there
will be this satisfaction in her own mind, that
while she deals principally with those innocent
sort of medicines which the fields afford her, she
will be in very little danger of doing harm. The
galenical physic perhaps will be found effectual
in many more cases, by those who stick to it sole-
ly, than they are aware who do not use it; as to
the mischief of medicine, that is almost entirely
chemical. It would be idle to say that chemical
medicines do not do great good ; but they require
to be in skilful hands : when the ignorant employ
them, death is more likely to be the consequence,
than the relief from the disorder any other
way.

One useful observation may serve well to close
this introduction. Opiates, and medicines of that
kmd, to compose persons to rest, and to take off
pain, will be often necessary ; but as they are the
most powerful medicines the charitable practi-
tioner >vill have to do withal, they are the most ca-
pable of doing harm : the great care will therefore
lie in the right use of these.

As there are three different preparations de-
scribed in this book for answering this purpose,
beside the opium, and that solution of it in wine,
which is called laudanum, I would advise that
these two latter be used very seldom. A syrup

xl. INTRODUCTION.

made of the juice of the wild lettuce, is an eic*
cellent medicine ; the sjrup of diacodium, which
is made of a strong decoction of poppy heads,
ig a little stronger than this ; and if sometbing
more powerful than these is required, there is tlic
asthmatic elixir. One or other of these may al-
most on every occasion serve the purpose ; and it
is almost impossible that the use of them should
be attended with danger. I would therefore ad-
vise, that opium or laudanum be very rarely used:
perhaps it might be well to say, not used at all,
for the others will be able in almost all cases, if
not universally, to answer the purpose.

FAMILY HERBAL.

A.

Acacia Tree. Acacia vera sive spina t/Egypttaca.

THE acacia is a large but not tall tree, with
prickly branches : the leaves are winged, or
composed of several small ones set on each side a
middle rib ; and the flowers are yellow. The
trunk is thick, and the top spreading.

The leaves are of a bluish green ; and the flowers
resemble in shape pea blossoms ; many of them
Ktand together. These are succeeded by long
nnd flatted pods. The seeds contained in each
are from four to seven; and the pod between
them is very small and narrow : the breadth is
where they lie.

, The tree is frequent in Egypt, and there are
a great many other kinds of it. No part of the
acacia tree is kept in the shops ; but we have
from it two drugs :

i. The acacia juice, and %. The gum arabic.
The acacia juice, or succus acacije, is like iiquor-
rice juice, hard and black. They bruise (he un-
ripe pods and seeds, and press out the juice which
they evaporate to this consistence. The gura
arrtbie oozes out of the bark of the trunk and

B

0. FAMILY HERBAL.

branches, as the plum-tree and cherry-tree gum
do with us.

The acacia juice is an astringent but lit lie
used. The gum arabicjis good in stranguries,
and in coughs from a thin sharp rheum ; it is
to be given in solution, an ounce I)oiled in a
quart of barley-water, or in powder in electuaries
or otherwise.

What is called the German acacia is the juice
of unripe sloes evaporated in the same manner.

AcoNJ.TE. Ajithora sivc acojiitum salutiferum.

THERE are many poisonous aconites, not used ;
but there is one medicinal and kept in the shops :
this is called the wholesome aconite and antithora. '

It is a small plant, a foot high, with pale
green divided leaves and yellow flowers. It
grows erect, and the stalk is firm, angular, and
hairy ; the leaves do not stand in pairs. The
ilowers are large and hooded, and of a pleasant
smell ; the seed-vessels are membranaceous, and the
seeds black ; the root is tuberous, it sometimes
consists of one lump or knob, sometimes of more.
It is a native of Germany, but we have it in gar-
<iens. The root is the only part used ; ^it is sup-
posed to be a remedy against poisons, but it is
mot much regarded at this time.

Adder's-tongue. Opiiioglossiwi,

ADDER'S tongue is a little plant common in our
meadows. It consists of a sii-igle leaf, with
a little spike of seeds rising from its bottom,
which is supposed to resemble the tongue of a
serpent.

The leaf is of an oval shape, and of a fine

FAMILY HERBAL.

b^right green colour ! it is thick and fleshy, and
has no ribs or veins. The stalk on which it stands
rises from a root composed of small fibres, and
■is four inches or more high. The spike rises to
about the same height above it ; and the tongue
or seed-vessel is notched on each side. The whole
plant is buried among the grass, and must be
sought in April and May, for it dies off soon after ;
and nothing is seen of it till the next season.

It is a fine cooling herb, and an excellent
ointment is made from it. The leaves are to be
chopped to pieces, and four pounds of thorn are
to be put into three pounds of suet and one pint
of oil melted together. The whole is to be boiled
till the herb is a little crisp, and then the ointment
is to be strained off : it will be of a beautiful green.
Some give the juice of the plant, or the powder
of the dried leaves, inwardly in wounds ; but this
is trifling-.

A.GRiMONY. Agrimonia.

A COMMON English plant : It flowers in the
midst of summer. It grows to a foot or mire
in height ; the leaves are winged; and the flow-
ers are yellow. The root is perennial ; the leaves
are hairy, of a pale green, and notched at the
«dges ; the stalk is single, firm, and round ;
the flowers stand in a long spike ; they are small
and numerous, and the seed-vessels which suc-
ceed them are rough like burs. The plant is eora-
mon about hedges.

The leaves are used fresh or dried ; they haye
been recommended in the jaundice ; but they are
found by experience to be good in the diabetes
and incontinence of urine. The plant is also

B 2

FAMILY HERBAL.

of the ffimbiis vulnerary hepbs, and an ingrcdi-
ciit in ,the right arquebusade water.

Black ai,der. Alnus nigra. Fran^ula.

THE black alder is a little shrub : The shoots
are brittle, slender, and covered with a brown
bark; the leaves are roundish^, of a bright green,
and veined ; they terminate in a point. The
berries are large and black, they are ripe ia
autumn ; the flowers which precede these are
small and inconsiderable, they are whitish and stand
on short stalks.

The shrub is frequent in moist woods, and
the berries are soractimes mixt among those of the
buckthorn by such as gather them for sale, but this
should be prevented.

No part of the black alder is used in medicine
except the inner rind ; this is yellow ; and is a
^ood purge ; the best way to give it is in a de-
coction. Boil an ounce of it in a quart of water,
and throw in at least tvvo^ drachms of ginger and
some caraway*seed3 ; let the patient proportion
the quantity to his strength : it is excellent in the
Jaundice. In Yorkshire they bruise the bark with
vinegar, and use it outwardly for the itch, which
it cures very safely.

Alehoof or GROUND-iTY. Hedera terrestris.

A LOW plant that creeps about hedges, and
powers in spring. The stalks are Ijollow and
square, a fooi. or more in length ; the leaves
are roundish and notched at the edges : in spring
they are usually of a purplish colour, and the
flowers are blue ; the leaves staad two at each

It.

FAMILY HERBAL.

joint, and the roots are fibrous. The whole
plant has a peculiar and strong smelly it should
be gathered when in flower.

It is an excellent vulnerary', outwardly or in"
v/ardly used ; a conserve may be made of it in
spring : and it may b« given by way of tea.
It is excellent in all disorders of the breast and
lungs, and in those of the kidueys, and against
jbloody and foul urine.

Al«LHEAL, OR crown's ALLHEAL. PatiaX ColouL

A COMMON herb in our wet grounds with long
hairy leaves and little red flowers. It grows
to a foot and a half high, but the stalk is weak,
square, and hairy : the leaves stand two at a
joint, and are of a pale green, notched at the
edges, and of a strong smell ; the flowers stand
in clusters round the stalk at the joints. They
are like those of the dead nettle kind, but smaller ;
the root is perennial and creeps.

It is an excellent wound herb, but must be
used fresh. The leaver are to be bruised and
laid upon a new^-made wound, without any ad-
dition ; they stop the bleeding, and cure.

Almond tree. Amygdalus.

BITTER and sweet almonds are ,^'ery dif-
ferent in taste, but the tree which produces
them is the same ; it is distinguishable at least
only by the taste of the almond.

'Tis a moderately large tree, with long nar-
row leaves, of a beautiful green, and notched
at the edges ; the blossoms are large, of a pale
red colour, and very beautiful. The fruit is com-

FAMILY HERBAL.

posed of three parts, a tough matter on (he
outside, a stone within that, and in this shell
the almoDd, by way of kernel. They cultivate
almond trees in France and Italy.

Sweet almonds are excellent in emulsions, for
stranguries and all disorders of the kidneys and
bladder ; they ought to he blanched and beat up
•with barley-water into a liquor like milk ; this
is also good, in smaller quantities, for people in
consumptions and hectics.

Bitter almonds are used for their oil ; this
tastes sweet, and what is called oil of sweet
almonds is commonly made of them. But the
cakes * left after pressing afford by distillation a
water that is poisonous, in the same manner as
laurel-water.

^ The aloe plant. ^loe.

THERE are a great many kinds of the aloe
preserved in our green- houses and stoves. Thejr
jare all natives of warmer climates ; but of these
there are only two that need be mentioned here,
as the aloe kept by apothecaries, though of three
kinds, is the produce of only two species. These
two are the socotriue aloe-plant and the com-
mon aloe.

The socotrine aloe is a very beautiful plant ;
the leaves are like those of the pine-apple,
eighteen or twenty inches long, prickly at the
sides, and armed with a large thorn at the
end. The stalk is half a yard high or more,
naked at the bottom, but ornamented at top with
a long spike of flowers ; these are of a long shape
and hollow, and of a beautiful red colour.

The socotrine or finest aloes is produced from tliii

FAMILY HERBAL.

7

plant; the leaves are pressed gently, and the juice
received in earthen vessels : it is set to settle and (hea
dried in the sun.

The common aloe is a very fine plant ; the
leaves are above two feet long and an inch thick,
they are dented at the edges and pricklyj and
have a very sharp thorn at the point. The
stalk, when it flowers, is five or six feet high,
and divided into several branches ; the flowers are
yellow streaked with green.

From the juice of the leaves of this plant
are made the hepatic and the cabaliine aloes ;
the hepatic is made from the clearer and finer
part of the juice, the cabaliine from the coarse
sediment.

The socotrine aloes is the only kind that
should be given inwardly ; this may be known
from the others, by not having their offensive
smell. It is a most excellent purge, but it must
not be given to women with child, nor to those
who spit blood, for it may be fatal. The best
way of giving it is in the tincture of hiera
picra.

Aloes Wood. Lignum aloes

IT may be necessary to mention this wood, as it
is sometimes used in medicine, although we
are not acquainted with the tree which affords it
We are told that the leaves are small, the flow-
ers moderately large, and the fruit as big as
a pigeon's egg and woolly and we read also that
thejuice of the tree, while fresh, will raise blisters
on the skin, and even cause bHndness : but these
accounts are very imperfect.

We see three kinds of the wood in the shops,
*nd they are diatinguished by three different narne*^

8

FAMILY HERBAL.

calambac, common lignum aloes, and calambour ;
of these tho calambac is the finest and the moat
resinous, the calambour is almost a mere chip, the
other is of a middle value between them. They are
all of the same virtue, but in different degrees. Thcj
are said to be cordial and strengthenmg to the
stomach, but tve use them very little.

True Amomum. Amomum verum racemosum.

AMOMUM is another of those drugs we re-
ceive from abroad, and do not know the plants
which produce them. The fruit itself, which is
called amomum, is like the lesser cardamom, but
that it is round ; it consists of a skinny husk
and seeds within, and is whitish and of the big-
ness of a horse-bean. Several of these sometimes
are found growing together to one stalk in a close
body.

The old physicians used it as a cordial and
carminative, but at present it is much neglected.

Common Amomum. Amomum vulgare.

THOUGH the amomum before mention-
ed be not used in prescription, it is an ingre-
dient in some old compositions ; and, being of-
ten not to be met with, it has been found neces-
sary to substitute another carminative seed in its
place ; this grows on an English plant, thence called
also amomum.

The common amomum, otherwise called bas-
tard stone parsley, is frequent about our hedges ;
it grows to three feet in height, but the stalk
is slender, and divided into a great many branches.
The leaves are of a bright green and winged,
or composed of double rows of smaller, with an

FAMILY HERBAL. ' 9

odd one at the end. There grow sortie large
and very beautiful ones from the root ; those on
the stalks are smaller. The flowers grow in
little umbels or clusters, at the extremities of
all the branches. They are small and whit^.
Two seeds follow each flower, and thesq are
striated, small, and of a spicy taste : the plant
is distinguished at sight from all the others of its
kind, of which there are many, by the slender -
ness of its stalks and branches, apd the smallness
of the umbels ; and more than all by the pecu-r
liar taste of the seeds, which have a flavour of
mace.

It is proper to be particular, bepause the plaq^
is worth knowing. Its root is good for all dis-
eases of the urinary passages, and the seeds are
good in disorders of the stomach and bowels^
and also operate by urine. The quantity of
a scruple given in cholics often proves an imr
mediate cure, and they are a good ingredient m
fitters.

Alranet. Afichusa.

ALKANET is a rough plant, of no great beauty,
cultivated in France and Germany for the sake
of its root. It grows to a foot and half high :
the leaves are lafge, and of a rough irregular
surface, and bluish green colour ; the flowers
are small and purplish ; the ropt is long and
of a deep purple. It is kept dried in the
J shops. Jt has the credit of an astringent and
vulnerary, but it is little used. The best way
of giving of it, is to add half ian ounce to a
quart of hartshorn drink ; it ^ives a good colour,
|tnU inore^ges the yirtue.

10

FAMILY HERBAL.

Angelica. Angelica.

A LARGE and beautiful plant kept in our
gardens, and found wild in some parts of the
kingdom. It grows to eight feet in height, and
the stalks robust, and divided into branches.
The leaves are large, and composed each of
many smaller, set upon a divided pedicle ; they
are notched at the edges, and of a bright green.
The flowers are small, but they stand in vast
clusters, of a globose form: two seeds follow each
flower.

Every part of the plant is fragrant when bruised,
and every part of it is used in medicine. The
root is long and large : we use that of our own
growth fresh, but the fine fragrant dried roots
are brought from Spain. The whole plant pos-
sesses the same virtues, and is cordial and supo-
rific ; it has be^n always famous against pestilen-
tial and contagious diseases. The root, the stalks
candied, the seeds bruised, or the water distilled
from the leaves, may be used, but the seeds are
the most powerful. It is also an ingredient in many
compositions.

Anise, Anisum.

THE aniseed used in the shops is produced
by a small plant cultivated in fields for that
purpose in the island of Malta and elsewhere.
It grows to half a yard high, the stalks are firm,
striated, and branched ; the leaves which grow near
the ground, are rounded and divided only ijito three
parts ; those on the stalks are cut into slender divi-
sions. The flowers are small, but they grow in large
umbels at the top of the branches, and two 8eed»
follow each ; these are the aniseed.

FAMILY HERBAL. 11

As much bruised aniseed as will lie on a
sixpencej is excellent in cholic. 'Tis also
good in indigestions, and other complaints of the
stomach.

Apples of Love. Poma Amoris.

THESE are large juicy fruits, but they are
produced not on a tree, but on a small and low
plant. The stalks are weak, and divided into many
branches ; the leaves are large, but they are com-
posed of many small ones set on a divided stalk,
and they are of a faint yellowish green colour. The
flowers are small and yellow, the fruit is large, and
when ripe of a red colour ; it contains a soft juicy
pulp and the seeds.

The plant is a kind of nightshade, we cul^
tivate it in gardens. The Italians eat the fruit
as we do cucumbers. The juice is cooling, and
is good externally used in eruptions on the skin,
and in diseases of the eyes, where a sharp humour
is troublesome.

Archangel. Lamium Album.

A COMMON wild plant, more vulgarly called
the dead-nettle. It grows about our hedges,
it is a foot high, and has leaves shaped Tike
those of the nettle, but they do not sting. The
stalk is square and the leaves are hairy; the
flowers are large and white,' they stand at the joints
where the leaves are set on, and are very pretty.
The leaves stand in pair?, and the root creeps under
the surface.

The flowers are the only part used, they are
to be gathered in May ; and made into conserve
A pound of them is to be beat up with two pounds

t'AMILY HERf.At.

iind a half of sugar. They may also be dried, Thrtf
are excellent in the whites, and all other wcak-
hesses.

There is a little plant with red flowers called
also the red archangel, or red dead-nettle. It
is comnrton under the hedges, and in gardens ;
the stalks are square and weak, the leaves are
short and tiotche d at the edges, and the flowers
small and red ; the plant is not above four or five
inches high, and these flowers grow near the tops
among the leaves. They are in shape like those of the
white archangel, but smalt.

The herb is used fresh or dried, and the flowers-
The decoction is gopd for floodings, bleedings at
the nose, spitting of blood, or any kind of hemor-
rhage. It also stops blood, bruised and applied
(Outwardly;

AlRRACn, oii Stinking Arrach. Atriplex olida.

A SMALL wild plant that grows about farm-
3'ards, and in waste grounds. The stalks are
a foot long, but weak ; they seldom stand up*
light, they are striated, and of a pale green.
The leaves are small, short, and rounded, of a
bluish green colour, and of the breadth of A
shilling or less. The flowers are inconsiderable,
and the seeds small, but they stand in clusters at
the tops of the branches, and have a greenish
white appearance.^' The whole plant is covered
Svith a sort of moist dust in large particles, and
has a most unpleasant smell. It is to be used
fresh gathered, for it loses its virtue in drying,
A syrup may be made of a pint of its juice
and two pounds of sugar, ahdwill keep all the
yed-t. The leaves also may be beat info a con-
serve, with three timSS their weight of sugar. Iw

FAMILY HERBAL.

13

«hy of these forms it is an excellent medicine in
all hjsteric complaints. It cures fits, and pro-
motes the menses, and the necessary evacuations
after delivery.

There is Hnother kind of arracli also mentioned
by medical writers, and called garden arrach ;
it is an annual raised from seed, for the use of
the kitchen. It grows to a yard high, and the
leaves are tsroad : those which grow from the
root have a little leaf aslo on each side of the base.
They are covered with a wet dust like the othei"
kind. These leaves are cooling and softening }
they are good in clysters, but they are less used,
and less valuable than the othef.

Aron. Arun,

A VERY common plant under otir hedges, and
more vulgarly called cuckowpint^ and, by the
children, lord and lady. The root is of the
bigness and shape of a walnut, brown on the
outside and white within, and this, as well as
the whole plant, is of a sharp and acrid taste.
This root lies deep. The leaves are large and
shaped like the bearded head of an arrow, of
a strong green colour, and sometimes spotted.
In April and May rise among these thick stalks*
supporting a very singular kind of flower, the
pointal of which is long, thick, fleshy, and of a
red or white colour, and the whole surrounded
with a green membranaceous case. Afterwards
this case and the pointal fall off\, and there re-
mains only the stem supporting a quantity of
berries, which are ripe in autumn, and are then of
a fine red colour.

The root is the part used. It is an excellent
laedicine in palsies. Half one of the roots, fresh

14

FAMILY HERBAL.

gathered and bruised, will sometimes restore the
speech at once ; and a continued use of them goes
a great way toward a cure. It is also good in
scorbutic cases, and in all inward obstructions.
Some dry and powder it, but it then loses almost all
its \irtue.

Arsmart or Water-pepper. Persicaria Urens.

A COMMON wild herb, neglected, but of great
■virtues. It grows every where about ditches,
and in watery places. It is a foot and a half high ;
the stalks are weak, green or reddish, and jointed.
Tlie leaves are long and narrow, like those of tJie
peach tree, of a bright green, not spotted, and
evin at the edges. The flowers stand at the
tops of the stalks in sleijder spikes, of a greenish
white. As there are several other kinds of ars-
mart, and most of them different from this in their
nature and qualities, great care is to be taken
to gather the right. It must have no spot upon
the middle of the leaf. There is another common
kind of arsmart with such a spot, and with thicker
stalks, and thick spikes of reddish flowers, which
has none of its virtue.

The right arsmart is an excellent medicine in
obstructions of urine, in the gravel and stone : and
in the jaundice and beginning of dropsies it has done
great cures. The juice of the fresh gathered
plant is the best way of giving it. Outwardly it
IB good to cleanse old ulcers.

Artichoke. Cinara.

THE root of the common artichoke, or har-
ticboke, cultivated for our tables, is an ex-
cellent medicine. The plant itself is of the thistle-

FAMILY HERBAL. 15

kind, and its head, which we see at table, owes
much of its bigness and fleshiness to culture. The
leaves are large, and divided into many parts, and
often they are prickly. The stem is robust and
striated, and the head is formed of large scales ; the
flowers are of the thistle-kind, and the seeds are, aa
in the thistles, winged with down.

The root fresh gathered, sliced and boiled in wa-
ter, six ounces to a quart of the water, makes a de-
coction, which works by urine, and I have know n it
alone cure a jaundice,

AsARABACCA. Asurum.

A VERY little and low plant found wild in many
parts of Europe, and common in our gardens.
The roots creep about the surface of the ground,
the leaves grow singly from them, and there is no
stem or stalk. Each leaf has its separate foot-
stalk three or four inches long, and the leaf itself
is roundish, of a dark green and fleshy ; the flowers
small and of a dusky colour, and they stand near the
ground.

The roots are the most valuable part ; the
juice of them may be given in small doses, or
they maybe dry and given in powder or infusion.
It works very powerfully by urine, and is good in
obstructions of the menses, and in jaundices and
dropsies.

The Ash, Frnisinus.

A COMMON tree in our hedges and woods.
The bark of the branches is grey, and the
leaves are winged ; the small ones of which they
are composed are oblong and dented. The flowers
are of a whitish grten, and come before the leaves:

I'AMILY HERBAL.

the seeds are what they call ash-keys, these ripen in
September.

The bark of the young branches is good in
obstructions of the liver and spleen, and there-
fore is of great service in dropsies, jaundice,
nnd other complaints of that origin : it works hy
urine. The seeds have the same virtue, but in a lesi
degree.

The Manna Ash, Frnxinus mi nor e folio..

THIS is a lower tree than the common ash,
»nd is not a native of our kingdom, but is fre-
quent in Italy, where the manna is gathered from
its leaves and branches.

The bark of this tree is paler than that of our
common ash, and the leaves are composed of
gniajler and narrower parts, but the flqwer and
fruit differ very little.

They have also in Calabria another low ash-
tree, which has the backs of the leaves small-
er than ours, and flatter and more rounded, and
from this also they collect manna for the use of
the apothecaries. The manna is a sweet or honey
juice that naturally sweats out of the bark and
leaves in hot weather. The finest manna of all
is that which oozes out of the leaves, this is in
small pieces. It 'flows out of the ribs of the
leaves in August, in the heat of the day, and soon
hardens into this form. They get the greatest
quantities of all, by cutting the bark of the trunk
and branches, and this is often lai-ge and flak^',
hut it is yellowish. That which is flaky, white,
and hollow, has issued put of itself and is much
better.

Maujia is a most excellent purge, very gentle,
flnd without any after astringcncy. There is a

FAMILY HERBAL.

17

kind of manna used in France^ called the Briancon
nianna; this is produced by the larch-tree: and
there is another kind more rare, called Persian
inamia ; this is produced by the shrub called
alhagi, a kind of broom, or nearly allied to it.
But these are scarce with us.

Asparagus. Asparagus sativus.

THE asparagus plant is one whose root is
useful in medicine, although a different part
of it be eaten at the table. Its virtues are
not unlike those of the artichoke root but
greater.

The asparagus is a "wild plant in many parta
of England about the sea-coasts ; and its root, in
this wild state, is better than that of the cultivated
plants, but its shoots have not that fine fleshy
fulness. The plant, when full grown, is three
feet high, and very much branched, and the
leaves are fine and of a pale green ; the flowers
are small and greenish, but the berries which suc-
ceed them, are as big as pease and red.

The root is a powerful diuretic, and is good
in all obstructions of the viscera. It has been
known singly to perform cures in jaundices and
dropsies. It is best given in decoction.

Asphodel. Aspliaddus vcrus ramasui albus»

AN elegant garden flower, a native of Italy, and
preserved with us more for its beauty than iU
use, though sometimes taken as a medicine. R
grows to three feet in height, and the stalk di-
vides into three or four branches towards tha
top. The flowers are white, and they stand in
spikes on the tops of these divisions. They ar«

18

FAMILY HERBAL.

btreaked with purple on the top, and have yel-
h)\v threads in the middle. The leaves are long
and narrow, hollowed and sharp-pointed ; the root
is composed of several ohlong lumps. The root
is the part used in medicine, and it is said to
be good against all obstructions, particularly
gainst those of the menses.

There is another kind of asphodel with yellow
flowers, the root of which is said to possess the
same virtues, but it is more rarely used than the
other.

The AsAFOETiDA Plant. Asafxtida kerba.

THIS is a Persian plant, and is a very tall
and robust one. It grows to nine feet high,
and the stalks are as thick as a child's leg;
they are hollow and divided toward the tops into
several branches. The leaves are very large,
and composed of many smaller set upon a divided
rib. They resemble in some degree the leaves
of the piony. The large ones rise immediately
from the root, and smaller of the same forin
stand at distances upon the stalks, one at each
joint. The flowers are singly very small, but
they stanJ in vast clusters or umbels at the tops
of the stalks ; and the seeds follow two after each
flower ; they are large, broad, and striated, and
have the same smell with the gum, but not so
strong. The root is very long and thick ; it is
black on the outside and white within, ainl is
f^ill of a thick juice of a strong smell, which^
when hardened, is asafoetida such as we see.

No part of the plant is used but only this
gum or hardened juice of the root. They
cut off the top of the root and let the juice
tlj8t rises from the wound dry. It becomes

FAMILY HERBAL.

49

reddish on the outside and white within, and is
the aaafcctida of the shops. An excellent me-
dicine in all nervous disorders ; it may be given
Rlone rolled up into pills, no way better.

AvENS. Carryo'phyllata.

A COMMON wild plant neglected, but worthy
of our notice. It grows about hedges, and
rises to fourteen inches high ; the stalk is firm
and slender, and is divided into several branches.
The leaves are large and rough, the stalk also
is hairy. The leaves that grow from the root are
winged; they consist of three pair of small ones,
and one much larger at the end. Those on the
stalk are smaller, and consist of fewer parts ; but
otherwise they are like. The flowers are small
and yellow; they are succeeded by rough heads,
as big as a horse bean, composed of many seeds
with hooked filaments. The root is longish
and large, of a firm substance, reddish colour, and
very fragrant spicy smell ; it is better than many
drugs kept in the shops.

It is a cordial and sudorific. It is good in
nervous complaints, and I have known it alone
cure intermittent fevers, where the bark has been
unsuccessful.

B.

Balm. Melissa.

A PLANT common in our gardens. It grows to
two feet in height, and the stalks are" robust,
square, and hairy. The leaves are oblong, broad,
pointed at the end, and dentated about the edges,
and they stand two at a joint; the flowers aresraalj

20

FAMILY HERBAL.

ftnd white, but they have lar2:e rough tops, which
remain after they are fallen. Thcj standi in circu-
lar clusters round the stalk at the upper joints ;
the whole plant is of a fragrant smell. The root
creeps and spreads abundantly, the plant is in flower
in July.

Fresh balm i« much better than dry, for it loses
its fragrancy in drying. The best way of taking
it is in tea ; it is good for disorders of the head and
stomach.

The Balm OF Gilead Shrub. Balsamiim syri-
acum rutee folio

THIS is an eastern shrub ; it grows to five or
six feet high, and the branches are very tough,
aiid, when broken, have a fragrant smell. The
leaves are like those of rue, only larger and
of a deeper green ; the flowers are moderately
large and like pea-blossoms ; they are of a pale
purplish hue mixed with white. The seeds are
yellow and very fragrant, they are contained in a
kind of pods.

No part of the shrub is used, but only the
balsam which is obtained from it; the finest kind
runs from the tree, of itself : there is a second sort
obtained by boiling the twigs and young shoots ;
^^nd a third, coarser, which rises to the top oi
the water, after the purer sort has been taken
off. This last is almost the only kind we see^ and
even this is very frequently adulterated.

It is a very fine balsamic and detergent; it is
good in the whites, and all weaknesses ; and it is
cordial at the same time that it acts as a balsam ;
it is best taken alone upon sugar.

FAMILY HERBAL.

2i

The Balsam of Capivi-Tree. Arbor bahamifera
fructu inonospermo.

THIS is a large tree. The wood is of a red
colour, and fine grain ; the bark is brown ;
the leaves are broad, short, and pointed at
the end, and are of a dark green on the upper
side, and a mealy white underneath. The flow-
ers are as large as apple blossoms, and of a pale
colour ; the fruit is a pod containing only one seed,
which is as big as a nut, and the kernel is sweet and
of a good taste.

The tree is frequent in the Brasils. We use no
part of it, but only the balsam which runs out at
wounds the}' make in the trunk in summer ; it is
thin like oil. It has the same virtues with tur-
pentine, but is more powerful; it is excellent in
the wliites, and it is good in all complaints of
the urinary passages. It may be taken alone on
sugar.

The Balsam of Peru-Tree. Arbor balsamif era

Peruviana.

THIS is a shrub of eight feet high, with
slender and tough branches. The leaves are
very long and narrow ; the flowers are vellow
and large, and the fruit is crooked. The whole
plant has a fragrant smell, especially the young
shoots and the buds.

The balsam of Peru is procured from the fra-
grant tops of this shrub, by boiling them in
water ; the blackish liquor rises like oil to the
top, and, when cold, it is the balsam of Peru.
There is a white balsam of Peru, very fragrant and
fine, but it is scarce. This is the produce of

§2 FAMILY HERBAL.

the same tree, but it oozes naturally from llie
cracks in the bark.

The black balsam of Peru is a cordial as well
as a balsam ; it is excellent in disorders of the
"breast, and in all obstructions of the viscera ;
ten drops at a time given on sugar, and con-
tinued daily, have cured asthmas and beginning
consumptions. It also promotes the menses, and
is excellent in suppressions of urine. Outwardly
applied it heab fresh wounds.

The Balsam of Tolu-Tree. Arboi balsamifera

Tolutana.

THIS is a kind of pine tree. It does not
grow to any great height, but spreads into a
great quantity of branches. The leaves are
long and very slender, and of a deep green ; the
bark is of a reddish white, and the fruit is a
small conCi brown and hard.

No part of the tree k used but the balsam
only which comes from it. They wound the
ti unk in hot seasons, and this liquid resin flow.s
out, which they put up into shells for expor-
tation : it is thick, brown, and very fragrant.
It is excellent in consumptions, and other disorders
of the breast, and may be given in pills. The
balsamic syrup of the apothecaries is made from
it, and possesses a great deal of its virtues.

The Barbery-Bush. Berheris.

THIS is a wild bush in some parts of Eng-
land, but it is common every where in gardens ;
it grows to eight or ten feet high in an ir-
regular manner, and much branched. The bark

FAMILY HERBAL. 23

is whitish, and there are abundance of pricJtles
about the branches. The leaves are of an oval
figure, and strong green colour ; and are in-
dented about the edges. The flowers arc small
and of a pale yellowish colour ; the fruit is suf-
ficiently known ; the berries are oblong, red, and
of a sour taste. The branches are brittle, and,
under the pale outer rind, there is another yellow
and thicker. This is the part used in medicine ;
it is excellent in the jaundice, and has often cured
it singly. It is also good in all obstructions.
The best Way to give it is infused iu boiling water.

Barley. Hordenm.

THE barley used in medicine is the same with
that of which bread is made, and vt'hich serves
the brewer and distiller in their several capa-
cities. It is known at sight from wheat, when
growing, for it is not so tall, and the leaves are
smaller and narrower. A long beard grows from
each grain in the ear and the car is composed of
two rows of them.

We use this grain in two forms, the one call-
ed French barley, and the other pearl barley.
The French barley is skinned, and has the ends
ground ofi^ ; the pearl barley is reduced by a longer
grinding to a little round white lump. The pearl
barley makes the finer and more elegant barley-
water, but the French barley makes the best. It
is excellent iu heat of urine, and in all gravelly
cases, and isu good drink in most acute diseases,
where diluting is required : it is also iu some degree
nourishing.

Barren wort. Epidemium.

A SINGUL.^il and very pretty plant, native of

FAMILY HERBAL.

.Eni>land, but not common. It grows in woods,
aud has beauitiful purple and yellow flowers.
It is a foot high. The leaves are oval and
bcart-fashioned, deeply indented at the edges,
and of a dusky green. The stalks which pro-
duce the flowers, are weak, brittle, and gene-
rally crooked ; the flowers stand in a kind of very
loose spike, ten or a dozen upon the top ; they
are small, but very singular and conspicuous ;
they are purple on the back with a red edge, and
yellow in the middle. The root is fibrous and
creeping.

It was an opinion with the old writers, that
this plant produced no flowers ; but the occa-
sion is easily known. When it stands exposed to
sun, it seldom does flower ; we see that in garden*
where it is planted in such situations, for it will
stand many years without flowering ; but our
woods favour it, being dark and damp ; the old
people saw it in warmer climates, and under an
unfavourable exposure. They called it from this
circumstance, as well as from its virtues, by a
name, which expressed being barren and fruit-
less.

The people in the north give milk in which
the roots have been boiled, to the females of the
domestic animals when they are running after
the males, and they say it has the certain effect
of stopping the natural emotions. Plain sense
leads these sort of people to many things. They
have from this been taught to give it to young wo-
men of robust habits, subject to violent hysteric
complaints, and I am assured with great success ;
they give the decoction of the root made strong
and sweetened. 'Twas a coarse allusion that led
them to the practice, but it succeeds in cases that
foil all the parade of common practice. It is said
that, if they take it in too large quantity, it reu-

FAMILY HERBAL.

25

tiers them stupid for some hours, but no ill con-
sequence has attended this.

The Bay Tree. Laurus,

THE bay is a native of Spain and Italy, where-
it grows to a large tree : we keep it in g3,r-
dens, but it seldom rises to more than the figure
and height of a shrub with us. The wood is
not strong but spongy and friable; the leaves re-
main green all winter ; the bark of the large
branches is of a dusky brown^ that of the twigs
reddish ; the leaves are long and somewhat broad,
pointed at the end and very fragrant : the flow-
ers are very small and inconsiderable ; their colour
is whitish, they appear in May, but are not re-
garded : the berries are ripe in the latter end of au-
tumn, and are large and black, consisting of two
parts within the saipe skin.

The berries are dried, and are the part of the
tree mostly used ; but the leaves also have great
virtue. The berries are given in powder or in-
fusion ; they are good in obstructions, and in
cholics. They promote urluc, aud the evacu-
ations after delivery. The leaves are cordial and
good in all nervous complaints. Paralytic people
would find great benefit from small doses of
them often repeated ; and four or five doses have
aomeiiraes cured agues. They are to be put fresh
into an oven, and, when they are crisp, reduced to
powder.

Basil. Ocumum vulgare majus.

BASIL IS a small herb, native of warmer
countries, but not uncommon in our gardens;
it is bushy aad branched ; the stalks are square^

X

26

FAMILY HERBAL.

and the leaves stand two at each joint. Thej'
are broad and short, and somewhat indented
at the edges. The flowers are smali and white,
and are of the shape of those of the dead nettle;
they stand on the upper parts of the branches
in loose spikes. The whole plant has a very fra-
grant smell.

Basil is little used, but it deserves to be much
more. A tea made of the greei) plant is excellent
against all obstructions. No simple is more ef-
fectual for gently promoting the menses, and for
removing those complaints which naturally attend
their stoppage.

There are two or three other kinds of basil, but
they have not equal virtue.

The Bdellium Tree. Arbor bdellium ferens,

WE are very well acquainted with the gum,
or rather gum resifi called bdellium, but we
know very little of the tree from which it is
produced ; the best description we have of it,
amounts to no more than that if is moderate-
ly large, bushy, and full of branches with prickles
upon them^ and with oblong and broad leave*
deeply indented at the edges, so that they re-
semble oak-leaves ; and that, when the young shoots
are broken, they yield a milky juice. But even
this does not come upon certainty, that is,
■wc are not assured that this tree produces the
very gum we see. This is of a red brown colour,
and bitterish taste.

It is a good medicine in obstructions of the
liver and spleen, but it is not much used.

(

FAMILY herbal: ^7

The Bean. Faba,

THE common garden-bean is sufficiently
known ; it grows to a yard high, its staJks
are angular, and the leaves, which are of tlie
winged kind, stand one at each joint ; the flowers
are white spotted with black, and are finely
stented. The pods and their seeds need not be
described.

It has been customary to distil a water from
bean-flowers, and use it to soften the skin, but
common distilled water does as well. It is other-
wise' with the water of the bean-pods. These
are to be bruised, when the beans are half ripe in
them, and distilled with water in a common
alembic. The water is a very gentle carminative,
without any heat or acridness ; this is excellent for
children's gripes.

The Malacca Bean-Tree. Anacardium k"

gitimum.

THIS is a large tree, native of Malabar and
Ihe Philippine islands ; it grows to the height
and bigness of our tallest elms, and has much of
their manner of growth, as to the branches. The
leaves are vastly large, of an oblong figure,
and obtuse ; the flowers are small and white, they
grow in bunches, and have somewhat of the smell
of the syringa flower but fainter. The fruit is
of the bigness of a pear, and much of the same
shape ; it is of a deep red, when ripe, dnd of a
pleasant taste ; the kernel is not within this,
as is commonly the case in fruits, but it hangg
out loose at the end. This kernel or seed is of
the shape of an heart ; it is as big as an olive.

28

FAMILY HERBAL.

and has a dusky red coat or shell, hut it is
white within. This is the part used in medi-
cine, for the whole fruit is not regarded. The
anacardium, or kernel, is said to be a cordial,
and a streugthener of the nerves, but we do not
much use it. There is a very sharp liquor be-
tween the outer and inner rinds of the shell,
which will take away freckles from the skin,
but it is so sharp that the ladies must be cau-
tious how they use it.

Tlie West-India-Bean, or Cashew Nut-Tree.
Arbor acqjou vulgo cqjou.

IT appears by the description of the anacar-
tlium how very improperly it is called a nut,
for it is the kernel of a large fruit, though
growing in a singular manner. The case is just
the same with respect to the Cashew nut, for it
is neither a nut nor a bean, any more than the
other : but it is necessary to keep to the common
names, and it is proper they should be mentioned
together.

The tree which produces it is large and spread-
ing ; the bark is of a pale colour, rough and
t^racked, and the wood is brittle. The leaves
are half a foot long, and two or three inches
broad, blunt at the end, and of a nne green
colour. The flowers are small, but they grow
in tufts' together. The fruit is of the bigness
and shape of a pear, and of an orange and pur-
ple colour mixt together ; the Cashew nut or
bean, as it is called, hangs naked from the
bottom of this fruit. It is of the bigness of a

farden bi!an, and indented in the manner of a
idney ; it is of a greyish colour, and consists of
u jhelly covering, and a fine while fleshy sub-

«

FAMILY herbal: 89

stance within, as sweet as an almond. Between
the two coats of this shell, as between those of
the anacardium, there is a sharp and caustic oil,
which serves in the same manner as the other
to fake off freckles, but it must be used with
great caution. It actually burns the skin, so that
it must be suffered to lie on only a few moments ;
and even when used ever so cautiously, it some-
times causes mischief.

The Bengal Bean-tree. Fala Bengalensis.

A LARGE tree, native of the East, and not
unlike our plum-tree. It is thirty or forty feet
high ; the leaves are roundish, but sharp-pointed,
and of a deep green ; they arc finely indented, and
of a firm texture. The flowers are large and
white ; they resemble, in all respects, the blossoma
of our plum-trees. The fruit is a kind of plum,
of a long shape, with a small quantity of fleshy
matter, and a very large stone. It is a kind of
myrobolan, but is not exactly the same with any
that we use.

The Bengal bean, as it is called, is an irregu-
lar production of this tree : it is very ill-named
a bean ; it is truly a gall like those of the oak ;
but it does not rise like them from the wood or
loaves, but from the fruit of this particular plum^
It is as broad as a walnut, but flatted, and
hollowed in the center ; its original is this :
There is a little black fly frequent in that coun-
try, which lodges its eggs in the unripe fruit of
this particular plum, as we have insects in Eng-
land, which always choose a particular plant,
and a particular part for that purpose. The fly
always strikes the frnitwhileitisgre.cn, and has
but the rudiments of the stone. It grows dis-

FAMILY HERBAL.

tetnpered from the -wound, and the stone never
ripens in it, but it takes this singular form.

It is an excellent astringent. It is of the na-
ture of the galls of the oak, but less viohMitly
binding. It is good in all purgings anU bhtody
fluxes, and against the overflowing of the menses,

Bear's-Breech. Acanthus.

A VERY beautiful plant, native of Italj,
and some other warm parts of Europe, and kept
in our gardens. It grows a yard high ; the
stalk is thick, round, and fleshy ; the leaves
grow from the root, and are a foot long, four
inches broad, Tcry beautifully notched at the
edges, and of a dark glossy green. The flowers
stand in a kind of thick short spike at the top
of the stalks, intermixed with small leaves ; these
flowers are large, white, and gaping. The whole
plant, when in flower, makes a very beautiful
appearance. The root creeps.

This plant is not so much known in medicine
as it deserves. The root being cut in slices and
boiled in water, makes an excellent diuretic de-
coction. It was a great medicine with an eminent
apothecary of Peterborough, and he gave more
relief with it in the gravel and stone, than any
other medicine would afford.

Bear's-foot. Hellehorus niger.

A LOW and singular plant, but not without
its beaiitv ; it is a native of marv parts of
Europe, but we have it only in gardens ; the
leaves are large ; each rises from the root singly,
im a foot-stalk of six inches long, and is di-
■vided into nine partis like fingers on a hand :

FAMILY HERBAL, SI

sometimes the divisions are fewer. The flowers
are very large and, beautiful^ they are as big as
a common single rose, or nearly so ; they are
white, reddish, or greenish, according to the time
of their having been open ; and they stand each
on a single stalk, which rises from the root, and
has no leaves on it. It flowers in January.

The root is an excellent purge, it works briskly
but' safely ; it destroys worms, and is good in
dropsies, jaundice, and many Other diseases, and
even in madness. But it is very necessary to keep
it in one's own garden, for, if the root be bought,
they commonly sell tjiat of the green flowered
wild or bastard hellebore in its place, which is a
rough medicine.

Ladies' Bedstraw. Gallium luteum*

A PRETTY wild plant, frequent about hedges
in June and the succeeding months. The stalk
16 weak and two feet high ; the leaves are of a
blackish green, and small ; and the flowers are
yellow. The stalk is angular and whitish, verv
brittle, and seldom straight; the leaves stand a great
many at each joint, and are small, narrow, and
disposed about the stalk like the rowels of a
spur ; the flowers grow in great tufts on the
tops of the stalks, so that they make a very
conspicuous appearance, though" singly they are
very small. *

This herb is little regarded, but it has very
great virtue ; it should be gathered., when the
flowers are not quite blown, and dried in the
shade. An infusion of it will cure the most violent
bleedings at the nose, and almost all other evacua-
tions of blood.

FAMILY HERHAL.
Beet. Beta alba.

A COMMON garden plant eaten at our ta-
bles, but these often afford medicines as well as
food. The white beet, which is the medicinal
kind, grows three or four feet high. The stalk
is robust and strong, the leaves are broad and
undulated, the flowers are inconsiderable, they
are of a greenish white colour ; the root is large
and long.

The juice of fresh beet-root is an excellent
remedy for the head-ach, and tooth-ach when
the whole jaw is affected^ it is to be snuffed up
the nose to promote sneezing.

The red beet-root is good for the same pur-
pose, but it is not so strong as the white.

White Behen. Behen album.

A COMMON wild plant in our corn fields. It
is two feet high ; the stalks are weak and often
crooked ; but they are thick enough, round, and
of a whitish green colour. The leaves are oblong,
broad, and of a line blue green colour, not dent-
ed at all at the edges, and they grow two at
every joint ; the joints of the stalks where they
grow, are swelled and large, and the leaves have
no stalks. The flowers are white, moderately
large, and prickly. They stand upon a husk which
seems blown up with wind.

This is one of those plants of our own growth,
that have more virtue than people imagine. The
root, which is long, white, and woody, is to be
gathered before the stalks rise, and dried. An
infusion is one of the best remedies known for
nervous complaints : it will not take place against

FAMILY HERBAL.

a violent present disorder ,; but is an excellent pre-
servative^ taken cautiously.

Red Behen. Limonium majus.

A COMMON wild plant about our sea-coasts^,'
and a very pretty one. It grows to a foot
in heig-ht; the stalks are naked^ and the flovt^-
ers red ; and^ in their disposition, they somewhat
resemble lavender, whence the plant is also called
by some sea lavender. About the bottoms of
the stalks stand clusters of large and broad
leaves, rounded at the ends, of a deep green
colour and fattish substance ; these rise imme-
diately from the root, and the stalks grow up
among them. The stalks are very tough and strong,
and branched, and of a paler green ; the root is long
and reddish.

The people in Essex cure themselves of purg-
ings, and of overflowings of the menses, with an
infusion of this root ; and it is a very great me-
dicine, though little known. If is to be gathered,
as soon as the youg leaves appear, cleaned and
dried; it may be taken in powder half a drachm
for a dose. These are not the white and red behen
roots of the old writers on physick, but they are'
better.

The Ben-Nut-tree. Balanus mi/repsica.

THIS is an Arabian tree, not very large, but
exceedingly singular in the nature of its leaves.
I'hey are composed of a great number of small
roundish parts, growing at the extremities of
strong branched foot-stalks. The leaves fall
first, and these f'oot-stalks long after. Whew
4he leaves arc falleii, and the stalks remain)^

w

FAMILY HERBAL.

ttie tree makes a very singular appearance. The
fruit is a pod, long, but slender, and containing twa
seeds : these are what we call the ben-nuts. They
are of an oblong jSgure, and irregularly rigid ; the
shell is hard, but the kernel fat, soft, and oily, and
of a bitter taste.

The kernel operates by vorait and stool violently,
and is seldom used. It affords an oil which has nei-
ther smell nor taste, and which will keep a long time
"without growing rancid.

The Benjamin Tree, Arbor benzionifera.

A BEAUTIFUL tree frequent in the East, and
there affording the fine fragrant resin of its nanae :
it is also of the growth of America, and thrivesr
there, but it yields no resin. It is a moderacelj
tall tree; the bark is smooth and brown; the
leaves are broad, oblong, and not unlike those
of the lemon-tr(!e. The flowers are whitish,
and very inconsiderable. The fruit is as big as
a nutmeg, and consists of a fleshy substance on
the outside, and a kernel inclosed in a thin and brit-
tle shell within. The tree is properly of the bay-
tree kind.

They cut the branches of the benjamin trees,
and the juice which flows out hardens by de-
grees into that reddish and white fragrant resin
we see. It is an excellent medicine in disorders of
the breast and lungs : and a tincture of it made
with spirit of wine makes water milky, and this
mixture is called virgins '-milk ; it is good to cleanse
skin..

Wood Betony. JSittonica sr/lvcstris.

A COMMON wild herb, but of very great yit^

FAMILY HERBAL. 33

tue. It is frequent in our woods and amoog bushes,
and flowers in June. ' The stalks are almost naked
and a foot high, and the .flowers are purple.
There grow many leaves frqm the root ; they
have long stalks, and are broad, above an inch
long, of a blackish green colour, and hairy, blunt
at the point, and indented about the edges.
The stalks are square, of a dark colour, hairy,
•and not very strong. The leaves of them are
Tery few, and very distant ; but they stand two
^it a joint, and are like the others. The flowers
stand at the tops in form of a kind of thick short
spike ; they are small and purple, and of the shape
of the flowers of mint.

Betony is to be gathered .when just going to
flower. It is excellent for disorders of the head,
and for all nervous complaints. The habitual
use of it will cure the most inveterate head-aches.
It may be taken as tea or dried and powdered.
Some mix it with tobacco and smoke it, but this
is a more uncertain method.

There is a tall plant with small purple flowers
growing by waters, ihence and from the shape
of the leaves called water betony, but it has none
of the virtues.of this plant ; it is a kind of fig-wort,
»nd possesses the virtues of that plant, .but ia au
inferior degree.

Bind Weed. Convolvulus major.

A COMMON wild plant which climbs abaut
OUT hedges, and bears very large white flowers.
The etalks are weak and slender, but very tough,
six or eight feet long, and twist about any thing
that can support them. The leaves are large,
and of the shape of an arrow-head, bearded at
the base, and sharp at tlie point : they stand

36

FAMILY HERBAL.

singly, not in pairs, and are of a pale green co-
lour. The flowers are of the breadth of a crown-
piece at the mouth, and narrower to the base, bell-
fashioncd, and perfectly white. The root is long
and slender.

In Northamptonshire the poor people use the root
of this plant fresh gathered and boiled in ale as a
purge ; they save the expcnce of the apothecary,
and answer the purpose better than any one thing
would do for them. It would nauseate a delicate
stomach, but, for people of their strong constitution,
there is not a better purge.

The BiLLBERRY BusH. Vaccinia nigra.

A LITTLE tough shrubby plant, common in
our boggy woods, and upon wet heaths. Th^
stalks are tough, angular, and green ; the leaves
are small ; they stand singly, not in pairs, and
are broad, short, and indented about the edges.
The flowers J\re small but pretty, their colour
is a faint red, and they are hollow like a cup.
The berries arc as large as the biggest pea, they
are of a blackish colour, and of a pleasant taste.

A syrup made of the juice of billberries, when
not over ripe, is cooling and binding ; it is a plea-
sant and gentle medicine for women whose menses
are apt to be too redundant, taken for a week before
the time.

The Birch-Tree. Betula.

A TALL and handsome tree, common in our
woods and hedges. The bark is smooth and
white. The young shoots are reddish, and they
are small and long. The leaves are beautiful ;
fhey are short, roundish, of a tine bright green.

FAMILY HEIIbAL. 37

and notched about the edges. Tiie flowers are
inconsiderable ; the fruit is a little scaly globule,
preceding the leaves in spring.

The juice of the birch-tree, procured by boring
g, hole in it in spring, is diuretic, and good against
the scurvy. The leaves, fresh gathered, and boil-
ed in veater, afford a decoction, which acts in the
same manner, and is good in dropsies : and in all
cutaneous disorders, outwardly used.

Round-rooted Birthwort. Aristolochia ro-

tiuida.

A WILD plant in Italy, and the south of
France ; but with us found only in the gardens of
the curious. It has lio s;reat beautv^ or even sin-
gularity in its appearance, till exatiimed. Tne-
stalks are a foot and a half long, but weak ;
they are square, and of a dusky green colour. The
leaves are short, broad, and roundish, of a dusky
green ; also the flowers are long, hollow, and of
an odd form, not resembling the flowers of other
plants : they are of a dusky greenish colour on
the outside, and purple within : the fruit is fleshy,
and as big as a small walnut. The root is large
and roundish.

The root is the only part used in medicine,
and that we have from countries where the plant
is native ; it is a rough and disagreeable medicine ;
it often offends the stomach, but it is an excellent
drug for promoting the necessary evacuations after
delivery.

There are two other kinds of birthwort, the
root of which are also kept in the shops ; the one
called the long birthwort ; the other the climbing
birthwort. They possess the same virtues with the

S8

FAMILY HERBAL.

round, but in a less degree, and are therefore le^
regarded.

Bishops WEED. Ammi.

A WILD plant in France and Italy, but kept
^.nly in our gardens ; in its external figure, some-
what resembling parsley when in flower. The
^talk is round, firna, and striated ; it grows two
feet high. The leaves are of the compound kind,
and formed of many smaller, which are broad,
ghort, and indented at the edges. The flowers
are small and white, but they stand in such
large tufts at the tops of the staUcs that they
make a considerable appearance. Each flower
is succeeded by two seeds ; these are small and
striated, of ^ warm aromatic taste, and not disa-
greeable.

The seeds are the only part of the plant used
in medicine ; they are good against the colic,
as all the other car^ninative seeds are : but they
are also diuretic, so that they are particularly
proper in those colics which arise from the stone
in the kidneys and ureter-s ; they also promote the
menses.

There is another sort of bishops-weed called
Cretick ammi, the seeds of which are used in
medicine ; they are of the same virtues with these,
but are less used. They have a mor:e^picy rsmell.

Bistort, Bistoria.

A 'VERY beautiful wild plant : it , grows in our
meadows, and, when. in flower, in May and June,
is very conspicuous, as well as very elegant in
its appearance. It is about a foot and a half

FAMILY HERBAL.

39

liigh ; the leaves are broad and beautiful, and
the flowers grow in a thick spike or ear, at the
top of the stalks;, and are of a bright red colour.
There rise immediately from the root a number
of large and beautiful leaves, long, broad, and
of a fine green colour. The stalks on which they
stand, have also a rim of the leaf running down
them ; the stalks are round, firm, and erect, of
a pale green, and have two or three leaves, like
the ' others, but smaller, on them, placed at dis-
tances. The spike of the flowers is as long,
and as thick as a man's thumb : the root is thick
and contorted, blackish on the outside, and red
■within.

If we minded our own herbs, we should need
fewer medicines from abroad. The root of bis-
tort is one of the best astringents in the world :
not violent, but sure. The time of gathering it
is in March, when the leaves begin to shoot.
String several of them on a line, and let them
dry in the shade. The powder or decoction of
them, will stop all fluxes of the belly, and is one
of the safest remedies known for overflowings of
the menses. They are also good in a diabetes.
The use of this root may be obtained without-
danger, till it effects a perfect cure.

BiTTER-SwEET. Solanum lignosiim.

A COMMON wild plant,, with weak, but
woody stalks, that runs among our hedges, and
bears bunches of very pretty blue flowers in sum-
mer, and in autumn red berries. Tlie stalks
run to ten feet in length, but they cannot sup-
port themselves upright : they are of a bluish
colour, and, when broken, have a very' disagree-
able smell like rotten eggs. The loaves are ovaV

40

FAMILY HERBAL.

but sliarp-pointed, and have each two little micg
near the base ; they are of a dusky green and
indented, and they grow singly on the stalkf.
The flowers are small, and of a fine purplish blue,
with yellow threads in the middle. The berries
are oblong. This is little regarded in medicine,
"but it deserves to be better known ; we account
the night-shades poisonous, and many of them
are so ; but this has no harm in it. The wood
of the larger branches and the young shoots of
the leaves, are a safe and excellent purge. I have
known a dropsy taken early cured by this single
medicine.

Blood-wort. Lapatlium sajiguincum.

A BEAUTIFUL kind of dock kept in gardens,
and v/ild in some places. It grows to four feet
high ; the stalks are firm, stiff, upright, branch-
ed, and striated. The leaves are very long and
narrow, broadest at the base, and smaller all the
■way to the end. They are not at all indented
at the edges, and they stand upon long foot-
stalks : their colour is a deep green, but they
^re in different degrees stained with a beautiful
blood red ; sometimes the ribs only are red, some-
times there are long veins of red irregularly
spread over the whole leaf ; sometimes they are
very broad, and in some plants the whole leaves
and the stalks also are of a blood colour ; th«
flowers are very numerous and little. They in
all respects resemble those of the common wild
docks. The root is long and thick, and of a deep
blood red colour.

The foots arc used : they are best dry, and they
may be given in decoction, or in powder : They are
a powerfully astringent : they stop bloody flii ves.

FAMILY HERBAL.

41

spittiug of bloodj and the overflowings of the men-
ses. It is also good against violent purgings and
against the whites.

Bramble. Rubus vulgaris.

THE most common bush in our hedges. The
stalks are woody, angulated, and of a pur-
plish colour ; and they are armed with crooked
spines ; the leaves are rough, indented, and stand
either five or three on a stalk. The flowers are
white, with a very faint tinge of purplish, and
the fruit is composed of a number of small
grains.

The most neglected things have their use.
The buds of the bramble-leaves boiled in spring
water, and the decoction sweetened with honey,
are excellent for a sore throat. A syrup made
of the juice of the unripo fruit, with very fine
sugar, is cooling and astringent. It is good in
immoderate fluxes of the menses, and even in
purgings. The berries are to be gathered for this
purpose, when they are red.

Blue Bottle. Cj/anus.

A VERY common and a very pretty we^d
among our. corn ; the leaves are narrow, and of a
whitish green ; and the flowers of a very, beauti'
ful blue and large. The plant is about a foot
high, and, when in flower, makes a conspicuous
and elegant appearance. The root is hard and
fibrous ; the stalk is very firm, and whi(e angu-
lated, and branched. The leaves that grow from
the root have some notches on the edges ; those
on one the stalk have none, and they arc narrow
like blades of glass; the flowers stand only on the

42

FAMILY HERBAL.

tops of the branches, and thcj grow out of scalt
heads. The seeds are beautiful, hard, white, and
shining.

The leaves which grow on the stalks of the
blue-bottle, fresh gathered and bruised, will stop
the bleeding of a fresh wound, even if a large
vessel be cut. They are not sufficiently known
for this purpose, but they exceed all other things :
lUid may save a life where a surgeon is not to be
had in time for such an accident. A distilled
tvater of the flowers used to be kept in the shop»,
but it was of no value. An infusion of them
works gently by urine.

There is a large kind of this plant in gardens,
<\'hich is called a vulnerary or wound herb. But it
is not so good as this.

The Box Trbe. Buxus.

A COMMON little shrub in our gardens,
and a native of our own country, though not
coranion in its wild state. With us it grows but
to a small height ; in some other parts of Europe,
it is a tolerably large shrub. The bark is whitish,
the wood yellow ; the leaves small, roundish,
smooth, of a very dark green colour, and very
ntinlerous. The flowers are small and greenish
yellow ; the fruit is little, round, and furnished
■with three points.

The wood of the box-tree, and particularly
of the root, is an excellent medicine in all foul-
nesses of the blood ; it has the same virtues with
the guiacum, but in a greater decree. It is to b«
given in decoction not made too strong, and con-
tinued a long time. There have been instaticea
of what were called leprosies cured entirely by
tin's medicine. There is an oil made from it by

FAMILY HERBAL.

43

distillation, which is good for the tooth-ach. It
is to be dropped on cotton, and to be put into the
tooth.

Borage. Borago.

A ROUGH plant common in our garden*, with
great leaves, and beautiful blue flowers. It grows
two feet high ; the stalks are thick, round, fleshy,
and juicy; and covered with a kind of hairiness
so sturdy that it almost amounts to the nature of
prickles. The leaves are oblong, broad, very rough,
and wrinkled ; and they have the same sort of
hairiness, but less stifi" than that of the stalk ; the
largest grow from the root, but those on the stalks
are nearly of the same shape. The flowers arc
placed toward the tops of the branches ; they are
divided into five parts, of a most beautiful blue, find
have a black eye as it were in the middle.

Borage has the credit of being a great cordial;
but if it possess any such virtues, they are to be ob-
tained only by a light cold infusion ; so that the
way of throwing it into cold wine is better than
all the medicinal preparations, for in them it is
nauseous.

"White Bryonv. Bryonia alba.

A TALL, climbing, wild plant, which covers
our hedges in many places. The leaves are some-
what like those of the vine; the flowers are in-
considerable ; but the berries are red, and make a
great shew. The root is vastly large, rough, and
whitish ; the stalks are tough, ten or twelve feet
long ; but weak and unable to support themsel ves ;
they have tendrils at the joints, and by these they
affix themselves to bushes. The leaves are broad.

ft* FAMILY HERBAL.

and divided deeply at the edge, and they are hairy.
The flowers are of a greenish white and small, but
the berries are moderately large and full of seeds.

The root is the only part used in medicine ; the
juice of it operates very strongly by vomit and stool,
and that in a small dose. All constitutions cannot
bear it, but, for those that can, it is excellent in
many severe diseases ; dropsies have been cured by
it. It is also good against hysteric complaints, birt
for this purpose it is to be given in very small doses
and frequently repeated.

Black Bryony. Brionia nigra.

THERE is not any instance which more blames
our neglect of the medicines of our own growth,
than this of the black bryony, a raedicin* scarce
known or heard of, but equal to any.

The plant climbs upon bushes and hedges like
the former, but this by twisting its stalk about
the branches of trees »Tid shrubs, for it has no
tendrils. It runs to fifteen feet in height, the
stalk is tough and angular : the leaves are broad,
and of a heart-like shape, and at e perfectly smooth
and shining, and of a glossy and very deep blackish
green. The flowers are very small and of a greenish
white ; the berries are red. The root is black
without, white within, and full of a slimy juice.

The root of black briony is one of the best
diuretics known in medicine. It is an excel-
lent remedy in the gravel, and all other obstructions
of urine, and other disorders of the urinary
passages.

Brooklime. Anagallis aquatica, becabunga.
A COMMON wild herb frequent about shallow

FAMILY herbal;

Butchers-Broom. Ruscus.

A LITTLE shrubby plant frequent on our waste
grounds and heaths, with small prickly leaves
and bushy tops. The plant grows a foot and a
half high. The stalks are roundish, striated, thick,
and very tough. They are naked towards the
bottonn, a»d divide into some branches towards tlie
tap : they are there covered with leaves. These
leaves are short, broad, oval, and pointed, the point
rtnining out in a prickle ; they are of a bluish green,
and very thick and fleshy. The flowers are seldom
regarded ; they grow in a singular manner upon the
backs of the leaves ; they are very small and pur-
plish : these are succeeded each by a single berry,
which is red, round, and as big as a pea. The roots
are white, thick, and numerous.

The root is the part used, and it is an excellent
medicine to remove obstructions. It works power-
fully by urine, and is good in jaundices, and in
stoppages of the menses, and excellent in the gravel.

BucK-BEANs. Trifoliuiii'palusLre.

AN herb better known by the common people,
than among the apothecaries, but of great virtue.
It grows wild with us in marshy places, and is
of so very singular appearance, that it must be
known at'^sight. It grows a foot high, the leaves
stand three upon each stalk, and these stalks rise
immediately from the roots. They are thick,
round, smooth, and fleshy ; and the leaves them-
selves are large, oblong, and have some resemblance
of those of garden-beans. The flowers stand
upon naked stalks, which are also thick, round,
fleshy, and whitish : they are small, but they grow

FAMILY HERBAL.

47

together in a kind of thick short spike, so that in
the cluster they make a conspicuous appearance ;
Ihey are white with a very faint tinge of purple,
and are hairy withiu ; the root is whitish, long,
and thick.

The leaves of buck-bean are to be gathered,
before the stalks appear for flowering, and are
to be dried ; the powder of thcrn will cure agues,
but their great use is against the rheumatism :
for this purpose they are to be given for a con-
tinuance of time in infusion, or in the manner of
tea.

Buckthorn. Spina cei^ina.

A PRICKLY shrub, common in our hedges,
with pale green leaves, and black berries. It
grows to eight or ten feet high. The l)ark is
dark coloured and glossy, and the twigs are tough.
The leaves are oval, of a very regular and pretty
figure, and elegantly dented round the edges.
The flowers are little, and inconsiderable ; they
are of a greenish yellow^ and grow in little clus-
ters. The berries, which are ripe in September,
are round, glossy, black, as big as the largest
pepper-corns, and contain each three or four
seeds.

The juice of the berries, boiled up with sugar,
makes a good purge ; but it is apt to gripe, un-
less some spice be added in the making : It is 1
rough purge, but a very good one.

BucKSHouN Plantain. Coronopus.

A YERY pretty little plant, which grows iti
our sandy and barren places, with the leaves
spread out in manner of a star^ all the way round

48

FAMILY HERBAL.

from the root ; and in the heads like other plan-
tains, although so very uolike them in its leaves.
Tile root is long and slender : the leaves which
lie thus flat upon the ground, are narrow and
long, very beautifully notched, and divided so as
to resemble a buck's horn, whence the name, and
of a pale whitish green, and a little hairy. The
stalks are slender, six inches long, but seldom
quite erect ; they are round, hairy, and whitish,
and have at the top a spike of flowers of an inch
or two in length, altogether like that of the other
plantains, only more slender.

This plant has obtained the name of star of
the earth, from the way of the leaves spreading
themselves. These leaves bruised, and applied
to a fresh wound, stop the bleeding and effect
a cure. It is said also to be a remedy against
the bite of a mad dog, but this is idle and ground-
less.

Bugle. Bugiila.

A COMMON wild plant and a very pretty
one, with glossy leavee, creeping stalks, and blue
flowers ; it is frequent in damp woods. The
stalks, wken they rise up to bear the flowers, are
eight or ten inches high, square, of a pale green
colour, often a little purplish ; and liave two leaves
at every joint, the joints being somewhat distant.
These leaves are of the same form with those
which rise immediately from the root ; oblong,
broad, blunt at the point, and of a deep green
colour, sometimes also a little purplish, and are
slightly indented round the edges. The flowers
arc small and of a beautiful blue, in shape like
those of bctony ; they grow in a sort of circles
round the upper part of the stalks, forming a kind

FAMILY HERBAL. 49

bf loose spikes. The cups remain when the flowers
are gone, and hold the seeds.

The juice of this plant is esteemed good for in-
ward bruises; it is a very good diuretic.

BuGLOss. Buglossum hortense.

A ROUGH and unsightly plant kept in our
gardens for the sake of its virtues, but very rare-
ly used. It grows to a foot and a half high ;
the leaves are rough like those of borage, but
they are long and narrow, of a deep green colour,
and rough surface. The sta,lks are also covered
with a rough and almost prickly hairiness. The
Bame sort of leaves stand on these as rise imme-
diately from the root, only smaller. The flow-
ers stand at the tops of the branches^ and are very
pretty, though not very large ; they arc red when
they first open, but they afterwards become blue,
the root is long and brown. It flowers in J une
and July.

Bugloss shares with borage the credit of being
a cordial ; but perhaps neither of them have any
great title to the character ; it is used like borage,
in cool tankards ; for there is no way of making
any regular preparation of it, that is possessed of
any virtues.

There is a wild kind of bugloss upon ditch-
banks, very like the garden kind, and of the same
virtues.

Burdock. Bardana.

»

IF the last-mentioned plant has more credit for
medicinal virtues than it deserves, this is not so
much regarded as it ought. Providence has made
some of the most useful plants the most common ;

*0 FAMILV HERBAL,

but because they are so, we foolishly necleei
them. "

It is hardly necessary to describe the common bur-
dock. It may be enough to say, that it grows a yard
high, and has vast leaves/ of a figure approach-
ing to trijrngular, and of a whitish green colour.
The stalks are round, striated, and very tough:
The flowers are small and red, and they grow
among the hooked prickles of those heads which
we call burs, and which stick to our clothes.
Even this seems a provision of nature in kindness
to us. In pulling off these we scatter the seeds of
which they are composed, and give rise to a roost
useful plant in a new place. The root of the
burdock is long and thick ; brown on the outside,
and whitish within ; this is the part used in me-
dicine, and it is of very great virtues. It is to
be boiled, or infused in water, the virtue is diu-
retic, and it is very powerfully so. It has cured
dropsies alone. The seeds have the same virtue,
but in a less degree. The root is said to be
sudorific and good in fevers ; but its virtue in ope-
rating by urine is its great value.

Burnet. PimpincUa sanguisorba,

A COMMON wild plant. It grows by way-
*ide9> and in dry places, and flowers in J uly. The
leaves which rise immediately from the root are
very beautiful ; they are of the winged kind, being
composed of a great number of smaller, growing
on each side a middle rib, with an odd one at the
end. They are broad, short, roundish, and elegant-
ly serrated round the edges. The stalks are a
foot high, round, striated, purplish or green, and
almost naked ; the few leaves they have are like
those at the bottom. On the tops of these stalks

FAMILY HERBAL. 51

stand the flowers ; they are disposed in little round
clusters, and are small, and of a pale reddish co-
lour, and have a number of threads in the middle.

Burnet is called a cordial, and a sudorific, and is
recommended in fevers. They put it also into cool
tankards, like borage. The root is a good astrin-
gent ; dried and powdered, it stops fluxes, and
overflowings of the menses.

Burnet Saxifrage. Pimpinella saxifraga.

A PRETTY plant, wild in our dry pastures,
and under hedges, but not very common in all
parts of the kingdom ; it grows two feet high,
and has the flowers in umbels. The stalk is
firm, striated, and branched ; the leaves rising
from the root are pinnated, and the lesser leaves
of which they are composed, are hard,- of a deep
green, narrow, and indented. The leaves upon
the stalks are smaller and narrower ; the flowers
are \iit\e and white, but they stand in so large
clusters, that they make a figure : the root is
white, and of a hot burning taste ; the seeds are
striated.

The root is the only part used ; it should be
taken up in spring before the stalks shoot up, and
dried ; it is very good in colics, and disorders of the
stomach, and it works by urine.

BuTTpR-BuR. Petasites.

A VERY singular and very conspicuous plant,
not unfrequent with us in wet places. The flow-
ers appear before the leaves, and they would
hardly be supposed to belong to the same plaut.
The stalks are round, thick, .<?pungy, and of a
iprhitish colour, and have a few films by yyny of

53 FAMILY HERBAL.

leaves upon them. On the top of each stands
a spike of flowers, of a pale reddish colour;
the whole does uot rise to more than eight inches
in height. These appear in March. When they
are dead, the leaves grov/ up ; these are roundish,
green on the upper side, and whitish underneath,
of a vast bigness, and stand singly upon hollowed
foot-stalks, of a purplish, whitish, or greenish co-
lour ; they are often two feet broad. The root
is white and long, it creeps under the surface of the
grr.und.

The root is the part used ; it is praised very
highly, as a remedy in pestilential fevers ; but,
whether it deserves that praise or not, it i? a good
diuretic, and excellent in the gravel.

BuK-REED. Spai^ganium.

A COMMON water plant, with leaves hke
flags, and rough heads of seeds : It is two or three
feet high. The stalks are round, green, thick,
and upright. The leaves are very long and nar-
row, sharp at the edges, and with a sharp ridge
on the back along the middle ; they are of a pale
green, and look fresh and beautiful. The flowers
are inconsiderable and yellowish : they stand in a
kind of circular tufts about the upper parts of the
stalk : lower down stand the rough fruits called
burs, from whence the plant obtained its name ;
they are of the bigness of a large nut meg, green and
rough. The root is composed of a quantity of
^hite fibres.

The unripe fruit is used : they are astringent,
and ^ood against fluxes of the belly, and bleed-
ings of all kinds: the best way of giving them
is infuse^ in a rough red wine, with a little cin-
»amon. They use them in some parts of Englaiwi

FAMILY HERBAL.

53

externally for wounds. A strong decoction of
theai is made to wash old ulcers, and the juice is
applied to fresh hoits, and thej saj with great
success.

C.

The Chocolate Nut-tree. Cacao.

THIS is an American tree, very beautiful, as
well as very valuable for its fruit. The trunk
is of the thickness of a man's leg, and the
height of fifteen feet ; but in this it diffeis
greatly according to the soil ; and the size of the
fruit also will differ from the same cause, whence
some have talked of four different kinds of the
chocolate nut. The tree grows very regularly.
The surface is uneven, for the bark rises into
tubercles ; the leaves are half a foot long-, three
inches broad, of a fine strong green, and pointed
at the ends. The flowers are small and yel-
lowish, and they grow in clusters from the
branches, and even from the trunk of the tree ;
but each has its separate stalk. The fruit is of
the shape of a cucumber, half a foot long,
and thicker than a man's wrist ; this is ridged,
and, when ripe, of a purplish colour, with some
tinct of yellow. The cacao nuts, as they are
called, are lodged within this fruit; every fruit
contains between twenty and thirty of them. They
are of the bigness of a large olive, but not so
thick : and are composed of a woody shell, and a
large^kernel, which affords the chocolate.

The common way of taking this in chocolate
is not the only one in which it may be given;
the nut itself may be put into electuaries. It is
Tery nourishing and restorative.

54 FAMILY HERBAL.

Calamint. Calamintha.

A COMMON wild plant of great virtues, but
too much neglected. It is frequent by our
hedges, and in dry places, and is a very robust
herb. It is eight or ten inches high, and has
roundish dark green leaves, and vrhite flowers.
The stalks are square, and very much branched :
the leaves are of the bigness of a man's thumb-
nail, somewhat hairy, and slightly indented about
tlie edges. The flowers stand in little clusters
surrounding the stalks, and are of a whitish co-
lour, a little tinged with purplish. The root is
composed of a few fibres. Calamint should be ga»-
thered when just coming into flower, and careful-
ly dried ; it is afterwards to be given in the man-
ner of tea, and it will do great service in weak-
nesses of the stomach, and in habitual colics.
I have known effectual and lasting cures performed
bv it.

Penny-royal Calamint. Calamintha odore

■pulegh.

A LITTLE plant of the same kind with the
other, and found in the same places, but more com-
mon. It is a foot high : the stalks are robust
and firm ; the leaves are small, and of a whitish
green colour, and more hairy than in the other :
the flowers are small and white, with a tinge of
purple ; the plant grows more erect and is less
branched than the other ; and it has a very strong
and not a very agreeable smell ; the other is strong-
scented and pleasant

This is to be preserved dry a5 the other, and
taken in the same manner.' It" is excellent against
stopages of the menses, and, if taken constantly,
will bring them to a regular course.

FAMILY HERBAL. 5S

Calves' Snout or Snapdragon. Antirrhinum.

A COMMON wild plant in many parts of
Europe, and is very frequent in o?ar gardens^ and
upon the walls of gardens : Its natural situation
is on hills among barren rocks^ and nothing
comes so near that, as the t(fp of an old wall
with us : the seeds are light and arc easily car-
ried thither by the wind, and they never fail in
strike, and the plant flourishes?. It is" two feet
high, the stalks are round, thick, firm^ and to-
lerably upright, but generally a little bent towards
the bottom ; the leaves are very numerous ;
they are oblong, narrow, not indented at the edges,
blunt at the ends, and of a bluish green colour.
The flowers are large and red, they stand in a kind
of loose spikes upon the tops of the stalks ; the root
is white and oblong.

The fresh tops are used ; an infusion of them
works by urine, and has been recommended by
some in the jaundice, and in other diseases arising
from obstructions of the viscera ; but we have
so many English plants that excel in this particu-
lar, and the taste of the infusion is so far from
agreeable, that it is not worth while to have recourse
to it.

Camel's hay. Schenanthus.

A SORT of grass of a fragrant smell, frequent
in many parts of the East, and brought over
to U9 dried for the use of medicine. It grows to
a foot high, and ir) all respects resembles some of
our common kinds of grass, particularly the dar-
nel. The leaves are Jong and narrow : the
stalks arc round and jointed, and have grassy leaves
aUo on thera^ and the flowers «tand on the tops of

56

FAMILY HERBAL.

the stalks in a double series : they are not unlik*;
those of our grasses, chaffy and ornamented v/ith
a few filaments.

It was at one time in great esteem as a medi-
cine ; they called it a cordial, and a promoter of
the menses, but it is now very Iktle regarded.

Chamomile. CJmmxmcluni.

A COMMON low wild plant, of a beautiful
green, a fragrant smell, and with flowers not un-
like daisies. It is frequent on damp heaths, andgets
no good by being brought into gardens. It growg
larger there, but has less efficacy. In its wild state
it spreads its branches upon the ground, taking root
at the joints. The stalks are round, green, and
thick ; the leaves are very finely divided, and of a
dark blackish green colour. The flowers grow
upon long foot-stalks, and are white at the edge
and yellow in the middle : the flowers are most
used. Those which are raised for sale are double,
and they have very little virtue in comparison of
the single ones. They are to betaken in tea, which
is a pleasant bitter ; or in powder they are excellent
for disorders of the stomach, and have someti.mes
cured agues, as many other bitters will. The tea
made of them is also good against the colic, and
works by urine.

The Campiiire-Tree. Arlor camphorifera.

THIS is a kind of bav-tree of the East Indies,
hut it grows to the height of our tallest trees. The
bark is brown and uneven on the trunk, but it is
smooth and green on the young branches. The
leaves are like those of the common bay-tree, only
a little longer ; and they are curled at the edges.

FAMILY HERBAL. 5?

The flowers are small and white, and the fruit is
a berry, altogether like our bay-berries, and of the
bigness of a large pea. The wood of the tree is
white or a little reddish, and veined with black,
and smells of the camphire. The leaves also, when
they are bruised, smell of camphire; and the fruit
most of all.

The only product of this tree, used in medicine,
is the resin called camphire ; and this is not a natu-
ral, but a sort of chemical preparation. They cut
the wood to pieces and put it into a sort of subli-
ming vessel with an earthen head full of straw.
They make fire underneath, and the camphire rises
in form of a white meal, and is found among the
straw. This is refined afterwards, and becomes
the camphire we use.

It is sudorific and works by urin6 ; it also pTOy;
motes the meases, and is good in disorders of the
bladder.

White Campion. Zi/chnisjtore atbo.

A COMMON wild plant in our hedges and dry
pastures, with hairy leaves, and white flowers. It
grows to a foot and a half high : the stalks are round
and hairy ; tlie leaves are of an oval form, and also
hairy ; and they grow two at every joint : they are
of a dusky green, and are not indented about the
edges. The flowers are moderately large, and
white ; they grow in a kind of small clusters on
the tops of the branches, and each has its separate
foot-stalk.

. Thii is a plant not much regarded for its virtues,'
hut it deserves notice ; the country people gather
the flowers in some places, and give them in the
whites and other weaknesses with success. ^

i

FAMILY HERBAL.

The Canel Bark-Tree, called the Winter'*
Bark-Tree. Candla alba.

A VERY beautiful American tree. It growa
iifty feet high, and is commonly much branched.
The bark is of a greyish brown : the leaves are
•very like those of the bay-tree, and the flowers are
purple; they are singly very small, but they stand
in a kind of umbels, and make a very pretty figure:
the fruit is a berry which stands in the cup of the
flower : It is of the bigness of a pea, and of a deep
blackish purple when ripe. It is frequent in
Jamaica in wet places.

The inner rind of this tree is the part used in
medicine ; it is brought to us rolled up in quills, in
the manner of cinnamon, and is of a spicy taste,
and of a whitish colour. Its proper name is canella
alba, white canel ; but the druggists have accustom-
ed themselves to call it cortex winteranus, winter's-
bark. It has the same virtues with that, but in a
much less degree ; and they are easily known
asunder, that being the whole bark of the tree,
and composed of two coats ; this being only the
inner hark, and therefore composed only of one,
it is good in weaknesses of the stomach, and in
Kabitual colics. Some recommend it greatly in
palsies and all nervous complaints, but its virtues
of this kind are not so well established.

Canterbury Bells, Trachelium mc^us.

A VERY beautiful wild plant with leaves like
the stinging-nettle, and large and very elegant blue
flowers. It grows by road-sides, and in dry
pastures, and is two or three feet high, Tlie stalks
are square, thick, upright, strong, and hairy.
The leaves grow irregularly, tliey are of a duskj

FAMrLY HERBAL. 59

green/ and stand upon long foot-stalks; tliey are
broad at the base, and sharp at the point, and all
the way indented very sharply at the edges. They
are hairy and rough to the touch. . The flowers
grow ten or a dozen together at the top of every
branch ; they are very large and of a beaujtifui
blue colour^ hollow and divided into several parts
at the extremity. If the soil be poor, the flowers
will vary in their colour to a pale blue, reddish, or
white, but the plant is still the same.

Tb€ fresh tops, with the buds of the flowers
upon them, contain most virtue, but the dried
leaves may be used. An infusion of them sharp-r
ened with a few drops of spirit of vitriol, and
, sweetened with honey, is ai> excellent medicine
for sore throats, used by way of a gargle. The
plant is so famous* for this virtue, that one of its
common English names is throat-wort : if the
medicine be swallowed, there is no harm in it ; but,
in the use of every thing in this way, it is best to
spit the liquor out together with the foulnesses
V^hich it may have washed from the affected parts.

The Caper Shrub. Capjjaris.

A COMMON shrub in France and Italy, and
kept in our gardens. The pickles which we know
under the name of capers, are made of the buds of
the flowers, but the part to be used in medicine is
the bark of the roots.

(The shrub grows- to no great height ; the
branches are weak, and ill able to support them-
selves, they are tough and prickly : the leaves stand
irregularly, and are of an oval or roundish figure;
the thorns are hooked like those of the bramble ; ^
the flowers, when full opened, are purplish and '
very pretty : the fruit is roundish.

60 FAMILY HERBAL.

The bark of the root is to be taken in powder,
OJs infusion ; it is s^ood against obstructions of the
UvQi and spleen^ in the j aundice, and hypochondriac
complaints : it is also comoiended in indigestions.

The Caeanna Tree, Caranna arbor.

A TALL East Indian tree, and a very beautiful
one : the trunk is thick, and the bark upon it is
brown and rougli ; that on the voung branches is
smooth and yellowish. The leaves are long and
narrow, like those of some of our willow-trees.
The flower is small and of a pale colour, and th^
fruit is of the bigness of an apple.

The resin called gum caranna, is a product of
this tree ; it is procured by cutting the branches ;
they send it in rolls covered with leaves of rushes ;
it is blackish on the outside, and brown within.

It is suposed a good nervous medicine, but it is
rarely used.

.'J'he LESSER Cardamom Plant. Cardamomum
^ minus.

AN East Indian plant, in many respects resem-
bling our reeds. It grows to ten or twelve feet
high. The stalk is an inch thick, round, smooth,
green, and hollow, but with a pith within. The
leaves arc half a yard long, and as broad as a man's
hand : besides these stalks, there arise from the same
root others which are weak, tender, and about
eight inches high ; these produce the flowers which
are small and greenish, and after every flower one
of the fruits, called the lesser cardamoms, which
are a light dry hollow fruit, of a whitish colour,
and some what triangular shape ; of the bigness of
an horse-bean, and of a dry substance on the out-

FAMILY HERBAI^.

61

side, but wllh scveFal seeds vvithia, winch are red-
dish and \er} acrid, but pfeaut to the taste.

These fruits are the lesser cardamoms, or, as
they are generally calletl, the cardamom seeds of
the shops. They are excellent to strengthen the
stomach, and assist digestion. They are also good
for disorders of the heiiid„ a^d they are equal to
any thing against colics;/ they are best taken by
chewing them singly in the mouth, and their taste is
not at all cisagieeable.

The two other kinds are the mi4dle cardamom,
a long fruit very rarely met with, and the great
cardamom, otherwise called the grain of paradise^
piuch better than the cardamoms.

The Ca-ranna Tree. Carfignci:.

A T.VLL and spreading tree of the West Indies,
the branches are numerous, and irregular ; the
trunk is covered with a brown bark, the branches
with a paler, they are brittle ; the leaves are long
and narrow, of a pale green, and sharp pointed ; the
flowers are small, the fruit is roundish and of the
bigness of an apple. This is the best account we
nave of it, but this is far from perfect or satisfac-
tory in every respect.

AH that we use of it is a resin which oozes
out of the bark, in the great heats ; this is brown,
gomewhat soft, and we have it in oblong pieces,
rolled up in rushes ; we put it only externally ; &
plaister made of it is good for disorders of the head,
and some say will cure the sciatica wijthout internal
jnedicines, but this is not probable.

Carline Thistle. Carlinq.

I HAVE observed that many plants are not

62

FAMILY HERBAL.

so much regarded for their yirtues as they ought
to be ; there are on the contrary some which are
celebrated more than they deserve : the carline
thistle is of this last number. It is not wholly
without virtues, but it has not all that are ascribed
to it.

This is a plant without any stalk. The leaves
are long, narrow, of a dark green colour, divided
and prickly at the edges ; and they lie spread upon
the ground in manner of a star. The flower
appears in the midst of these without a stalk, rising
immediately from the root, with several small
leaves round about it. It is the head of a thistle,
and the flowery part is white on the edge, and yel-
low in the middle. The root is long, and of a brown
colour on the outside, and reddish within ; it is of a
warm aromatic taste.

This is the only part of the plant used in medi-
cine. They say itis a remedy for the plague : but
however that may be, it is good in nervous com-
plaints, and in stoppages of the menses.

The CARAw.iY Plant. Carum.

A WILD plant of the umbelliferous kind, fre-
quent in most parts of Europe, but cultivated ia
Germany for the sake of the seed. I have met with
it very common in Lincolnshire.
• It grows to a yard high ; the sialks are striated
and firm ; the leaves are finely dividied, and the
flowers are white and small, they grow in tufts, or
umbels, on the tops of the branches ; the seeds that
follow them are very well known.

The seeds are excellent in the colic, and in disor-
ders of the stomach, they are best chewed.

FAMILY HERBAL. 63

Wild Carrot. Daucus sylveStus.

A COMMON plant about tlie hedges/ and in
dry pastures. It grows near a yard high, and
has small flowers^ and after them rough seeds dis-
posed in urabelsj at the tops of the branches, these
are hollow, and thence called by the children birds'
nests.

The stalks are striated and firm, the leaves
are divided into fine and numerous partitions, and
are of a pale green and hairy ; the flowers are
white.

The seed is the part used in medicine, and it
ia a very good diuretic ; it is excellent in all dis-
orders of the gravel and stone, and all obstruc-
tions of urine ; it is also good in stoppages of the
menses.

Candy Carots. Daucus Cretensis.

A PLANT frequent in the east, and cultivated
in some places for the seed. It grow^s near a yard
high ; the stalk is firm, upright, striated, and
branched : the leaves are like those of fennel,
only more finely divided, and of a whitish colour;
the flowers are white, and the seeds are oblong,
thick in the middle, and downy.

These seeds are the only part used : They arc
good in colics, and they work by urine, but
those of our own wild plant are more strongly di-
uretic.

The Cascarilla Tree. Cascarilla.

A TREE of South America, of the fruits and
flowers of which we have biit very injperfect

FAMILY HERBAL.

accounts, thougli we are very well arquainiecl
with the bark of its young brandies. What we
have been told of it is, that the branches are ntf-
merous, and spread irregularly ; that the leaves
are ohlong, green on the upper side, and whi-
tish underneath ; and the flowers small, fragrant,
and placed in a sort of clusters.

The bark which our druggists sell, is greyish on
the outside, lirown within, and is of an agree-
able smell : when burnt they call it Eleutherian
bark, and bastard Jesuit's bark: it is cordial and
astringent. It is very properly given in fevers
attended with purging. And many have a cus-
tom of smoking it among tobacco, as a remedy
for head-achs, and disorders of the nerves : it also
does good in pleurisies and peripneumonies : some
have recommended it as a sovereign remedy in those
cases, but that goes too far.

The Cassia Fistula Tree. Cassia fistula.

THIS is a large tree, native of the East, and
a very beautiful one when in flower. It grows
twenty or thirty feet high, and is very much
branched. The leaves are large, and of a deep
green, and each is composed of three or four
pairs of smaller, with an odd one at the end.
The flowers are of a greenish yellow, but they
are very bright, and very numerous, so that they
make a fine appearance, when the tree is full of
them : the pods follow these, they are two feet
long, black, and woody, having within a black,
soft, pulpy matter and the seeds.

This pulpy matter is the only part used m
medicine. It is a gentle and excellent purge, the
leaitive electuary owes its virtues to it. It never

FAMILY HERBAL

binds afterward, and therefore is an excelleiTt medi-
cine for those who are of costive habits ; a small
dose of it being taken frequently. '

The Cassia Bark Tree. Cassia lignca.

THIS is a large spreading tree, frequent in
the East Indies, and verj much resembling the
cinnamon tree in its appearance. The bran-
ches are covered with a brownish bark ; the
leaves are, oblong and pointed at the ends, and of
a deep green colour, and fragrant smell. The
flo\A ers are small, and the fruit resembles that of the
cinnamon tree.

The bark of the branches of this tree is the
only part used in medicine ; it is of a reddish brown
colour like cinnamon, and resembles it in smell
and taste, -only it is fainter in the smell, and less
acrid to the taste ; and it leaves a glutinous or
mucilaginous matter in the mouth. It is often
mixed among cinnamon, and it possesses the same
virtues, but in a less degree. However in purgings
it is better than cinnamon, because of its mucila-
ginous nature. It is an excellent remedy given in
powder in these cases, and is not so much used as it
ought to be.

The Cassia Caryophythata, or Clove BarSi
Tree. Cassia caryophythata.

THIS is a large and beautiful tree, frequent
in South America. The trunk is covered with a
dusky bark, the branches with one that is paler
coloured and more smooth. The leaves are like
those of our bay-tree, only larger, and whea
bruised^ they have a very fragrant smell ; the flow*

I

66 FAMILY HERBAL.

ers are small and blue, and have a white eye in the
• mi()dle.

The onlj part of this tree used in medicine,
is tl.(- inner bark of the branches. This is brown,
thin, and rolled up like cinnamon; it is hard in
colour, of a spic\ smell, and in taste it has a mixed
flavour of cinnamon and cloves, and is very hot and
punge .t.

It is good in disorders of the stomach, and in
colics, but it ib not so much used as it de-
serves.

CAssiDONr, OR Arabian SxiECHAs, . Stteclias

Arabica,

A VERY fragrant and pretty shrub, native
gf Spain, and many other warm parts of Europe.
It grows much in the manner of lavender, to a yard
or more in height, and is not uncommon in our
gardens. The branches are firm and woody : the
young shoots are pliable and square, and are
naked to the top. The leaves stand upon the
branches two at each joint, they are long, narrow,
and white. The flowers stand in little clusters or
heads, like those of lavender ; and there are two or
three large and beautiful deep blue leaves upon the
tops of the heads, which give them a very elegant
appearance.

The flowers arc the only part used : they are
of the nature of those of lavender, but more
aromatic in the smell : they are very serviceable
in all nervous complaints, and help to promote
the menses. Th«y are best taken dried and pow-
dered.

FAMILY HERBAL. 67
The Casstjmunar Plant. Cassumundr.

A COMMON plant of the East Indies, but of
wliich we do not seem to have yet so perfect a des-
cription as might be wished. Its leaves are large,
long, and like those of our flags, and thej involve one
another in a singular manner about their bases.
The flowers are small, and they are in shape some-
what like those of certain of out orchises. They
are mottled with purple and yellow : the seed is
little and brown, the root creeps under the surface
of the ground, and is of a yellow colour, and
fragrant smell, and of a warm taste.

The root is used : we have it at the druggisfs.
It is of the same nature with zedoary, aud has
by some been called the yellow zedoary. It is a
very good medicine in nervous and hysteric com-
plaints. It is warm and strengthening to the sto-
mach : it is remarkably good against the head-
ach and in fevers. It operates quick by urine and
by sweat.

Catmiht. Nepeta.

A COMMON wild plant about our hedges,
but of very great virtues ; it grows a yard high,
and has broad whitish leaves, and white flowers
like mint. The stalks are square, whitish, hairy,
and erect : the leaves stand two at a joint : they
are broadest at the base, and terminate in an ob-
tuse end ; they are a little indented at the edges>
and of a whitish green on the upper side, and very
white underneath. The flowers are small and
white ; and they grow in a kind of spiked clusters,
surrounding the stalks at certain, distances. The
whole plant has a very strong and not very agree-r
aible smell.

68 FAMILY HERBAL.

Catmint should be gathered just when the
Howers are openings and dried. It is an exceiient
woman's medicine ; an infusion of it is good against
lijsteric complaints, vapours, and tits, and itmude-
rately promotes the menses : it is also good to pro-
mote the evacuations after delivery.

^ Great Celandine. Chcliclonium inqjus.

A COMMON vyild plant with large leaves, and
yellow tiowers : which, when broken in any part,
stalk, or leaves, emits a yellow juice. It grows
three feet high, but the stalks are not very robust,
they are round, green, and naked, with thick joints.
The leaves stand two at each joint; they are large,
loiig, and deeply divided at the edges, and arc of
a yellowish green. The flowers are small, but of
a beautiful yellow, and they stand on long foot-
stalks several togetlier.

Celandine should be used fresh, for it looses jthe
greatest part of its virtue in drying. The juice
is the best way of giving it ; and this is an excel'
lent medicine in the jaundice : it is also good
egainst a!! obstructions of the viscera, and if con-
tinued a time, will do great service against the
scurvy. The juice also is used successfully for
8ore eyes.

Ljttle Celandine. Chelidonium minus.

THE great and the little celandine, are plants
so perfectly different, that it is hard to conceive
what could induce the old wrifers to call <hem
both by the same name. They hardly agree in
any thing, except it be that they have both yellow
flowers. The great celandine approaches <o the
nature of the poppy ; the small celandine to that

t

FAMILY HERBAL.

69

of the crow-foot ; nor are they any more alike in
virtues than in form.

Little celandine is a low plants which is seen
almost every where in damp places in spring, with*
broad deep green leaves, and glossy yellow flowers.
It does not grow to any height. The leaves are an
inch long, and nearly as broad ; they somewhat
resemble those of the garden hepaticas, and are of
a dark green and frequently spotted ; they rise
singly from the root on long, slender, and naked
stalks. The flowers rise also singly from the root
on long, slender, and naked stalks ; they are as
broad as a shilling, of a fine shining yellow colour,
and composed of a number of leaves. The root is
fibrous, and has small white tuberous lumps con-
nected tothe strings.

The roots are commended very much against
the piles, the juice of them is to be taken in-
wardly ; and some are very fond of an ointment
made of the leaves, they chop them in pieces, and
boil them in lard till they are crisp ; then strain oflF
the lard, which is converted into a fine green
cooling ointment. The operation'of the roots is by
urine, but not violently.

Little Centauuv. Centaurium mi^s.

A PRETTY wild plant which flowers in autumn,
in our dry places. It is eight or ten inches high ;
the leaves are ol)long, broad, and blunt at the pouit;
the stalks are stiff, firm, and erect ; and the flowers
are of a fine pale red. There grows a cluster of
leaves an inch long or more from the root ; the
stalks divided toward the top into several
branches, and the flowers are long and slender, and
stand in a cluster.

This is an excellent stomatic ; its taste is a

70

FAMILY HERBAL.

pleasant hitter, and given in infusion ; it strength-
ens the stomach, creates an appetite, and is good
also against obstructions of the liver and spleen.
It is on this last account greatly recornme'/ided in
jaundices ; and the country people cure agues m ilh
it dried and powdered.

As there are a greater and lesser celandine, there
is also a great as well ias this little centaury ; but
the large kind is not a native of our country, nor
used by us in medicine.

Chaste Tree, ^gnus castrus.

A LITTLE shrub, native of Italy, and frequent
in our gardens. It is five or six feet high ; the
trunk is rough, the branches are smooth, grey,
tough, and long ; the leaves are fingered or spread
like the fingers of one's hand when opened : five,
six, or seven, of these divisions stand on each stalk,
they are of a deep green above, and whitish under-
neath ; the flowers are small and of a pale reddish
hue ; they stand in long loose spikes ; the fruit is
as big as a pepper-corn.

The seeds of this shrub were once supposed
lo allay venery, but no body regards that now, A
dccoctiap of the leaves and tops is good against
obstrucTions of the liver.

The Black Cherry Tree. Corasusfructu nigro.

THIS is a well known tall tree, and well shaped.
The leaves are broad, roundish, sharp at the point,
and indented round the edges. The flowers are
white, the fruit is well enough known. The medicinal
part of this is the kernel within the stone. This has
been supposed good against apoplexies, palsies,
and all nervous diseases. The water distilled from

FAMILY HERBAL.

71

it waSj for this reasDn, in constant use as a remedy
for children's fits. But a better practice has now
obtained : it is highly probable that this water oc-
casioned the disorders it was given to remove.
Laurel water, when made of a great strength we
know to be a sudden poison : when weak, it tastes
like black-cherry-water, and is not mortal ; in the
same manner black-cherry-water, which used to
be given to children when weak drawn, has been
found to be poisonous when of great strength. There
is therefore the greatest reason imaginable to sup-
pose that in any degree of strength, it may do mis-
chief. Very probably thousands of children have
died by this unsuspected medicine

The gum which hangs upon the branches of
cherry-trees, is of the same nature with the gum
arabic, and may be used for the same purposes, as
in heat of urine, dissolved in barley-water.

Winter Cherry. Alkekengi.

A VERY singular and pretty plant kept in our
gardens ; it grows two ffeet high, not very erect,
nor much branched ; the stalk is thick, strong,
and angulated : the leaves are large, broad, and
sharp.pointed ; the flowers are moderately large
and white, but with yellow threads in the niiddle ;
the fruit is a round red berry, of the bigness of a
eommon red cherry, contained in a green hollow
husk, round, and as big as a walnut.

The berries are the only part used, they are to
be separated from the husks and dried ; and maybe
then given in powder or decoction. They are very
good in stranguries, heat of urine, or the gravel :
they are also given in jaundices, and dropsies :
they will do good in these cases, but are not to be
depended upon alone.

72

FAMILY HERBAL.

Chervil. Cimrefulium.

A SALLAD herb cultivated in gardens, but
not without its medicinal virtue. It is like pars-
ley in its manner of growth, but the leaves are
more divided, and of a paler colour. The stalks
are round, striated, hollow, and of a pale gresn ;
they divide into several branches, and are about
two feet high : the leaves on them are like those
from the root, but smaller. The flowers are bitter
and white, they stand in large tufts at the tops of
the branches. The seeds are large and smoolh.

The roots of chervil work by urine, but mode*
rately ; they should be given in decoction.

The Chesnut Tree. Castmiea,

A TALL, spreading, and beautiful tree. The
bark is smooth and grey: the leaves long and
moderately broad, deep, and beautifully indented
round the edges, and of a fine strong green. The
flowers are a kind of catkins, like those of willows,
long and slender, and of a yellowish colour; the
fruits are covered with a rough prickly shell, and,
under that, each particular chesnut has its firm
brown coat, and a thin skin^ of an austere taste,
over the kernel.

This thin skin is the part used in medicine ; it
is to be separated from the chesnut, not too ripe,
and dried : it is a very fine astringent ; it stops
purgings and overflowings of the menses.

Earth-Chesnut, or Earth-Nut.
Bulbocastanum.

A COMMON wild plant, which has tlie name
from its root. This is of the bigness of a chesnut.

FAMILY HERBAL. 73

roundish, brown on the outside, and white within,,
and of sweet taste. The plant grows to a foot
high ; the leaves arc divided into line and nume-
rous partitions ; the stalk is firm, upright, round,
striated aud green; the flowers are white and
little, but thev grow i-n great tufts on the tops of
the branches.

The root is the part used ; it is to be roasted in
the manner of a chcsuut and eaten. It is sp^id to
have great virtues as a provocative to vtnery, but
this is not well confirmed.

Chick-weed. Alsi;ic media.

THE commonest of all weeds, but not without
iii virtue. The right sort to use in medicine ( for
there are several) is that which grows so ccnmion
in our garden-beds : it is low and branclied. 'I he
stalks are round, green, weak, and divided ; they
commonly lean on the ground. The leaves are
short and broad, of a pleasant green, not dented
at the edges, and pointed at the end : these grow
two at every joint. The flowers arc white nnd small.

The whole plant, cut to pieces and boiled in
lard till it is crisp, converts the lard into a fine
green cooling ointment. The juice taken inward-
ly, is good against the scurvy.

The China-root Plant. Sjnilax cujus radix
China njjlciorum.

A NAILING plant frequent in the East Indies.
It grows to ten or twelve feet in length, but the
stalks are weak and unable to stand erect ; they
are ridged, of a brown colour^ and set with hook-
ed yellow prickles. Tiie leaves are oblong and
broad, largest at the stalk, and blunt at the points,

L

FAMILY HERBAL.

of a shinin*;^ green colour, and glossy surface; the
flowers are small and yellowish ; the fruit is a round
yellowish berry. The root is large, irregular, and
knotty; brown on the outside, and reddish within.
This is the part used, they send it over to our
druggists : it is a sweetener of the blood, and is
used in diet-drinks for the venereal disease and the
scurvy. It is also said to be very good against the
gout, taken for a long time together.

There is another kind of this root brought from
America, paler on the outside, and much of the
same colour with the other within ; some have sup-
posed it of more virtue than the other, but most
suppose it inferior, perhaps neither has much.^

CuiCH. Ciccr.

A LITTLE plant of the pea kind, sown in soiiie
places for the fruit as peas. The plant is low and
branched ; the stalks are round and weak, and of a
pale green. The leaves are like those of the pea,
but each little leaf is narrower, and of a paler green,
and hairy like the stalk : the flowers are small and
white, and resemble the pea blossom. The pods
are short, thick, and hairy, and seldom contain
more than two, often but one seed or chich in
each.

They are eaten in some places, and they are gentle
diuretics.

CiNQUEFoiL. PentapliijUuni.

A CREEPING wild plant common about way-^
sides, and in pastures. The stalks are round and
smooth, and usually of a reddish colour ; they lie
upon the ground, and take root at the joints ; tire
leaves stand on lon^ foot-stalks, five on each stalk ;

FAMILY HERBAL 15

they are above an inch long, narrow, of a deep
duskj green, and indented at the edges, the flowers
ftlso stand on long foot-stalks, they are yellow
and of the breadth of a shillitig, very bright, and
beautiful. The root is large and long, and is
covered with a brown rind.

The root is the part used ; it should be dug up in
April, and the outer bark taken off and dried, thp
rest is useless ; this bark is to be given in powder
for all sorts of fluxes ; it stops purging*, and the
overflowings of the menses ; few drugs are of equal
power.

The Cinnamon Tree. Cinnamon.

A LARGE tree frequent in the East, and not ^in-
like the bay-tree in its flowers, fruit, leaves, or
manner of growth ; only larger. The bark is
rough on the trunk, and smooth on the branches ;
it has little taste while fresh, but becomes aromatic
and sharp, in that degree we perceive, by drying.
The leaves are of the shape of bay leaves, but twice
as big ; the flowers are small and whitish ; the
berries are little, oblong, and of a bluish colour,
spotted with white.

The root of the cinnamon tree smells strongly of
camphire, and a very fine kind of camphire is made
from it in the East ; the wood is white and insipid.
The kaves are fragrant.

The root is the only part used, and this is an ex.-^
cellent astringent in the bovv'els ; it is cordial and
good to promote appetite : it also promotes the
menses, though it acts as an astringent in other
cases.

The Winter's Bark Tree. Cortex winter anus.
K BARK called by many winter's bark, has been

76

FAMILY HERBAL.

already described under its true name canella alba ;
in Ibis place we are to inquire into the true M iiiter'e-
biu k, called by many writers cinnamon. The tree
which affords it is a tree of twenty feet higli, very
spreading, and full of branches, the bark is grey
on the outside, and brown within. The leaves are
two inches long, and an inch broad, small at the
stalk, and obtuse at the end, and divided a littb.
The flowers are white and sweet-scented, the fruit
is a small berry.

The bark is the part used, they send over the two
rinds together : it is verv fragrant and of a hot
aromatic taste. It is a sudorific, and acordial^ and
it is excellent against the scurvy.

The CisTus Shrub, from which labdanum is
procured. Cistus ladanifera.

A VERY pretty shrub, frequent in the Greek
islands, and in other warm climates. It is two or
three feet high, very much branched, and has broad
leaves, and beautiful large flowers. The trunk is
rough ; the twigs are reddish ; the leaves are al-
most of the shape of those of sage ; they stand two
at every joint, and are of a dark green colour.
The flowers are of the breadth of half a crown,
:^nd of a pale red colour. The gum labdanum
is procured from this shrub, and is its only produce
Aised in medici«>e. This is an exudation discharged
from the leaves in the manner of manna, more
than of any thing else. They get it off by draw-
ii g a parcel of leather thongs over the shrubs.
It is not much used, but it is a good cephalic.

The Citron Tree. Citria sive malus medico,

A SMALL tree with prickly branches, but very
beautiful in its leaves, flowers, and fruit ; the

FAMILY HERBAL.

7T

trunk is grey and rough ; the twigs are green.
The leaves are six inches long, and of a kind of
oval figure, and of a most beantiful green colour.
The flowers are white like those of the lemon tree,
and the frnit resembles a lemon ; but it is larger,
and often full of protuberances. The outer rind
is of a pale yellow, and very fragrant; the inner
rind is exceedingly thick, and white ; there is very
little pulp, though the fruit be so large. The
juice is like that of the lemon ; but tlie yellow
outer rind is the only part used in medicine : this
is an excellent stomachic, and of a verj' pk-asant
flavour. The Barbadoes water owes its taste to
the peel of this fruit ; and there is a way of making
a water very nearly equal to it in England, by the
addition of spice to the fresh peels of good lemons ;
the method is as follows :

Put into a small still a gallon of fine molasses
spirit, put to it six of the peels of very fine lemons,
and half an ounce of nutmegs, and one dram of
cinnamon bruised, let tbem stand all night, then
add two quarts of water, and fasten on the head ;
distil five pints and a half, and add to this a quart
and half a pint of water, with five ounces of the
finest sugar dissolved in it. This will be very
jiearly equal to the finest Barbadoes water.

TheCiTRULL. Citrullus.

A CREEPING plant of the melon kind, cul-
tivated in many parts of Europe and ihe East.
The branches or stalks are ten feet long, thick,
angular, fleshy, and hairy : they trail upon the
ground unless supported. The' leaves are large,
and stand singly on long foot^'Stalks ; they are di-
vided deeply into five parts, and are hairy also and
of a pale green colour ; the flowers are large aad

•78

9

FAMILY HERBAL.

yellow ; and very like those of our cucumhert :
the fruit is also like the melon and cucumber kinds,
roundish, often flatted, and composed of a flesliy
part under a thick rind, with seeds aud juice
•within.

The seeds are the only part used, our drugi;ists
keep them ; they are cooling, and they work by
urine gently ; they are best given in form of an
emulsion, beat up with barley-water.

Clary. Horminum.

CLARY is a common plant in our gardens, not
"very beautiful, but kept for its virtues. It grows
two feet and a half high ; the leaves are rough, and
the flowers of a whitish blue. The stalks arc thick,
fleshy, and upright; they are clammy to the touch,
and a little hairy. The leaves are large, wrinkled, and
of a dusky green, broad at the base, and smaller to
the point, which is obtuse ; the flowers stand in
long loose spikes ; they are disposed in circles round
the upper parts of the stalks, and are gaping and
large, the cups in which they stand are robust and
ja some degree prickly.

The whole herb is used fresh or dried. It is
cordial, and in some degree astringent. It strength-
ens the stomach, is good against headachs, and stopi
the whites, but for this last purpose, it is necessary
to take it a long time ; and there are many remedies
BBore powerful.

There is a kind of wild clary on our ditch banks,
and in dry grounds, which is supposed to pi^ssess
the same virtues with the garden kind. The seeds
of this are put into the eyes to take out any little
ofl*ensive substance fallen into them. As soon as
they are put in, they gather a coat of mucilage
jiboirt tUem. and this "^catches hold of any little thing

FAMILY HERBAL. ^

ft meets with in the eye. ^c. Parsons has p erfectly-
explained this in his book of seeds.

Cleavers. Aparine.

A WILD herb common in all our hedges, and
known by sticking to people's clothes as they touch
ft. The stalks are square and very rough, two
feet long, but weak and unable to support them-
selves ; they climb among bushes. The leaves are
long arid narrow, and of a pale green ; they grow
several at every joint, encompassing the stalk in th«
manner of the rowel of a spur; they are rough
m the same manner with the stalk, and stick to
every thing they touch. The flowers are small
and White ; the seeds grow two together, and are
roundish arid rough like the rfest of the plant ; tb^
root is fibrous.

The juice of the fresh herb is used ; it cools the
body, and operates by urine ; it is good against the
scurvy, and all other outward disorders. Some
ipretend it will cure the evil, but that is not true.

The'Ci-oTE Bakk-Trer. Cassia caryopTiylata.

A TALL and beautiful tree, native of the West
Indies. The trunk is covered with a thick brown
Kark_, that of the branches is paler and thinner.
The arras spread abroad, and are not very regularly
disposed ; the leaves are oblong, broad, and sharp-
pointed ; they are like those of the bay-tree, biit
twice as big, and of a deep green colour. The
flowers are small and blue ; they arc pointed with
streiaks of orange colour, and are of a fragrant
smell ; the fruit is roundish ; we use the bark,
which is taken from the larger and smaller branches,
but that from the smaller is best. It is of a fragrant

80 FAMILY HERBAL.

smelly and of a mixed taste of cinnamon and cloves ;
the cinnamon flavour is first perceived, but after
that the taste of cloves is predominant, and is so
very strong, that it seeius to burn the mouth. It is
excellent against the colic ; and it warms and
strengthens the stomach, and assists digestion : it
is also a cordial, and in small doses joined" with
other medicines promotes sweat. It is not much
used fairly in practice, but many tricks are played
with it by the ch}misl9, to imitate or adulterate
the several productions of cloves and cinnamon, for
it is cheaper than either.

The t]; LOVE Ju*.r Flower. Caryophyllus ruber.

A COMMON and very beautiful flower in
our gardens ; it has its name from the aroma-
tic smell, which resembles the clove spice, and
from the time of its flowering which is in July.
It is a carnation only of one colour, a deep and
fine purple. The plant grows two feet high ;
the leaves are grassy ; the stalks are round and
jointed ; the flower grows at the tops of the
branches, and the whole plant besides is of a bluish
green.

The flowers are used ; they are cordial, and
good for disorders of the head ; they may be
dried, and taken in powder or in form of tea,
but the best form is the syrup. This is made
by pouring five pints of boiling water upon three
pounds of the flowers picked from the husks,
and with the white heels cut olF : affer they
have stood twelve hours, strainin": off the clear
liquor without pressing, and dissolving in it two
pound of the finest sugar to every pint. This
makes the most beautiful and pleasant of all
gyrups.

FAMILY HERBAL.

81

The Clove Spice Tree. Caryophyllus aroma-

iicus.

A BEAUTIFUL tree, native of the warm
countries ; it grows twenty or thirty feet high,
and very much branched. The bark is greyish ;
the leaves are like those of the bay^tree^ but twice
as large ; they are of a bright shining green, and
stand upon long foot-stalks ; the flowers are
not very large^ but of a beautiful blue coIouFj
and the cups that contain them are oblong and
firm ; these are the cloves of the shops. They
g'ather them soon after the flowers are fallen";
when they sufter them to remain longer on the
tree, they grow large, and swell into a fruit as big
as an olive.

The cloves are excellent against disorders of
the head, and of the stomach ; they are warm,
cordial, and strengthening ; they expel wind>
and are a good remedy for the colic. The oil of
cloves is made from these by chemists ; it cures the
tooth ach ; a bit of lint beihg wetted, with it, and
laid to the tooth.

Cockle. PseudomelrMtliium,

A TALL, upright, and beautiful plant, wild in
our corn-fields, with red flowers, and narrow
leaves. It is two feet high : the stalk is single,
slender, round, hairy, very firm, and perfectly
upright. The leaves stand two at a joint, and
are not very numerous : they are long, narrow,
hairy, and of a bright green colour ! the flowers
stanri singly, one at the top of each bianch. They
are very largCj and of a beautiful red. They have
an elegant cup, composed of five narrow haiiy
leaves^ which are much longer than the flower.

m

62

FAMILY HERBAL.

The seed Vessel is roundish, aijd the seeds arc
black. They are apt to be mixed among grain,
and give the flour an ill taste.

The seeds are used ; thej work by urine, and
t)pen all obstructions j thej promote the menses,
and are good in the dropsy and jaundice; the
best way of giving thejn is powdered, and put
into an electuary to be taken for a continuance
of time : for these medicines, whose virtues are
against chronic diseases, do not take effect at once.
Many have discontinued them for that reason : and
the world in general is, from the same cause, become
fond of chymical medicines, but these are safer, and
they are more to be depended upon ; and if the two
practices were fairly tried, chymical medicines
would loose their credit.

The CocuLus Indi Tree. Arbor coculos Indi^

cos ftrens.

A MODERATELY large tree, native of the
warmer parts of the world. It is irregular in
its growth, and full of branches ; the leaves are
short, broad, and of a heart-like shape ; they
are thick, fleshy, small, and of a dusky green ; the
flowers are small, and stand in clusters ; the fruits
follow these, they are of the bigness of a large
pea, roundish, but with a dent on one side,
wrinkled, friable, and brown in colour, and of
an ill smell.

The powder of these strev<ed upon children's
heads that have vermin destroys them, people also
intoxicate fish by it. Make a pound of paste, with
flour and water, and add a little red led to colour
it, add to it two ounces of the coculus indi ptnv-
dered. See where roach and other tish ri«e, and
throw in the paste in small pieces, they will take it

FAMILY HERBAL. S3

greedily, and they will be intoxicated. They will
swim upon the surface with their belly upward,
and may be taken out with the hands. They are
not the worse for eating.

The CoDAGA Shrub, Codaga pali.

A LITTLE shrub frequent in the East Indies,
and very beautiful, as well as useful. It grows
ten or fifteen feet high ; the branches are brittle,
and the wood is white. The leaves are long and
narrow, not at all notched at the edges, and of a
beautiful green on both sides ; the flowers are large
and white, and somewhat resemble those of the rose-
bay, or nerium, of which some make it a kind.
Each flower is succeeded by two large pods, which
are joined at the ends, and twist one about the
other ; they are full of a cottony matter about the
seeds. The whole plant is full of a milky juice-,
which it yields plentifully when broken.

The bark is the only part used ; it is but newly
introduced into medicine, but may be had of the
druggists; it is an excellent remedy for purgings.
It is to be given in powder for three or four days,
and a vomit or bleeding before the use of it, as may
be found necessary.

The Coffee-Tree. Arbor coffee f evens.

A BEAUTIFUL shrub of the eastern part of
the world, which we keep in many of our stoves,
and which flowers and bears its fruit with us. It
grows eight or ten feet high i the branches are
slender and weak ; the leaves are large, oblong,
and broad, somewhat like those of the bay-tree,
but bigger, and thin. The flowers are white, mo-
(Jerately large, and like jasmine; the fruit is a

81

FAMILY HERBAL.

large berrry, black when it is ripe, and in it are fwo
seeds, which are what wc call coffee; thcj are
whitish, and of a disagreeable taste when raw.

Coffee helps digestion, and dispels wind r and it
works gently by urine. The best way of taking it
is as we commonly drink it, and there are constitu-
tions for which it is very proper.

Sea ColeworTj or Sea Bindweed. Soldunella.

A PR^^TTY wild plant that we have on the
sea coasts, in many places ; and that deserves to be
much more known than it is as a medicine. The
stalks are a foot long, but weak and unable to sup-
port themselves upright. They are round and
green or purplish : the leaves are roundish, but
shaped a little heart fashioned at the bottom ; they
stand upon long foot-stalks, and are of a shining
green. The flowers are large and red, they are of
the shape of a bell ; the roots are white and small,
a milky juice flows from the plant when any part of
it is broken ; especially frcm the root.

The whole plarit is to be gathered fresh when
about flowering, and boiled in ale vvith some nut-
meg and a clove or two, and taken in quantities
proportioned to the person's strength ; it is a strong
purge, and it sometimes operates also by urine, but
there is no harm in that. It is fittest for country
people of robust constitutions, but it will cure
dropsies and rheumatism. Nay I have known a
clap cured on a country fellow, by only two
doses of it. The juice which oozes from the
stalk and roots may be saved, it hardens into
a substance like scammony, and is an eycellent
purge.

FAMILY HERBAL.

85

Coltsfoot. Tussilago.

A COMMON wild herb, of excellent virtues,
but so different in the spring and summer, as that
it is scarce to be known for the same. The flow-
ers appear in spring without the leaves ; they
grow on stalks six or eight inches h'gh, round,
thick, fleshy, and of a reddish colour, on which
there stand a kind of films instead of leaves. The
flowers grow one at the top of each stalk ; they ase
yellow, and as large as those of the dandelion, and
like them.

The leaves come up after these are decayed,
they are as broad as one# hand, roundish, and sup-
ported each on a thick hollow stalk, they are green
on the upper side, and while and dowriy underneath.
The flowers are not minded, these leaves only are
used.

Columbine. ^Aquilegia.

A COMMON garden flower^ but a native al<»o
of our country. It grows two feet high ; the
leaves are divid(!d into many parts, generally in a
threefold order ; the stalks are round, firm, up-
right, and a little hairy ; the flowers are blue and
large ; the seeds are contained in a kind of horned
capsules. The leaves and the seeds are used ; a
decoction of tlie leaves is s^id to be good against
sore throats. The seeds open obstructions, and
are excellent in the jaundice, and other complaints
from like causes.

CoMFREV, Sjjmpht/tum.

A COMMON wild plant, of great virtue; it is
frequent by ditch sides; it grows a foot and half

86

FAMILY HERBAL.

high : the leaves are large, long, not very broad,
rough to the touch, ai)d of'a deep disagreeable green :
ihe stalks are green, thick, angulated, and up-
right. The flowers grow along the tops of the
branches, and are white, sometimes reddish, not
very large, and hang often downwards. The root
is thick, black, and irregular ; when broken it is
found to be white within, and full of a slimy juice.
This root is the part used, and it is best fresh, but
it may be beat up into a conserve, with three times
its weight of 'sugar. It is a remedy for that terri-
ble disease the whites. It is also good against
spitting of blood, bloody fluxes, and purgings, and
for inward bruises.

The CoNTRAYERvA Plant. Contraycrva.

A VERY singular plant, native of America,
and not yet got into our gardens. It consists only
of leaves rising from the rout, upon smgle foot-
stalks, and flowers of a singular kind, standing also
on single and separate foot-stalks, with no leaves
upon thiTO The leaves are large, oblong, very
broad, and deeply divided on each side ; their co-
lour is a dusky green ; and the foot- stalks on
which they stand are small and whitish, and often
bend under the weight of the leaf. The stalks
which support the flowers, are shorter and weaker
than these ; and the flowers are of a very pecu-
liar kind ; they are disposed together in a kind of
flat form, and are very small and inconsiderable.
The bed on which they are situated is of an oval
figure, and is called the placenta of the plant ;
it is of a pale colour and thin.

We are told of another plant of the same kind ;
the leaves of which are less divided, and the pla-
centa is square, but the roots of both are allowed

FAMILY KERBAI.

to be exactly alike and it is therefore more pro-
bable, that this is not another plant., but the same
in a difterent sta-ge of growth.

We use the roots ; our druggists keep them, and
they are the principal ingredient in that famous
powder, called, from its being rolled up into balls,
lapis contrayerva. It is an excellent cordial and
sudorific, good in fevers, and in nervous cases ;
and against indigestions, colics, and weaknesses
of the stomach. It may be taken in powder or
in tincture ; but it is better to give it alone, than
with that mixture of crab's claws and other use-
less ingredients, which go into the contrayerva
stone. In fevers and nervous disorders, it is best
to give it in powder ; in weaknesses of the stomachji
it is best in tincture. It is also an excellent in-
gredient in bitter tinctures ; and it is wonderful the
present practice has not put it to that use. AU
the old prescribers of forms for these things, have
put some warrh root into them ; but none is so
proper as this ; the most usual has been the galan-
gul, but that has a most disagreeable flavour in
tincture: the contrayerva has all the virtues ex-
pected to be found in that, and is quite unexcep-
tionable.

The Copal Tree. Arbor copcUifera.

A LARGE tree of South America. It grows
to a great height, and is tall, straight, and tolerably
regular ; the bark of the trunk is of a deep brown.
The branches are bitter. The leaves are large and
oblong, and they are blunt at the ends ; they are
deeply cut in at the edges, and if it were not that
thf;y arc a great deal longer in proportion to their
breadth, they would be very like those of the oak;
the flowern are moderately large, and full vi

83

FAMILY HERBAL.

threads ; the fruit is rounds and of a blood red
when ripe.

We use a resin which oozes from the bark of
large trees of this species in great plenty, and is
called copal ; it is of a pale yellow colour, some-
times brownish, and often colourless, and like gurj
arabic ; we have a way of calling it a gum, but
it is truly a res4n ; and the yellow pieces of it are
so bright and transparent, that they very much re-
semble the purest amber.

It is good against the whites, and against weak-
nesses left after the venereal disease ; but it is not
so much used on these occasions as it deserves.
It is excellent for making varnishes ; and what is
commonly called amber varnish among our artists
13 made from it. Amber will make a very fine var-
nish, better than that of copal, or any other kind ;
but it is dear.

We sometimes see heads of canes of the colour-
less copal, which seem to be of amber, only they
want its colour ; these are made of the same resiu
in the East Indies, where it grows harder.

Coral. Cor allium.

A SEA plant of the hardness of a stone, and
with very little of the appearance of an herb.
The red coral, which is the sort used in medicine^
grows a foot or more in height ; the trunk is a?
thick as a man's thumb, and the branches are
numerous. It is fastened to the rocks by a crust
which spreads over them, and is covered all over
with a crust also of a coarse substance and striated
texture. Towards the top there are flowers and
seeds, but very small ; from these rise the young
plants. The seeds have a mucilaginous matter
about them, which sticks them to the rocks. The

FAMILY HERBAL.

89

\vho\e plant appears like a naked shrub Mvilhout
leaves or visible flowers.

It has been supposed lately that coral is made
by small insects, but this is an error ; polypes live
in coral as worms in wood, but these don't make
the trees nor the other the plant. Coral is to be
reduced to fine powder, by grinding it on a mar-
ble ; and then it is given to stop purgings, to
destroy acid humours in the stomach, and to
sweeten the blood. They suppose it also a cordial.
Probably for all its real uses, chalk is a better me-
dicine.

There are several sorts of white coral, which
have been sometimes used in medicine ; but all al-
low the red to be belter, so that they are not kept
in the shops.

Coralline. Corallina.

4 LITTLE sea plant frequent about our own
coasts and of a somewhat stony texture, but not
like the red or white coral. It grows to three
inches high, and is very much branched, and young
shoots arise also from different parts of the branches :
there are no leaves on it, nor visible flowers, but
the whole plant is composed of short joints. It is
commonly of a greenish or reddish colour, but
when it has been thrown a time upon the shores, it
bleaches and becomes white; it naturally grows
to shells and pebbles. The best is the freshest, not
that which is bleached.

It is given to children as a remedy against worms ;
a scruple or half a dram for a dose.

Coriander. Coriandruni.

A SMALL plant, cultivated in France and'

N

90

FAMILY HERBAL.

German, for tlic sake of its seed. It is two feet
high, and has clusters of white or reddish flowers
upon tJic tops of the branches. Tlie stalks are
round, upright, and hollow, hut have a pilh in
them ; the leaves, which grow from the root, have
rounded tops, those on the stalks are divided into
narrow parts ; the seeds follow two after each
flower, and thev are half round.

The seed is the only part used : the whole plant
ulien fresh has a bad smell, but as the seeds dry,
they become sweet and fragrant. They are ex-
cellent to dispel wind ; they warm and strength-
en the stomach and assist digestion. It is good
against pains in the head, and has some virtue in
stopping purgings, joined with other things.

The Cornel Tkee. Conius mos.

A GARDEN tree of the bigness of an apple
tree, and branched like one; the bark is greyish,
the twigs are tough : the leaves are oblongs broad,
and pointed, of a fine green colour, but not serrated
at the edges. The flowers are small and yellowish,
the fruit is of the bigness of a cherry, but oblong,
not round; it is red and fleshy, of an astringent
bark, and has a large stone. The fruit i§ ripe in
ajitumn ; the flowers appear early.

The fruit is the part used ; it may be dried and
used, or the juice Ijoiled down with sugar ; either
way it is cooling and moderately astringeiit ; it is a
gentle pleasant medicine in fevers with purgings.

There is a wild cornel tree, called the female
cornel, in our hedges ; a shrub five feet high, with
broad leaves, and black ber.ies ; it is not used iu
merlicine. In some parts of the Westludies they
intoxicate fish with the bark of a shrub of thii
kind, by only putting a quantity of it into the water

■4

FAMILY HERBAL.

91

of a pond ; we have not tried whether this of ourg
will do the same.

Corn Marigold. Chrysanthemum segestiim.

A VERY beautiful wild plant growing in corn-
fields, with large bluish leaves, and full of flowers
like marigolds. It is two feet high ; the stalks are
numerous, round, stilF, tolerably upright, and
branched ; the leaves stand irregularly, and are
long, very broad, and of a bluish green ; they are
smallest towards the base, and larger at the end,
and they are deeply cut in at the sides. The flow-
ers are as broad as half a crown, and of a very beau-
tiful yellow ; they have a cluster of threads in the
middle. The root is fibrous.

The flowers, fresh gathered and just opened,
contain the greatest virtue. They are good against
all obstructions, and work by urine. An infusion of
them, given in the quantity of half a pint warm,
three times a day, has been known to cure a jaun-
dice, without any other medicine ; the dried herb
has the same virtue, but in a less degree.

CosTMARY. Costus hovtorum.

A GARDEN plant kept more for its virtues
than its beauty, but at present neglected. It grows
a foot and half high, and has clusters of naked
yellow flowers like tansy. The stalks are firm,
thick, green, and upright ; the leaves are oblong,
narrow, of a pale green, and beautifully serrated ;
the flowers consist only of deep yellov/ threads.

It was once greaily esteemed for strengthening
the stomach, and curing head-achs, and for opening
obstructions of the liver and spleen, but more seems
to have been said of it than it deserved.

92

FAMILY HERBAL.

Tiie CosTus Plant. Coatus.

AN Indian plants wliich bears two kinds of stalks,
one for the leaves^ and the other for the lluwers and
seeds ; these both rise from the samcroot^ and often
near one another.

The leaf-stalks are four feet high, thick, hollow,
round, upright, and of a reddish colour.

The ieiives are like those of the reed kir.d, long-,
narrow, and pointed at the edges, and they are of
a bluish green colour. The staiks which bear the
flowers, are eight inches high, tender, soft, round,
and as it were scaly. The llmvers are small and
reddish, and they stand in a kind of spikes, inter-
mixed with a great quantity of scaly leaves.

The root is the only part used ; it is kept by our
druggists ; it is oblong and irregula;rly shaped. It is
a very good and safe diuretic, it always operates
that way, soniefimes also by sweat, and it opens
obstructions of the viscera. But uuless it be new
and firm, it has no virtue.

The. Cotton Tree. Gossi/pimn site xylon.

A SMALL shrub, with brittle and numerous
branches, and yellow flowers : it docs not grow
more than four feet high ; the leaves, are large, and
divided each into five parts ; and of a dusky green
colour. The flowers aie large and beautiful, they
are of the hell-fashioned kind, as broad as a half
crown, deep, of a yellow colour, and with a purple
' bottom ; the seed-vessels are large, and of a roundish
figure, and they contaui the cotton with the seeds
among it. When ripe, they burst open into three or
four parts.

The seeds are used in medicine, but not so
much as tiiey deserve ; they are excellent in coughs^

FAMILY HERBAL

93

and all disorders of the breast and lungs ; tliey
cause expectoration^ and are very balsamic and
astringent.

The Cotton Thistle. Acantlnuui.

A TALL and stately wild plant, common by
our way sides^ and known by its gr^eat white
prickly leaves and red flowers. It is four or
five feet hiffh. The leaves which ptow from
the root are a foot and a half long, a foot broad,
deeply indented at the edges, and beset with yel-
lowish thorns ; they are of a whitish colour, and
seem covered with a downy matter of tlie nature of
cotton. The stalks are thick, round, firm, and up-
right; and winged with a sort of leafy substances
wliich rise from them, and have the same sort of
prickles that are upon the leaves. The ordinary
leaves upon the stalks are like those which grow
from the root, only they are more deeply iiideiited,
and more prickly ; the flowers are purple ; tliey
stand in. long prickly heads, and make a beautiful
appearance. The root is very long, thick, and
white.

The root, is the part used, and that should be
fresh gathered. It opens obstructions, and is oood
against the jaundice, and in dropsies, and other
disorders arising iVom obstructions. It also mo-
derately promotes the menses. It may be dried
and given in pow<ier for the same purposes. But
the virtues are much less.

Couch Grass, ' Gramen caninum.

A VERY ti-oublesome weed in fields and gar-
dens, but very useful in medicine. Nature
has made those plants which may be most useful

94:

FAMILY HERBAL.

to us fhe most common, and the most difficult to
hv n ojoved. Couch grass grows two ftet high,
and is a robust kind of grass : the sjalk is round
and poinied ; the ieaves are grassy, but bmad,
and of a fresh green colour ; the spile at the top
IS like ai) ear of wheaf, only thin and flat. It
consists of ien .rows of grains. The root is
white, slender,, verj long and jointed, and it takes
fresh hold at every joint ; so that if but a piece
is left in pulling it up, it grows and increases \ery
quickly.

The roots are used, and they are to be fresh
taken up and boiled. The decoction is excellent
in the gravel and stone; it promotr-s urine strong-
Iv, yet not forcibly or rouglily. Taken foi" a
continuance, the same decoction is good against
obstructions of the liver, and will cure the jaun-
dice.

Cowslip. Paralysis.

A PRETTY wild plant in our meadows. The
leaves are broad, oblong, indented, rough, and
of a whitish green colour ; the s^alks are round,
upright, firm, thick, and downy ; they are six
or eight inches high, and are naked of leaves.
At the top of each stand a number of pretty yellow
flowers, each upon a separate foot-stalk, and in its
own separate cup.

The flowers are the part used. They have been
celebrated very much against apoplexies, palsies,
and other terrible diseases, but at present in such
cases we do not trust such remedies. They have
a tendency to procure sleep, and may be given in
tea or preserved in form of a conserve.

FAMILY herbal:

95

Cowslip of Jerusalem. Puhnonaria maculata.

A LOW plant, but not without beauty, kept in
gardens for the credit of its virtues, which are
indeed more and greater than the present neglect
of it would have one to suppose. It grows to eight
or ten inches high ; the leaves are long and broad,
hairj, of a deep green, and spotted with white
spots on the upper side, but of a paler colour, and
not spotted underneath. The stalks are slender,
angulated, and hairy, and have smaller leaves on
them, but of the same figure with those from the
root. The flowers are small and reddish, and grow
several in a cluster at the top of the stalk. The
root is fibrous.

The leaves are used; they should be gathered
before the stalks grow up, and dried ; they are
excellent in decoction for coughs, shortness of
breath, and all diserders of the lungs ; taken in
powder, they stop the overflowing of the menses ;
and when fresh bruised and put into a new made
wounds they stop the bleeding and heal it.

Cow-wheat, Crateogoniim.

A COMMON wild plant in our woods and
thickets, with narrow blackish leaves, and bright
yellow flowers. It is eight or ten inches high.
The stalks are square and slender; verv brittle,
weak, and seldom quite upright. The leaves are
oblong and narrow ; sometimes of a dusky green
colour, but oftener purplish or blackish ; they '
are broadest at the hase, and small all the way to
the point; and they are commonly, but not always
indented a little about the edges. The flowers
stand, or rather hang, all on one side of the stalk,
m a kind of loose spike ; they are small and yellow.

95

FAMILY HERBAL.

and <^rotv two together. The seeds which follow
these are large, aud have something of the as-
pect of wheat, from whence the plant has its odd
name.

These seeds are the part used ; Ihcj arc to be
dried and given in powder, but in small doses.
They have virlues which few seem to imagine;
they are a high cordial and provocative to venerj;
but if given in too large a dose, they occasion the
head-ach and a strange giddiness. I knew an in-
stance of a. woman who liad .boiled the fresh tops
of the plant in a large quantity in water, as a re-
medy for the jaundice, (I know not by what in-
formation, ) and having drank this in large draughts,
•was as a person drunk and out of her senses ; she
complained of numbness in her limbs, and seemed
in danger of her life, but nature recovered her after
a few.hours without other assistance.

The Crab Tree. Malus st/lrestris.

A COMMON hedge shrub, and when in flow-
er very beautiful. The trunk is uneven, and the
bark rough ; the branches are knotty, the wood
is firm, and the bark of a dark colour ; the
leaves are broad and short, the flowers are large
and reddish, very beautiful and sweet, and the
fru\X is a small apple.

Verjuice is made from the crab ; and it is a re-
medy for the falling down of the uvula, better
than most other applications : it is also good
ao-ainst sore throats, and in all disorders ot the
mouth.

Cranesbill. Geranium robertiannm.

CRANESBILL is a little herb very frequent

under hedges, and ih' uncultivated places : there
are many kinds of it, but that which has most vir -
tue, is the kind called herb robert ; this is a prettj
and regularly growing plant. The stalks are a
foot long, but they seldom stand quite upright ;
they are round, branched, and jointed, and are often'
red, as is frequently the whole plant : the leaves are
large, and divided into a great number of parts,
and they stand upon long foot-stalks, two at every-
joint. The flowers are moderately large, and of
a bright red, they are very conspicuous and pretty ;
the fruit that follows is long and slender, and has
some resemblance of the long beak of a birdj whence
the name.

The whole plant is to be gathered foot and all,
and dried for use ; it is a most excellent astringent
scarce any plant is equal to it. It may be given*
dried and powdered, or in decoction. It stops
overflowings of the menses, bloody stools, and all
other bleedings.

It is to be observed that, nature seems to have
set her stamp upon, several herbs which have the
virtue to stop bleeding?. This and the tusan, the
two best remedies the fields afi'urd for outward and!
inward bleedings, become all over as red as bloo(f
at a certain season.

The Garden Cress. Nasturtium hortnise.

A COMMON garden plant, raised for salhids.
is two feet high : the stalk is round and firm, and!
of a bluish green ; the leaves are divided into seg-
ments, and the flowers are small and white ; but
the full grown plant is not seen at our tables ; we'
eat only the leaves rising immediately from the root.
These are iar^^e, finely divided, of a bright green.

98 FAMILY HERBAL.

and sharp. Cresses eaten in quantity are very gooi
•gainst the scurvy. The seeds open obstructions.

Water Cress. JVasiurtium aquaticum.

A WILD plant common vrith us in ditches, and
shallow rivers. It is a foot high, the stalks are
round, thick, but not very upright, of a pale green,
and much branched ; the leaves are of a fresh and
bright green, divided in. a winged manner and ob-
tuse ; the flowers are small and white, and there is
" generally seen a kind of spike of the flowers and
seeds at the top of the stalks.

The leaves are used ; they may be eaten in the
manner of garden cress, and are full as pleasant^
and they are excellent against the scurvy. The
juice expressed from them has the same virtue, and
works also powerfully by urine, and opens ob-
structions.

J Sciatica Cress. Iheris.

A PRETTY wild plant, but not frequent in all
parts of the kingdom. It is a foot high. The
stalk is round, firm, and upright ; of a pale green
colour. The leaves are small, longish, and of a
pale green also ; and the flowers stand at the tops
of the branches, into which the stalk divides in its
tipper part ; they are white and little. The leaves
that grow immediately from the root, are four
inches long ; narrow and serrated about the edges,
and of a deep green.

The leaves are used ; they are recommended
greatly in the sciatica or hip-gout ; they are to be
applied externally, and repeated as they grow dry.
The best way is to beat them with a little lard. It

FAMILY HERBAL. 99

is an approved remedy, and it is strange that it k
not more in use.

Wart Cresses, or Swine's Crussks. Coronopu%

rudlii.

A LITTLE wild plant very common about oup
fields and gardens. It spreads upon the ground.
The stalks are five ot six inches long ; firm, and
thick, but usually flat on the earth ; very much
branched, and flill of leaves. The leaves that riso
immediately from the root are long, and deeply
divided : and those on the stalks resemble thenn,
only they are smaller : they are of a deep glossj
green colour, and not at all hairy. The flowers
are small and white ; they stand at the tops of the
branches and among the leaves ; the seed-vesseli
are small and rough.

This is an excellent diuretic, safe, and ye( very
powerful. It is an ingredient in Mrs. Stephens*
medicine: the juice may be taken; and it is good
for the jaundice, and against all inward obstruc-
tions, and against the scurvy ; the leaves may
also be eaten a* aalad^ or dried and given In de-
Sjoction.

Crob8-v70rt. Cruciata,

A VERY pretty wild plant, but riot very coin<^
mon : it grows a foot and a half high. The stalki
are square, hairy, weak, and of a pale green. The
leaves arc broad and sliort ; they stand four at
everv joint, star-fashioned, upon the stalk. The
flowers are little and yellow ; they stand in clusterg
round the stalk, at the joints, rising from the in-
sertion of the leaves. It is to be found in dry
places.

f

100 FAMILY HERBAL.

The whole plant is to be gathered when begin-
ning to flower, and dried. A strong decoctiou of
it is a good restringent and styptic ; it stops pur-
gings, even when tbere arc bloody stools ; and
overflowings of the menses.

Crow-foot. Ranuculus.

A COMMON wild plant. There are several
sorts of it, but the kind used in medicine is that
most common in meadovi s, and called the commoa
creeping crowfoot. It grows a foot or more high ;
the stalks are firm, thick, branched, and of a pale
gr'^en ; but they seldom stand quite upright. The
leaves on them are few, and divided into narrow
segmen's ; the flowers are yellow, of the breadth
of a sDiUijig, and of a fine shining colour ; they
stand at the tops of all the branches ; the leaves
which rise from the root are large, divided in a
threefold manner, and often spotted with white.

Some are so rash as to mix a few leaves of thi^
among salad, but it is very wrong ; the plant is
caustic and poisonous. They are excellent applied
externally in palsies and apoplexies ; for they act
quicker thancantharides in raising blisters, and are
more felt. It is a wonder they are not more used
for this purpose ; but we are at present so fond
of foreign medicines, that these things are not
miiided.

There are two other kinds of crow-foot distior
guished as poisons ; though all of them are^ with
some degree of justice, branded with this name :
but the, two most pernicious kinds are that called
spearwort, which has long, narrow, and undivided
leaves ; and that with very small flowers, and leaves
somewhat like the divisions of those of smallage.
These both grow in watry places.

FAMILY HERBAL. 101

The Cubes Plant. Cubeha.

A CLAMBERING plant of the warm cli-
mates, but unknown in this part of the world, until
descrihed by those who have been where it grows.
The stalks are weak, angulated, and reddish; the
leaves are broad and short, and the flowers small ;
the fruit is of the bigness of a pepper corn, but a
little oblong, and grows on a long and very slender
foot stalk.

This fruit is the part used ; the druggists keep
it. It is a warm and pleasant spice good against
weaknesses of the stomach, in colics, and in palsies,
and all nervous disorders. But it is scld-ora used
alone.

The Cucumber Plant. Cucumis liortensis.

A CREEPING straggling plant sufficiently
known. The stalks are a yard or two long, thick,
but spread upon the ground, angulated and hairy.
The leaves are broad deeply indented, and very
rough, and of a bluish green colour; the flowers
are large and yellow. The fruit is long and thick ;
the seeds are used in medicine, and the fruit should
be suffered to stand till very ripe before they are
gathered. They are cooling and diuretic^ good
against stranguries, and all disorders of the iirinary
passages; the best way of giving them is beat up
to an emulsion with barley water.

. The Wild Cu CUMBER. Cucumis asininus.

THIS, though called wild, is not a native of
England. It spreads upon the ground in the
manner of the other cucumber, and its branches
grow to a considerable length; they are thick,

m

FAMILY HERBAL,

hairy, engulafcd, and of a pale green and lou«-!i.
The leaves are broad at the base, and narrow al The
point, serrated round the edges, and of a pale green
above, and whitish below. The (lowers are >cllow,
?ind moderately large; the fruit is of an ova!
figure, hairy, and full of juice. Care must be taken
m touching it when .ripe, for the sharp juice flies
out with violence.

The juice of the fruit is pressed out, and a thick
matter that subsides from it is separated and dried ;
<be druggists keep this and call it elatheriuin, it is
a violent purgative, but little used.

CucKovv Flower, or Lady's smock. Carda-

iv.inc.

A VERY beautiful wild plant, frequent in our
meadows in spring, and a great ornament to them.
It grows a foot high. Tl.e leaves which rise from
the root, are winged very regularly and beautifully,
and are spread in a circular manner, the stalk is
round, thick, firm, and iipright. The leaves that
grow on it are smaller, finely divided, and stand
singly. The flowers grow in a little cluster, on
that spike on the top, and from the bottom of the
leaves. They are large, of a fine white, often
tinged with a blush of red.

The juice of the fresh leaves is to be used ;
it is an excellent diuretic, and is good in the
gravel and all suppressions of urine. It also opens
obstructions, and is good in the jaundice and
green sickness ; and a course of it against the
scurvy.

Cudweed. Gnaphalium.

A COMMON wi'ld plant, but singular in if?

FAMILY HERBAL. 103

appearance. There are many species of if.. But
that used in medicine is the kind called the middle
cudweed, a herb impious. It has <his last name
from the whimsical observation of the young: tlow-
ers risins; above the olci ones, which is called the
son's growing' above the father. This cudweed,
is a little low plant; it seldom rises to a foot high.
The stalks are tough, firm, white, slender, and up-
right ; they are very thick, set with leaves, which
are small, oblong, white, a.nd pointed at the ends, and
seldom lie very even. The flowers arc a kind of
brown or yellowish heads, standing at the tops, an(i
in the divisions of the stalks.

The herb bruised, and applied to a fresh wound,
stops the bleeding ; it may be also dried and given in
decoction, in v.'hich form it is good against the
whites, and will often stop violent purgings.

Cummin. Cuminum.

A PLANT of the umbelliferous kind, cultivated
in every part of the East, for the value of the seed.
It grows a foot and a half high. The stalk is
round, striated, green, and hollow. The leaves are
large, and very finely divided in the manner of
those of fennel. The flowers stand in large clus-
ters, at the tops of the branches, and they are small
and white, with a blush of red. The seeds are long
and striated.

The seed? are used. Our druggists keep them.
They are of a verv disagreeable flavour, but of
excellent virtues; they are good against the colic
and wind in the stomach, and, applied outwardly,
ihey will often remove pains in the side. They mUbt
be bruised, and a large quantity laid ou.

104 FAMILY HERBAL.

The Black Currant. Ribesia nigra.

THIS is a little shrub, of late brought very
universally into our gardens. It grows three or
four foot high. The branches are weak, and the
bark is smooth. The leaves are large and broad^
and divided in the manner of those of the comraoo
currants ; but they have a strong smell. The
flowers arc greenish and hollow. The fruit is
a large and round berry, black, and of a some-
what disagreeable taste, growing in the manner of
the currants.

The juice of black currants boiled up with su-
gar to a jelly, is an excellent remedy against sore
throats.

Long Cyperus. Cyperus lo-jigus.

A WILD plant in our marshes, feiis, anci other
damp places. It is a foot and half high. The
leaves are a foot long or more, narrow, grassy, and
of a bright green colour, flat, and sharp at the
ends. The stalk is triangular and green ; there
are no leaves on it, except two or three small ones
at the top, from which there rises a number ojf
small tufts or spikes of flowers. These are brown,
light, chaffy, and in all respects like those of the
other water grasses.

The root is used. It is long and brown, and
when dried, is of a pleasant smell, and aromatic
warm taste. It should be taken up in spring. It
is good against pains in the head, and it promotes
urme.

Round Cyperus. Cyperus rotundas.
A PLANT in many respects resembling the other.

FAMILY HERBAL. loi

but a native of the warmer countries. It grow^
two feet high. The leaves are very numerous;
a foot and a hajf long, narrow, of a pale greed
colour sharp at the point, and ribbed all along
like those of grass. The stalk is triangular, and the
edges are sharp ; it is firm, upright, and often
put-plish, especially towards the bottom. The
flowers are chaffy, and they grow from the top of
the stalk, with several small and short leaves set
under them ; they are brown and light. The root
is composed of a great quantity of black fibres, to
which there grows at certain distances roundish
lumps. These are the only parts used in medicine.
Our druggists keep them. They are light , and of
a pleasant smell, and warm spicy taste.

They are good in all nervous disorders. They
are best taken in infusion, but as the virtues are
much the same with the other, that is best, because
it may be had fresher.

The Cypress Tree. Ctiprcssus.

A TREE kept in our gardens, an evergreen,
and singular in the manner of its grovrth. It
rises to twenty or thirty foot high, and is all the
way ^hick beset with branches. These are largest
towards the bottonj, and smaller all the way up ;
so that the tree appears naturally of a conic fi-
gure. The bark is of a reddish brown. ' The
leaves are small and short, they cover all the
twigs like scales, and are of a beautiful deep
green. The flowers are small and inconsiderable.
The fruit is a kind of nut, of the bigness of a
small walnut, and of a brown colour and firm sub-
stance. When ripe, it divides into several parts,'
fin-d the seeds fall out.

The fruit is the only part u^ed. It is to W

106

FAMILY HERBAL.

gathered before it bursts, and carefully dried and
given in powder ; five and twenty grains is the
dose. It is an excellent balsamic and styptic.
It stops the bleeding of the nose, and is good
against spitting of blood, bloody-flux, and over-
flowing of the menses. We are not aware how
powerful a remedy it is ; few things are equal
to it.

D.

Common Daffodill. J^arcissus.

, A WILD English plant, with narrow leaves and
great yellow flowers, common in our gardens
in its own form, and in a great variety of shapes
that culture has given it. In its wild state, it is
about a foot high. The leaves are long, narrow,
grassy, and of a deep green, and they are nearly
as tall as the stalk. The stalk is roundish, but
somewhat flatted and edged. The flower is large
and single ; it stands at the top of the stalk, and by
its weight presses it down a little. The root is round
and white.

The fresh root is to be used, and 'tis very easy
to have it alwa^'s in readiness in a garden; and
very useful, for it has great virtues. Given in-
ternally, in a small quantity, it, acts as a vomit,
and afterwards purges a little; and it is excellent
agamst all obstructions. The best way of giving
it is in form of the juice pressed out with some
white wine, but its principal uses are externally.
The eastern nations have a peculiar way of dry-
ing the thick roots of plants, especially if they
are full of a slimy juice as this is : They put
them to soak in water, and then hang them over
the steam of a pot in which rice is boiling ; after
'this they string them up, and they bepome in some

FAMILY HERBAL, 107

degree transparent and horny. It would be worth
while to try the metliod upon this root and some
others of our own growth ; which, because of this
slimy juice, we cannot well dry any other way;
probably this would lose its vomiting quality
when dried, and would act only as an opener of
obstructions, in which case, it might be given ia
repeated doses ; for at present no body will be pre-
vailed upon lo take it often.

The fresh root bruised and applied to fresh
wounds heals them very suddenly. Applied to
strains and bruises, it is also excellent, taking away
the swelling and pain.

. The Qreat Daisy. 'Bellis major.

A BEAUTIFUL and stately wild plant, which,
if it were not frequent in our fields, would doubt-
less be esteemed in gardens. It grows to a foot
high. The stalks are angulated slender, but firm
and upright : the leaves are oblong, narrow,
dented round the edges, and of a beautiful deep
green. The flowers stand on the tops of the
branches. They are white, and an inch broad;
very like the white china starwort so much esteem-
ed in our gardens. The root is slender.

The flowers are the part used. They are to be
gathered when newly opened, and dried, and may
afterwards be given in powder or infusion. They
a^e good against coughs and shortness of breath,
and in all disorders of the lungs. They are balsamic
and strengthening.

Tlic Little Daisy. Bellis minor.

A PRETTY wild plant, too common to need
much description, but too much neglected for its

108 FAMILY HERBAL.

virtues. The leaves are oblongs broad, and ob-
tuse. The stalks arc three or four inches high,
and have no leaves. The, flowers grow one on
each stalk, aud are of the breadth of a shilling, and
•whitish or reddish. The root is composed of a
vast quantity of fibrea.

The roots fresh gathered and given in a strong
decoction, arc excellent against the scurvy; the
use of thein must be continued some time, but the
event will make amends for the trouble. People
give these roots boiled in milk to keep puppies from
growing, but they have no such eflects^

Dandelion. Dens Iconis.

ANOTHER of our wild plants too common to
need much description. The leaves are very long,
somewhat broad, and deeply indented at the edges.
The stalks are naked, hollow, grecrry upright, and
six, eight, or ten inches high ; one flower stands
on each, which is large, yellow, and composed of
a great quantity of leaves, and seeds which follow
this, have a downy matter affixed to them. The
whole head of them appears globular. The root
is long, large, and white. The whole plant is full
of a milky juice, the roiotmost of all. This runs
from it when broken, and is bitterish but not dis-
agreeable.

The root fresh gathered and boiled, makes an
excellent decoction to promote urine,, and bring
away gravel. The leaves may be eaten as salad
when very young, and if taken this way in suf-
ficient quantity, they are good against the scurvy.

Red Darnell. Lolium rnhrum.

4- WIX'P grass, very common about way-sides^

fa'mily herbal.

and distinguislied by its stubborn stalks and fow
growth. It is not above a foot high, often much
less. The leaves arc narrow, short, and of a
duskj green. The stalk is thick, reddish, some-
what flatted, and upright. The ear is flat ; and
is composed of a double row of short spikes : this,
as well as the stalk, is oftin of a purplish colour.
The root is composed of a great quantity of whitish
fibres.

The roots are to be used ; and thcj are best dried
and given in powder. They are a yeiy excellent
astringent ; good against purging, overflowing of
the menses, and all other fluxes, and bleeding ;
but the last operation is slow, and they must be con-
tinued. 'Tis a medicine fitter, therefore, for ha^
bitual complaints of this kind, than sudden illness.

There is an old opinion that the seeds of darnell,
when by chance mixed with corn, and made into
bread, which may happen, when it grows in corn-
fields, occasions dizziness of the head, sickness of
the stomach, and all the bad effects of drunkenness :
they are said also to hurt the eyes ; but we have
very little assurance of these effects ; nor are they
very probable. They properly belong to another
kind of darnell, distinguished by the name of white
darnell ; which is a taller plant, and niore common
in corn-fields than the red ; but this is very much
to be suspected upon the face of the account, TI)e '
antients make frequent meuiion of this kind of
darnell, growing, to their great distress, among the
wheat ; but by the accidental hints some have
given about its height, and the shape of it.s ear,
they seem to have meant the common dog's grass
or couch grass, under that name ; though others
have seemed to understand the distinction. In this -
uncertainty, however, remains the matter about
svhicb particular kind of grass was really accused

110

FAMILY HERBAL.

of possessing these bad qualities : but it is m )5t
probable that they belong to neither; and that
fancy, rather than any thing really known, gave
birth to the opinion.

The Date Tree. Palma daclylifera.

A TREE of tlie warmer countries, very unlike
those of our part of the world. The trunk is thick
and tall, and is all the way up of the same bigness ;
it has no bark, but is covered with the rudiments of
leaves, and the inner part of the trunk when it is
young is eatable. At the top of the trunk stand a
vast quantity of leaves, some erect and some droop-
ing, and from the bosoms of these grow the flowers
and the fruit ; but it is remarkable that the flowers
grow upon the trees only, and the fruit on some
others. If there be not a tree of the male kind, that
is a flowering tree near the fruit of the female, it
will never naturally ripen. In this case they cut
©fF bunches of the flowers, and shake them over
the head of the female tree, and this answers the
purpose

All plants have what may be called male and fe-
male parts in tiicir flowers. The male parts are
certain dusty particles : the female parts are <he
rudiments of the fruits. In some plants these are
in the same flowers as in the tulip. Those black
grains which dust the hands are the male part, and
the green thing in the middle of them is the female:
it becomes afterwards the fruit or seed vessel. In
other plants, as melons, and many more, (Jie male
parts grow in some flowers, and the female parts in
other?, on the same plant : and in others, the male
flowers and the female grow upon absolutely dif-
ferent plants, but of the same kind. This is th-c
case in the date tree as we see, and it is same though

FAMILY HERBAL. Ill

we do not much regard it, in hemp, spinage, and
many others.

The fruit of the date is the only part used. It
is as thick as a man's thumb and nearly as long, of
a sweet taste, and composed of a juicy pulp, in a
tender skni, with a stone within it. They are
Sirongthening and somewhat astringent, but we do
not much use them.

Devil's Bit. Succisa.

A WILD plant in our meadows, with slender
stalks, and globous flowers. It grows two feet
high. The stalks are round, firm, and upright,
and divided into several branches : they have two
little leaves at each joint. The flowers are as big
as a small walnut, and composed of many little ones;
their colour is very strong and beautiful. The
leaves which grow from the root are four inches
long, an inch broad, obtuse, of a dark green, and a
little hairy, not at all divided, or so much! as in-
dented at the edges. Tlie roots are white, and com-
posed of a thick; head, which terminates abruptly
as if it had been bitten or broken off\, and of a
multitude of fibres. The Devil, as old women say,
bit it away, envying mankind its virtues.

The leaves are to be gathered before the stalks
appear. They are good against coughs, and the
disorders of tlie lungs, given in decoction. The
root dried and given in powder, promotes sweat,
and is a good medicine in fevers, but we neglect it.

Dill. Aneihum.

/•n umbelliferous plant, kept in our gardens,
principally for the use of the kitchen. The stalk
is round, striated, hollow, upright, three fee^ high.

J12

FAMILY HERBAL.

and divided into a great many branches. The leaves
are divided into numerous, narrow, and long- parts,
in the manner of fennel ; but they are not so large.
The flowers are small and yellow ; they stand in
clusters on the tops of the" branches. The root
is long. The seeds of dill are good against tlie
colic ; and they are said to be a specific against
the hiccough, bat I have known them tried with-
out success.

DiTTANDEu. Lepidium.

A TALL plant, -with broad leaves and little whilo
flowers ; wild in some places^ and frequent in
our gardens. It grows a yard high. The stalks
are round, firm, of a pale green, and very much
branched. The leaves are larg-e towards the
bottom, smaller upwards ; and the flowers stand
in a kind of loose spikes ; the lower leaves are
beautifully indented, the others scarce at all : the
seeds are contained in little roundish capsules, and
are of a hot and pungent taste.

The leaves of dittander fresh, gathered and boil-
ed in water, make a decoction that works by urine,
and promotes the menses : they are also good to
promote the necessary discharges after delivery.

Dittany of Crete. Dictamuns Creticus.

A VERY pretty little plant, native of the East,
and kept in some of our curiaus people's gardens*
It has been famous for -its virtues, but they stand
more upon the credit of report than experience.
It is six or eight inches high, the stalks are square,
slender, hard, woody, ami branched. The lejves
are short, broad, aiid roundish ; they stand two at
every joint, and are covered with a white woolly

FAMILY HERBAL. 11^

taatter. The flowers are small and purple : Ihey
grow in oblong and slender scalj headsj in the
manner of those of origanum ; and these heads ^re
themselves very beautiful, being variegated with
green and purple. The whole plant has a fragrant
smell.

The leaves, are used, our druggists keep them -
dried. The old writers attribute miracles to it in
the cure of wounds ; at present it is seldom used
alone ; but it is good in nervous disorders, and
it promotes the menses, and strengthens the sto-
mach.

White Dittany. Fraxinella.

A VERY beautiful plant, native of many of the
warmer parts of Europe ; but with us kept only
in gardens. It is three foot high, very much
branched and very beautiful. The stalks are round;
thick, firm, and of a green or purplish colour. The
leaves stand irregularly on them, and are like those
of the ash- tree, only smaller. The flowers are
large and elegant : they aire of a pale red, white, or
striped ; and they stand in a kind of spikes at th^
top of the branches. The whole plant is covered
in the summer months .with a kind of balsam,
which is glufhious to the touch, and of a very fra-
grant smell. This is so inflammabl6, that if a candle
he brought near any part of tiie plant, it takes fire
and goes off in a flash all over the plant. This
does it no harm, and may be repeated after three or
four days, a new quantity of the balsam being pro-
duced in that time. The roots of this plant are the
only part used, and they are kept dry by the drug-
gists. They are commended in fevers, and in'
nervous and hysteric cases, but their virtues are,
Jwt great, I have found an infusion of the tops of

JU FAMILY HERBAL.

the plant, a very pleasant and excellent mediciue in
the gravel ; it works powerfully by urine, and gives
ease in those colicy pains which frequently attend
upon the disorder.

Sharp-pointed Dock. Lapathum folio acuta.

A COMMON plant, like the ordinary dock, but
somewhat handsomer, and distinguished by the
figure of its leaves, which are sharp-pointed, not
obtuse as in that, and are also somewhat narrower
and longer. The plant grows three foot high.
The stalks are erect, green, round, striated and
branched. The leaves are of a fine green, smooth,
neither crumpled on the surface, nor curled at the
edges, and have large ribs. The flowers are small^
at first greenish, then paler, and lastly, they dry and
become brown. The root is long, thick, and of a,
tawny colour.

The root is the part used. It is excellent a--
gainst the scurvy, and is one of the best things we
know, for what is called sweetening the blood. It
is best given in diet drinks and decoctions. Used
outwardly, it cures the itch, and other foulness of
the skin ; it should be beat up with lard for this
purpose.

Great Water Dock. Hi/drola'pathum maximum.

THIS is the largest of all the dock kinds ; thcj
have a general resemblance of one asiother, but this-
is most of all like to the last described, in its man-
ner of growth, though vastly larger. It is fre-
quent about waters, and is five or six feet high.
The stalks are round, striated, thick and very up-
right, branched a little and hollow. The leaves
are vastly large; of a pale grecu colour, smooth.

*

Fi\MILY HERBAL.

115

and sharp at the point. The flowers are small,
and of a greenish colour with some white threads,
and they afterwards become brown. The root is
large, long, and of a reddish brown.

It is a good remedy in the scurvy. The root con-
tains the greatest virtues, and it is to be given in
diet drinks. The seeds of this, and all other docks,
are astringent, and good against purgings.

Gaeden DocKj called Mokks' Rhubarb. Lcpa-
thum sativum^ paiientia.

A TALL plant of the dock kind, a native of
Italy, and kept in our gardens for its virtues. It
grows six or seven feet high. The stalk is round,
striated, thick, upright, and firm. The leaves are
very large, long, and are pointed at the extremity :
they stand upon thick hollowed foot stalks ; and
the main stalk of the plant is also frequentlj red.
The flowers are like those of the other docks,
greenish and white at first, but afterwards brown ;
but they are larger than in almost any other kind.
The root is very large, long, and divided ; the outer
coat is of a brownish yellow ; within, it is yellow
snixed with red. This is the part used ; it has been
called monks' rhuljarb, from its possessing some of the
virtues of the true rhubarb ; but it possesses them
only in a slight degree, it is very little purgative,
and less astringent : It works by urine as well as
stool, and is good in the jaundice, and other disor-
ders arising from obstructions.

There is another plant of the dock kind, called
bastard rhubarb, kept in some gardens, and mista-
ken for this. The leaves of it are roundish. It has
the same virtues with the monks* rhubarb, but in a
much less degree, so that it is very wrong to use i-t
iu its place.

H6 FAMILY HERBAL.

Dodder. Cuscuta.

A VERY strange and singular plant, but not
uncommon with us. It consists of only stalks and
jBowers, for there are no leaves, nor the least
resemblance of any. The stalks are a foot or two
in length, and they fasten themselves to other
plants ; they are of a purplish colour, as thick a(
a small pack-thread, and considerably tough and
firm. These wind themselves about the branches
of the plants, and entangle themselves also with
one another in such a manner, that there is no end
of the perplexity of tracing and unfolding them.
The flowers grow in little heads, and ar6 small and
reddish, four little seeds succeed to each of them.

Dodder is best fresh gathered ; it is to be boiled
in water with a little ginger and allspice, and
the decoction works by stool briskly ; it also opens
obstructions of the liver, and is good in the jaun-
dice, and many other disorders arising from the like
cause.

The dodder which grows upon the garden thyme,
lias been used to be preferred to the others, and
lias been supposed to possess peculiar virtues, from
the plant oh which it grows ; but this is imagi-
nary : experience shews it to ^e only a purge as
the other, and weaker. The common dodder is
preferable to it with us, because we can gather it
fresh, the other is imported, and we only have i^
dry ; and it often loses a great deal of its virtue ir>
jthe hands of the druggist.

Dog MEBcuKif. Cynocramhe.

A COMMON and poisonous plant named here,
wot as a medicine but that people who gather herbs,
, for whatever use, may guard agaiast it. It ia

' FAMILY HERBAL. 117

common under hedges ; and in the earlier part of
the year makes a pretty appearance. People might
Terv naturally be tempted to eat of it among other
spring herbsj for there is nothing forbidding in its
Aspect ; and what is much worse, the authors most
likely to be ccisulted on such an occasion, might
lead those into it, whom they ought to have guarded
against it.

It is about a foot high, and has but few leaves,
but they are large. The stalk is round, thick,
■whitish, pointed, and a little hairy ; the leaves
stand principally toward the top, four, five, or six,
seldom more : they are long and considerably
broad, sharp-pointed, notthed about the edges, and
a little hairy. The flowers are inconsiderable : they
stand in a kind of spikes at the tops of the stalks ;
and the seeds are on separate plants, they are dou-
ble and roundish. The herb has been from this
divided into two kinds, male and female, but they
have in earlier time given the distinctions of the sex
wrong". Those which bear the spikes of flowers,
are the male plants ; the others, notwithstanding
any accidental resemblance, female.

There is not a more fatal plant, native of our
country, than this ; many have been known to
die by eating it boiled with their food ; and proba-
bly many also, whom we have not heard of : yet
the writers of English Herbals, say nothing of thi?.
Gerard, an honest and plain writer, but ignorant
as dirt, says, it is thought they agree with the
other mercuries in nature. These other mercuries
are eatable ; therefore, who would scruple on this
account, to eat also this. Johnson, who put forth*
another edition of this book, and called it Gerard
Emaculated, from the amending the faults of the
original author, says nothing to contradict it : but
after some idle observations upon other herbs of the

us

FAMILY HERBAL.

same name, bat very different qualities, whicli yet
he seems to suppose of the same nature, leaves his
reader to suppose, that he meant equally any of the
kinds of mercury, for the purposes he names ; and,
like his predecessor Gerard, supposed them all to he
alike ; those safe, and those poisono*js. It is true,
Mr. Ray, in his Synopsis of the British plants,
gives an account of it as a poison, and must suffici-
ently \yarn all who read him, from the herb : but
>vho reads him ? His book in which this is mentioned,
is Avritten in Latin : and those who want the infor-
mation, cannot read it.

This is not only the case in one or two particulars,
it is so in all. To speak generally, the books which
contain real knowledge, are written in Latin,
through an ostentation of their authors, to shew
their learning, or a pride in having them read in
other nations as well as here ; and tlmse we have
in English are ignorant ; despised by the persons of
judgment, and fit only to mislead. If they enu-
merate virtues, they give them at random, or give
too many false among the true, that the reader
knows not what to choose ; or their real ignorance
mingles poisons with salads, as wc see in the present
instance : Nor is any more regard to be paid to v/hat
they say of herbs, from certain great names they
quote. Dioscorides and Galen were indeed great
physicians ; but men like these are not qualified
to profit from their labours. The names of plants
have been changed so often since their time, that
■we do not know what they mean by several : and it
is easy for such sad proficients as these, to record
of one plant, what they spoke of another : besides,
even in their best wfitings, there is a great deal of
error and folly, as may be seen in a quotation of this
Johnson's from them, added to Gerard in this very
chapter. WheiO, speaking of one of the kinds of

FAMILY HERRAL.

mercury, distinguished like this poisonous kind,
into male and female, he says, Mhat the male kind
' conduces to the generation of boys, and the female
' of girls.' Such is the matter, that a superiority
in one of these authors over the other, qualified
him to add to his book : such are the English
books that are extant upon this subject ; and such
the direction offered to the charitable, confounding
eatable herbs with poisons. This has been one
great reason of writing the present book, that there
may be one guide and direction at least, to be de-
pended upon ; and this its author has thought pro-
per to say at large upon the immediate occasion,
rather than in a. preface ; because there it must
have been accompanied with a needless repetition,
and perhaps would not have been observed by many,
who may have recourse to the book.

DoG'TooTH. Dens-caninus.

AVERY pretty little ;.Lant> with two hrosd
leaves and a large drooping flower ; common in
Italy and Germany, and frequent in our gardens.
It is five or six inches high. The stalk is round,
slender, weak, and greenish towards the top ; oflen^
white at the bottom. The leaves stand a little
height above the ground : they are oblong, some-
what broad, of a beautiful green, not at all dented
at the edges, and blunt at the end: they, inclose
the stalk at the base. The flower is large and white,
but with a tinge of reddish; it hangs down, and,
is long, hollow, and very elegant. The root is
roundish, and has some fibres growing frcm its /
bottom ; it is full of a slimy juice.

The fresh gathered roots are used ; for they dry
very ill, and generally lose their virtues euiirolv.
They arc good agamst worms in children, and take

130 FAMILY HERBAL.

a surprising and speedy effect against those violent
J)airi3 in the belly, which are owing to those crea-
tures. The best way of giving thera is in the ex-
pressed juice ; or if children will not take that,
they may be boiled in milk^ to vvhich they give very
little taste. It is a powerful remedy ; and a small
dose will take effect, especially of the juice; so
that it is best to begin with very little, and as that
is well borne, to increase the quantity,

» Dragons. Dracontium.

A FINE, tall, and beautiful plant ; kept in
gardens for its use in medicine, .as well as for its
appearance. It is four feet high. The stalk is
thick, round, and firm ; perfectly smooth, and
painted on the surface with several colours ;
purple, white, green, and others. The leaves
are very large, and stand on long foot-stalks : they
are of a deep and strong green ; and each is divided
into several portions in the manner of fingers.
The flower is like that of the common arum or
cuckoo pint : it is contained in a hollow green case,
of a deep purple within, and the pistil is also of a
deep purple ; after this is fallen, appear as in the
arum, large red berries in a cluster. The whole
plant is of an acrid and insupportable taste.

The whole plant is to be gathered when in flower^
and dried ; it may afterwards be given in decoction,
powder, or otherwise. It was vastly esteemed for*
malignant fevers, and in the small pox ; but it has
of late lost much of its credit : at present it is only
used in i.ome compositions.

FAMILY HERBAL.

121

The Dragon's Blood Tree. Sanguis draconis

arbor.

A VERY beautiful tree, native of the Canaries,
and some other places. It is of the palm kind, and
one of the handsomest of them. The trunk is na-
ked all the way to the top, and there stand on its
sii>mmit a great quantity of leaves, long, narrow,
and pointed at the ends ; of a bluish green colour,
and not unlike the leaves of our flags. The fruit
is round, and is of the bigness of a walnut with
the green rind upon it.

The dragon's blood is a red friable resin. Our
druggists keep it : the best is in small lumps ; there
is an inferior kind in cakes or masses. It is pro-
cured by cutting the trunk of this tree in the great
heats. There are also two other kinds of palm,
that afford the same resin. It is a very excellent
astringent. It is useful in purgings and in the
overflowing of the menses, in spitting of blood, and
all other occasions of that kind. It maybegiveri
in powder.

Dropwort. Filijpendula.

A VER,Y pretty Avild plant, with tufts of whitish
flowers, and leaves finely divided. It grows two
feet high. The stalk is round, striated, upright,
firm, and branched. The leaves are large and
divided into a great number of firm segments, they
rise principally from the root, and stand on slender,
foot-stalks. There rtre few leaves on the stalks, and
they are small. The flowers are little, but they
fitand in great tufts at the tops of the branches : they
arc white on the inside, and often reddish on the
outside. The seeds are flattish and grow several
together. The root is composed of a great numbef

a

12^ FAMILY HERPAL.

of small himpSj fastened together by filament**
This root is the part most used ; it is good in fits
of the gravel, for it promotes urine greatly and
safely. For this purpose the juice should he given,
or a strong decoction of the fresh root. When
dried it may be given in powder to stop the whites
and purging*;, it is a gentle and safe astringent.

There are several other plants called jn English
dropworts, which are very difierent in their qua^-
lities, and one of tliem is poisonous in a terrible
degree; this last is called hemlock dropwort; care
must therefore be taken that the right kind is used,
but this is sufficiently different from all the others.
The flower is composed of six little leaves, and is
full of yellow threads in the middle ; the flowers of
all the others are composed only of five leaves each.
They are all umbelliferous plants, but this is not ;
the flowers grow in clusters, but not in umbels :
they grow like those of the^ ulmaria or meadow
sweet.

Duck-weed. Lmticula.

A SMALL green herb, consisting of single, little
roundish leaves, which float upon the surface of
the water, and send their roots into it for nourish-
ment, without sticking them into the mud. It is
the small green herb that covers almost all our
standing waters in summer. There are two other
kinds of it, one with smaller leaves and many fibres
from each, another w ith only one fibre from each
leaf : both these are green all over ; and a third
kind with larger leaves, which are purple under-
neath, but all these have the same virtue, and it
is no matter which is taken. The juice is to be
given ; and it is to be continued for several days.

It works powerfully by urine, and opens obstruct

FAMILY HERBAL.

1^3

tlona of the liver : jaundices have been cured bj
it singly.

Dwarf Elder. Ehulus.

A PLANT so much resembling the common
eldor-treCj that it may he easily mistaken for it till
examined. It grows four or five feet high. The
stalks are green, round, tender, and upright ; and
they have very much the appearance of the young
shoots of elder ; but there is no woody part from
whence they rise. The leaves are large, and com-
posed of several pairs of others, as those of elder,
with an o ldone at the end ; but these are longer than
in the elder, and they are serrated round the edges.
The flowers arc small and white ; but they stand
in very large clusters or umbels, just as those of the
elder ; and they are succeeded by berries which
are black when ripe; but that is a condition in
which we seldom see them ; for the birds are so
fond of them, they eat them as they come to ma-
turity. The root is white and creeping ; and the
whole plant dies down every year to the gound.

It is wild in England, but not common ; a great
quantity of it grows at the back of Cuper's gar-
dens. It may be dried : but the best way of
giving it is in the juice. This works strongly botl^
by stool and urine, and has often cured dropsies.

Dyer's Weed. Luteola,

A VERY singular and pretty wild plant ;. it
grows on dry banks and upon walls, and is known
at sight by its upright stalks, and very long spikes
of greenish yellow flowers. It grows to four feet
«r more in height. The stalk is thick, firm, chan-
nelled, and in a manner covered with leaves : they

12V FAMILY HERBAL.

are small in proportion to the bi^ess of tliepjant,
oblong, narrow, and pointed at tlic ends, of a yel-
lowish green colour, and not serrated at the edges ;
a tuft of the same kind of leaves, but somewhat
larger, surrounds the bottom of the stalk. The
root is long and white. The flowers are small,
but verj numerous.

The flowerj tops of this plant dried, and given
in decoction, are said to be a remedy for the evil,
but the report is not established by any known ex«
perience.

E

Elder. Sambucus. *

A COMMON wild shrub ; it grows irregularly.
The stem or trunk is covered with a rough whitish
bark, and the wood is firm, but there is a hollow
within ; this is smallest in the largest parts of the
shrub, but it is never quite obliterated. The young
shoots are thick, long, and green ; they grow quick,
and are often a yard long before they begin to change
colour, or grow woody. These contain a large
quantity of pith ; and their bark as they stand be-
comes brownish, and their under surface wootly. The
leaves are composed of several pairs of others,
with an odd one at the end : the flowers stand in
•vast clusters, or umbels, and are small and white ;
they are succeeded by berries, which are black
when ripe, and are full of a purple juice. There
is another kind of elder, with berries white when
they are ripe, and another with jagged leaves, but
the common elder is the sort to be used.

The inner bark of the elder is a strong purge;
and it has been known to cure dropsies when taken
in time, and often repeated. The flowers are made

FAMILY HERBAL.

125

into an ointment, by boiling them in lard, till tliey
are almost crisp, and then pouring it off, this is
cooling ; the juice of the berries is boiled down
with a little sugar, or by some wholly without,
and this, when it comes to the consistence of honey,
is the famous rob of elder, good in colds and sore
throats. A wine is made of the elder-berries, which
has the flavour of Froutignac.

Elecampane. Enula cainpana.

A TALL and robust plant, wild in some parts
of England, but kept in gardens for the uses of
medicine ; it grows five feet high, and the flower
is yellow, and Ycry large. The stalk is round,
thick, upright, very robust, and reddish : the
leaves are long, large, and rough, and they are
pointed at the ends ; of a pale . green colour.
The flowers grow at the tops of the branches,
and have something like the appearance of a dou-
ble sun flower. They arc two inches in diameter,
yellow, and very beautiful. The root is long
and thick, and is brown on the outside, and white
within.

The root is the part used ; we have it dried from
Germany, but it is for most purposes better to take
that fresh out of the garden, which we have here-.
Hardly any plant has more virtues. It is good in
all disorders of the breast and lungs, and it opens
obstructions ; It operates by urine powerfully, and
also by sweat : and the juice of it will cure the
itch, applied externally. Its greatest virtue, how-
ever, is against coughs, and for this purpose it is
best taken candied, provided that be well done. A
little of it may in this way be held almost conti-
nually in the mouth, and swallowed gently, so that

1^6 FAMILY HERBAL,

it will take effect much better than hy a larger dose
swallowed at once.

■ Elm. Ulmus.

A TALL tree native of our own country^ and
sufficiently common in our hedges. It grows to a
great bigness. The bark is brownish^ rough, and
irregular ; the twigs are also brown, and very tough.
Thc'^eaves are small, broad, short, rough to the
touch, and finely indented about the edges, and they
terminate in a point. The flowers are not regarded ;
they appear before the leaves, and principally about
the tops of the tree, and they are only thready ; the
seeds are flat.

The inner bark of the elm boiled in water, makes
one of the best gargles for a sorfi throat that can
be supplied by the whole list of medicines. It
should be sweetened with honey of roses ; it is
extremely soft and healing, and yet at the same time
very cleansing.

There are two or three other kinds of elms com-
mon in garden hedges ; they are brought from other
countries, but the bark of the English rough elm ia
preferable to them all as a medicine.

Endive. Endivia.

A COMMON garden plant kept for saJads. It
grows two feet high, and the flowers are blue, but
we see it a thousand times with only the leaves
for once in a flower, and these the gardeners have
the art of twisting and curling, and whitening in •
fcuch a manner, that they are scarce to be known,
ps belonging to the plant. Naturally they are loug
and narrow, blunt at the end, and deeply notched

FAMILY HERBAL,

at the edges, and of a yellowish green colour ; the
stalks are round and firm, arid the leaves that grow
on thein are like those froni the root, but smaller :
the flowers stand at the tops of the stalks and bran-
ches^ they are blue, and in shape and structure like
those of dandelion : thej are very beautiful.

The juice of endive maybe taken with great
advantages as medicine ; it cools the stomach,
and operates by urine very powerfully ; it also
opens obstructions of the viscera. It is good
against the jaundice, and constantly taken for some
time, against the scurvy..

Eryngo. Eryngiuni. \

A "WILD plant, which grows with us by the seat
side, and is kept also in gardens, because of its
virtues. It is prickly like a thistle, and the
whole plant appears not green, but whitish. The
stalk is firm, woody,- round, striated, and thick,
not very upright, branched, and spread irre-
gularly about. The leaves are smaH, and of a
pale bluish green, approaching to white ; -they
are broad, oblong, and jagged and prickly. The
fl(rwers grow in little heads at the tops of the
stalks, and there stands a circle of small leaves under
them. The flowers, separately taken, are sraalf,
and of a pale greenish white, but the head of them
is tolerably la.rge. The root is long and slender,
and of a pleasant taste.

This is the part used ; the best way is to take
them candied ; they are good against coug-hs, and
weaknese, of all kinds. They have also caused
noble virtues, as a diuretic, and are good against
the jaundice; for this last purpose a decoction
made from the fresh roots is best. They are bal-
samic as vrcU as diuretic.

12^

FAMILY HERBAL.

The EuPHOREiuM Plant. Eiipliorlium.

A VERY str ange plant, native of the hot conn-
fries, and unlike every thing- that is known iu
tliis part of the world. It is ten or twelve feet
high, and is of a solid thick hodj, of a triangu-
lar or else a square figure, as thick as a. man's
leg, and is divided by knots placed at distan-
ceSj so as to seem made up of several joints. The
edges of the body are all beset with very sharp
prickles ; the plant itself is composed only of a
pulpy soft matter, covered with a thick rind, of
a green colour ; it abounds with a milky juice,
but so acrid that there is no bearing a drop of it
a moment on the tongue. The plant often coo-
siats of one single stem, such as is just described,
but frequently it sends out several branches ; these
are naked iu the same manner as the main stem.
All that have beside the prickles, are a kind of
thin films or membranes, small and growing from
their bases, but the plant is altogether without
loaves. The flowers grow three together among
the thorns, and the fruit is a vessel containing three
seeds.

The gum which sweats out from this plant, it''
used in medicine ; it is yellowish and comes forth
in small drops, its taste is sharp and insupporta-
ble ; it is a violent purge, and is recomme;ide(T
against dropsies, but we scarce ever prescribe it,
it is so very rough ; it is sometimes used outwardly
among other things applied to the feet in violent
fevers.

EvESRiGHT. Euphrasia.

A VERY pretty low herb common in our mea-
' dt»W3, with woody stalks, and bright and little

FAMILY HERBAL. 129

variegated flowers. It grows six or eight inches
high. The stalks are round, thick, firm, ami very
hard, the leaves are flat broad, and very deeply
indented at the edges ; and they are of a bright
shining green. The flowers are little, and they are
very bright; their ground colour iswhitcand they are
streaked and spotted with black and some other
dark colours..

This plant has been always famous for dimness
of sight, but whether experience warrants the
character that is given of it is uncertain. The juice
is very diuretic. '

F.

Fennel. Fcemcuhim.

A COMMON garden plant, kept for its use in
the kitchen, rather than its medicinal virtues. '
It grows six or eight feet high. The stalk is
round, hollow, and of a deep green colour ; the
leaves are large, and divided into a vast num-
ber of fine slender segments, and they are also of
a deep or bluish green colour. The flowers stand
at the tops of the branches, and are small and
yellow ; but there grow large clusters of them to-
gether ; the seed is small, dark coloured, and stri-
ated, and is of a sharp acrid taste ; the root is long
^nd white.

The root is the part most used; a decoction
made of it with common water, and given in large
quantities works by urine, and is good against th«
gravel and in thejaundice.

Sweet Fennel. Fcenictdum dulce.

,A GARDEN plant very like the common kind,.

s.

i30

FAMILV HERBAL.

but of a paler colour. It grows four feet Iiio-b ;
the stalk is round, hollow, striated, upright, and
branched ; and the leaves are large and divided
ioto a great number of fine segments, in the man-
ner of tliose of ommon fennel, but both these
and the stalks are of a pale yellowish green co-
lour, not so^^dark as in the other kind. The
flowers are yellowish, and stand in small clusters
cr umbels ; the seeds follow, two after each
flower ; and they are quite difierent from those
o^" the common fennel, in size, shape, colour, and
taste. They are long, slender, of a pale colour, a
little crooked, and deeply striated. Their taste is
sweetish and a little acrid.

As the roots are the part most used of the com-
mon fennel, the seeds are the only part used of this.
They are excellent in the colic, and are used exter-
/lally with success in pultices to swellings.
The seeds of the common fennel are used by some,
but they are very hot and acrid. These are pre-
ferable for internal use.

Fennel Flower. Js''igeUa.

A SINGULAR and pretty plant kept in gar-
dens. It grows a foot and half high. The stalk
is firm, round, striated, and uptight and hollow.
The leaves are divided ii.to a multitude of fine
slender parts like those of fennel, only very small
in comparison, and thence it had the English name
of fennel flower; they stand irregularly on the
stalks, and are of a pale green. The flowers stand
at the tops of the branches : they are singular and
pretty th-e colour is whitisb, and they arc moderately
large, the green leaves about them give them a very
particular grace.

■ The j nice of the plant fresh gathered, is good

FAMILY HERBAt.

131

for the head-ach ; it is to be snuffed up the nosr,
and it will occasion sneezing; inwardly taken it
Works by urine, and is good in the jaundice.

Hog's Fennel. Peiicedanum,

A WILD plant with divided leaves and umbels
of yellow flowers, and thence bearing a remote re-
semblance of fennel. It grows two feet high : the
stalk is round, striated, hollow, upright, and
branched. The leaves are like tho«e of fennel, but
the divisions are much broader, and they run in
threes. The flowers are little and yellow, but the
clusters of them are large, and the seed is oblong and
flat. At the top of the root, there is always found
a tuft of hairy matter. This is made up of the fibres
of decayed leaves, but it has a singular appearance.
The root is large, long, and brown, and this is
the part used as a medicine. It is to be boiled in
water, and the decoction drank night and morning ;
it dissolves tough phlegm, and helps asthmatic
people; it also works by urine, and promotes the
menses, and is good in all obstructions.

FcENUGREEK. Fooium Gr<scum.

A PLANT of the trefoil kind, but singular in
its manner of gro .vth, cultivated in fields in many
places for the sake of the seed. It is emollient. It
grows a foot and a half high ; the stalks are round,
striated, and branched. The leaves are short and
broad : they stand three upon every stalk as in
the common trefoils: and are indented about the
edges. The flowers are white and small, and they
resemble a pea-blossom ; the pods are flat, and in
them is contained a quantity of yellow seeds, of an
irregular figure, and disagreeable smell.

J32 1?AM1LY HERBAL.

Male Fern. Filix mas.

A COMMON weed growing at the roots ol
Irces^ and in dry ditches. It has no stalk for bear-
ing of flowers, but several leaves rise together from
the'root, and each of these is in itself a distinct plant.
It is two feet high, and near a foot in breadth ;
the stalk is naked for six or eight inches, and thence
is set on each side with a row of ribs or smaller
stalks, every one of which carries a double row
of smaller leaves, v/ith an odd one at the end ; the
whole together making up one great leaf, as iu
many of the umbelliferous plaints.

On the backs of these smaller leaves stand the
leeds in round clusters ; they look bro vn and dusly.
The root is long and thick and the whole plant
has a disagreeable smell. The root is g/r'atly re-
commended for curing ihe rickets in children.
Witli what success it would be hard to say.

Female Fern. Filix fmnina.

A TALL and spreading plant, common on our
heaths, and called by the country people brakes,
it grows four feet high. The stalks are round,
green, and smooth : the leaves are set on each side,
and are subdivided. The whole may indeed be
' properly called only one leaf as in the male fern ;
but it lias more the appearance of a number because
it is so ramose. The small leaves or pinnules which
go to make up the large one, are oblong, firm, hard,
and of a deep green colour, and they are so spread
that the whole plant is often three feet wide. On
the edges of tiiese tittle leaves stand the seeds,
in smafi dusty clutUers. But they are not so
frequent on this, as on the male fern, for nature ha?
eo well provided U>r the propagation of this plant

FAMILY HERBAL 133

by the roots, that the seeds are less necessary ; and
where it is so, they are always produced more
spM.iiigly A certain quantity of every species is
to he kept up, but the earth is uot to be over-run
with any.

The roots of female fern fresh gathered, and
made into a decoction, are a remedy against that
long and flat worm in the bowels, called » he tape-
worm ; no medicine destroys them so effectually.

Flowering Fern. Osynunda regalis

THERE is something that at first sight appears
singular in the manner of this fern's flowering, but
when particularly examined, it is uot different in
any thing material from the other. It grows three
feet high, and the leaves are very regularly con-
structed, and very beautiful ; they are composed
in the manner of the other ferns, each of several
small ones, and these are broader and bigger than in
any of the other kinds, not at all indented on the
edges ; and of a bluish gieen colour, and afterwards
yellowisli. Many leaves arise from the same root,
but only some few of them bear seeds. These
principally rise about the middle, and the seeds stand
only on the upper part : they cover the whole
surface of the leaf, or nearly so in this part, and the
little pinnules turn round inwards, and shew their
backs rounded up. These are brown from being
covered with the seeds, and they have so different
an appearance from all the rest of the plant, that they
are called flowers. The root is long and covered
with fibres. The plant grows in boggy places;
but it is not very common wild in England.

A decoction of the fresh roots promotes urine,
and opens obstructions of the liver and spleen ; it is

13^

FAMILY HERBAL.

not ranch used, but 1 have known a jaundice cured
hy it, taken in the beginning.

Feveufev^. Matricaria.

A COMMON wild plant, with dividod leave?,
and a multitude of small flowers like daisies ; it
^rows about farmers' ^'ards. The stalk is round,
hollow, upright, branched, and striated, and grow<»
two feet high. The leaves are large, divided into
many small ones, and those roundish and indented ;
they are of a yellov/ish green colour, and particular
smell. The flowers stand about the tops of the
stalks, they are small, white round the edges, and
yellowish in the middle. The root is white, little,
and inconsiderable.

The whole plant is to be used ; it is best fresh,
but it preserves some virtue dried ; it is to be given
in tea, and it is excellent against hysteric disorders ;
it promotes the menses.

The Fig-Tree. Ficus.

A SHRUR sufficiently known in our gardens.
The trunk is Ihick, but irregular, and the branches,
which are very numerous, grow without any sort
4)f order. The leaves are very large and of a deep
blackish green, broad, divided deeply at the edges,
and full of a milky juice. The flowers are con-
tained within the fruit. The fig-tree produces
fruit twice in the year ; the first set in spring, the
second towards September, but these last never
ripen with us. The dried figs of the grocers are
tlie fruit of the same tree in Spain and Portugal,
but they grow larger there, and ripen better.

■Our "own figs are wholesome fruit, and they are.

/'nil..

\

FAMILY HERBAL. 135

applied outwardly to swellings with success, they
soften and give ease while the matter is formijig
witliin.

FiGwoRT. Scroj^hularia.

A TALL and regular growing wild plant, with
small deep purple flowers. It grows four feet
high, and is common in our woods^ and ditches,
wiiere there is little water ; there is another kind
of it in wet places, called also water betony, which
is to be distinguished from it by the round indent'
ings of the leaves ; it also grows in water, or just
by it : the right figwort only loves shade and
dampness, but not absolute wet. The stalk is
square, upright, hollow, and very firm ; the leaves
stand two at each joint, opposite one to the other ;
they are large, broad at the base, naiiow at the
point, and sharply indented ; they stand on long
foot-stalks, and they have the shape of the nettle
leaf, but they are perfectly smooth, and of a
shining colour ; they are sometimes green, but often
brown, as is also the whole plant. The flowers are
yery small and gaping, their colour is a blackish
purple. The root is long, white,' and full of
little tubercles, it spreads a great way under the
surface.

The juice of the fresh gathered root is an excellent
sweetener of the blood taken in small doses, and
for a long time together. The fresh roots bruised
and applied externally, are said also to be excellent
for the evil. They cool and give ease in the piles,
applied as a pultice.

The Fir Tree. Alics,

A WILD tree in Germany, and many other parts

136

FAMILY HERBAL

of Europe, but with us only kept in gardens. We
have no kiiid of the fir native: what is called the
Scotch fir, is not a fir but a pine.

The fir-tree grows to a considerable height, and
with great regularity. The trunk is cov. red with
a rough and cracked bark, of a resinous smeJI ; the
leaves are numerous, and stand very beautifully on
the branches. They stand in two rows, one oppo-
site to the other, and are oblong, but somewhat
broad and flat. They are of a pale green, and of
a whitish hue underneath. The tree is hence called
the silver fir, and from the disposition of the leaves,
the yew-leaved fir, for they grow as in the yew-
tree. The fruit or cones stand upright ; in this kind,
tVev are long, thick, and brown.

The tops of this kind are great sweetener.s of the
blood, and they work powerfully by urine. They
are best given in diet drinks, or brewed in the beer,
which is commonly drank.

The Red Fib Tree, or P^tch Tree. Picea.

A TALL tree, but not so regular in its growth,
or in the disposition of its leaves as the other. The
trunk is thick, the bark reddish, and the wood soft.
The branches are numerous, and they, stand ir-
regularly The leaves are oblong, narrow, . and
sharp-pointed, and they do not grow in two even
rows, as is in the other, but stand irregularly on
the twigs The cones are long, slender, and hang
downwards. The whole tree has a strong resinous

smell. . , . , • 1 • *

The tops of this are boiled in diet drmk. ngn.nst
the scurvy as the other, but they make t!)e hquor
much moire nauseous ; and not at ail better ior .he

intended purposes. „ n

Pitch and tar are the produce of the fir tree, as

FAMILY HERBAL.

137

also the Strasburg anJ some other of the turpentines.
The larch tree and turpentine tree furnishing the
others, a« will be seen in their places. The wood,
is piled in heaps, and lighted at the top, and the
tar sweats out at the lower parts. This being
boiled, becomes hard, and is called pitch.

The turpentines are balsamic, and very pow-
erful promoters of urine, but of these more in
their places : the tar has been of late rendered
famous by the water made from it ; but it was a
fashionable remedy, and is now out of repute
again.

Sweet flag. Acorus calamus ai^omaticus dictus.

A COMMON wild plant that grows undistin-
guished among the flags and rushes, by our ditch
sides. The old physicians meant another thing by
calamus aromaticus : they gave this name to the
dried stalks of a plant, but at present it is used as
the name of the root of this. The sweet flag growg
three feet high, but consists only of leaves without
a stalk. They are long, narrow, and of a pale green
colour. Among these there are commonly three
or four in all respects like the rest, but that they
have a cluster of flowers breaking out at one aide,
within five or six inches of the top. This is long,
brown, and thick, and resembles a catkin of a filbert
tree, only it is longer and thicker. The root is long,
flattish, and creeping : it is of a strong and rather
unpleasant smell when fresh, but it becomes very
fragrant, and aromatic in drying. Our own has its
value, because we can have it fresh, but the dried
root is better had of the druggists ; they have it from
warmer countries, where it is more fragrant.

The juice of the fresh root of acorus is excel-
lent to promote the menses, it works by urine

FAMILY HERBAL.

moderately, and gives no oflence to the stomacTi.
The dried root is cordial and sudorific, it waruss
the stomachy and is good against indigestions aad
fevers.

Common Aconus, or Yellow Flags. Acorua

adult erinus.

A COMMON plant in our ditches, and by ri-
Ter sides, distinguished hy its blue-green flag like
leaves, and its large yello^» flovv'ers, which in shape
resemble those of the iris, or flower de luce. It
grows four feet high : the stalk is roundish, but
a little flatted, of a pale green, very erect, firm, and
not branched. It only sends out two or three shoots
upwards from the bosom of the leaves. The leaves
are a foot and a half long, narrow, flat, and sharp
at the edges ; the flowers stand at the tops of the
stalks, and are large and beautiful. The seed? are
numerous, and are contained in large triangular ves-
sels. The root creeps.

The root of this is the only part used ; some have
confounded them with the true acorus root, but
they are called, by way of distinction, false or
bastard acorus ; they are not at all like them in
shape, colour, or qualities ; they are of a reddish
brown, have no smell, and are of an austere taste ;
they are an excellent astringent. They should he
taken up in spring and dried, and afterwards given
in powder. They stop Llluxes and overflowings of
the menses.

Flax. Linum.

A VERY pretty as well as a very useful plant,
cultivated for the sake of its seeds, as well as its
stalks. It is three feet high, the stalk is round.

FAMILY HERBAI^ iso

«knder, firm^ and upright. The leaves are small
oblong, and narrow ; and they stand irreguJarly,
but in great numbers on it. Toward the top the
stalk divides into three or four short branches ;
and on these stand the flowers ; they are large and
of a beautiful blue. Each of these is succeeded
by a roundish seed vessel; in which are a number
of seeds.

This seed is what is called linseed. A tea made
of it is excellent in coughs and disorders of the
breast and lungs^ and the seed bruised is also good
in cataplasms and fomentations for swellings. , The
oil drawn fiom it is given in pleurisies andperipneu-
monies with great success^ and it is also excellent
in the gravel and stone.

Purging Flax. Linum cuthariicuni. '

A PRETTY little herb that grows abundantly
in our hilly pastures, in parks and warrens. It is
eight inches high. The stalk is round, firm, and
at the top divided into small branches. The leaves
are little, oblong, and obtuse, and they stand two
at each joint. The flowers are small and white,
and the whole plant has very much the aspect of
some kind of chickweed, but the seed vessel being
examined, it appears to be altogether of the flax
kind. The root is small and thready.

This little plant is a strong but safe purge ; the
country people boil it in ale, and cure themselvea
of rheumatic pains, and a great many other ob-
stinate disorders by it. They talk of it as a re-
medy for dropsies. Doubtless it is useful ui all
cases where a strong and brisk purgative is
quired.

140 FAMILY HERBAL.

Fleabane. Conyza.

A PRETTY wild plant, frequent about danip
places, with whitish leaves and large yellow flow-
ers in autumn. It is two feet high. The stalk is
round and erect, very firm and strong, and is often
of a reddish colour. The leaves are numerous,
and stand irregularly ; they are above an inch
long, moderately broad, of a rough surface, and
whitish green. The flowers stand at the top of
the branches ; they are broader than a shilling,
yellow, and composed of many narrow petals.
The whole plant has a disagreeable smell.

It is disputed whether this kind of fleabane, or
another which is smaller, and has giobous flowers,
have the greater virtue ; but most give it for this.
The juice of the whole plant cures the itch, applied
externally ; and the very smell of the herb is said
to destroy fleas.

Fleawort. Psyllium.

AN herb of no great beauty, native of France,
but kept in gardens here. It has narrow leaves,
and iiHJonsiderable flowers. It is a foot high.
The stalks are weak,, greenish, and a little hairy.
The leaves sUnd two or more at every joint, for
that is uncertain ; they are long, very narrow, and
ako somewhat harry : there rise from the bosoms
of these leaves, long naked stalks, on which stand
a kind of spikes of little flowers, somewhat like
the spikes of plaintain, only shorter ; two seeds
succeed each flower ; and they are smooth, black-
ish, and of the sliapc of fleas ; whence the- name.
There are many flowers in each head. A mucilage
\» inzde of the seeds to cool the throat in fevers.^

FAMILY HERBAL.

141

Flix Weed. Sophia chirurgorum.

A PRETTY wild plant, about our waste places
and farni-vards ; conspicuous for its leaves, if not
so for its flower. It grows two feet high ; and
the stalk is round, erect, very firm and strong,
and not much branched. The leaves are mode-
rately large, .md most beautifully divided into
numerous small segments, long and narrow ; they
stand irregularly upon the stalks. The flowers are
small and yellow ; they stand in a kind of spikes
at the tops of the stalks. They are followed by
«hortpods. The whole plant is of a dark green.

The seeds are the part used : they are to be
collected when just ripe, and boiled whole. The
decoction cures the bloody flux, and is good against
the overflowing of the menses.

Flower Gentle. Amaranthus.

A GARDEN flower. There are many kinds
of it ; but that used in medicine, is the large one
with the drooping purple spike. It grows to four
feet high. The stalk is firm, round, and channel-
led> green sometimes, but often red. The leaves
are oblong and broad even at the edges, and point-
ed at the ends : they are very large, and are often
tinged with red. The flowers are purple, and
they grow in long beautiful spikes hanging down-
wards.

The flowers are the part used. They are to be
gathered when not quite full blown, and dried.
They are good against purging and overflow ng
of the menses in powder or decoction.

142 FAMILY HERBAL.

Flower de Luce. Iris.

A COMMON flower in our gardens. The
plant grows three foot high. The leaves are a
footandahalf long, narrow, flat, and in all re-
spects like the leaves of flags, and of a bluish
green. The stalks are round, or a little flatted ;
thick, firm, upright, and of a greener colour.
The flowers are large, and of a deep blue. The
root spreads about the surface and is thick, and
of a brownish colour, and marked with rings.

The juice of the fresh roots of this plant bruised
with white wine, is a strong purge ; it will some-
times also vomit; but that is not hurtful ; it is a
cure for dropsies. Gordon, an old physic writer,
says if a dropsy can be cured by the hand of man,
this root will effect it. I have found it true in
practice.

Florentine Flower de Luce. Iris Florentina.

A PLANT kept also in our gardens, but not so
frequently as the former ; it scarce differs in any
thing from the common flower de luce, except that
the flowers are white. The root spreads in the
same manner, and the leaves are flaggy. The
stalk is two feet or more in height, and the flower
is as large as that of the blue kind, and perfectly
of the same form.

The root of this kind when dried, is fragrant.
The druggists keep it. It is good against dis-
orders of the lungs, coughs, hoarseness, and all
that train of ills ; and it promotes the menses.

Fluellin. Elaline.

A LOW plant frequent in corn-fields, and con-

FAMILY HERBAL.

spicuous for its pretty, though small flower. Ihe
stalks are five or six inches long, round, hairy,
weak, and trailing upon the ground. The leaves
are little, hairy, rounded, and placed irregularly^
The flowers are very small, but they are variega-
ted with purple and yellow, both colours very
bright ; they have a heel behind, and each stands
upon a little hairy foot-stalk, arising from the
bosom of the leaf.

There is another kind, the leaves of which have
two ears at their base ; in other respects they are
the same, and they have the same virtues. The
juice of either is cooling and astringent. It is
given by the country people in the bloody flu ]t and
overflowing of the menses.

Fool's Stones. Satyrium sive o?'chis.

A BEAUTIFUL wild plant in our meadows
and pastures in June. The leaves are long and
spotted, and the flowers are purple. It grows ten
inches high. The leaves are six inches long, .ind
three quarters of an inch broad, of a very deep
gieen, with large and irregular blotches of black in
different parts. The stalk is round, thick, upright,
single, and fleshy ; it has two or three smaller leaves
of the same figure, and at the top stand the flovyers,
in a spike of an inch and a half long ; they are not
very large, and of a shape d iflerent from the generality
of flowers; their colour is a deep and glossy purple ;
but sometimes they arc white. The whole plant is
juicy. The root consists of two roilnd bulbs or
two round lumps, like a pair of testicles, and is
white and full of a slimy juice.

The root is the only part used. It is supposed
to be a strengthener of the parts of o;eneration, and

144

FAMILY HERBAL.

8 promoter of venereal desires ; but with what tnith
one cannot say. Externally applied in cataplasms,
it is excellent in hard swellings. There are a ^rt-at
many other kinds of orchis in our meadows/ but
only this is used. The root, called salep by our
druggists, is brought from Turkey, and is the root
of a plant of this kind. It is strengthening and
restoralivej good in consumptions and all decays.

Fox-GLOvE. Digitalis.

A VERY beautiful wild plant, in our pastures,
and about wood sides. The leaves are whitish^
and tlie flowers large and red. It is three feet
high. The leaves are large, long, rough on the
surface, pointed at the ends, and serrated round
the edges. The stalks are round, thick, firm^ and
upright, and of a white colour. The flowers
hang down from the stalk in a kind of spike : they
arc hollow, red, largo, and a little spotted with
white ; they are shaped like the end of the finger
of a glove.

The plant boiled in ale, is taken by people of
robust constitutions, for the rheumatism and other
stubborn complaints ; it works violently upwards
and downwards ; and cures also quartan agues,
and as is said, the falling sickness. An ointment
made of the flowers of fox-glove boiled in May
butter, has been long famous in serophulous sores.

The Frankincense Tree. Arbor thurtfcra.

A LARGE free, as is said, a native of the
warmer coimtries, but \ye. know very Utile of it.
Those who describe it most, only say that the trunk
i» thick, the wood spungy, ai.d the bark rough.

FAMILY HERBAL. ?45

The leaves they say are narrow, and of it pa fa
green: but as to the flower and fruity ibey are
silent. Some say it is thorny.

All that we use is vhe dry resin, which is of a
yellowish whi<e colour, and bitterish resinous taste,
and strong smell. Ourdruggists keep this. What-
ever tree produces this, it is a noble balsam ; dissolv-
ed in the yolk of an egg, aud made into an emul-
sion with barley water, it will do good in con-
sumptions, when almost all other things fail.
It were well if the common trifling practice in
that fatal disorder, would give way to the use of
this great medicine.

French Mercury. Merciirialis mas etfoemina.

A WILD plant, but not very frequent in Eng-
land, conspicuous for little else than that it has
the male flowers on some plants, and the female
flowers on others, in the manner of spinage, hemp,
and some others, as has been explained already
under the article date-tree. It grows tea inches
high. The stalks are angular, green, thick, but
not firm, and stand but moderately upright. The
leaves are oblong, broadest in the middle, sharp
at the point, serrated at the edges, and of a deep
green colour. The female plants produce two
seeds growing together at the top of a little spike.
The male produce only one spike of dusty flowers,
without any seeds or fruit at all. But people coin-
monly mistake the matter, and call the female the
male.

7\ decoction of the fresh gathered plant purges
a little, and works by urine ; it is cooling, and
good for hot constitutions and overfulness. The
dried herb is used in decoctions for glisters.

u

U6

FAMILY HERBAL.

Frog Bit. Monns rante.

A LITTLE plant> rot uncomwion on waters,
with round leaves and small white flowers. It
has been by the common writers called a kind of
water lily, because its leaves are round, and it
floats upon the water, but it is as distinct as any
thing can be, when we regard the flower. Duck-
weed has round leaves, and floats upon the water,
and it might be called water lily for that reason,
if that were sufficient. The leaves are of a round-
ish figure, and a dusky dark green colour : they
are of the breadth of a crown piece, and they rise
many together in tufts, from the same part of the
stalk. This stalk runs along at a little distance
under the surface of the water, and from it descend
the roots, but they do not reach down into the mud,
but play loose like the fibres of duckweed in the
water. The flowers stand singly upon slender
foot stalks ; they are white, and. composed of
three leaves a-piece, which give thera a singular
appearance.

The fresh leaves are used in outward applica-
tions, and are very cooling.

Fumitory. Fumaria.

A PRETTY wild plant, with bluish divided
leaves, and spikes of little purple flowers, com-
mon in our corn-fields in June and July. It grows
ten inches high. The stalk is round, striated, of
a pale green, thick enough, but not very firm or
perfectly erect. The leaves are large, but they are
divided into a vast number of little parts, which
are blunt and rounded at the ends ; tiieir colour
is a faint green. The flowers are small and pur-
ple : ^ey have a lieel behind, and a nuiabcj of

FAMILY HKRBAL. 147.

them stand together in a kind of spike. The whole
plant has little tasie.

The juice expressed from this plant, is excellent
against' the scurvy. It opens obstructions of the
viscera^ and is good against thejaundice, and all
other diseases arising from obstructions.

The Furze Eush„ Qenista spuiosa,

A WILD bush, upon our heaths and by road
sides, too common to need much description. The
stem is thick, tough, and of a whitish colour, cover-
ed with fragments of an irregular kind. The bran-
ches are extremely numerous, and spread in isuch
a manner, that when the plant is left to itself, it
forms a kind of globular or semi-globular tuft
upon the ground. The thorns are very numerous
and very sharp ; they stand as it were one upon
another. The leaves are little, and of a pale green,
and they fall off so quickly, that for a great part of
the year, we see the shrub without any. The flow-
ers are yellow and beautiful, and the seeds are con-
tained in pods. The root spreads a great way^
and is not easily got up, when the shrub has once
thorougly fixed itself. Every piece of it left in,
will send up a new plant.

The root and the seeds are used, but neither
much. The seeds dried and powdered are astrin-
gent and a proper ingredient in electuaries, among
other things of that intention. The bark of the
root is used fresh taken up, and is to be given in
infusion : It works by urine, and is good against
the gravel : but we have so many better things of
our own grosvth for the same purpose, that it k
scarce worth while to meddle with it ; it loses its
virtues by drying.

148

FAMILY HERBAL.

G

The Galangal PtA^"T. Galanga.

A WILD plant in the East, which grows by wa-
ters, and has some iesemblance of the generality
of our water plants in its leaves, and manner of
growth. It is t\;o feet and a half high, and has
\vhi(.e flowers. The root^ spread about the surface,
and are of an irregular shape. The leaves are a
foot long, not half an inch broad, sharp at the point,
and at the edges. The stalk is firm, thick, round,
and of a purplish green, the flowers are small, and
of a snow white ; they consist of a hirger upper
lip, and a smaller tender one, each divided into three
parta. The seed vessels are oblong, and have each
three divisions, containing many seeds. The roots
have a vcrv acrid taste, and are reddish : as we
have two sorts of galangal roofs at the druggists,
it might be expected there should be found two
g-alangal plants, but they are both the roots of the
§ame.

The lesser 2:alan2:al is most used : it h a warm

. 1 1 •

?ind fine stomachic, we put it in all bitter tmctures.
Head-achs which arise from disorders in the st()-
raach, are greatly relieved by this root. What is
called English galangal, is the root of tlie long
cyperus, described already in its place.

Garlic. Allium.

A PLANT kept in our gardens for its uses in
medicine, and in the kitchen. It grows two
feet and a half high. The leaves are broad, long,
and of a strong green. The stalk is round, smooth,
and firm, upright, and of a pale whitish or bluish

FAMILY HERBAL.

149

colour. The flowers are white and small, but they
grow in a large tuft at the top of the stalk. The
root is white, or a little reddish; it is composed
of a great number of bulhs, or, as we call them,
cloves, joined together, and covered with a common
skin, and with fibres at the bottom. The whole
plant has an extremely strong smell, and an acrid
and pungent taste.

The root is to be boiled in water, and the decoc-
tion made into syrup with honey ; this is excellent
in asthmas, hoarseness, and coughs, and in all diflfi-
cuities of breathing.

Gentian. Geniiana.

A ROBUST and handsome plant, native of
Germany, and kept with 'us in gardens. It grows
two feet and a half high. The leaves that rise
from the root, are oblong, broad, of a yellowish
green colour, and pointed at the ends. The stalk
is thick, firm, upright, and brownish or yellowish'.
At every joint there stand two leaves like the others,
only smaller; and towards the tops at every joint,
also, there stand a number of flowers : these are
small, 3ellosv, with a great lump m the middle,
which is the rudiment of the seed vessel, and a
great quantity of jellow thieads about it. The
root is large, long, and often divided. It is of a
brownish colour on the outside, and yellow wathin,
and is of a very bitter taste.

• The root is used ; our druggists keep it dry : it
is the great bitter and stomachic of the modern
practice. Gentian roof, and the peel of Seville
oranges, make the common bitter tinctures and in-
fusions : btside strengthening the stomach, and
creating an appetite, these open obstructions, and

FAMILY HERBAL.

arc good inmnst chronic disorders. The powder of
gentian will cure agues.

Germat^deu. Chamccdrtjs.

A LITTLE plant, native of many parts of
Europe, but with us kept in gardens. It grows
a foot or more in height, but rarcjy stands quite
upright. The stalks are square, green, and a little
hairy. The leaves stand two at each joint. They
are oblong, deeply indented at the edges, of a
firm substance, green on the upper side, but hairy
underneath. The flowers are small and purple, like
the flowers of the little dead nettle. They stand in
clusters about the upper joints of the stalks, and
appear in July.

Germander is an herb celebrated for many
virtues. 'Tis said to be excellent against the
gout and rheumatism: however that be, it pro-
motes urine and the menses, a,;d is good in all
obstructions of the viscera. The juice is the
best way of giving it. ^but the infusion is. more
frequent.

Water German der. Scordium.

A LITTLE mean looking plant, wild in some
parts of England, but kept in gardens also for its
virtues The stalks are square, hairy, of a dusky
procn, and so weak, that they seldom stand
much up. They are eight or ten inches long.
The leaves are short, broad, and mdented' about the
edges, but not sharply or deep as those of the other
sermandcr : they are of a sort of woolly soft ap-
pearance and touch, and of a dusky deep green
colour. The flowers are very small and red. ana

FAMILY HERBAL.

151

thev stand at the upper joints of the stalks, in li(tle
parcels together. The whole plant has a strong and
disagreeable smell,

The whole plant to be used fresh or dried.
It has been celebrated greatly as a sudorific, and for
its virtues against pestilential fevers, but it is now
little used.

Ginger. Zinziber.

AN East India plant, found also in other places,
and very singular in its manner of growth. It
produces two kinds of stalks, the one bearing the
leaves, and the other only the flowers. The first
grow two or three feet high, and are themselves
composed in a manner of the lower parts of leaves ;
so that they seem to be only bundles of leaves rolled
together at the bottom. These are long, narrow,
and in some degree resemble the leaves of our com-
jnon flags. The other stalks are tender, ^ioft, and
about a foot high : they have no leaves on them,
but only a kind of films, and at the ,tops they
produce the flowers, in a spike : these are. small,
in shape like those of our orchis, and of a mixed co^
lour, purple, white, and yellow. The root spreads
irregularly under the surface.

The root is the only part used; we have it dry
at the grocers; but the best way of taking it, is
as it comes over preserved from the East Indies.
It is a warm and fine stomachic, and dispeller of
wind. It assists digestion, and prevents or. cures
cholics. It is also an excellent addition to the
rough purges, to prevent their griping in the
operation.

Gladwyn. Xyris siv'e spatula fxtida.

A WILD piant of the iris kind, of no, great

152

FAMILY HERBAL.

beiiiity, but not without i(s virtues. The root
creeps about the surface^ like that of the commou
flower de luce. The leaves are a foot long, nar-
Tow, and sharp-pointed^ and of a strong and very
peculiar smell. The stalks are round, rirm, up-
right, and of a bluish green. The flowers are like
those of the common flower de luce, but smaller,
aiid of a very dull colour. There is a little purple
in the upper part of the flower, and there are some
veins and streaks in the lower ; but the rest is of a
dull dead hue, between grey and hrown, and they
have a faint and bad snielK

The juice of tho root promotes urine, and the
raenses. Tne dried root; in powder or infusion, is
good against all hysteric disorders, faintings, and
pains. Outwardly, the fresh root is said to. be an
excellent remedy for scrophulous swellingis ; but
this we must take upon trust.

Glasswort. Kali.

A COMMON w;ild plant, on the sea coasts of
many parts of Europe, but not a native of our
country. It is called cochleated kali, from the
form of its seed vessels, which are twisted in the
manner of a snail's shell. It grows to a foot and a
half in height. The stalk is round, thick, fleshy,
and brittle. The leaves are few, and they stand
irregularly ; they are obhrng, and blunted at the
ends, and of a bluish green colour. The flowers
are small, inconsiderable, and yellow.

The juice of the fresh plant is said to he an
excellerit diuretic; but we have no opportunities
of knowing its virtues here. Some say the seed
vessels have the same virtue, and give them m intu-
"sion, but we have better remedies of the same
kind, of our own growth. The whole plaat u

FAMILY HERBAL. 153

burnt for its fixed salt, which is used in making
glass.

Goats' 'Beard. Tragopogon.

' A COMMON wild plant, distinguished ia our
meadov/s hy its narrow and fresh green leaves^ and
the long leaves of the cup, about its yellow flowers.
It grows to a foot and half in height. The leaves
are very narrow ; they are broadest at the base,
and smaller all the way to the point. The stalk is
round, thick, firm, very upright, and towards the
top divided into two or three branches. The
flowers stand at the extremities of the stalks ; they
are of a beautiful pale yellow, very large and sur-
rounded by a cup, composed of long and narrow
green leaves, which, for the greatest part of the
day, are closed over it, so that it seems only in budl
The seeds are winged with a fine white down, Iq
the manner of those of dandelion, and when ripe,
they stand upon the tops of the branches, in a
round head, in the same manner. The root is long,
and white ; and the whole plant is full of a milky
juice, which, after it has been a little time ex-
posed to the air, becomes yellow, and thick like
cream.

The root is used. It is so pleasant in taste, that
it]may be eaten in the manner of carrots, and other
roots at table, but it exceeds them all in its qualities.
It is an excellent restorative, and will do great
service to people after long, illnesses : the best way
of giving it for this purpose, is to boil it first in
water, and then cutting it to pieces, boil, it again
in milk, which is to be rendered palatable in the
usual way ; it becomes thus a most excellent mer
dicine, in the form of food.

X

154 i FAMILY HERBAL.

Goats' Rue. Galega.

A TALL plant, native of Italy, but kept with
us in gardens. It grows a yard high. The stalks
are round, striated, hollow, not very firm or strong,
and of a pale green colour : they are very much
brauched, and not altogether upright. The leaves
are long and large, each is composed of several pairs
of smaller leaves, -with an odd pne at the end of the
rib ; these are oblong, narrow, and of a yellowish
green colour, thin, and not at all indented at the
edges. The flowers are small, and of a bluish and
whitish colour ; they stand a great many upon the
same pedicle, in a drooping posture.

The whole plant is used. It is to be gathered
when just come to flower, and dried, and afterwards
given in infusion : this gently promotes sweat,
and is good in fevers ; so much is true of the
virtues of this plant, but much more has been said
of it.

Golden Rod. Virga aurea.

A VERY pretty wild plant, with tuft« of yel-
low flowers, frequent on our heaths in autumn. It
is two feet high. The stalk is firm, erect, round,
and hairy. The leaves are long, broadest in the
middle, indented at the edges, rough on the surface,
hairy, and of a strong green colour. The flowers
are small, and of a bright yellow, but they grow
together in a sort of thick and short spikes, so
that they are very conspicuous. The root is long,
brown, and of an austere taste, as is also the whole
plant.

The root taken up in spring and dried, is an ex-
cellent medicine given in powder for purgings, and
fv>r overflowing of the menses^ bloody stools, or any

FAMILY HERBAL.

155

other Iiemoriliagc whatsoever. The whole plant
has been at all times famous as a vulnerary or
wound herb^ given in decoctions.

Gold of Pleasure. Mj/agrum.

A VERY pretty plant common in many parts of
England, and known at sight by the vast quantity
of seed vessels. It is two feet high : the stalk is
round, thick, firm, upright, and toward the top
has a great many branches, all standing upright.
The leaves stand irregularly , and are not numerous,
they are long, not very broad, and of a pale green ;
they are indented about the edges, and surround
the stalk at the base ; the flowers are little and
white; the seed vessels are short and roundish, and
they stand in vast quantities, forming a kind of
spikes all the way up the tops of the branches, with
few flowers at the summit.

The fresh tops of the plant are to be used
before it is run to seed. An infusion of them
sweeitned with honey, is excellent for sore throats,
and ulcerations of the mouth. The seeds yield a
great quantity of oil on pressing, and they are so
plentiful, that it might seem worth while to culti-
vate the plant for them ; the oil is pleasant and well
tasted.

The Gourd. Cucurbiia.

A LARGE plant, of the melon or cucumber
kind, kept in gardens. The stalks are ten or twelve
feet long, thick, angular, rough, and hairy, but
unable to support themselves upright : they trail
upon the ground, or climb upon other things.
The leaves are very large and broad, indcuied
deeply, rough, of a blackish green. The flower^s

156 FAMILY HERBAL,

are Jarge, and bell -fashioned, white and downy'on
the inside, and not altogether smooth on the outer
surface.

The fruit is large, and has a hard, firm shell on
the outside, and is fleshy and juicy within, with
seeds in the manner of the melons ; these are flat, of
an oblong shape, and hard.

These seeds are the only part used : thev are
cooling and diuretic. They have this virtue in
much the same degree with cucumber and melon
seedsj and are given with them in emulsions.

The Bitter Gourd, called Bitter Apple.

Colocynihis.

A NATIVE of the East, and of some other warm
countries, kept in our curious gardens, and afford-
ing the famous drug called coloquintide. It is a
small plant of the gourd kind. The stalks are
thick, angular, hairy, and of a pale green. Thev
cannot support themselves, but have a number of
tendrils growing from them, by which they lay
hold of every thing they cpme near. The leaves
are large, broad, and very deeply divided at the
edges. The flowers are of a pale yellow, large,
and not unlike the flowers of melons. The fruit
is a round gourd, of the bigness of the largest
orange. The bark is hard, and the inner part spun-
gy, with seeds among it : these are flat, hard £ind of
an oval figure.

The fruit is tlie part used ; they take off the
outer shell, and send the dried pulp with the seeds
among it : but these are to be separated afterwards,
and the pulp used alone. It is a very yiolei>t purge,
but it may be given with proper caution, and it is
excellent against the rheumatism, and violent
habitual hcad-achs. These rough purges wiU

FAMILY HERBAL.

157

reach the cause of disorders, that the common gen-
tle ones would not touch ; and the present prac-
tice denies the use of many of the best medicines
■we know.

Gout Wort. Padagrara herha gerrardi. '

A COMMON wild plant over-running our gar-
dens, and when once it has taken root, very diifi-
cult to be got out again ; it grows two feet high.
The lieaves which rise from the roots are large,
and thev are composed each of several smaller, set
on a divided rib, in the manner of those of angeli-
ca, of which they have some resemblance. Tbej
are of a pale green colour, and are oblong and in-
dented at the edges. The stalks are round, up-
right, and a little branched, they are slender, stri-
ated, and green ; the leaves on these are smaller,
and consist of fewer parts than those that rise from
the root. The flowers are little and white, and
they stand in small round clusters; each is suc-
ceeded by two flat seeds. The root creeps.

The root and fresh buds of the leaves are both
used, but only externally ; they are excellent in
fomentations, andpultices for pains ; and the plant
has obtained its name from their singular efiicacy
against the pain of the gout : but it is not advise-
ablc to do any thing in that disorder; the warm
applications of this kind are of all others the least
dangerous. I have known a quantity of the roots
and leaves boiled soft together, and applied to the
hip in the sciatica, keeping a fresh quantity hot
to renew the other, as it grew cold, and I have seen
great good effect from it. Its use should not be
confined to this pain alone, it will succeed in
others.

158

FAMILY HERBAL.

Gromvel. Lithospermon.

A WILD plant of no great beauty, but dis-
tinguished by its seeds, >vhich are hard, glossy,
and resemble so many pearls, as they stand in the
open husk. The plant grows a yard high. The
stalk is round, thick, firm, very upright, and
branched. The leaves are oblong, not very broad,
rough, and hairy, of a deep blackish green colour,
and placed irregularly ; the flowers are small and
>vhite : when they are fallen off, the cups remain,
«nd contain these shining, and as it were stony seeds.
The plant is frequent about hedges.

The seeds are the only part used ; they work
powerfully by urine, and are of great service in
the gravel and all other obstructions ; they are best
given in powder, with a great deal of barley-water
at the same time.

Ground- Pine. Chatnccpi/tjs.

A VERY singular little wild plant, of a moss_>
appearance, and resinous smell : it grows four
inches high ; the stalks are hairy, and seldom stand
upright ; the leaves are very close set, and the
young shoots which grow from their bosoms per-
fectly obscure the stalk ; it seems a thick round
tuft. These leaves are short, narrow, and divided
into three parts at their ends, and they stand two
at everv joint of the stalk : they are rough and
hairy like the stalk. The flowers are little an4
yellow, and they stand at the joints.

The whole plant is used, and it has great virrr
tnc ; it is to be used dry in powder or infusiou.
It works strongly by urine, and promotes the menses.
It opens also all obstructions of the liver and

/

, FAMILY herbal: 159

spleen, and is good in jaundice, the rheumatism,
and must of the chronic disorders.

Groundsel. Erigeron sive sencc.io.

A COMMON weed in our gardens, and upon
walls, with liUle yellow flowers, and downy seeds ;
it grows eight inches high ; the stalk is round,
fleshy, tolerably upright^ and green or purplish ;
the leaves are oblong, broad, blunt, and divided
at the edges. The flowers arc small and yellow ;
they gre v in a sort of long cups at the tops of the
stalks and branches.

The juice of this herb is a gentle and very good
enfietic. It causes vomiting without any great
irritation or pain ; and it is also good for cutan^
ous foulnesses applied outwardly.

The GiiAiAcuM Tree. Guaiacum.

A GREAT tree, native of the West Indies, and
to be seen in some of our curious gardens. The
fruit is very large, and the branches are numerous ;
the leaves are small, each is composed of two or
three pair of smaller ones, with no odd leaf at the
end of the rib. These are short, broad, roundish,
and of a dusky green colour. The flowers are
small and yellow, but they grow in large clusters
together, so that the tree, when in bloom, makes
a very pretty appearance.

The bark and wood are the only parts of the tree
used ; they are given in decoction, to promote sweat,
and so cleanse the blood ; they are excellent against
the rheumatism, scurvy, and all other disorders,
which arise from what is commonly called foulness
of the blood, but they must be taken for a consider-

IG'O

FAMILY HERBAL.

able time ; for these effects cannot be produced
at once.

What is called gum guaiacum, is the resin pour-
ed from this tree ; it is very acrid and pungent,
and in the rheumatism and many other cases is to
be preferred to the wood itself.

H

Hare's Ears. Bupleuron latifolium.

A COMMON wild plant in some parts of
Europe, but kept here in gardens. It is two feet
or more in height. The leaves are long and broad,
of a stiff substance, and somewhat hollowed, which
gives them the appearance of a long and hollow
ear, from whence they are named ; they are of a
whitish green colour, and the ribs upon them are
high. There is a sort with narrow leaves, but the
broad leaved kind is to be used in medicine. The
stalks arc round, upright, stritited, and toward the
top branched. The flowers are little and yellow,
and they stand at the tops of the branches in small
vimbels. The root is long and thick, and has ma-
ny fibres.

The young shoots of the leaves which grow
from the root, are esteemed exceedingly in places
where they are native, for the cure of fresh wounds.
They cut two or three of these off close to the
ground, and without' bruising them, first closing
the lips of the wound, they lay them on one over
other, making a kind of compress they then
bind them on with linen rags, and never take off
thf; dressing for three days, at the end of which
time in most cases they only find a scar : the cure
being perfected. This is the substance of a pomp-

* FAMILY HERBAL. 161

ous account sent lately to a person of distinction
with some leaves of the herb. There is no doubt
of the truth, and the surgeons will very well under-
stand the nature of the cure; the discovery how-
ever is not new, for the herb has always been
reckoned among the vulnerary plants ; and some
have pretended that it will singly cure the king's
evil, but that is not to be expected ; at the same
time it may be proper to observe, that we do not
want plants for the same use in England ; we have
the tutsan which is to be applied in the same man-
ner, and has the same effect ; clown's all-heal, and
many others, named in their places.

Hare's Foot. Lagopus.

A COMMON little plant, singular in the tuft, '
which contains its seeds, and whence it has its
name, but not so much regarded as it ought to be
for its virtues. The stalks are nunierous, round,
slender, and spread upon the ground, each is
divided into a number of lesser branches. The leaves
are small, oblong, narrow, of a pale green colour,
and hairy ; and they stand three together, in the
manner of trefoils. The flowers are small and of
a faint red, they stand several together in a short
spike, and the cups which receive them at the
base, are "downy ; this gives thie singular aspect of
hairiness to these heads, and their softness to the
touch. * f

The whole plant is to be used dried. It is atl
excellent astringent. It stops the overflowings of
the menses, and the whites, and is good against
bloody fluxes, and purgings of all kinds. The best
way of taking it is in a strong decoction, which
iBiistbe continued sometime.

162 FAMILY HERBAL.

Hart's Tongue. Phyllitis. Lingua ccrvina,

A WILD plant of the fern kind, that 18 con-
sisting: onlj of leaves, without a stalk, the flower*
and seeds being borne on the backs of them. But
it has 1)0 resemblance to the ordinary ferns in it*
aspect. Each leaf of hart's tongue, is a separate
plant, but there rise many from the same root.
The" foot-stalk is five inches long, the leaf an inch
and a quarter broad, largest at the bottom, and
smaller to the top, usually simple^ but sometimes
divided into two or more parts at the end. It is of
a beautiful green at the upper side, somewhat paler
underneath, and the foot-stalk runs all along its
middle iq the form of a very large rib. The seed ves-
«els are disposed in long brown streaks on each side
of this rib, on the under part of the leaf, and they are
more conspicuous than in most of the fern kind.
The plant grows in old wells, and in dark ditches,
and is green all the year.

It is not much used, but deserves to be more
known. It is an excellent astringent'; the juice
of the plant taken in small quantities, and for a
continuance of time, opens obstructions of the liver
and spleen, and will cure many of the most obstinate
chronic distempers.

Hartwort. Scseli.

A TALL, robust, and handsome plant, native
(of the Alps, but kept in our gardens. It grows
five or six feet in height : the stalk is round, thick,
striated, and hollow,"very firm and upright, and
but little branched. The leaves are very large,
and they are divided into a great number of parts,
by fives and by threes, they are of a yellowish
green. The flowers are small and white, but they

FAMILY HERBAL.

163

«knd in great tufts or umbels, at the tops of the
stalks ; the seeds follow, two after each flower, and
they are oblong, broad, and edged with a leafy
border ; they are of a dark colour, a strong smell,
and acrid taste.

The seeds are the only part used ; they promote
the menses, and the necessary discharges after
delivery ; and are an excellent warm and cordial
medicine ; they work also gently by urine, and cure
colicy pains; they are to be given in powder or
infusion.

* Hawthorn. Spina alba.

A SHRUB too common in our hedges to need
much description. The trunk is irregular, and sel-
dom straight ; the branches are strong, tough, and
thorny ; and the leaves of a glossy green and beau-
tifully divided. The flowers are white and beauti-
ful, the fruit is small.

The flowers and the dried fruit are used in medi-
cine ; they have the same virtue ; they work hy
urine, and are good in the gravel, and all com-
plaints of that kind ; but there are so many better
things for the same purpose at hand, that these are
not much regarded.

"Hedge Mustard. Erisimum.

A VERY common wild plant, and of no great
beauty; it is frequent about old walls, and in farm
yards, and is distinguished by its long spikes of
pods, which are lodged close upon the stalk. It
grows two feet in height ; the stalk ia round, firm,
upright, but not always quite straight, and a little
branched. The leaves are of a pale green colour,
hairy, oblong, and deeply indented at the edges.

164 FAMILY HERBAL,

The flowers are small and yellow, and they common-
ly stand at the tops of long spikes of pods, which
have been flowers before them.

The whole plant is used, an infusion of it fresh
is the best way of taking it. This dissolves tough
phlegm, and is excellent in asthmas, hoarse-
nesses, and other complaints of the breast. This
simple infusion, made into a syrup with honey,
also answers the same purpose, and keeps all the
year.

Hemlock. Cicuta.

A LARGE, tall, and handsome umbelliferous
plant, frequent in our hedges. It grows to six
feet in height ; the stalk is round, firm, hollow,
and upright ; it is of a dark green, and often
stained with purple and yellow. The leaves are
very large, and divided into very fine and nume-
rous partitions. The flowers arc small and white,
and stand in large clusters on the tops of the stalks.
The seeds are roundish. The whole plant has
a strono' disagreeable smell, and has been called
poisonous.

The roots are excellent in pulticcs for hard
swellings.

Hemp. Camidbis,

HEMP is a tall plant, of a coarse aspect, culti-
Tatcd in fields for its stalk. It grows five feet high^
and is a robust plant ; the stalk is thick and rigid ;
the leaves are numerous, they are large and each
composed of six or seven smaller ; these are disposed
in the manner of fingers, and arc of a deep green
colour, rough, narrbw, and serrated at the edges.
The flowers inr hemp grow in some plants, and llic

FAMILY HERBAL. 165

seeds on others. The flowers are inconsiderable,
and whitish^ the seeds are large, roundish, grey, and
have a white pulp within. The root is fibrous.
The seeds are used in medicine ; an emulsion made of
them cures the jaundice.

Hemp Agrimony. Eupatorimn canndbinum.

A TALL plant growing by waters, with tufts
of red flowers and leaves, divided in the man-
ner of those of hemp. It grows five feet high ;
the stalk is round, thick, reddish, and very up-^
right. The leaves are large, of a pale green,
and fingered ; they stand two at each joint, the
flowers grow in bunches as big as a man's fist,
on the tops of the branches, and are of a bright
red .

The root fresh gathered and boiled in ale is
used in some places as a purge ; it operates strong-
ly, but without any ill elFect, and dropsies are said
to have been cured by it singly.

Black Henbane. Hyoscyamus niger.

A COMMON wild plant, of a dismal aspect
and disagreeable smell. The farm yards and
ditch banks in most places are full of it. It
grows two feet high. The stalk is thick, round,.:
hairy, and clammy to the touch j but not very
upright. The leaves are large, long, and broad,
deeply serrated at the edges, of a bluish green co-
lour, hairy, and clammy to the touch, and leav-
ing a disagreeable smell upon the hands. The
flowers are large and stand in rows on the tops
of the branches, which often bend down ; they
are of a strange yellowish brown colour, with
purple veins. The seeds are numerous and brown.

us FAMILY HERBAL.

The seeds are used ; the rest of the plant is
estee.Tied poisonous. They are given in small doses
against the bloody flux, and it is said with great suc-
cess ; I have not known it tried.

White Henbane. Htjoscyamus alhns.

A NATIVE of Italy and Germany, kept in our
gardens. It is a foot high, and has something of
the aspect of the black henbane, but not so dismal.
The stalk is round, thick, and of a pale gi een ; the
leaves are large, broad, but short, and a little in-
dented at the edges ; they are of a yellowish green,
and somewhat hairy ; the flowers are small and
yellow, and the seeds are whitish.

The seeds of this kind are preferred to those of
the other, as less strong in their eff'ects, but if any
harm would happen from the internal use of the
other s> we should have known it, for they arc ge-
nerally sold for them.

Good King Henry. Bonus Henricus,

A COMMON wild plant, called also by some
English mercury by way of distinction from the
other, which is called French mercury, and has
been described already. This grows a foot high ;
the stalk is round and thick, but rarely stands
quite upright ; it is greenish and purplish, and is
covered with a kindof grey powder unctuous to the
touch. The leaves are large, broad, and of the
shape of an arrow-head, they stand on long stalks,
and are of a pale green above, and greyish under-
neath, being there covered with this grey powder.
The flowers are inconsiderable, and are of a green-
ish yellow, and they stand in long spikes at the tops
of the branches ; the plant is common in farm yards.

FAMILY HERBAL.

16?

The young shoots are eaten as spinage, the juice
of the whole plant works gently, and well by urine ;
and the dried herb is used in decoctions for glisters.

The Hermodactyl Plant. Ilermodacttflus.

A BEAUTIFUL plant, having more the aspect
of a garden flower, but it is common wild in the
East. The root is roundish, but flatted, and in-
dented at the bottom, and smaller at top. The
leaves are small and broad ; they are sharp at the
point, and of a deep green colour. The flowers are
large and of a whitish colour, veined and striped
■with purple ; this is the best account we have re-
ceived of the plant, but part of it comes with less
authority than one would wish to things of this
kind. The root is dried and sent to us.

It is a gentle purgative, but it is less used at
this time than many others. It has been in more
repute, perhaps with reason.

HoLLOAK, Malva arhorea.

A C/OMMON garden flower. It grows eight
feet high, and the stalk is round, firm, hairy, and
upright. The leaves are large and roundish, of a
deep green, hairy, and cut in at the edges ; the
flowers are very large, red, white, or purple, and
stand in a kind of long spike. The root is white,
long, and thick, £vnd is of a slimy nature, and not
disagreeable taste.

This is the part used ; a decoction of it ope-
rates by urine, and is good in the gravel ; it has
the same virtue with the mallow and marshmallow,
but in a middle degree between them ; more than
the mallow, and not so much as the other, nor is it
80 pleasant.

163

FAMILY flERIjAL

HoNEvoRT. Selinum siifoliis.

A COMMON plant in corn-fields and dry
places, with extremely beautiful leaves Irom the
root, and little umbels of white flowers. It has its
English name from its virtues. Painful swellings,
are in some parts of the kingdom called hones, a*nd
the herb, from its singular effect in curing them,
has received the name of honewort, that is hone-
I'.erb.

: The root is long and white ; they rise from it
early in the spring, half a dozen or more leaves,
•which, lie spread upon the ground, in an elegant
manner, and are all that is generally observed of
the plant. The stalks do not rise till the cud of
summer, aud these leaves decay hy that lime, so
that they are not known to belong to it. These
leaves are eight inches long, and an inch and a half
in breadth : they are composed each of a double
row of smaller leaves, set on a common rib, with
an odd leaf at the end ; these are oblong, tolerably
broad, and indented in a beautiful manner. They
are of a fresh green colour ; they are the part of
the plant most seen, and the part to be used ; and
they are not easily confounded with those of any
other plant, for there is scarce any that has what
are nearly so handsome. The stalk is two feet high,
round, hollow, upright, but not very firm, and
branched tpward the top. The leaves on it are
somewhat like those from the root, but they have
not the singularity of those beautiful and numerous
small ones ; the flowers are little and white, ar;d
the seeds are small, flatted, striated, and two of
them follow every flower.

The leaves are to be used ; they arc to be fresh
gathered and beat in a marble mortar into a kind of
paste. They are to be laid on a swelling that is

FAMILY HERBAL.

16^

^ed, painful, and threatens i6 have bad consequen-
ces, and they disperse it. The application must be
frequently renewed, and there are those who speak
pf its curing the evil.

HoNkv-SucKLE. Peridijmenum.

A BEAUTIFUL wild shrub. The tiunk ia
seldom more than an inch thick ; the branches are
Yery long and slender, of a reddish colour^, brittle,
and all of the same bigness. The leaves stand in
pairs, they are broad, short, blunt, of a dark dead
green colour. The flowers grow in little clusters ;
thevare long, slender, tubular, and very fragrant;
the berries are red.

The fresh leaves of honey-suckle gireri in de-
coction, are good against obstructions of the liver
and spleen ; they work by urine, and they arfc also
a good gargle for a sore throat.

HoNEVwoiiT. Cerintlie,

A JUICY plant frequently wild in many parts
of Europe, but with us kejit in gardens. It has
its name from the sweet taste of the flowers. Al-
most all flowers havea drop of honey juice in their
bottom : this is indeed the real substance of hooey,
for the bees only pick it out and get it together ;
the hollow flowers in general have more of it, or
it is better preserved in them than others, but scarce
any in so great a degree as this plant named from
it. It is two feet high, when kept erect, but if left
to itself, is very apt to lean upon the ground. The
stalk is round, thick, juicy, and tender ; the leaves
are large, oblong, broad, they surround and inclose
the stalk at their base ; they are of a bluish greea

z

170 FAMILY HERBAL.

colour, spotted or clouded irregularly with "wlntc,
and tliey are full of a sort of prickles. The flow-
ers grow at the tops of the stalks, several togetlier,
among the clusters of leaves ; they are hollow,
oblong, and very wide open at the mouth ; their
colour is yellovf, variegated with purpl*^ in the
middle, and they have a very pretty appearance.

The fresh gathered tops of the plant arc to he
used ; an infusion of them is cooling, and worjks
by urine. It is good against scorbutic complaints,
and in the jaundice.

The Hop Pi.ant. Lupulus.

A CLIMBING plant, with very long stalks,
common in our hedges, and cultiTated also in many
places. The stalks are roundish, rough to the
touch, and of a purplish colour often, Bometime.s
only green. The leaves are very large, of a round-
ish figure, deeply indented, of a dark green colour,
and very rough also to the touch. The fruit is
sufficiently known.

A decoction of fresh gathered hops is good against
the jaundice ; and the powder of hops dried in an
oyen, has been often known to cure agues, but
*upon this there is no absolute dependance.

White Horehound. Marruhium album.

A WHITE hoary plant, with Jittle flowers in
tufts round the stalks, frequent in dry places in
many parts of the kiisgdom. It grows sixteen
inches high. The stalks are square, and very ro-
bust, hairy, pale coloured, and upright. The
leaves stand two at each joint, they arc short and
broad, blunt at the ends, and widely indented at

«

I

FAMILY HERRAL.

171

the edgcs^ of a rough surface, and white colour.
The flowers 'arc whiter and the points of their cups
are prickly.

The best part of the plant for medicinal use, is
the tops of the young shoots ; a decoction of these
made very strong-, and boiled into thin syrup with
honey, is excellent against coughs, hoarsenesses
of long standing, and all disorders of the lungs.
The same decoction if taken in large doses, and
for a continuance, promotes the menses, and opens
all obstructions.

Black Horehpund. Balloie.

A COMMON wild plant, of a disagreeable
praell, thence also called by some stinking hore-
'hound. The stalks are square, the leaves grow
two at every joint, and £^re broad, short, and of
a blackish green colour, but in shape not unlike
those of the white kind. The flowers stand in
clusters round the stalk at the joints, as in the
other, but they are red. The whole plant has a
dismal aspect. The root is fibrous.

The plant is to be used fresh and dried, and
it has more virtue than most imagine. It is to be
given in the form of tea ; it promotes the menses,
and is superior to most things as a remedy in hyste-
iic cases, faintings, convulsions, and low spirit-
edness, and ail the train of those disorders.

Horsetail. Kquisetmn segeiale.

A COMMON, and yet very singnlnr wild plant,
frequent in our corn-fields, and composed of
branches only, without leaves ; there are also many
other kinds of horsetail. It is a foot or more in
height, and is extremely branched ; the stalk is

173 FAMILY HERBAL.

round, blunt, ridged, and angulatcd, and compostd
of joints. It is hollow, weak, and seldom sup-
ports itself tolerably upright. The branches are
of the same striicture, and they are again branch-
ed ; they grow several from every joint of the
main stalk, and have others again, though in less
number, growing from their joints. The whole
plant is of a ^reen colour, and when bruised, not of
a very agreeable smell.

The whole plant is to be used, and it is best fresh ;
though it retain. s a great deal of its virtue dried.
Given in decoction, it stops overflowings of the
licenses, and bloody stools ; and applied externally,
it immediately stops the bleeding of wounds aud
heals ihera.

Hound's Tongue. Cynoglossnm.

A TALL and singular looking plant, frequent by
our way sides, and distinguished by its large whi-
tish leaves, and small purple flowers, as also by
the particularity of its smell, which has been sup-
posed to resemble that of a kennel of hounds. It
is two feet and a half high. The stalk is angu-
lated, firm, and "upright : the leaves are long,
considerably broad, and of a pale wliitish or bluish
green colour, sharp at the points, and not at all
serrated at the edges. The flowers are small, and
of a deep purple : they grow along the tops of the
branches, and are followed by rough seeds.

The root is the part used : it is long, thick, and
hrown, but whitish within; it is balsamic and
astringent. Given in decoction, it is excellent against
eougirs arising from a thin sharp humour. Dried
and powdered, it is good against purging*, and

Stops the overflowing of the menses.

■■-1

FAMILY HERBAL.

Great IIouseleek. Sedum majus.

A PLANT sufficiently known as well l)y its
particular manner of growing, as for its place of
growth. It forms itself into clusters of a round-
ish figure, these are composed of leaves, which
are largest toward the bottom, and smallest at
the end ; they are very thick and jnicy, broad
at the base, sharp at the point, fiat on the upper
side, a little rounded on the under, and some-
what liairy at their edges. The stalk grows to
ten inches high ; it is very thick, round, and juicy,
upright, of a reddish colour, and divided at the
top into a few branches. The leaves on it are
thin and narrow. The flowers are numerous.;
they are red and have a green head in their middle,
which afterNvards becomes a cluster of seed vessels.

The leaves are tlie part used ; they are applied
externally in inflammations, and are very useful,
when cooling things may be employed. The juice
is also cooling and astringent taken inwardly, but
it is rarely used. Some praise it greatly for the in-
flammations of the eyes.

There is another kind of honseleek, very unlike
this in form, but of the same virtues, this is called
the lesser houscleek ; the stalks arc round, small, and
reddish, and grow six inches high ; the leaves are
long and rounded, not flat as the others leaves ; and
the flowers are white, and stand in a kind of tufts,
like umbels at the tops of the stalks. This grtnvson
«ld walls, and the tops of houses like the other.

The Least Houseleek, or Wall Pepper. Sedum
minimum acre.

A COMMON plant on old walls, of kin tp

FAMILY HERBAL.

the preceding, but very different both in face an4
virtues. The root is little ; from this grow abun-
dance of stalks ; they are round, weak, and unable
to support themselves ; they spread every way
about, and are six inches in length. The greatest
part of every stalk is covered with leaves, so that it
appears a green substance, of the thickness of ones
little finger ; these leaves are short and thick ; tiiej
are of a fine green colour, and are broad at the base,
and sharp at the point. The flowers are little, and of
a bright yellow ; tiiey grow in great numbers, from
the tops of these branches, and are of the shape of
those of common houseleek, and rounded by such
seed vessels.

The juice of this kind of houseleek, is excel-
lent against the scurvy and all other diseases arising
from what is called foulness of the blood. It
is said that a continued course of it will cure
the king's evil : but we waiit experience to support
this.

The Hypocist. Hijpocistus.

A VERY singular plant, native of the Grecian
islands, and of some of the warmer parts of Europe.
It is five inches high, and of a singular figure.
It does nut grow in the earth at lurge as other
plants, but to the root of some species of cistus ;
as missleloe grows to the branches of trees. The
Etaik is thick and fleshy, and is often twice as large
toward the top, as at the bottom. It is whitish, or
yellowish, or purplish, and has a parcel of short
and broad skinny films, by way of leaves upon it.
Tlie flowers jrrow at the top, with leaves of the same
kind among them. They are large and beautiful,
iuid are succeeded by fruits of a ra:mdish hgufe.

FAMILY HERBAli. ' 1#

in which Is a qusntity of gluiinous liquor, and with
it the seeds, %vhich are verj small, and of a brown-
ish colour.

We use the hardened juice of the fruit ; it is
evaporated over the fire, to a thick consistence, and
then is of a black colour, like the common liqnorice
juice, called Spanish liquorice. The druggists
keep it in this state ; it is good in violent purgings,
with bloody stools, and in overflowing q( the
menses: it is to be given in an electuary^ N>ith
conserve of red roses.

Hyssop. Hysso'pUs.

A VERY pretty garden plant, kept for its vir-»
tues. It grows two feet high. The stalks are
square, robust, upright, and of a pale green colour.
The leaves stand two at each joint ; they are long,
narrow, pointed at the ends, and of a bright green
(Bolour. The flowers are small, and they stand in
long spikes, at the <ops of the branches ; they are
of a beautiful blue colour. The whole plant has %
strong, but not disagreeable smell.

Hyssop is to be gathered when just beginning to
; flower, and dried : tlie infusion made in the manner
I Of tea, is not unpleasant, and is the best way ot
I taking it : it is excellent against coughs, hoarse-
messes, and obetructions in the breast. A strong
i infusion made into a syrup v^ith honey, is excellent
ifor the jarae purposes, mixed with an equal quan-
\iiiy of oil of almonds.

Hedge Hyssop. Gratiola

A LITTLE p>lant kept in our gar.dfins. It
!:grows to a foot in height ; the stalks are square,
> slender, and not very robust : the leaves are long,

FAMILY IIERBAEi

harrow, and sliarp-pointed : they stand Uvo ett
exery joint. Tlie flowers are lonj^, moderately-
large, and jellow ; they grow from the bosoms of
the leaves, and are hollow, and only a little divided
at the ends : they are somewhat like fox- glove
flowers.

A decoction of the fresh plant is an excellent
purge, but it works roughly; it is good against
dropsies and rheumatisms; and the jaundice haj
been often cured by it singly.

J-

Jack by the Hedge, Alliarid.

A SPRING plant of a conspicuous figure, fre^
quent in our hedges. The stalk is round, thick,
firm, upright, and of a pale green, three feet in
height, and Very straight. The leaves are large,
broad, and shoirt, of a figure approaching to
roundish, but somewhat pointed at the ends, and
notched at the edges ; they are of a pule yellowish
green colour, and stand on long foot stalks. The
flowers arc liltle and white ; they stand ten or
a dozcfi together, at the tops of the branches, and
are followed by long pods.

The fresh leaves eaten as salad work by urine
powerfully, arid are recommended in dropsies. The
juice of them boiled into a syrup with honey, is
good to break tough phlegm, and to cure coughs
and hoarsenesses.

The Jacinth, or Hyacinth. Hyacintlius -vul-
garis.

THE common spring plant our children galher
with their cowslipaand May flowers, and call blue'

FAMILY HERBAL.

177

tiells. The root is white and roundish ; the leaves
are narrow and long, like grass, but of a deep greea"
colour, and smooth surface: the stalks are round,
upright, and smooth ; they have no leaves on them.
The flowers are large, and of a beautiful blue; they
are hollow, oblong, and turn up at the rim. The
root is the part used.

It abounds in a slimy juice, but it is to be dried,
and this must be done carefully ; the decoction of
it operates well by urine ; and the powder is balsa-
mic, and somewhat styptic. It is not enough
known. There is hardly a more powerful remedy
for the whites.

The Jalap Plant. Jalavium'

A CLIMBING plant, native of America, and not
yet got into our gardens. The root is long, irregu-
larly shaped, and thick. The stalks are round,
tough, and firm, but slender and unable to support
themselves. They grow to ten or twelve feet in
length, and wind among the bushes. The leaves /
are oblong, broadest toward the base, of a dusky
green, and not dented about the edges. The flow-
ers are large, and of the shape of a bell, and their
colour is purplish or white. The seed vessel is
large and oval.

The root is the part used ; and druggists sell it-
Given in powder with a little ginger, to prevent its
griping, it is an excellent purge. A strong tincture
of it made in brandy, answers the same purpose ; it
is good in dropsies ; and is in general a safe and ex-
cellent purge.

Jessamin. Jasminum.

A COMMON shrub in our gardens, and e

2 a

178

FAMILY HERBAL.

great ornament to them. It docs not well support
itself, so that it is commonly nailed against walls.
The trunk is covered with a grejish bark : the
young shoots are green. The leaves stand two at
each jointj and they are very beautiful ; each is
made up of about three pair of narrow, oblong, and
pointed leaves, with a very long one at the end.
They are of a deep green colour : the flowers are
long, hollow, open at the end, and white ; half a
dozen or thereabout, grow on each stalk, and they
are of a very delicate and fragrant smell ; these
are succeeded by berries, which ripen in the warmer
couritries.

The flowers are the part used. Pour a pint of
boiling water upon six ounces of the fresh gathered
and clean picked flowers of jessamin ; let it stand
twelve hours, then pour it off ; add honey enough to
make the liquor into a thin syrup, and it is an excel-
lent medicine in coughs.

Rose of Jeeicho, Jiosa Hicracontea.

A LITTLE woody plant, named a rose from
nothing but its size, and its manner of folding
itself up, by bending in the tops of the branches,
so that it appears hollow and roundish. We are
accustomed to see it dry, and in that condition it is
always thus drawn together. It is of the bigness
of a man's fist, and is composed of a quantity of
woody branches, interwoven with one another, and
all bending inward. When it is put into warm
water, it expands, and become flattish, but on dry-
ing, it acquires the old form again.

It is in reality, a kind of thlaspi, or treacle mus-
tard, but of a peculiar woody texture The root
is long, and pierces deep into the ground ; there
^row from this eight or ten stalks, which spread

FAMILY HERBAL, 179

themselves upon the ground, in a circular raanner^
as we see the stalks of our bird's foot, and many
other little plants. These stalks are thick and
Moody, aud about four inches in length : they lie
upon the ground toward the base, but lay turned
up a little at the tops, and each of them has a num-
ber of branches. The leaves are long-, narrow,
and of a pale gfeen ; they are very numerous, and
they stand irregularly. The flowers are small,
and M hite like those of our shepherd's purse. The
seed-vessels are small, and contain several seeds
like those of the common treacle mustard.

This is the appearance of the plant, as it grows
very frecjuent in the warmer climates ; and thus
it has nothing singular in it, while in its perfection
of growth, but after a time, the leaves decay and
fall off, and the stalks as they dry, in the heat,
draw up more and more, till by degrees they get
into this round figure, from which h warm water
will expand them, but they recover it again as
they dry.

This is the real history of that little kind of trea-
cle mustard, which is called the rose of Jericho,
and concerning which so many idle, as well as
strange things have been said. Our good women
have many ways of trying many experiments with
it, by way of deciding future events, but nothing
can be so foolish. The nature of the plant will
make it expand, and open its branches, when put
into warm water, and draw them together again, as
it grows dry. This will always happen, and it will
be more quick or more slow, according to the con-
dition of the plant. Where it is to be had fresh,
it does not want medicinal virtues. The young
ehoots are good in infusion against sore throats, but
we have the plant without its leaves, and in reality.

180

FAMILY HERBAL.

little more than a stick; so that it would be idio
to expect any good in it.

The Jesuit's Bark 1'ree. Arbor Peruviana.

A SMALL tree, native of South America, which
has not yet got into our gardens. The trunk is
as tjiick as a man's leg, and its bark is grey. The
branches are numerous and irregular, and their
bark is of a browner colour, but with the same
tinge of grey. The leaves are long and large,
three inches in length, and half as much in breadth,
and of a pale green colour : they are pointed at
the end, but not at all indented at the edges.. .The
flowers are small, and their colour is a pale putple :
they stand in great clusters together ; they are long,
hdllow, and open at the end, where they are a little
divided. The fruit is a dry capsule, of an oblong
figure.

The bark is the part used. Besides its certain
efficacy against agues and intermitting fevers, it is
an excellent stomachic and astringent; nothing is
better to strengthen the appetite, and in overflow-
ings of the menses, and all other bleedings, it is
of the greatest efficacy. It is best given in pow-
der. The tincture is to be made in brandy, but it
is not nearly so good as the substance ; when it is
given for disorders of the stomach, the best way is
to pick fine pieces of the bark and chew them.

Jew's Ears. Auriculee Judcs.

A KIND of fungus, or, as the common phrase
is, of toad's strtpl, growing upon old elder trees. It
is about an inch and a half long, and generally an
inch broad, and is somewhat of the shape of an

FAMILY HERBAL. IBI

«ar. It grows by a broad base to tho. l)ark of the
treej and from this, it gradually spreads into a
Hat, hollow, substance, with several ridges in it,
running- irregularly, whence it is supposed to have,
the resemblance of the ear most perfectly, Its
colour is a pale grey on the outside, it is darker
within, and there run several ribs along it. It 13
to be dried. Boiled in milk, it is recommended
greatly in sore throats and quinsies. These reme-
dies of the vulgar, have come originally from
physicians,'and they commonly have something t(j
support them. The Jew's ear is at this time out
of repute, but that seems owing to sophistication.
They commonly sell under the name of it, another
fiingus that grows to a great bigness, overspreading
wood, in damp places. They get it off the water
pipes at the New River head at Islington^ to supply
Co vent Garden market.

The St. Ignatius's Bean. Taha smicti Ignatii,

A PLANT common in the ^^'est Indies, and very
ill called a bean, being truly a gourd. The name
bean was given to the seeds of this plant, before it
■was known how they were produced, and some
have continued it to the plant. It grows to a
great height, when there is a tree to support it, for
it cannot support itself. It has a stalk as thick
as a man's arm, angulated, light, and not firm.
TJie leaves are very large, oblong, arid undivided,
and they have the ribs very high upon them : they
are broad at the base^ and grow narrower to the
point, and are of a deep green colour. The flow-
ers are very large, and of a deep blood red ; at a
distance, they have the aspect of a red rose. The
fruit is large and roundish ; it has a woody shell,
and over that a thin skin, bright and shiiiinij.

183

FAMILY HERBAL.

"Within there aro twenty or thirty seeds ; they are
of the bigness of a small nutmeg, when we see
them : they arc roundish, and very rough upon
the surface : each is of a woody substance, and
when tasted, is of the flavour of citron seeds, but
extremely bitter and nauseous. The colour is of
all grey or brownish.

i These seeds are what we use in medicine, and
call the St. Ignatius's bean. It is a medicine to be
given with great caution, but it has many virtues :
the most powerful remedies, when in ill bands, are
naturally the most dangerous ; (he powdei gitea
in a small dose, occasions vomiting and purging,
and often if the constitution be tender, convulsions ;
it is much better to give it in tincture, when no
such effects happen from it. 'Tis of an excellent
effect against nervous complaints : it will cure the
falling sickness, given in proper doses, and con-
tinued for a long time : the tincture is best for this
purpose. Some have given the powder in very
small quantities against worms, and that with suc-
cess ; its extreme bitter makes it very disagree-
able, and the taste continues in the throat a long
time, whence it occasions vomiting. We neglect
it very much at present, because of its roughness ;
but it would be better we found the way of giving
it with safety. There are gentler medicines, but
rone of them so eflicaciour, : it will do service ia
cases that the common methods do not reach.

St. John's Wort. Hypericum.

A ROBUST and pretty plant, frequent in cur
pastures, and other dry places. The height is a
foot and a half. The stalk is round, thick, firm,
and very upright, and divided towards the top
into several branches. The lca>cs are short and

FAMILY HERBAL.

183

blunt at the points : they are of a bright green
colour, and if lield up against the light, they seem
to be full of pin holes. The flowers grow in
abundance on the tops of the braiiches : they are
large, and of a bright and beautiful yellow, full
of yellow threads, which, if rubbed upon the hand,
stain it red like blood. The fruit is a dry seed
vessel.

The part used is the flowery tops of the plant
just as they begin to ripen. A decoction of these
works powerfully by urine, and is excellent against
the gravel, and in ulcerations of the ureters. The
fdine tops fresh gathered and bruised, are good
for wounds and bruises; they stop bleeding, and
serve as a balsam for one, and take off blackness
in ths other.

The Jujube Tres, Zizyphus.

A TREE of the bigness of our plum trees, and
not unlike to them in shape. The bark is grey
on tlie trunk, and broWn on the branches. The
leaves are moderately large, and each is composed
of a number of smaller ones, set on each side of
a middle rib, but not opposite to one another,
and with an odd one at the end : these are oblong,
obtuse, and serrated round the edges, and the odd
leaf at the end is the largest and longest. The
flowers are small and yellow. The fruit is ova!,
and of the bigness of a moderate plum ; it has a
soft su])slance on the outside, and a stone within,
which is large and long, and pointed at both ends.

The fruit is used. It was at one time brought
over to us dried, but we see littleof it now ; it wai
esteemed balsamic, and was given to cure coughs,
and to work by urine.

184 FAMILY HERBAL.

The White Stock July Flower. Leucoium

album.

A ROBUST garden plant, kept for its flowers,
which art variegates and makes double. It grows
two or three feet high. The stalk is thick, firm,
round, and of a greyish colour. The leaves are
long, narrow, hairy, and whitish. The stalks which
bear the flowers, are also of a whitish green, and
tender. The flowers are as broad as a shilling,
white,] and sweet scented.

The flowers are the part used, and they are to
be fresh gathered, and only just blown. A tea
made of iliem, is good to promote the menses, and
at operates also by urine. An ointment is to be
made, by boiling them in hog's lard, which is ex-
cellent for sore nipples.

The Juniper Shrub. Juniperus.

A COMMON shrub on our heaths. It grows
to no great height in England, but in some other
parts of Europe, rises to a considerably large tree.
The bark is of a reddish brown. The branches are
lough. The leaves are longish, very narrow, and
prickly at the ends. The flowers are of a yellow-
ish colour, but small and inconsiderable. The
berries are large, and when ripe blackish : they are
of a strong, but not disagreeable smell, and of a
sweetish, but resinous taste. The leaves are of a
faint bluish green colour.

The berries are the part most used. Ue have
them from Germany principally. They have two
excellent qualities, they dispel wind, and work by
urine, for which reason, they are excellent in tliose
colics which arise from the gravel and s(one.
With these is also made the true Geneva, but the

FAMILY HERBAL.

18^

liquor our poor people drink under that name, li
only malt spirits and oil of turpentine.

Ivy. Hedera,

A VERY comn^on shrub, crawling about old
trees, or upon old walls ; it souietimes ruus upon
the ground for want of buch support, but then it
rarely bears any fruit. The trunk is thick, brown,
and covered with a peculiar roughness. The
branches are numerous aad brittle. The leaves
have a strange variety of shapes, oblong, angular,
cornered, or divided. The flowers stand in little
round clusters, aud they are small and inconsider-
able: they are succeeded by large berries. Tha^
leaves upon the young skoots that bear the flow^ers,
are always oblong ; those on the trunk are an-
§^ulated. They are all of a deep glossy green.

The leaves and berries are both used, but nei-*
ther much, A decoction of the leaves destroys
vermin in children's beads, and heals the soreness
that attends them. The berries are purging; an
infusion of them will often work also by vomit,
but there is no harm in this : they are an excellent
remedy in rheumatisms, and pains of all kinds,
and it is said, have cured dropsies ; but this is per-
haps going too far.

The ivy in the warm countries sweats out a kindi
of resio, which has been used externally at some
times, on various occasions ; but at this time, it is
quite unknown in practice.

K.

Kidney Wort. Umbilicus veneris.

A VERY singular plant, vvhich grows on old

B b

m6 FAMILY HERBAL.

walls in some parts of England. It is eight inches^
high, and is distinj^uished at sight, by a cluster ofc
round leaves which grow about the, stalk. The
roo^ is roundish, and its fibres grow from the bottom.
The leaves stand on longish and thick foot stalks,,
■wiiich are, except in the lowest of all, iriserted not
at the edges of the leaf, but in the middle : these
ire romid, thick, fleshy, and indented about the
edges. The stalk which bears the flowers is rounds
thick, and towards the top, divided into two or
three branches ; on these grow the flowers, in a
kind of spikes : they are oblong, hollowish, and of
a greenish white colour.

The leaves are the part used. • Externally, they
are cooling, and good against pains. They are
applied bruised to the piles, with great success.
The juice of them taken inwardly, operates by
urine, and is excellent against stranguries, and good
in the giayel, and inflammations of the liYcr and
spleen.

Knap-weed. Jacea.

A VERY common wild plant, with dark colour^
ed Inngish leaves, and purple flowers, like those of
thistles. It is two feet high. The stalks are
roundish, but ribbed : they are of a pale colour,
"Very firm and strong, upright, and divided into
branches. The leaves are long, and of the same
breadth : Those which grow immediately from the
root, are but little jagged or cut at the edges.:
those which stand Tjpon the stalk, are more so.
The flowers are large ; they stand in scaly heads,
«ne of which is placed at the top of every branch ;
and At a distance, they have something of the ap-
pearance of the flowers of thistles, but when ex-
ammed nearer, they are more like those of the blue

, FAMILY HERBAL.

|>of tie. The flowers themselves are of a bright red
and large.

The young plant is used fresh : a decoction of it
is good against the bleeding of the piles, against
loosenesses with bloody stools, and all other bleed-
ings. A slight infusion is recommended against
sore throats, to be used by way of gargle. There
are so many of these gentle astringent plants, com-
mon in our fields, as yarrow and the like, that less
respect is to be paid to one of less power in the
same way. Knapweed may be very properly added
to decoctions of the others, but it would not be so
well to trust to its effects singly.

Knot-grass. Polygonum^

A MOST common wild plant in our fields, path-
ways, and hedges : there are two or three kinds of
it, but they pretty much resemble one another in
form, and in virtues : the largest is the best. The
stalks of this are ten inches long, round, jointed,
and of a dusky green. The leaves are of an oval
form, of a bluish green colour, and not indented
at the edges. The stalks lie upon the ground, and
one of these only grows at each joint. The flowers
are small and white, but with a tinge of reddish.
The seed is single, black, and three cornered.

It has been observed before, that Providence has
in general made the most common plants, the most
useful. A decoction of knot-grass roots, stalks,
and leaves, is an excellent astringent. It stops
bloody stools, and is good against all bleedings,
but in particular, it is a remedy against the
bleeding piles, and against the overflowing of the
menses.

FAMILY HERBAL.

L.

The Gtjm Lac Tree. Laca arbor.

A TREE of the bigness of our apple tree, fre^
quent in the East, but not yet knovvn in Europe,
The trunk is covered with a rough reddish bark.
The branches are numerous and tough. They have
a smoother rind, of a colour inclining to purple.
The leaves are broad, and of a whitish graen oa
the upper side, and of a silvery white underneath.
The flowers ar6 small and yellow. The fruit is of
the bigness of a plum, and has in it a large stone :
The outer or pulpy part, is of an austere, and not
Very agreeable taste.

, The gum lac is found upon the branches cf this
tree, but it is pretended by some, that a sort of flies,
deposite it there, and on other substances ; and
that it is a kind of wax ; however, there are per-
soiis of credit^ who say they have obtained by cut-
ting ^he branches of this tree, and alike substance
from the branches of the several kinds of jujubes,
to which this belongs^ in the hot countries. Pro-
bably the flies get it off this tree, and lodge it for
their purposes upon sticks, and other substances as
»ve sec it.

Our druggists have three kinds of this resin, for
it is ill called a gum. The one they call stick lac,
because it is brought in round sticks ; the other
seed lac, in small lumps ; and the other shell lac,
which is thin and transparent, and has been melted ;
of this resin the sealing: wax is made with very little
alteration more than the colouring it, which is
done by means of cinnabar or coar'ier materials.
Taken inwardly, gum lac is good against obslruc-
tions of the liver : it operates by urine and sweat.

Fi^MILY HERBAL.

183

and is good in most chronic cases arising from such
obstructions.

Ladies' Mantle. Archimilla.

A VERY pretty little plant, native of some
parts of England^ but not very common wild. The
leaves are numerous and very beautiful ; they are
broad, and of a roundish %ure, but divided deeply
into eight parts, and each of these elegantly indent-
ed about the edges. They are of a yellowish
green colour, nearly as broad as the palm of ones
hand, and they stand upon foot-stalks of an inch
or two in length. The stalks grow in the midst ;
they are round, a little hairy, eight inches long,
not very upright, and of a pale green colour. The
flowers stand in considerable numbers at their tops ;
they are small and of a greenish colour, but have a
great many yellow threads in the middle. The root
is long, thick, and durk coloured.

The root is the part most valuable ) a decoction
of it fresh taken up, is an excellent remedy for the
overflowings of the menses, for bloody fluxes, and
all other bleedings. Dried and powdered, it an-
swers the same purpose, and is also good against
common purgings. The good women in tl^e north
of England apply the leaves to their breasts, to
make them recover their forn), after they have been
swelled with milk. Hence it has got the name of
ladies' mantle.

The Larch Tree, Larix. '

A MODERATELY tall, and in summer a very
beautiful tree, but though one of the resinous kind,
nnd in many respects approaching to the nature of
the fir and pine, if, loses its leaves in winter ; it is

rAMILY HERBAL.

a native of Italy, and is frequent in our gardens
The trunk is rugged, and the branches are covered
with a rough bark, of a brownish colour, with a
tinge of reddish. The leaves are an inch or more
in length, extremely slender, and of a bluish green
cohsur, and they grow in little clusters, and difterent
parts of the branches. The flowers are inconsidera-
ble, the fruit is a cone, but very small. It is not
bigger than a little walnut.

The young leaves are boiled, and the liquor is
drank to promote urine, but this is an idle way of
getting at the virtues of the tree. Venice turpen-
tine is produced from it, and this liquid resin con-
tainsthcm all in perfection. They cut the trunk of
the tree deep, in the heat of summer, and the resin
flows out. This works powerfully by urine, and
is a noble balsam ; it is good against the whites, and
to stop the running that often remains from a clap
after all the virulence is removed ; but in this case
it must be given cautiously.

Larks' Spur. Delphinium, ^

A COMMON flower in our gardens ; but not
without its virtues. It grows a yard high ; the
stalks are round, upright, firm, and of a pale
green. The leaves are cut into a multitude of long,
narrow, and very fine divisions, and are of a deep
green colour, and the flowers which grow in long
spikes at the tops of the branches, are naturally
blue, but often red or white. They are moderately
large and have a kind of spur behind.

The leaves are used ; they must be boiled fresh
in water, and the decocti(m is good against the
bleeding piles. It stops the hemorrage, and at tl^
same time cools the body, whereas too many of the
astringent medicines are heating.

FAMILY HERBAL. - 1^1

Lavender. Lavendula,

r

A COMMON plant in our garden*, native of
the warmer parts of Europe ; it is of a shrubby
nature in the stenij but the rest is herbaceous It
grows a yard high. The trunk, or main stera, is?
thick, woody, firm, and covered with a whitish
bark. The joungshoots from this, are tender and
greenish ; and on. these stand the leaves. They are
long, narrow, and of a pale green colour, and stand
two at each joint. The stalks which bear the
flowers, are square, green, and naked ; the flow-
ers stand in short spikes, or ears ; they are small,
blue, and very fragrant; the cups of the flowers
are whitish.

These flowers are the part used ; they are good
against all disorders of the head and nerves. They
may be taken in the form of tea. The famous
spirit of lavender called palsy drops, and the sweet
lavender water arc made with them. The spirit
of lavender called palsy drops is thus made best.

Put into a small still a pound of lavender flowers,
and five ounces of the tender tops of rosemary, put
to them five quarts of common roelasses spirit, and a,
quart of water : distil off three quarts ; put to this,
cinnamon and nutmegs, of each three quarters of
an ounce, red sanders wood half an ounce ; let.
these stand together a week, and then strain off the
spirit.

The lavender water is thus made. Put , a pound
of fresh lavender flowers into a still with a gallon
of melasses spirit, and draw off five pints. Thig
is lavender water.

Lavender Cotton. Ahrotonum ficmina.
A LITTLE shrubby plant, frequently wild lu

193

FAMILY HERBAL.

Italy, but with us kept in gardens. It grows two
feet or more in heiglit, the stem is whitish : the
stalks growMig from it, are tough and firm, of a
whitish colour also, and very numerous ; the leaves
are oblong, slender, of a square shape, and indent-
ed ; thej are also whitish and of a strong smell.
The stalks which support the flowers are long and
naked ; thev are round, of a greenish colour/ and
each has at its top a single flower, which is yel-
low and naked, and of the bigness of an horse-bean.

The leaves are the part used, they are best fresh
gethered. They are to be given infused in water
against wornis,#they are a disagreeable medicine,
but a very efficacious one. They also promote the
menses, and open obstructions of the liver. They
have been recommended greatly in the jaundice.

Spurge Laueel. Laureola.

A WILD little shrub of a singular aspect and of
considerable virtues, it is three feet high, the stem
is half an inch thick, and divides into a great many
branches. The bark is of a brownish colour, and
they are not very strong. The leaves stand at the
tops of the branches, they are long, narrow, and of
a bright and fine green ; they are of a firm substance,
and are not indented at the edges. The flowers are
very small, and inconsiderable, they are green with
some yellow threads, and have a sweet smell, the
berries are small, roundish, and black.

The leaves are a powerful remedy against the
dropsy, but they are so violent they must be given
with caution ; a small quautity of a slight infusion
of them in water, works by vomit and stool in a
powerful meaner. It is not evci-y constitution that
can bear such a medicine.

FAMILY HERBAL; 192

The Leek. Porrum

A COMMON plant in our kitchen gardens. t(
grows three feet high ; the stalk is round, green,,
and thick, the leaves are large, long, and of a deep
green, and the flowers grow in a round cluster at the
top of the stalk, they are of a purplish colour, with
a tinge of green, the root is white, oblong, thick,
and roundish, w;ith fibres at the bottom.

An infusion of the roots of leeks inade in water,
and boiled into a syrup with honey, is good against
asthmas, coughs^ and obstructions in the breast and
lungs. It answers the same purposes with syrup
of garlic, but it will agree with some, who cannot
bear that medicine.

The Lrmon Tree. Limonia inalus,

. A SHRUB, native of the warmer countries^i and
frequent in pur green houses, very beautiful and
fragrant. The trunk is moderately thicjc; and
covered with a brown bark ; the branches are
numerous, irregular, and beset with prickles. The
leaves are large, and very beautiful, of an oval
figure, and set upon a naked stalk ; they are of a
beautiful green, and remain on the tree all winter.
The flowers are large and white j of a thick firm
substance, and ver}) fragrant smell. The fruit we
are sufficiently acquainted with ; its shape is ob-
long, and its rind of a pale yellow colour : it has
a part like a nipple at each end. Its smell is very
fragrant, and its juice sour.

The peel and the juice of the fruit are used.
The peel is stpmachic and warm, it is a good in-
gredient in bitter infusions. The juice made into
a syrup with twice its weight of fine sugar, is ex-

c c

19^

fAMILY HERBAL.

cellent for sweetening juleps and drinks in fevers, ancf
'mixed with salt of wormwood^ it stops vomitings.

Leadwort. Dentillaria sive 'plumbago.

A LITTLE plant, native of some parts of Eu-
rope, and kept in our gardens. It is two feet Iiigh,
the stalks are slender, tough, and weak, liardly
able to support themselves upright. The leaves
are of a pale bluish green colour, ohiong, not very
broad,, and they surround the stalk at the base.
The flowers are red, they are singly, very small, but
they stand in thick, oblong clusters, on the tops of
the stalks, and each is succeeded by a single seed
which is very rough, and stands naked.

The dried root is to be used ; a piece of it put
into the mouth, fill it with a great quantity of
rheum, aud is often an almost instantaneous cure
for the head-ach. It also cures the tooth- ach in
the same manner as pellitory of Spain does: it is
more hot and acrid, than even that fiery root.

The I*[DiAN Leaf Tree. Malahathrinn.

A TALL and beautiful tree of the East Indies,
not unlike the cinnamon tree in its manner of*
growth. The trunk is as thick as our elms, and it •
grows as tall, but the branches are disposed with
less regularity; the wood is brittle, and the young
shoots are of a pale brown. The leaves are very
large, nine inches long, and seven in breadth, and
not at all indented. The flowers stand in clusters,
on the tops of the branches: they arc small and
greyish : and the fruit is of the bigness of our red
currant. It is common in the mountainous parts
of the east.

FAMILY HERBAL

195

Tjiesc leaves are the part used, we have them
dried at the druggists, but they commonly keep them
till they arc decayed. It is an aromatic medicine,
jt strengthens the stomach, and is good in nervous
disorders.

Lentile. Lens.

A KIND of little pulse, sown in fields in some
parts of England. It grows a foot and a half high,
but does not stand very upright. The stalk is an-
gulated, of a pale green, and branched ; the leaves
are like those of the common pea : they consist each
of several pairs of small ones, set on a rib, and there
is a tendril in place of an odd leafatthe end. These
small leaves are of a pale green colour, and oval
fehape. The flowers are white and small, but in
shape lik^ a pea blossom, they stand singly on long
stalks. The fruit is a pod of a flattish shape, iri
which there generally are two seeds also a little
flatted, and of the bigness of a small pea.

The fruity is used ; k is ground to powder to
make into pultices for swellings, but it is not much
fegarded.

Lettice. Lactuca.

A COMMON plant in our kitchen gardens,
which we eat raw. When it rises to flower it is
two feet and a half high. The stalk is round,
thick, very upright, and of a pale green. The
leaves are oblong, broad, and somewhat waved at the
edges : the flowers stand on the tops of the stalks,
and are of a pale yellow, the seed is winged with a light
white down.

The juice of lettice, is a good medicine to pro-
cure sleep, or the thick stalk eaten will serve the

i

196 FAMILY HERBAL.

saiqe purpose. It is a good method to put tliiise
into, who require a gentle opiate, and will not take
medicines.

Wild Lettice. Lactuca selves tr is major.

A COMMON plant in our hedges, and having
Bome resemblance to the garden lettice in its flpwers,
though not in its manner of growth. It is six or
seven feet hi^h. The stalk is tiiick, round, verj
upright, branched, and of a pale yellowish green
colour. The leaves at the bottom arc very large,
a foot long, and five inches broad, and of a pale
green colour ; thosehigher up thestalks are smal-
ler, they are deeply indented at the edges, and either
these, the stalk, or any other part of the plant being
wounded, there flows out a railkyjuice, which has
the smell of opium, and its hot bitter taste : the
branches are very numerous, and the flowers are
also very numerous, but they are small and of a pale
yellow.

This is a plant not introduced into the common
practice, but very worthy of that notice. I have
inown it used in private families, with great suc-
cess, A syrup made from a strong infusion of it,
is an excellent anodyne ; it eases the most violent
pain in colics, and other disorders, and gently dis-
poses the person to sleep. It has the good effect
of a gentle opiate, and none of the bad ones of that
violent medicine.

The White Lily. Lilium album.

A TALL, fragrant, and beautiful garden plant.
It grows four or five feet high ; the stalk is round,
green, thick, firm, and very upright ; a great many
leaves surround it at the bottom, and a great many

FAMILY HERBAL.

197

g^row uponitallthe way: these are- of the same
shape, long, narrow, and smooth, and of a pale gr^ea
upon the stalk, and deeper green at the root. The
flowers stand on the divisions of the top of the stalk,
they are large, white, and composed as it were of a
quantity of thick scales.

The roots contain the greatest virtue ; they are
excellent mixed in pultices, to apply to swellings.
The flowers possess the same virtue also, heing emol-
lient and good against pain. An oil is made of the
flowers steeped in common oil of olives ; but the
fresh flowers are much better in the season ; and tli#
root may be had fresh ^t all times, and it possesses
the same virtues,

. Lily of the Valley. Lilium convallium.

A VERY pretty plant, but so different from
the former, that one would wonder how it eame
to be called by any part of the same name. It is
six or eight inches high. The leaves are large,
long, and broad, of a deep green colour, and full
of verv thick ribs or veins. The stalks are weak,
slender, angular, and green ; they bend towards the
top, and on each there stands, or rather hangs, a
row of white flowers ; they are roundish, hollow,
and of a delicate and pleasing smell ; these are
succeeded by berries, which are red when they
are ripe.

The flowers are used. A tea made of them and
drank for a constancy, is excellent against all nerv-
ous complaints, it will cure nervous head-achs, and
tremblings of the limbs : a great deal too much
has been said of this plant, for people caJl it a re-
medy for apoplexies and the dead palsies, but
though all this is not true, enough is, to give the
pJauta reputation and bring it again into use.

193

FAMILY HERBAL,

The Water Lily. J^ympJiaa alba.

A LARGE and elegant plant, the hrnad leaver
of which wc see Aoating upon the surface of the
M^afcr in our brooks not unfrequenlly ; and in ih«
fiuturnn large white flowers among them. The
root of the plant is very long, and extremolj thick,
and lies buried in the mud. The leaves rise singly
one on each stalk ; the stalks are round, thick, and
of a spungy substance, having a white pith in
them ; and the leaves also are thick and somewhat
fpungy; they are of a roundish figure, and they
lie flat upon the surface of the water. The flow-
ers stand upon single foot stalks, arising like those
of the leaves separately from the root, and being
like them, light, round, glossy, and full of a white
pith; the flowers are large and white, and have
some yellow threads in the middle ; the seed-vessel
is large and roundish, and the seeds are numerous.

The root is the part used, and it is best fresh, and
given in a strong decoction. It is a powerful re-
medy in the whites, and in those weaknesses left
after venereal complaints : it is also good against
•violent purgings, especially where there arc bloody
stools. There are other kinds of water lily in our
ditches, particularly a large yellow flowered one,
whose roots possess the same virtues with the others
but iu a less degree.

The Lime Tree, Tilia.

A TREE common enough in parks and gardens,
and when in flower very beautiful and fragrant ;
the trunk is thick, and the branches grow with a
tolerable regularity. The leaves are short, broad,
of a figure approaching to round, biit terminating
in a point, and serrated about the edges. The

j^AMILY HERBAiir 19^

iJowers grow on long yellowish stalks, with a
jeilow, oblong, and narrow leaf upon them. They
are thems^^lves also of a yellowish white colour,
and extremely delicate and sweet smell. The
fruit is roundish and small. The flowers are the
only part used ; they are good against giddiness of
the liead, tremblings of the limbs, and all other
lighter nervous disorders. They are best taken as
te.i.

The Liquid Amber Tree. Liquid amhar. .

A VERY beautiful tree of the American islands,
which we have brought of late into our gardeus ;
it grows fifty feet high, and the branches are nu*
merous and disposed with a tolerable regularity.
The leaves are large and very beautiful ; they are
broad, and are divided much in the manner of the
leaves of our maple tree, but much more beautiful-
ly ; they arc of a glossy green, and the tips of the
boughs have a fragrant smell. The flowers are
greenish and small ; the fruit is of the bigness of
a small walnut, roundish and rough upon the sur-
face, with several seeds within.

We use a resin which rUns from the trunk of
this tree in great heats. It is of a reddish colour^
soft, and extremely fragrant, nearly a perfume.
It is an excellent balsam, nothing exceeds it as a
remedy for the whites ; and for the weaknesses left
after venereal disorders. It is also good in disorders
of the lungs ; and it works by urine, and dislodges
gra vel. There was a custom at one time of mix-
ing it among perfumes, but of late it has been neg-
lected, and is grown scarce.

£00 FAMILY HERBAIt.

The Liquid StoRAx Tree. Stijrax Hquidaarhofi

A LARGE tree, so much we hear of it, is nati ve
of the East Indies, but very ill described to us. We
are told the leaves are large, and the flowers fra-
grant, but of what form they are no body has told
US, or what isthe fruit. All that we use is a liquid
r^sin of a very peculiar kind, which we are told is
obtained by boiling the bark, and the shoots of th.is
tree in water ; the resin swims at the top^ and they
scum it off and strain it, but it will not all pass
Ihrough. It is from hence that we eee two kinds ;
the one finer, thinner, and purer, the other thicker
and coarser ; this last kind is more common than
tl)e better sort, and it is generally used.

It is a balsam of the nature of the turpentines ;
- and is good against the whites, and the weaknesses
that follow venereal disorders. Some have used it
also in diseases of the lungs, but it has never been
in great repute on those occasions. It is sometimes
put into ointments intended for old ulcers ; and it is
said to be used this way with great success.

Liquorice. GlycyrrhiziL

A ROUGH looking plant, cultivated in many
places for the sake of the root. It is a yard higli
or more. The stalk is round, striated and branch-
ed : the leaves are long and large, each is conii-
poscd of a great many pairs of smaller, standing on
n. middle rib, with an odd one at the end ; these are
#>f an oval figure, of a dusky green colour, and
they are clammy to the touch. The flowers are
very small and blue, they stand in long spikes,
rising from the bosoms of the leave's. The seeds
arc contained in pods. The ro.^t is the part used ;
and its virtues are very great. It is best fresh (akca

Family herbal.

but of the ground, the sweetness of its taste renders
it agreeable, and it is excellent against coughs,
hoarsenesses, and shortness of breath. It aisc
ivorks gently bv urine, and is of service in ulcera-i
tions of the ki4nejs and urinary passages, acting
there as in lungs at once, as a detergent and balsa-
mic.

The best way of taking it is by sucking or chew-
ing the fresh root: but it may be taken in infusioti,
or in the manner of tea. The black substance cal-
led liquorice juice, and Spanish liquorice, is mad^
bv evaporating a strong decoction of this root. But
the fresh root itself is better.

NoBtE Liverwort, ou Hepatica. Hepatica^

7iobiUs. «

A COMMON garden flowier, which makes ,rt
Very pretty figure in spring, and is little regarded,
except as an oruament in ou.r borders ; though it is
not without considerable virtues. The leaves are
supported each on a single foot-stalk, while, slender;
and reddish, they are near 'an inch broad, and of
the same length, and divided each into three parts.
The flowers rise early in the spring, before these
appear ; thiey also stand singly on -long foot-stalks,
and are moderately large and blue^ with a greenish
head in the middle, t|je root is fibrous.

An infusion of the leaves of this plant is good
against obstructions of the liver and spleen ; it works
gently by urine, and is a good medicine in the jaun-
dice, taking it in time.

Green Liverwort. Lichen vulgaris.

A COMMON low plant, composed wholly of
leaves, which spread themselves on the ground, and

D d

20^ FAMILY HERBAL.

are of a bcauliful green colour ; .mlliors refer it id
the kinds of moss. It grows on old walls, in weUs,
and other damp places. The leaves arc oblong,
blniit, and thin, they spread one over another and
take root wherever they touch the ground. They
often cover the space of a foot or more in one clus-
ter. This is all that is usually seen of the plant, but
in spring when the place and the weather favour,
there rise up among tliese leaves certain long and
slender stalks, on the tops of which stand imperfect
flowers, as they are called, small, roundish, and
resembling the heads of little mushrooms.

The whole plant is used, and it is best green and
fresh gathered. It is to be given in a strong de-
coction. It opens obstructions of the liver, and
works by urine. It is good against the jaun-
dice, and is an excellent medicine in the first stages
of consumptions. It is not nearly so much regard-
ed as it ought to be. It is also used externally for
foulness of the skin.

Grey Ground Liverwort. Lichin cincrem ter-

restris. *

A PLANT, very common by our dry wood-sides,
and in pastures/ in some degree resembling the
last described, but differing in colour and in its
fructification. This consists also entirely of leaves ;
they are of a bluish grey colour, an the outside,
and of a whitish grey underneath. They are two
inches long, and an inch and a half broad ; and
grow in cFusters together ; often they are less dis-
tinct, and therefore appear larger. These do not
send up anv stalks to bear a kind of flowers ui heads.
The tips of the leaves turn up, and arc reddish,
and in these parts are contained the seeds. The
whole plant seems dry and sapless.

FAMILY HERBAL.

203

The whole plant is used, and has been of late
-very famous. Its efficacy is against the bite of
a mad dog ; it is mixed with pepper, and the per-
son is at the same time to bathe in the sea. There
have been instances of its success, when given to
dogs, hut perhaps no pure was ever performed
npon a human creature, when this terrible disease
had arisen to any height. Bleeding and opium
{tre the present practice.

The Logwood Tree. Arbor campechiana,

A TREE, native of the Southern parts of
America, the wood of which has been used in
dying, longer than in medicine, but is very service-
able in the latter capacity. The tree is large, and
makes a beautiful appearance. The branches are
numerous, and they spread with a sort of regularity.
The leaves are composed each of several pairs of
smaller, set on the two sides of a common rib ;
with an odd one at the end. The flowers are of
the shape of pea blossoms, but they are yellow ;
the pods which succeed them are very large, and
the boughs of the tree are very thick set, with
sharp thorns of a reddish colour.

We use only the heart of the wood which is of
a deep red colour. It is of an austere taste, but
with something of sweetness in it at last, in this it
resembles greatly what is called Japan earth, and
it resembles that drug also in its virtues. It is a
a very powerful medicine to stop fluxes of the
belly, and overflowings of the menses. The best
way of giving it is in form of an extract, which
is to be made by boiling down a strong decoction
of wood to the consistence of honey. In this
form it will keep a long time, and is always ready
for use. • •

204

FAMILY HERBAL.

Purple _Loosestrtfe. lAjsimachia purpurea:.

A WILD plant, that decorates the sides of
"ditches and rivers, and would be an ornament to
our gardens. It grows to three feet high, and is.
very regular ; the stalk is square, hairy, and gene-
rally of a reddish colour. The leaves stand two,*
at each joint, and they are long and narrow ; of a
dusky green, and a little rough. The flowers stand
in very long spikes at the tops of thd stalks, and
are large, and of a strong purple colour. The
spikes are often a foot or more in length. The
seed is very little and brown.

The leaves are used. They are a" fine balsarej.
for fresh wounds, and an ointment is to be made oi
them boiled in lard, which is also cooling and de-
tersive, but it is not of a fine green colour.

Yellow Loosestrife. Lysimachia lutca.

A WILD plant not uncommon in our watery
places, but for its beauty, very worthy a place in
6ur gardens. If it were brought from America, it
"would he called one of the most elegant plants ir^
the world. It is four feet high, the stalks are rigid,
firm, upright, and very regular in their growth : a
little hairy ; and toward the tops divided into several
branches. The leaves are as long as ones finger,
and an inch and half broad in the middle, and small
at each end ; they area little hairy, and of a yellosv-
ish green. The flowers are large and of a beautiful
yellow, they grow several together on the tops of
the branches. The seed-vessels arc full of smaU
seeds.

The root dried and given in powder, is good
against the whites, and against bloody fluxes, ovrr-
ilowings of the mensc^s, and purgings ; it is astrin-

FAMILY HERBAL, S05

gent and balsamic. The young leaves bound about
a fresh wound, stop the bleeding, and perform a
cure in a short time.

LovAGE. Levisiicxim.

A TALL plant of the umbelliferous kind, kepi
in our g-ardens for its use in medicine. The stalk
is round, thick, hollow, and deeply strialed or
channelled . The leaves are very large, and they ar«
each composed of a number of smaller ; these are
set on a divided stalk, and are short, broad, and in-
dented at the edges. The flowers are small and
yellow, the seed is striated, the root is brown, thick,
and divided, and the fibres from it are numerous;
it is of a hot aromatic taste.

The roots fresh dug work by urine, and are good
against the jaundice. The seeds have the same
effect also and they dispel wind. The dried root
is a sudorific, and is good in fevers.

Tree Lungwort. Muscus pulmonarius,

A BROAD and large kind of moss, in form somc'
what resembling the green and grey liverwort, but
bigger than either. It grows on the barks of old
oaks, and beech trees, but is not common. It is
principally found in large woods. Each leaf, or
separate plant, is eight or ten inches long, and near-
ly as much in breadth, of a yellowish colour, and
of a substance resembling leather : it is divided
deeply at the edges, and is rough, and full of higli
veins on the surface. At the season of flowering:
there also appear certain small red heads, which
contain the seeds for a new succession of plants.

This plant is not so much known as it deserves to
fee. It is an excellent astringent, a strong decoction

FAMILY HERBAL.

of it stops the overflowings of the menses, and all
other bleedings ; it is remarkable against a spitting
of blood, and hence it is got into general use in
consumptions, but that not so properly. It wdy be
given in powder, but the other way is better.

The Lupine. Lupinus sativus albus.

THERE are many lupines kept in gardens, but
the best kind for use is the white-fiovvered ; it
grows to a yard high, the stalk is round, thick, firm,
and of a pale green. The leaves stand on long foot-
stalks, and are each composed of seven, eight, or
nine long narrow ones, disposed in the manner of
fingers ; these are also of a whitish green colour.
The flowers are large and white, of the shape of a
pea-blossom. The pods are hairy. A decoction of
the seeds of lupines, drank in the manner of barley
"ivater, not only works by urine, but is good to bring
down the menses, and open all obstructions. It is
excellent in the beginning of consumptions, jaun-
dices, and dropsies ; but when those diseases are ad-
vanced to a height, more powerlul remedies are to
be employed. A decoction made very strong is
good to wash the heads of children that have break-
ings out upon them ; they cleanse and dispose them ta
heal.

Golden Lungwort. . Pulmonaria aurea.

A TALL, erect, and beautiful plant of the hawk-
vv eed kind, with yellow flowers, and very hairy leaves ;
it is frequent in the mountainousparts of Europe, and
■yvehave it wild insomeplaces in England, upon walls
and in very dry places, but with us it is notconimon.

It is two feet high ; the leaves are large and ob-
long ; they grow half a dozen or thereabout im-

FAMILY HERBAL. 207

rncd lately from the root, and have thick foot-stalks ;
they are oblong, broad, of a deep and often a
purplish colour, and are extremely hairy, the hairs
being long, white, and set so thick, that they give
it an aspect of woolliness. The stalk is round,
glender, tolerably firm, upright, of a purplish
colour, and also hairy : the leaves on it are smaller
than those from the root, but like them in shape,
and they are in the same manner very hairy. The
flowers are not very large, but they are of a beau-
tiful yellow, and they have the more singular as-
pect, as the plant has so much whiteness. The
seeds are winged with a white down.

The young leaves rising from the root, are the
^art used. They are of the same nature with those
of coltsfoot, but they possess their virtues in a much
greater degree. In many other parts of Europe,
vt'here the plant is more common, it is a constant
medicine in diseases of the lungs, in coughs, asth>
mas, and the first stages of consumptions : it is
\yest given in form of a strong infusion ; and I
have known it tried here with more success than
could be expected from so simple a remedy, in
cases of such consequence. It is scarce wild, but it
is easily propagated in gardens. Let but one plant
of it ripen its seeds and leave them to the chance of
the winds, and the garden, the walls, and the neigh-
bouring places will never be without a sufficient
Supply of it, for all purposes.

M

Mace. Macis.

THE gpice we call mace, is the covering of the
stone or kernel of a fruit, within which is the nut-
meg. The tree will therefore more naturally be

2G8 FAMILY HERBAL.

described under the article nutmeg ; but it maf
be proper to say here, that the fruit of it is largr,
and roundish, and has somewhat the appearance of
a peach, being of nearly its bip:ness ; the outer part
is more like the green rind of a walnut, than tlie
flesh of a peach : within is the nutmeg contained
in a hard shell, and on the outside of that shell, is
laid the mace, in a kind of thin, divided, yellowish
leaves. It is of a soft and unctuous nature, and
very fragrant ; more so than the nutmeg itself.

Mace is a nohle spice, it warms and strengthens
the stomach, and is good against pains in the head,
arising from faults there : it is also good against
colics ; and even outwardly applied will take
effect. The mace bruised may be used for this
purpose, or its oil by expression.

Madder, llubia iinctorum.

V ROUGH and unhandsome plant, cultivated for
the sake of its root, which is used by the dyers,
and also in medicine. It is a foot and a half high.
The stalk is square and weak. The leaves stand
.six or eight at every joint, disposed star-fashioned,
and they are of a dusky green colour, and very
rough, they feel almost prickly. The flowers are
little and yellow ; and they grow from the bosoms
of the leaves. The root is long, slender, and of a
red colour.

A decoction of the fresh roots of madder, w orks
gently by urine, but it very powerfully opens ob-
structions of the liver and spleen. It is very good
against the gravel and jaundice:

The True Maidenhair. Adinntum rcrum.

A VERY beautiful plant of the fern kind, but

FAMILY HERBAL.

209

exceeding the ordinary ferns very mucn in delicacy.
The stalks are small, black, and glossy ; each divides
t<nvard »:he lop, into a great many branches, and on
tliese stand the smaller leaves, which make up the
complete one, or the ^Yhole plant ; ( for in this,
as in the fern, every leaf is an entire plant ; ) thesei
are short, blunt, rounded, and notched very beauti-
fully and regularly at the edges, and they are of a
pale green colour. The seeds are fixed to the edges
of the under side of the leaves, in form of a brown

Eowder. The whole plant is used : our druggists
ave it from France.

A decoction of the fresh plant, is gently diuretic,
and opens obstructions, especially of the lungs ;
but as we cannot easily have it fresh, and it loses
a great deal of the virtue in drying, the best ex-
pedient is to use the fine syrup of capellaire, which
is made of an infusion of the plant, when in its per-
fection, \Yith fine Narbonne honey. We suppose
this a trifle, but barley water sweetened with it,
is one of the best known remedies for a violent
cough.

English Maidenhair. Trichomanes.'

A VERY pretty little plant, of kin to the true
maidenhair, and frequently used in its place ; but
this is very wrong, for its virtues are no greater,
and it is unpleasant. It grows eight inches, and
each leaf, as in the rest of the fern kind, is an entire
plant. This leaf consists of a vast number of
small ones, set on each side a middle rib, and they
are very short and obtuse, of a roundish, but some-
what oblong figure. The stalk is slender, black,
and shining, and the little leaves are of a briglit
and strong green colour. The seeds are lodged as

K e

210 FAMILY HERBAL.

in the rest, in form of a brown dust, on the under
part of these leaves.

The phuit grows frequently on the sides of old
wells and on damp walls, and it is used entire. A
sjrup, made from an infusion of it, is the best shift
we could make for the true French capellaire ; but
that is so easy to be had, that no such shift is neces-
sary : an infusion of the dry plant may also be
used.

White MAiDENrt.viR. Adiantum album.

A VERY little plant of the fern kind, and of
tne nature of the two others just described. Some
will be surprised at the calling' it a very little plant,
having seen leaves a foot long, sold in Covent Gar-
den, under that name ; but this is an imposition :
they sell a kind of water fern under this name.
The real white maidenhair, is not above two inches
high. The stalks are very slender, and of a whitish
green, not black as in the others. The leaves
are divided into a great many small parts, and at
first sight they have some resemblance of the leaves
of rue. The seeds are contained in brow^n lumps,
behind the leaves, covering the greatest part of the
surface.

This is not uncommon in old walls : it has the
same virtues with the others against coughs, and
a decoction of it is also strongly diuretic, and good
against the gravel, and all stoppages of urine.

, Black Maidenhair. Adiantum nigrum.

ANOTHER of the small plants of the fern kind,
and more of the shape and form of the common
ferns, than any yet described. It is like the com-

FAMILY HERBAL. 2JI

man fern of the divided kind, only very small.
It grows to eight or ten inches high. The stalks
are thick, black, and glossy. The leaves are very
beautifully divided into a great many parts: these
are short, of a dark shiriing green, and deeply notch-
ed at the edges, and they terminate in a sharp point,
not blunt as some of those already mentioned. The
seeds lie on the edges of the under part of the leaves,
in form of a brown dust. It .is not uncommon by
wood sides, and in shady lanes.

A decoction of it works powerfully by urine^
and it has the same virtue with the rest in the cure
of coughs.

Of these four, for they possess the same virtues,
the preference is given to the first described, or
true kind ; next to the English maidenhair ; and
in defect of both these, to the black kind. The
white maidenhair is preferred to any against the
gravel, and in suppression of urine ; but for the
common use in coughs and hoarsenesses, it is the
least esteemed of all.

There is another plant, called by the name of maid-
enhair, which is yet to be described, it makes one of
what are commonly called the five capellarv herbs,
but it IS so distinct from the others, that it is best
kept separate. They are all kinds of fern : this is a
sort of moss.

Golden Maidenhair. Adiantnm aurcum.

A LITTLE upright plant, but considered as a
moss, one of the largest of the kind. It grows
four or five inches high, when in perfection. The
lower part of the stalk is covered for an inch or
more, with thick, short, narrow leaves, sharp at
the point, and of a dusky green colour : these stand
in fluch clusters, that they quite hide the stalk ; from

212

FAMILY HERBAL.

the top of these rise the pedicles, supporting' the
heads ; they are naked three or four inches high,
slender, and of a brownish, reddish, or hlackish
colour: the head upon the summit of these is single,
square, and is covered with a woolly cap, of the
figure of an extinguisher, which falls oft" when the
head is intirelj ripe : this head is full of a fine
dust.

The plant is frequent in boggy places, and is to
be used intire. Some talk of its being good in
coughs, but the more frequent use of it is extcrnall v.
they boil it in water, and wash the head with it, to
make the hair grow thick.

The Common Mallow. Malva.

AWILI^ plant, every where about our hedges,
fields, and gardens. It is one among many in-
stances, that God has made the most useful plants,
the most common. ' The mallow grows three or
four feet high. The stalk is round, thick and
strong. The leaves are roundish, -but indented
and divided at the edges. The flowers are nu-
merous, large, and red. The root is long and
white, of a firm, tough substance, and not dis-
agreeable taste.

The M'hole plant is used, but the root has most
virtue. The leaves dried, or fresh, are put in.de-
cactions for glisters ; and the root may be dried,
for it retains a great deal of virtue, but it is best
fresh, and should be chosen when there are only
leaves growing from it, not a stalk. It is to be
boiled in water, and the decoction may be made
very strong, for there is nothing disfigreeable in the
taste: it is^ to be drank in quantities, and is ex-
cellent to promote urine, and to take oft the
strangury. It is good also in the same manneifv

FAMILY HERBAL.

213

against sharp humours m the hovvels, and for the
gravel.

There is a little kind of mallaw, that has whitish
flowers, and lies flat upon the ground. This is of
*a more pleasant taste than the common mallow,
and has the same virtues. A tea made of the roots
and tops of this, is very agreeable to the taste, and
is excellent for promoting the discharges by urine.

Marsh Mallow. Altli(Ba.

A TALL wi\d plant, of the mallow kind, fre-
quent with us about salt marshes, and the sides of
rivers where the tides come. It grows to four feet
in height. The stalk is round, upright, thick, and
somewhat hair y. The leaves are large, broad at the
base, small at the point, of a figure approaching to
triangular, and indented round the edges : they are
of a whitish green colour, and soft to the touch
like velvet. The flowers are large and white, with
sometimes a faint blush of reddish. They are of
the same size and shape with those of the common
mallow.

The root is most used. It is white, 'lon^, and
thick, of an insipid taste, and full of a mucilaginous
juice. Boiled in water, and the decoction made
strong, it is excellent to promote urine, and bring
away gravel, and small stones ; it also cures stran-
guries, and is good in coughs. Its virtues are the
same with those of the common mallow, but in a
greater degree.

Vervain Mallow. Alcea.

A VERY beautiful plant, both in its fl ower and
manner of growth ; common in pastures, and worthy
to be cherished in our gardens. It grows two feet

214

FAMILY HERBAL. ,

bigh. The stalks are round, moderately thick, a
little hairj, and very upri<^ht. The lower leaves
are rounded, and divided slightly at the edges :
those on the stalk are cut into very small parts, and
in a very beautiful manner. The flowers are of a'
•very bright red, and are three times as large as
those of the common mallow, and very beautiful.
The seeds are disposed in the same circular manner,
as in the common mallow. The root is white.

The root is the part used. It has the same virtue
with that of the common mallow, but in a less
degree. The leaves also have the same virtue^,
and are very pleasant taken in tea,

MusR Mallow. Bamia Moschata.

A PLANT, not unlike the vervain mallow in
its aspect, hut a native only of the hotter countries.
It is two feet high. The stalk is single, round,
thick, hairy, and upright. The lower leaves are
roundish, only indented a little at the edges ; the
upper ones are divided into five parts, pretty deep-
ly. The flowers are of the shape of those of the
common mallow, and are large, but their colour
ig yellow. The seed is contained in a long husk,
or case, and is of a kidney-like shape, and of a
sweet perfumed smell.

The seed is the only part used, and that very
rarely. It is said to be good against the head-ach,
l)ut we seldom meet with it fresh enough to have
any virtue.

Mandrake. Maiidragora.

A PLANT, about which there have been a mul-
titude of errors, but in which, there is, m reality,
nothing so singular as pretended. There are, pro-

FAMILY HERBAL. 215

perly speaking, two kinds of mandrake ; ihe one
with round fruit, and broad leaves, called the
male ; the other with oblong fruit, and narrower
leaves/ called the female : their virtues are the
same, but the male is generally preferred. They
are natives of Italy, where they grow in woods,
and on the banks of rivers : we keep them in gar-
dens ; but they grow there as freely as if native.

The mandrake has no stalk. The leaves rise im-
mediately from the root, and they are very large :
they are a foot long, four inches broad in ihe mid-
dle, and of a dusky green colour^ and bad smelL
The flowers stand upon foot stalks, of four inches
high, slender, and hairy, and rising immediately
from the root : these flowers are large, of a dingy
purplish colour, and of a very bad smell. The
fruit which follows, is of the bigness and shape
of a small apple, or like a small pear, according
to the male or female kind : this is yellow when
ripe, and is also of a very bad smell. The root
is long and thick ; it is largest at the head, aijd
eraaller all the way down ; sometimes it is divided
mto two parts, from the middle downwards, if a
stone have lain in the way, or any other accident
occasioned it ; but usuallv it is sino'le. This is
the root which is pictured to be like the human
form : it is when single, no more like a man than
a carrot or a parsnip is, and when by some accident
it is divided, 'tis no more like, than any ^ long
root, which happens to have met the same acci-
dent. Those roots which are shewn about for
money and have the head, limbs, and figure, o£
a human form, are made so by art, and they sel-
dom use the real mandrake root for that purpose :
they are often made of white briony root, some-
times of angelica. The people cut them into
Ibis shape, and put them into the ground again.

216

FAMILY HERBAL.

where they will be sometimes in part covered with
anew bark, and so look natural. All the storv
that they shriek, when they are pulled up, and
they use a dog to draw them out of the ground,
because it is fatal to any, person to do it^ and
the like, are idle, false, and groundless ; calculated
only to surprise ignorant people, and get money
by the shew : there is nothing singular m the root
of the mandrake ; and as to the terms male and
female, the two kinds would be better distinguish-
ed, by calling the one, the broader leaved man-
drake, with round fruit, and the other, the narrow-
er leaved mandrake, with oval fruit. There are
plants which are separately male and female, as
hemp, spinach, the date tree, and the like : but
there is nothing of this distinction in the mandrakes.

The fresh root of mandrake, is a violent me-
dicine ; it operates both by vomit and stool, and few
constitutions are able to bear it. The bark of the
root dried works by vomit alone, but very roughly.
The fruit may be eaten, but it has a sleepy quality,
though not strong. The leaves are used in foment-
ations and pultices, to allay pains in swellings,
and they do very well.

Most of the idle stories concerning the man-
drake, have taken their origin from its being named
in scripture. And from the account therti given
of it, some have imagined, it would make women
fruitful ; but this plant does not seem to be the
thing intended bj the word, nor has it any such
■virtues. What the vegetable is, which is named
in the scripture, and translated mandrake, we do
' not know.

Sweet Marjoram, jMaJoi^ana.

A COMMON garden plant, of no great beauty.

FAMILY HERRAL.

217

but kept for the sake of its virtues and use. It is
a foot high. The stalks are fivm, upright, and a
little hairy. The leaves are broad, short, and
somewhat hairy, of a pale green colour, and not in-
dented at the edges, and of a fine smell. At the
tops of the branches, stand a kind of soft scaly
heads, three quarters of an inch long, and from
these grow the flowers, which are small and white.
The seeds are very small ; and the root is fibrous.
The whole plant has a fine smell.

The whole plant is to be used fresh; and it is
best taken by way of infusion It is good against
the head ach, and dizziness, and all the inferior
order of nervous complaints ; but they talk idly
who call it a remedy for apoplexies. It gejtly pro-
motes the menses, and opens all obstructions. The
dried herb may be given for the same purpose in
powder but it does not succeed so well.

Wild Marjoram. Origanum.

A WILD plant, frequent about way-sides, in"
many places, but superior to the other in beauty
and in virtues. It very well deserves a place, on
both accounts, in our gardens. It grows a foot
and a half high. The stalk is firm, very upright,
a little hairy, and of a purplish brown colour, ex-
tremely regular in its growth. The, leaves are
broad and short, of the bigness of one's thumb-
nail, and of a dark green colour ; two stand at
every joint, and they have long foot stalks. The
flowers grow on the tops of the branches : there
stand on these long scaly heads, of a beautiful form,
and purple colour; and from diflierent parts of
those, arise the flowers, which are little, but of ^
beautiful red colour. The whole plant has a fra-
grant smell, and an aromatic taste.

The fresh tops of the heib are to be used. They

FAMILY HERBAL.

are best taken in infusion : thej strcns^tlien the sto-
mach, and are good against habitual colics : they
are also good in head-achs, and in all nervous com-
plaints ; and they open obstructions^ and are good
in the jaundice, and to promote the menses. Chy-
mists sell what they call oil of origanum, but iU
commonly an oil made from garden thyme, it is
very acrid ; a drop of it put upon lint, and laid to
an aching toothy often gives ease.

Cretig M.uoRAai. Origanum creticum.

A BEAUTIFUL plant, of the wild marjoram
kind, frequent wild in the east, and kept in our
gardens. It grows a foot high. The stalks are
square, upright, and brown. The leaves are ob-
long and broad : they are of a whitish colour, and
stand on long foot stalks: there grow scaly heads
at ihe tops of the branches, as in the other kinds,
and from these burst out the flowers, which are
little and white.

The tops are the part used : our druggists keep
them dry; but they generally have lost so much
of their virtue, tha^he fresh tops of our own wild
majoram, or the dried ones of the last season, are
better.

Marigold. ^Calendula.

A PLANT too common in our kitchen gardens,
to need much description. It is a foot high. The
stalks are thick, angulated, and not very upright.
The leaves are long^ narrow at the base, and broad-
er toward the end. The flowers are large and
yellow, and, they stand at the tops of the branches
The whole plant is of a pale bluish green colour,
and feels clammy. The root is fibrous. .

A tea made of the fresh gathered flowers of

FAMILY HERBAL 219

marigold, picked from the cups, is good iu fevers :
i<, gently promotes perspiration, and throws out
any thing that ought to appear on the bkin.

The Mastic Tree. Lentiscus.

A !NATIVE of the warmer countries, but not
uncommon in our gardens. It grows to the big-
ness of our apple trees, and is as irregular in the
disposition of its branches. They are covered
with a greyish bark, and are brittle. The leaves
are composed, each of about four pairs of small
ones, without any odd leaf at the end : they are
affixed to a kind of rib or pedicle, which has a film
running down it, on each side. They are oblong,
narrow, and pointed at the ends. The flowers are
little, and yellowish ; and they grow in tufts.
The fruit is a bluish berry.

We use the resin which drops from the wounded
branches of this tree. The tree itself is common
in France and Italy, but it yields no resin there ;
we have that from Greece : It is whitish, hard,
and in little lumps. It is good for all nervous
dis<rrders, and acts also as a balsam. There is
scarce any thing better for a spitting of blood,
or in the first stage of a consumption : it is also
good against the whites, and in the gleets after
gonorrhoeas. Some have a custom of chewing
it, to preserve the teeth and sweeten the breath.

Herb Mastic. • Marum.

A PRETTY little plant, native only of the
warmer climates, but common in our gardens. I(
is a foot high, and the stem and principal branches
are shrubby or woody in thci.r texture: the small-
er shoots are whitish. The leaves grow^ two at

220

FAMILY HERBAL.

cacli joint : they are little, oblong, and pointed;
of a pale colour, and fragrant smell like mastic,
resinous, and very agreeable. At the tops of the
stalks, stand a kind of downy, or hairy spikes or
ears, of a peculiarly odd appearance, and from out
of these come the flowers, which are little and
■white. Tlie root is small.

The whole plant is used dry. It may be given
in infusion, or in powder : it is a good strengthener
of the stomach, and an astringent. It stops the
overflowing of the menses : the powder of the
tops is best given for this purpose in red wine, a
icruple for a dose.

Syrian Mastic Thyme. JSIaruni Syriacum.

A BEAUTIFUL little plant, native of the
warm countries, but not unfrequent in our gardens.
It grows afoot high. The stalks are brittle, slen-
der, and whitish. The leaves stand two at each
joint : they are small, in shape very like those of
thyme, and of a pale green colour on the upper
side, and white and hoary underneath. The flow-
ers are small and red : thev arrow in a kind of
little spikes, or oblong clusters at the tops of the
stalks, and have hoary white cups. The whole
plant has a very penetrating, but pleasant smell,
and an aromatic taste. Cats are fond of this plant,
and w ill rub it to pieces in their fondness. It is
good for all disorders of the head and nerves : it
may be given in powder, but the most common
•way is to take it in snuff.

Master WORT. Imperitoria..

A PLANT of no beauty, kept in our gardens
for its virtue. It grows two feet high. The stalks

FAMILY HERBAL. 221

are round, striated, hollowed, upright, not very
strong. The leaves arc each composed of three
smaller : they are of a dark green colour, blunt at
the points, and indented about the edges. Tlie flow-
ers are small and white : they stand in little umbels
at the tops of the branches. The roots are long,
brown, divided, of a strong smell, and a sharp
aromatic taste.

The root is the part used : it is good in fevers,
disorders of the head, and of the stomach and
bowels. It is best taken up fresh, and given in a
light infusion : it promotes sweat, and is a better
medicine for that purpose, than most of the foreign
roots kept by druggists.

Maudlin. Ageratum.

A COMMON plant in our gardens, not with-
S»nt beauty, but kept more for its virtues. It is a
foot high. The stalk is round, upright, firm,
single, and of a pale green. The leaves are very
numerous, ^and they are longish, narrow, and
serrated about the edges. The flowers are small
and naked, consisting only of a kind of thrums ;
but they stand in a large cluster together, at the top
of the stalk, in the manner of an umbel. The whole
plant has a pleasant smell.

The whole is used, fresh or dried ; but it is best
fresh gathered. An infusion of it taken for a
continuance of time, is good against obstructions of
the liver : it operates by urine.

Stinking Mayweed. Cottilci fcetida.

A COMMON wild plant in corn fields, and
waste grounds, with finely divided leaves and white
flowers like daizies. The stalk is round and stria-

222

FAMILY HERBAL.

ted. The herb grows a foot high. The leaves are
like tliose of cammomilcj only of a blacker grcen^
and larger. The flowers stand ten or dozen near
one another, at the tops of the branches ; but they
grow separate, not in a cluster. The whole plant
has a strong smell.

The infusion of the fresh plant is good ijn all
h\'steric complaints, and it promotes the menses.
The herb boiled soft, is an excellent pultice for the
piles.

Meadow Sweet. Ulmaria.

A WILD plant, frequent about the sides of
rivers, v/ith divided leaves, and beautiful tufts of
"white flowers. It is four feet high. The stalk is
round, striated, upright, firm, and of a pale green,
or sometimes of a purple colour. The leaves are
each composed of about three pair of smaller, set
on a thick rib, with an odd leaf at the end : they
are of a fine green on the upper side, and whitish
underneath, and they are rough to the touch. The
flowers are small and white, but they stand so close,
that the whole cluster looks like one large flower.
The seeds are set in a twisted order.

An infusion of the fresh tops of meadow sweet,
is an excellent sweat, and it is a little astringent.
I.tisagood medicine in fevers, attended with purg-
mgs. It is te be given in a bason once in two
hours.

The Mechoacan Plant. Mechoacana.

A CLIMBING plant, native of the West Indies.
It is capable of running to a great height, svhen
it can be supported : it will climb to the tops
of tall trees. The stalks arc angulaled, slender.

FAMILY HERBAL.

223

green, and brittle ; and when broken, they yield a
Vast quantity of an acrid, milky juice. The
leaves stand singly ; they are broad, and not very
long, and of a beautiful shape, terminating in a
point. Tiie flowers are large, and of the shape of a
bell : they are of a deep purple on the inside, and
of a pale red without; and the seed-vessels are
large, as are also the seeds. The root is whitish,
and very thick.

The root is the part used : our druggists keep it
dry. It is in slices, and is whitish and^ brittle.
It is an excellent purge, but there requires- a large
dose to work tolerably ; this has occasioned' its
being much less used than worse medicines, that
operate more strongly, and can be taken with less
disgust ; but it is to be lamented, that so little, use
ig made of it.

The Medlar Tree. Mespilus,

A COMMON tree in our gardens. It is of the
bigness of an apple tree, and grows in the same ir-
regular manner : the branches have thorns on them.
The leaves are longer and narrower than in the
apple tree, and they terminate in a point. The
blossoms are large and white. The fruit is round-
ish, and open at the bottom ; and till very much
mellowed, is of an austere taste.

A strong decoction of unripe medlars, is good
to stop violent purgings. The seeds work by urine,
and are good against the gravel ; but there are
so many more powerful things at hand, they are
seldom used.

Mei^ii^T. Mdilntns.

A COMMON wild plant, with three leaves at

224

FAMILY HERBAL.

a joint, and long straggling: spikes of yellow flow-
ers. It is a foot and a half high, or more. The
stalk is weak, slender, green, and striated. Tlic
leaves are ohlong, and hlunt at the ends : thev
are serrated round the edges, and of a hright green
colour. The flowers are small, and of the shape
of the flowers of tares, but little; and there fol-
lows each a roundish pod, rough and green. The
whole, plant has a singular, but not disagreeable
smell ; and the leaves arc the food of so many
insects^ tiiat they are commonly gnawn to pieces.

The fresh plant is excellent to mix in pultices, to
be applied to swellings. It was once famous in a
plaister, used for dressing of blisters, but the apothe-
caries used to play so many bad (ricks, to imitate
the green colour it was expected to give, that the
plaister is now made without it.

The Melon. Mclo.

A TRAINING herb, with yellow flowers, and
large fruit ; well known at our tables. The plant
grows to eight or ten feet long, but is not erect.
The stalks are angulated, thick, and of a pale green.
The leaves are large and broad, somewhat round-
ish, and not deeply divided, as in most of the creep-
ing plants of this sort. There are tendrils on the
stalk for its laying hold of any thing. The flowers
are very large, and open at the mouth. The fruit
is oblong and rough, more or less on the surface,
containing seeds, with a juicy matter within.

The seeds are the part used : they are cooling,
and work by urine. They are best given in an
emulsion, beat up with barley water : this is a good
drink in fevers given warm.

FAMILY HERBAL

The Mezereon Shrub. Mezermm.

A VERY pretty shrubs native of many parts oi
Europe, and frequent in our gardens. It is four
feet high, and very much branched. The bratichcs
stand irregularly, and they are Very tough and firm.
The leaves are oblong and narrow : they grow id
clusters from certain little swellings on the bark.
The fiowers are small and red ; they arc hollow^
and are succeeded by oblong berries, which are
black when ripe. The root is woody and creep*
ing ; and the plant is not easily destroyed, when
once well established.

The bark of the root, or the inner bark of the
branches is to be used ; but it is a violent medicine,
and must be given with great caution, in small
doses, and only to those who have strong constitu-
tions. It will cause vomiting, and bloody stools
to people that are tender, or to any, in a large dose ;
but to robust people, it only acts as a brisk purge.
It is excellent in dropsies, and other stubborn dis-^
orders ; and the best way of giving it, is in a light
infusion.

Millet. Millium,

A PLANT of the grass kind, large, upright^
and not without its beauty. It is four feet high.
The stalk is round, hollow, jointed> thick, and firm.
The leaves are long and broad, of a pale green, and
hairy. The flowers and seeds grow at the top of
the stalk, in a vast cluster, so heavy that the head
usually han^s down : they are altogether of the
grass kind. The flowers are inconsiderable, and
the seeds small, hard, and white.

The seeds are used sometimes in the manner of
barley to. make, a dxink, which is {food, ip. fevers*

^26

FAMILY llKRBAt.

ana against heat of urine ; it is also a \Ut\c at-
tringen*. Tlie grarin is eaten ako as barley.

Milkwort. Poly%ala.

A COMMON little plant upon our heaths, and
in dry pastures, with numerous leaves and blue or
white flowers, ( for this is a variety and caused by
accidents) disposed in loose spikes. The root is
long, and divided into several parts, the stalks arc
very numerous, and very much branched, they are
slender and weak, and they spread themselves upon^
the ground, forming a little green taft. There is
great variety in the appearance of the plant, beside
■what has been already named in the colour of the
flower ; nor is that indeed the only varifatien there:
so that it has been divided into two or three kinds
by some writers, but as all these will rise from tlic
same seed, and on^y are owing to the soil and
exposure, the plant is without doubt the same in
every appearance, and its virtues are the same
in which ever state it is taken. When it grows in
barren places, the stalks are not more than three
or four inches in length, and the leaves are very
numerous, short, and of an oval figure. The flow-
ers are in this ease small and blue, sometimes
whitish, striated with blue, and sometimes in-
tircly white. When the plant grows in a some-
what more favourable soil, the leaves are oblong,
and narrow, pointed at the ends, and of a beautiful
green, the stalks are five or six inches long, and
the flowers in [this case are commonly blue, and
this is the most ordinary state of the plant. When
it grows in very favourable places, as upon the
damp side of a hill, where there are springs, and
among the tall grass, then its leaves are longer, its
stalks more robust and more upright, and its flowert

FAMILY herbal: ^22

are red. These are the several appearances of this
little plant, and it is all one in which j of them it
is taken. The root is often of a considerable thick-
ness, and single, but it is more usually divided and.
smaller ; it is whitish, and of a disagreeable acrid
taste.

This plant had passeji unregarded as to any
medicinal use, till Dr. Tennent brought into Eng^
land the senekka root, famous in America against
the effects of the bite of the rattle -snake, and found
here to be of service in pleurisies : but when it was
found, that this was the root of a kind of milk-
wort, not very different from our own, we tried
the roots of our own kind, and found them effectual
in the same cases : as to the poisonous bites of a
serpent, they are so uncommon here, that we need
not regard that part of the qualities, but we find it
good in the other disorder, and in all diseases in
"which the blood is thick and sizy. The fresh root
is best, but it has not its full virtue except in spring,
when the stalks are just shooting out of the ground,
for this reason it is most proper to take it up at
that^time, and dry it for the service of the year.
When fresh, it is best given in infusion : but wheii
^ried, it is kept in powder.

Spear Mint. Mentha vulgaris.

A COMMON plant in our gardens, and of
frequent use in the kitchen. It is two feet high,
the stalks are square, single, upright, firm, and
of a pale green. The leaves stand two at a joint ;
they are long, narrow, of a blackish green, ser-
rated at the edges, and sharp-pointed. The flow-
ers are small and purple ; they stand in long spikes,
in a beautiful manner. The whole plant has i>
fragrant smell, and a pleasant aromatic taste.

22S

FAMILY HERRAt.

The whole plant is used, fresh or dried, and it
cxcejieijt against disorders of the stomach. It
will slop vomiting, and create an appetite; it ig
best given in the simple distilled water, well made,
or else in the form of tea. The fresh herb hruis-
ed, and applied outwardly to the stomach, will
stop vomitings.

Water Mint. Mintha nquaiica. '

A COMMON wild plant of the mint kind,
not so much regarded as it deserves. It is frequent
by ditch sides. It is a foot and half high. The
stalks are square, upright, firm, and strong, and
generally of a brown colour ; the leaves are broad
and .short; they stand two at a joint, and are of a
brownish or deep green colour, somewhat hairy,
and serrated about the edges. The flowers are
larger than those of common mint, and are of a
pale red colour ; they stand in round thick clus-
ters at the tops of the stalks, and round the up-
per joints. The whole plant has a strong smell,
not disagreeable, but of a mixed kind between
that of mint, and penny royal : and the taste is
strong and acridj but it is not to be called disagree-
able.

A distilled water of this plant is excellent against
colics, pains in the stomach and bowels, and it will
bring down the menses. A single dose of it often
cures the colic. The use of peppermint has ex-
cluded this kind from the present practice, but
all three ought to be used. Where a simple weak-
ness of the stomach is the complaint, the common
mint ^should be used; when colicy pains alone,
the peppermint ; and where suppressions of the
menses arc in the case, this wild water mint : they
?nay all be given in the way of tea, but a simple

FAMILY HERBAL. 229

Water distilled from them, and made sufficiently
strong, is by much the most eflicacious.

Peppermint. Mentlia ' piper at a.

A PLANT kept in our gardens, hut much more
resembling the wild mint last described, than the
spear mmt, both in form and qualities. It grows
two feet and a half high. The stalk is square and
firm, uprigiit, aud of a pale green ; the leaves
stand two at each joint : they are broad, not very
long, of a dark green, and serrated deeply at the
edges. The flowers grow in thick spikes, but
not very long ones, they are large, and of a pale
red. The whole plant has an agreeable quick
smell, and a hot taste like pepper, but not dis-^
agreeable.

The whole plant is used fresh or dried ; but
the best way is to give the distilled water. It
cures the colic, often almost instantaneously, and
it is good against the gravel.

Long Leaved Wild Mint. Menthastrum.

A SINGULAR wild plant, of the mint kind,
but not without its beauty ; it is two feet high,
and grows with great regularity. The stalk is
square, firm, and of a pale green, very upright,
and at the top full of young shoots. The leaves
are long and narrow ; they are of a whitish green,
deeply indented about the edo^es, and pointed at
the ends : the flowers stand in spikes, at the tops
of the young shoots ; they are pale, red, and large,
and very numerous. The whole plant has a strong
Ijmell.

The whole plant is used fresh or dried, acl is
to be given in way of tea, for the distilled water

230

FAMILY HERBAL.

is disagreeable. It strengthens the stomach, aud
promotes the menses. It is in tliis latter respect
a very valuable medicine, but the use of it must
be continued some time..

The Myrtle. Myrtus.

A LITTLE shrub, \ery beautiful in its manner
of growth, a native of Italy, but common in our
gardens The trunk is covered with a rough
])rovvn bark. The branches are numerous, slen-
der, tougli, and reddish. The leaves are very
beautiful; they are small, short, of a fine green,
pointed at the ends, not serrated at the edges, and
they stand in great numbers, and in a beautiful
order upon the branches. The flowers stand on
short foot stalks ; they are large, white, and full
of threads : the fruit is a round black berry, as
large as the biggest pea, and has a crown at the
top. The leaves when bruised, have an extremely
fragrant smell. The shrub will bear our climate
better than is imagined ; there are, in some places,
hedges of it five or six feet high, that stand the
■winters without the least hurt.

The leaves and berries of the myrtle are used ;
they are cordial and astringent. A strong infu-
sion of the fresh leaves is good against a slight
purging, strengthening the stomach at the same
time that it removes the complaint. The dried
leaves powdered, are excellent against the whites.
The berries are good against bloody fluxes, over-
^uwings of the menses, and in spitting of blood.

MiSLETOE. VisCUS.

A SINGULAR plant, native of our own country,
\n\i growing, not on the earth as other herbs, bui

FAMILY HERBAL.

tipon the branches of trees ; on which it makes' a
very conspicuous figure. It grows two feet high,
and its branches are so numerous, and spread in
such a mariner, that the whole plant is as broad as
tall, and appears a round yellow tuft of that di-
ameter, quite unlike to the tree on which it grows,
in fruit, leaves, and bark. The main stem is half
an inch in diameter ; the branches divide always
by two's, and they easily break at the joints or
divisions. The bark is throughout of a yellowish
colour,' though with some mixture of green oa
the young shoots ; the leaves are also yellowish ;
they grow two at each joipt : they are fleshy,
oblong, narrowest at the bottom, and broader
toward the top. The flowers are yellow, but they
are small and inconsiderable ; the fruit is a white
berry, round, and of the bigness of a pea, this is
full of a tough., clammy juice.

The leaves of raisletoe dried and powdered are
a famous remedy for the falling sickness. They
are good in all nervous disorders, and have beea
known to perform great cures taken for a continu-
ance of time*

The In^diA'N MrROBAL.\N Tree. Altjrolalanug

Indica.

A TREE native of the warmer climates, and
not yet got into our gardens. It grows to twenty-
feet hi^h. The branches' are numerous, and very
irregularly disposed. The leaves are long and
narrow : the flowers are white, and like the blos-
soms of our plum trees ; and the fruit resembles
'a plum, oblong and ffleshy, with a long stone or
kernel ; but the fruit is generally gathered before
the stone hardens, so that it seems to have none.

We used to ha;ve the fruit brought over, and it

S32

FAMILY HEIlfeAt.

was given as a purge, but at present none rpgard
it. There are also four others of the same kiudi
the names of which we see in books of medicinei
but the fruits are not to be met with, nor is it
much loss, for we have better things to answer
their purposes. They were called the citrine,
cbebule, belleric, and emblec myrobalanus ; they
are all used as purges, but common senna is worth
them all.

MooNWORT. Lunaridi

A VERY singular^ and very pretty plant, fre-
quent in some parts of the kingdom, but in most
yery scarce. It grows six inches high ; and con-
sists of the stalk, one leaf, and the flowers. The
stalk is round, firm, and thick. It is naked to the
middle, and theregrows the leaf, which is composed
as it were of several pairs of small ones, or rather
is a whole and single leaf divided deeply, so as
to resemble a number of smaller ; these are round-
ed and hollowed, and thence came its name of
mooawort ; from the base of this leaf, the stalk
is continued up an inch or two, and then rise the
clusters of flowers and seeds ; these arc very small,
and like dust_. and of a brown colour. The leaves
of moonwort dried and given in powder, stop
purgings, and the overflowing of the menses.
The fresh plant bruised and laid to a cut, stopi
the bleeding, and heals it in a day or two.

Hairy Tree Moss. Usnea.

A "VERY singular plant of the moss kind, fre-
quent in our large forests,- but rare elsewhere :
it grows to the branches of old oaks and bushes,
and hangs down from them in long strings. The

FAMILY HERBAL. 233

tufts of it are often a foot long, and in the whole
two or three inches thick ; they are composed
of a great quantity of stalks and branches, the
largest not bigger than a large packthread ; these
are of a grey colour, and are composed of a soft
bark, and a firm white fibre within : tliis bark
is often cracked, and the fibres appear jointed ,
the small fibres of the plant resemble hairs : on
the larger grow, at certain seasons, little hollow
brown bodies. These contain the seeds, but they
are too minute to be distinguished singly. The
whole plant is dry, and sapless as it grows, and
has not the least appearance of leaves upon it.

The powder of this moss is an excellent astrin-
gent ; it is to dried in an oven, and beat in a mor'-
tar : the white fibres will remain, when the soft
part has gone through the sieve ; they are of no
use, the other has all the virtue. It it good against
the whites, against overflowing of the menses, and
bloody fluxes, and against spitting of blood : it
deserves to be much more regarded than it is in
the present practice. The dose is half a dram.

Cup Moss. Muscus pyxidaius.

A COMMON little plant on ditch banks, by
wood sides, and in dry barren places. It consists
of a thin coat of a leafy matter, spread upon the
surface of the ground, and of a kind of a little cupg
rising from it. The leafy part is dry and without
juice, divided into several portions, and these
irregularly notched ; it is grey or greenish on the
upper side, and whitish underneath. The cups
are half an inch high. They have each a thick
stem, and an open mouth, and rather resemble a
clumsy drinking glass, than a cup. They arc of
a grey colour, often with some odd mixture of

H h

234

FAMILY HERBAL.

giecn, of a dusty surface ; sometimes they grow
one from the edge of another, up to the third or
fourth stage : they have also many other accidental
varieties ; and sometimes they bear little brown
lumps, which are supposed to contain the seeds.

The whole plant is to be used ; it is to be taken
fresh from the ground, shook clean, and boiled
in water, till the decoction be very strong ; then
there is to be added as much milk as there is of
the liquor, and it is to be sweetened with honey.
It is an excellent medicine for children's coughs :
it is recommended particularly in that called the
chincough.

Common Ground Moss. Muschs terrestris vul-
garis.

A PRETTY, but very small plant. It creeps
on the ground, or rises in tufts two or three inches
high, according to the place. The stalks are very
slender, but tljey are thick, covered with leaves,
and their branches are disposed in such a manner
that they in some degree resemble fern. The
leaves are very small, of a triangular shape, and of
a bright green ; they stand loosely on the lower
part of the stalks, but on the upper, they lie close
and cover them. It very rarely produces its
seeds ; but when it does, there rise naked and very
slender pedicles an inch long from the bosoms of
the leaves, and at the top of each of these stands
a little oblong head, of a brownish red colour,
covered with a cap like an extinguisher in shape,
and full of a fine green dust.

The whole plant is used ; it is to be dried and
powdered, and is given with success against over-
fiov/ings of the menses, and all bleedings ; it is alsu
good against the whites.

FAMILY HERBAL. 235

Moss OF AN Human Skull. Muscus ex cranio

humano.

THERE is not any particular kind of raogs
that grows upon tbc human skull, nor does anj
moss by growing upon it acquire any particular
virtues, whatever fanciful people may have ima-
gined. In England, we commonly use the moss
just described, when it happens to run over an
human skull, that has been laid by accident, or
has been laid on purpose in i(s way : in other
places, they use the sort of white moss, that grows
upon our old apple trees. Both these are in their
own nature astringents, but they are as good if
taken from trees, or off the ground, as if found up-
on these bones. They have been supposed good
against disorders of the head, when gathered
from the skull, but this is all fancy. ,

Mother of Thyme. Serpyllum.

A COMMON wild little plant, but very pretty,
very fragrant, and of great virtues. It grows in little
tufts by way sides, and on dry hillocks ; the stalks
are round, slender, reddish, and six or eight inches
long, but they do not stand upright. The leaves
are very small, and of an oval figure ; they grow
tftvo at eamti joint, and they are smocth, and of a
bright green. The flowers arc of a pale red, and
stand in little tufts at the tops of the s(alks, the
whole plant has a very fragrant smell, and an
aromatic and agreeable taste.

It is a better medicine in nervous cases than
most that arc used ; the fresh plant or dried, may
be drank as tea ; it is very agreeable to the taste,
and by a continuance, will cure the common nerv-
ous disorders. The night mare is a very trouble-

256

FAMILY HERBAL.

some disease, and often puzzles the physician, hui
it will be perfectly cured by a tea made of this
plant.

Motherwort. 'Cardiaca.

A TALL^ and not unhandsome wild plant. It
grows wild about farm-yards and in dry places,
it is a yard high ; the stalk is square, thick, up-
right, and firm. The leaves stand on long foot
stalks, two at each joint. They are divided into
three parts, the middle one being the longest, and
are deeply indented at the edges ; of a dark green
colour, and bad smell. The flowers are of a pale
red : they grow in a kind of prickly cups, from
the bosoms of the leaves, surrounding the stalks-
The root creeps, and is whitish.

The whole plant may be used dried, but the tops
fresh cut are best ; they are to be given in a strong
infusion or decoction. It is good against hysteric
complaints, and it promotes the menses It \%
famous for curing the palpitation of the heart,
when that arises from an hysteric cause : for there
are pajpitationsj which nothing can cure.

Mouse-ear. Pilosclla.

AN exceeding pretty little plant, with whiti«h
leaves, and large bright yellow flowers, frequent
on oui: dilch banks. The leaves grow in little
clusters, and are longish and broad, of a dark
green on the upper side, but white underneath ;
and so much of the under part is usually seen,
that the whole looks whitish. The stalks trail
upon the ground, and take root at every joint :
the leaves have long hairs upon them. The stalks
which support the flowers rise single. They are

FAMILY HERBAL.

237

hairy, they have no leaves, and each bears only
one flower, this stands on the top, and is larsje,
somewhat of the form of the dandelion flower^,
but of a beautiful pale yellow.

The seeds are winged with down, and the stalks
when broken yield a milky juice, but in no great
quantity. The plant has scarce any smell, but an
austere bitterish taste.

A decoction of the fresh gathered herb is ex-
cellent against the bleeding of the piles : and the
leaves boiled in milk, may be applied externally.
It is good nlso in the overflowing of the menses,
and in all other bleedings, and in the whites.

Mug WORT. -Artemisia.

A TALL, and not unhandsome plant, frequent
on ditch banks, having divided leaves, and flowers
like those of v/crmwood. It is a yard high or
more : the stalk is round, striated, often purplish,
firm, upright, and branched. The leaves stand
irregularly upon it ; they are large, and composed
of a number of small parts, which are sharply
indented and pointed. They are of a dusky green
on the upper side and white underneath. The
ilowers are little and brownish, they stand in small
tufts all along the upper parts of the branches,
but they stand upright, whereas those of worm-
wood hang down. They often have a tinge of
purple before they are quite opened, which adds
greatly to the beauty of the plant.

The leaves of niugwort are to be used fresh pr
dried ; they are best given in infusion, and they
are excellent to promote the menses, and against
all the common hysteric complaints.

233 FAMILY HERBAL*

The MuLBEiiRY Tree. Morus.

A LARGE and irrea^ular growing' freCj com-
mon in our gardens. The branches are numerous
and spreading; the leaves are verj beautiful, large,
broad, of a bright green, pointed at the end, and
delicately serrated round the edges. The flow-
ers ;vre small, and inconsiderable : tlie fruit is
sufficiently known ; it is large, oblong, juicy, and
composed of a great number of sniall granules :
it is usually black when ripe. But there is a kind
with white fruit.

The bark of the root of the mulberry tree fresh
taken off and boiled in water, makes an excellent
decoction against the jaundice ; it opens obstruc-
tions of the liver, and works by urine. A very
pleasant syrup is made from the juice of the ripe
fruit, with twice the quantity of sugar. It is
cooling, and is good for sore mouths, and to quench
thirst in fevers.

White Mullien. Verhascum album.

A TALL and stately wild plant, singular for
ita white leaves, and long spike of yellow flow-
ers ; ajid frequent on our ditch banks, and in dry
places. It grows six feet high ; the leaves rising
from the root, are a foot long, as broad as ones
hand, sharp-pointed, serrated about the edges, and
covered with a white downy or woolly matter. The
stalk is Ihick, firm, and very upright, and is cover-
ed with smaller leaves of the same kind : the /low-
ers are yellow and large : they stand in spikes, of
two feet long, three or four only opening at a time ;
the seeds arc small and brown, the root is long and
ibairgy.

the leaves are used, and those arc best whicft

r

\ -

■-./

FAMILY HERBAL.

239

grow from the root, when there is no stalk. They
are to be given in decoction against the overflow-
ings of the menses, the bloody flux, the bleeding
of the piles, and spitting of blood ; boiled in milk,
they are also excellent by way of puitice to the
piles, and other painful swellings.

Mustard. Smapi.

A COMMON rough looking plant, wild in
many places, but kept also in gardens, for the sake
of the seed. It grows a yard high. The stalk
is round, smooth, thick, and of a pale green ; the
leaves are large, and of a coarse green, deeply
indented, and placed irregularly ; they hang down,
and have a disagreeable aspect. The flowers are
small and yellow ; they grow in great numberi
on the tops of the branches, and the pods of the
seed follow them. The whole plant is of an acrid
pungent taste. The root is white.

The seeds are the part used ; what we call
mustard is made of them, and it is very wholesome ;
it strengthens the stomach, and procures an appetite.
The seed bruised and taken in large quantities,
works by urine, and is excellent against rheu-
matisms, and the scurvy. It also promotes the
menses. Laid upon the tongue it will sometimes
restore speech in palsies.

Treacle Mustard. Thlaspi discordis.

A LITTLE wild plant with broad leaves, white
flowers, and flat pods, common in dry placps. It
is eight inches high ; the stalk is round, and stri-
ated. The leaves are oblong, and broad, of a
pale green colour, and dfutated rouud the edges.

240 FAMILY HERBAL.

They grow irregularly on the stalks, and have no
footstalks. The flowers are very small, a little
tuft of them stands at the top of the stalk, and the
pods follow them ; so that the usual appearance,
•when the plant is in flower, is a short spike of the
pods, with a little cluster of flowers on the top ;
the pods are large, flat, roundish, and edged with
a leafy border. The seeds are small, brown, and
of a hot taste. The seed is the part used ; but
our druggists generally sell the seeds of the garden
cress, in the place of it. It is not much regarded.

MiTiiRiDATE Mustard. TJilaspi incano folio.

A LITTLE wild plant, common in corn-nelds.
It is of a foot high ; the stalks are round, firm,
upright, and not much branched ; the leaves are
long, narrow, a little hairy, and of a dusky green.
The flowers are small and white, and the pods
which follow them are roundish and little, not
flatted as in the former kind, nor surrounded with
a foliaceous edge. The leaves grow very thick
upon the stalk, and each has as it were a couple
of little ones at the base.

The seed of this is used also, at least in name,
for the cress seed serves for both : the matter is not
great, for they seem to have the same virtues, and
neither is iniuded, except as ingredients in com-
positions.

The Myrrh Tree. Myrrha.

A TREE concerning" which we have but very
imperfect accounts, and those not well warranted
for genuine. All that we hear of it is, that the
brariches are numerous, and have thorns on thctn ;

FAMILY HERBAL. 241

that the leaves are. olilong, broad, and of a strong
smell, and t];at the bark of the trunk is rough,
and of a greyish colour.

The gum resin called myrrh, is certainly pro-
cured from some tree in the hot countries, but
whether this be a true description of that tree>
there is no certainty. The gum itself is a very
great medicine ; it opens all obstructions of the
■viscera; is good in consumptions, jaundices, and
dropsies ; and is excellent for promoting the menses>
and assisting in the natural and necessary discharges
after delivery : it is to be given in powder ; the
tincture dissolves it but imperfectly ; but this is
excellent against disorders of the teeth and guras,

N

Sweet Navew. Napus.

A t'LANT kept in some gardens, and not unlike
the common turnip in its aspect and appearance.
It grows a yard high. The stalk is round, smooth,
and of a pale green. The leaves stand irregularly
on it, and they are oblong, broad at the base, where
they surround the stalk, and narrower all the way
to the point. The leaves, which grow from the
root, are much larger and deeply cut in at the
sides ; and they are all of a pale or bluish green
colour. The flowers are small and yellow, and
the pods are long. The seed is round and black.
The root is white and large^ and has the taste, but
not the round shape of the turnip, for it is rather
like a parsnip.

The seeds are used, but not much. A decoc-
tion of them is said to promote sweat, and to drive
any thing out to the skin ; but it does not seem
to deserve any great regard.

I i

J^42 FzVMlLY HERBAL.

Wild Navew. Bunias.

THE plant which produce* what we call rape-
seed, and in some places cole-seed. Though wild
on our ditch hanks ; it is sown in some places for
the sake of i(s seed, from which an oil is made for
mechanical purposes. The plant is two or three
feet high ; the stalk is round, upright, smooth
thick, firm, and of a pale green, the lower leaves
are long and Darrow, very dceplj' divided at the
edges, and of a pale or bluish green colour. Those
on the stalk are of the same colour, but small,
narrow, and a little divided : the flowers are small,
and of a bright yellow. The pods are long, and
the seeds are round, large, and black ; they are
of a somewhat hot and sharp taste. The seeds
are used for the same purposes as the other, and
are supposed to have more virtue, but probably
neither have much.

Colic Nard. Nardus ccltica.

A LITTLE plant of the valerian kind, frequent
in many parts of Europe, but not a native of Eng-
land. It is six or eight inches in height; the
stalks are round, striated, and greenish : the leaves
at the bottom are oblong, narrow at the base, and
rounded at the end, and of a yellowish green colour.
Those on the stalks stand in pairs ; they are small
and deeply cut ; the flowers stand in a little cluster
at the top of the stalk ; they are small and w hite :
the root is long, slender, and creeping.

The root is the part used ; our druggists keep
it dry. It is best taken in infusion. It operates
by urine, and in some degree by sweat, but that
very moderately ; it is commended in fevers and
ia the jaundice.

FAMILY HERBAL. 243

Nettle. Urtica.

A PLANT too common to need much descrip-
tion. It is three feet high ; the stalks are angulated
and rough ; the leaves are large, and of a beautiful
shape, regularly from a broad base diminishing to
a sharp point, and nicely serrated round the edges ;
the colour of these and of the stalks is a dusky
green, and they are both covered with a kind of
prickles, which easily make their way into the
skin, and have at their base, a hollow bag of
sharp juice, which gets into the wound, occasioning
that swelling, inflammation, and pain that follows.
The naked eye may distinguish these bags at the
bottom of the prickles on the stalk of a full grown
nettle, but a microscope shews them all over. The
flowers of the nettle, are yellowish, little, and
inconsiderable, the seeds are small, and round, the
root is long and creeping.

The juice of the nettle is good against over-
flowings of the menses. The root is to be given in
infusion, and it works powerfully bj urine, and is
excellent against the jaundice.

The Roman Nettle. Urtica Eomana.

A WILD plant of "the netllc kind, but not
common. It is twp feet high, the stalks are round,
and of a deep green colour. The leaves are large,
and of a deep green also ; broad at the base, narrow
to the point, and deeply serrated. The flowers are
small and inconsiderable, the fruit is a round ball,
as big as a large pea, it stands on a long foot-stalk,
and is of a deep green colour, and full of small
brown seeds. All the plant is covered with the
same sort of prickles as the common nettle, but they
are shorter and finer ; they are silvery white at the

244

FAMILY HERBAL,

tips, and have the same bag: of liquor at the base,
and they sting very terriblj ; more, a great deal
than the common nettle.

The seeds are the part used ; they are good
against coughs, shortness of breath, and hoarse-
nesses ; the seeds of the common nettle are com-
mended for this purpose, but these are greatly prefer-
able. The best way of giving them is in the man-
ner of tea;, sweetened with honey.

Common Nightshade. Solanwh vulgare.

A WILD plant., that oVcr-runs gardens, and
all other cultivated places, if not continually
weeded out. It grows two feet high ; the stalks
are roundish, thick, but not very erect or strong,
and of a dusky green. The leaves are broad and
roundish, but they terminate in a point. They are
of a dark green colour, and stand on foot-stalks.
The flowers grow in little clusters, ten or a dozen
in a bunch ; they are white, with a yellowisli cen-
ter, and they are succeeded by round black berries.

The leaves are used fresh, and only externally.
They are very cooling, and applied bruised to in-
flammations, scalds, burns, and troublesome erup-
tions on the skin.

Deadly Nightshade, ^olannmlcthale.

IT may seem strange to mix a poison among me-
dicines, but a part of this herb has its uses. This
is a wild plant of a dull and dismal aspect. It
grows five feet high. The stalks are angulated,
and of a deep green. The leaves are very large,
broad, and Hat, and they also are of a dull dead
green. The flowers stand singly on long foot-
stalks, arising from the bosom of the leaves, and

FAMILY HERBAL. 245

they also have the same dismal aspect ; they are
large, hollow, and hang down. On the outside
they are of a dusky colour^ between brown aftd
green, and within they are of a Tery deep purple
These are succeeded by berries of the bigness of
cherries, black and shining when ripe, and full of
a pulpy matter, of a sweetish and mawkish taste.
The root is long. The berries are fatal ; children
have often eat them, and perished by it. The leaves
externally applied are cooling and softening; they
are good against the ringworm and tetters, and
against hard swellings. They have very great
virtue in this respect, but the plant should be kept
out of the way of children, or never suffered tq
grow to fruit, as the leaves only are wanted,

The Nutmeg Tree. Niix moschat a-

A TALL, spreading tree, native only of the
warm climates ; the trunk is large, and the bran-
ches are numerous and irregular ; the bark is of
a greyish colour, and the wood light and soft.
The leaves are large, long, and somewhat broad ;
they are not unlike those of thebay tree, but bigger,
and are of a beautiful green on the upper side, and
whitish underneath. They stand irregularly, but
often so nearly opposite, that they seem in pairs,
as we see in the leaves of some of our willows.
The blossom is of the shape and bigness of that
of our cherry tree, but its colour is yellow. The
fruit which succeeds this, is of the bigness of a
small peach, and not unlike it in the general form ;
when cut open there appears first the fleshv coat,
which is a finger thick, and of a rough taste, then
the mace spread over a woody shell, in which is
the nutmeg. We often have the whole fruit sent
over preserved.

2i6

FAMILY HERBAL.

The nutmeg is an excellent spice, it streng-thens
the stomach, and assists digcntion. It will stop
vomitings, and is good against (he colic. When
roasted before the fire, and mixed witli a small quan-
tity of rhubarb, it is the best of all remedies agaiast
piirgings.

O.

The Oak. Qucirus.

A NOBLE and stately tree, native of our coun-
try, and nowhere growing to so great perfection.
It is very tall, and though irregular in the dispo-
sition of its branches, that very irregularity hag
its beauty ; the trunk is very thick ; the branches
arc also thick, and often crooked : the bark, is brown
and rough : the leaved are large, oblong, broad,
and deeply cut in at the edges, and they arje of a
Bhining green. The flowers are inconsiderable.
The fruit is the acorn, well known. Galls are pro-
duced upon the oak, not as fruit, but from the
wounds made by an insect.

The bark of the oak is a very powerful astrin^'
gent ; it stops purgings, and overflowings of' the
nienses, given in powder; a decoction of it is ex-
cellenl for the falling down of the avula, (if as it
is called the falling down ofthe.palate of the mouth.
Whenever a very powerful astringent is required,
pak bark demands the preference over every thing :
if it were brought from the East Indies, it would be
held inestimable ^

The Scarlet Oak". Ilex.

A SHRUB not much regarded on its own ac-
count, but froivi the ; insect called kermes, which

FAMILY HERBAL. S4t

is foiiP.d upon it ; and has at sometimes been suppo*
sed a fruit of it : the shrub thence obtained its
rame of the scarlet oak. It grows only six or
eight feet high. The branches are tough, and
covered with a smooth greyish bark. The leaves
are an inch long^ three quarters of an inch broad,
of a figure approaching to oval, serrated about
theedgesj and a little prickly The flowers are
small and inconsiderable ; the fruit is an acorn, like
that of the common oak, but smaller, standing in
its cup. The kermes, or scarlet grain, is a small
found substance of the bigness of a pea, of a fine
red colour within, and of a purplish blue without,
covered with a fine hoary dust, like a bloom upon
a plum. It is an insect at that time full of young.
When they intend to preserve it in its own form,
they find ways of destroying the principle of life
within, else the young come forth, and it is spoiled.
When they express the juice, they bruise the whole
grains, and squeeze it through a hair cloth ; they
then add an equal weight of fine sugar to it, and
send it over to us under the name of juice of kermes ;
this is used in medicine much more than the grain
itself.

It is a cordial, good against faintings, and to
drive out the small pox ; and for women in childbed.
It supports the spirits, and at the same time pro-
motes the necessary discharges.

Oak of Jerusaleim. Botrys.

A LITTLE plant, native of the warmer conn-
tries, and kept in our gardens, with leaves which
have been supposed to resemble those of the oak
tree, whence it got its name, and small yellowish
flowers. The stalk is afoot and half higli, round-
ish angulated a little, or deeply striated, and of a

248 ' FAMILY HERBAL.

pale green ; the leaves are of a yellowish green, and
of a rough surface; they are oblong, somewhat
broad pointed at the ends, and deeply cut in on the
sides. The flowers stand in abundance of long
spikes on the tops of the branches ; they are very
small and inconsiderable. The whole plant has
a pleasant smell, particularly the young shoots,
"which are to bear the flowers.

' The fresh plant is to be used, and it is best taken
in the manner of tea, or in infusion. U is good in
asthmas, hoarseness, and coughs, and it promotes the
menses and discharges after delivery.

The Olive Tree. Olea.

A LARGE tree, native of the warmer parts of
Europe and the East. The trunk is Ihick and
rough. The branches arc numerous, and stand ir-
regularly ; their bark is grey and smooth. The
leaves are longish and broad, of a deep green on
the upper ^ide, and whitish underneath, and of a
firm texture; the flowers are small and yellow;
the fruit is of the bigness of a small plum, but of a
longer shape, and has a very large stone w ithin.

The oil is the only produce of this tree used in
medicine, it is pressed out of the fruit, and is ex-
cellent in disorders of the lungs, and against colics,
and stoppages of uriiie. But in the latter cases
the oil of sweet almonds fresh pressed is j)referable,
and for < he first linseed oH ; so <hat oil of olives,
or as it is called sallad oil is seldom used in medi-
cine, unless these others cannot be had.

The Onion. Ccpa.

A COMMON plant in our gardens, known at
sight by its hollow tubular leaves. It grows two

FAMILY HERBAL.

249

feet and a half high. The leaves are long, round-
ed, pf the thickness of a man's finger, and hollow.
The stalk is round also, and has at the top a round
cluster of little flowers, these are of a mixed
purplish and greenish colour ; and of a strong
smell, as has the whole plant.

The root is the part used ; it is rouddisli, anil
composed of a great multitude of coats laid one
Dver another . A syrup made of the juite of onions
and honey, is excellent for an asthma.

The Opoponax Plant. Opoponax.

A LARGE and robust plant, of which wi6 have
but imperfect descriptions : it is a native of the
East, and has not been brought into Europe. It
is said to be eleven or twelve ftet high : the stalk
round, thick, and hollow. The leaves very large,
and each composed of a vast numbfer of smaller
set upon a divided stalk. The flowers we are in- *
formed stand in very large round clusters at the
tops of the stalks, and that the seeds are broad,
brown, and of a strong smell ; striated on the
surface and flattish. The root is said to be long
and large, and full of an acrid and milky juice.

We use a kind of resin, which is said to be col-
lected from this root, after it has been wounded
to make it flow in sufficient quantity : but the
whole account comes to us very imperfect, and
upon no very sound authority ; however it seems
probajle.

The resin is brownish or yellowish, and in small
pieces. It is an excellent medicine against nerv-
<His complaints ; anc? particularly against disorders
of the head. If works by urine and promotes
the menses ; and has a tendency to operate, thou.'^'h
I'cry gently, by stool. It is not so much used'a*

&k

250

FAMILY HERBAL,

it deserves to be. I have experienced excellent
effects from it.

The Orange Tree. Aurantia mains.

A BEAUTIFUL and valuable tree, native of
Spain,_ Italy, and the East. It grows to a consider-
able bigness, and its branches spread irregularly.
The hark of the trunk is brown and rough, that
of the branches is smooth and grejish. The leaves
are large, and very beautiful ; they are oblong,
and moderately broad, and the foot stalk has an
edge of a leafy matter on each side, giving it
a heart-like appearance. The flowers are white,
large, fragrant, and very beautiful. The fruit
is enough known.

The sour, or Seville orange, is the kind used in
medicine, but the peel of this more than the juice
or pulpy part. A pleasant syrup is made of Seville
orange juice, by melting in it twice its weight
of the finest sugar ; and a syrup equally pifeasant,
though of another kind, is made of an infusion of
the peel : but the great use of the peel is in tinc-
ture, or infusion as a stomachic. It is for this
puj pose to be pared off very thin, only the yellow-
part being useful, and to be pot into brandy or
vrine, or to have boiling water poured on it fresh
or dry. If a little gentian and a few cardamon
seeds be added to this tincture or infusion, it is as
good a hitter as can be made ; it prevents sickness
of the stomach and vomitings, and is excellent
to amend the appetite.

Orpine. Telcphum,

A VERY beautiful wild plant, of a foot high
er more^ with fresh green leaves, and tufts of

FAMILY HERBAL. 251

bright red flowers ; common ia our hedges in
autumn in many parts of England. The stalk is
round and fleshy ; the leaves are oblong, broad,
and indented round the edges, and tlieir colour is
a bluish green. The flowers are small, but they
are very beautiful ; the root is white and thick*
The whole plant has a fleshy appearance, and it
will grow out of the ground, a long time, taking
its nourishment from the air. ;• ■ ■ i ;

The juice of orpine is good against the bloody
flux : the best way of giving it is made into a thin
syrup, with the finest sugar, and with the addition
of some cinnamon.

j^,.j^!p!xEYE. Buphtlialmum.

A VERY beaut.ifnl wild plant, common in the
North of England, but not in other parts of the
kingdom. It grows a foot and a half high. The
stalk is round, firm, and branched ; the leaves arc
numerous ; they are divided each into a multitude
of fine segments, so that at at distance they some«
what resemble the leaves of j'arrow, but they are
whitish. The flowers are large and yellow ; they
somewhat resemble a marigold in form, and they
stand at the tops of the branches.

The fresh herb is used ; they boil it in ale, and
give it as a remedy for the jaundice : it works by
urine.

P

P.\LMA CiiRisTi. Rtcinus.

A FOREIGN plant, kept in our gardens more
for its beauty than use. The stem is thick, and
looks woody toward the bottom. It grows six

252

FAMILY HERBAL.

feet liigli, and on the upper part is covered with
a sort of mealy powder, of a blnish colour. The
leaves are large, and very beautiful. They are
somewhat like those of the vine, but they are di-
vided deeply into seven or more parts, which are
also sharply serrated at the edges, and they stand
upon long foot stalks, which are not inserted at
the edge, but in the middle of the leaf. The flow-
ers are small : they grow in bunches toward the
top of the plant. The seeds grow upon the trunk
of the plant in different places : three are contain-
ed in husks^ and they have over them severally
a hard shell.

The kernels of these seeds are the part used, but
they are very little regarded at present. There
used to be three or four kinds of them kept by
the druggists, ynder different names, but nobody
now minds thein : they are very violent in their
operation, which is both upwards and downwards,
and have been given in dropsies and rheumatisms.

The Oily Palm Tree. Palma olevsa.

A VERY beautiful tree, native of Africa and
America. It grows moderately high. The trunk
is naked all the wav to the top, where the leave*
^row in vast quantities: they are long and nar-
row, and the foot stalks on which they stand are
prickly. The flowers are small and mossy. The
fruit is of the bigness of a plum, oblong and
flattish, and is covered over with a ^ougU and
fibrous coat. From this friiit, the natives express
what they call palm oil : it is a substance of the
consistence of butter, and of a pleasant, though
■very little taj,te.

This oil is the only produce of the tree used :
Thcj eat it upon the spot, but we apply it exteir-

FAMILY HERBAL.

253

Wftlly %gainst cramps, strains, pains in the Ijnih^^
and weaknesses : but we seldom meet wjth it Tresh
enough, to be fit for use ; and at present, it has
given place to the famous opodeldoc, and to several
other things, which haye the aame qualities in a
much greater degree.

Panic. Panienvi.

A VERY singular and pretty plapt of the
grass kind, cultivated in some parts of Europe.
The stalk is very thick and firm, round, jointed,
and a yard high. The leaves are grassy, bnt they
are large and broad. T^e flowers and seeds are
contained in a long ear, w hich is broad and flat;
it is composed of several smaller ears, arrange^
on the two sides of the stalk ; these spikes arej
hairy. The seed is round, and is much like mil-
let, only smaller.

The seed is the only part used. It is good
against sharp purgings, bloody fluxes, and spitting
of blood.

The Pareira Brava. Pareira bravot.

X CLIMBING shrub of South America, <he
root of which has lately been introduced into
medicine. It grows to twelve or fourteen feet in
heiglit, if there be trees or bushes to support it,
else it lies upon the ground, and is shorter. The §talks
are woody, light, and covered with a rough bark,
which is continually coming off in small flakes.
The leaves are large and broad. The flowers are
small, and of a greenish colour ; and the berries
are round, and when ripe, black. The root is
large, woody, and very long and creeping.

254

FAMIJLY HERBAL.

The root is used. It is of a brownish colour,
rotigb on the surface, and wpodj, but loose in iti
texture. It is to be given in , infusion'. It is an
excellent medicine in the grayeli and in suppres-
tions of urine, as also in the quinzy, and in pleu-
risies, and pieripneumoiiies. It works the most
powerfully, and the most suddenly, by urine of
any medicine : and is so excellent in forcing away
gravel and small stones, that some have pretended
it a r«nnedy for the stone, and said it would dissolve
and break it. This is going too far ; no medicine
has beeo found that has that effect, nor can it be
supposed that any can. Great good has been
done by those medicines which the parliament
purchased of Mrs. Stephens, more than perhaps,
by any other whatsoever, in this terrible complaint ;
but they never dissolvs*d a large and hard stone,
ledeed there needs no more to he assured of this,
than to examine one of those stones ; it will not
be supposed, any thing that the bladder can bear,
will be able to dissolve so firm and solid a substance.

Par SLY. Petroselinum.

A VERY common plant in our gardens, usefiil
in the kitchen, and in medicine. It grows to two
feet in 'leight. The leaves are composed of many
small parts : they are divided into three, and then
into a multitude of sub-divisions : they are of a
bright green, and indented. The stalks are round,
angulaled, or deeply striated, slender, upright,
and branched. The flowers are small and white ;
and they stand in large tufts at the tops of the
branches. The seeds are roundish and striated.
The root is long and white.

The roots are the part used in medicine. A

FAMILY HERfAL. 255

strong decoction of them is good against the jaun-
dice. It operates powcrfullj' by urine, and opens
obstructions.

Parsly Piert. . Percicier.

A LITTLE wild plant, common among our
corn, and in other dry places, with small pale
leaves, and hairy drooping stalks. It does not
grow to more than three or four inches in length,
and seldom stands well upright. The stalks are
round and whitish. The leaves stand irregularly ;
they are narrow at the base, and broad at the end,
where they are 'divided into three rounded" parts.
The flowers are very small : they grow in clusters
at the joints, and arc of a greenish colour. The
seed is small and round. The root is jfibrous.

The whole plant is used ; and it is best fresh.
An infusion of it is very powerful against the
gravel. It operates violently, but safely, by urine,
and it opens obstructions of the Jivcr ; whence
it is good also in the jaundice. There is ap opinion
in many places, of its having a power of dissolv-
ing the stone in the bladder^ but this is idle : there
is, however, a great deal of good to be done in
nephritic cases, by ^ medicines which have not
this power.

Macedonian Parsit. Petroselmum Macedonicum.

A PLANT kept in some of our gardens. It is
two feet high. The stalk is slender, branched,
and hairy. The leaves are composed of raaijy
parts, and those are small and rounded : those on
the upper part of the stalk are more finely divided.
Tlie flowers are small and white, like those of com-
mon parsly ; and they stand like them, ia clusters

«56

FAMILY HERDAL.

on the fops of the stalks. The seeds are small,
«omcwhat hairy, aud of a dusky colour.

The seed is used ; and it is best given in pow-
der. It operates powerfully by urine, airti it is
good against stoppages of Ihe menses, and in the
gravel and colics, arising from that cause. It
IS also recommended against the dropsy and jauix-
dice.

Wild Parsnep. Pastinaca sylvestris,

A WILD plant, common about our road sides.
It is three feet high. The stalk is straight, up-
right, round, striated, and yellowish. The leaves
are composed of many broad divisions, and resem-
ble those of the garden parsnep, but they are small-
er. The flowers are little and yellow : they grow
at the tops of the stalks, in large, rounded tufts,
and the seeds are flat, and of an oval figure. The
root is long, white, and well tasted.

The root is to be used. A strong decoction of
it works by urine, and opens all obstructions,. It
is good against the gravel and the jaundice, and
will bring down the menses.

The Pavana Shrub. Pavana.

A SHRUBBY plant of the East Indies, of a
beautiful, as well as singular aspect. It is six or
seven feet high. The stem is- woody, firm, and
naked almost to the top. The leaves grow upon
long foot stalks, and they all rise nearly together,
at the upper part of the stem : they arc large, of
a roundrd figure, and divided at "the edges pretty
deeply mio several parts : their colour is a deep
(Tiecu. The flowers are small, and of a greenish
colour. The fruit is of the bigness of a hazte

FAMILY HERBAL.

^7

nut. The wood is not very firm, and when cut,
yields a milky juice, of a very disagreeable smell.

The wood and the seeds are used ; and they
have both the same violent operation by vomit and
stool ; but the wood given in infusion, and in a
moderate dose, only purges, and that, though brisk-
ly, without any danger. It is good in dropsies,
and in other stubborn disorders ; and it is excel-
lent against rheumatic pains. Some recommend
it as a specific against the sciatica. The seeds are
what are called grana tiglia J but though much
apoken of by some writer.s, they are at tbis time
very little used in the shops.

The Peach Tree. Persica mains i

A TREE very frequent against our garden walls.
The trunk is covered with a brown oark. The
branches grow irregularly. The leaves are beauti-
ful: they are long, narrow, and elegantly sei rated
at the edges. The blossoms are large, and of a
pale red. The fruit is too well known to need
much description : it consists of a soft pulpy mat-
ter, covered by a hairy skin, and inclosing a hard
stone, in which is a kernel of a pleasant bitter taste.

The flowers are to be used. A pint of water
is to be poured boiling hot on a pound weight of
peach blossoms ; when it has stood four and twenty
hours, it is to be poured off, through a sieve, with-
out squeezing, and two pounds of loaf sugar is
to be dissolved in it, over the fire : this makes an
excellent syrup for children. It purges gently,
and sometimes will make them puke a little. They
have so frequent occasion for this, that people
who have children, have continual use for it.

L 1

f58

FAMILY HERBAL.

Pellitory OF THE Wall. Parietaria.

A WILD, plant frequent on old walls, with weak
branches, and pale green leaves. It grows a foot
high, but seldom altogether erect. The stalks
are round, tender, a little hairy, jointed, and offen
purplish. The leaves stand irregularly on them,
and are an inch long, broad in the middle, and
smaller at each end. The flowers stand close upon
the* stalks, and are small and inconsiderable, of
a whitish green colour when^open, but reddish in
the bud.

The whole plant is used, and it is best fresh.
An infusion of it works well by urine. It is very
serviceable in the jaundice, and is often found a
present remedy in fits of the gravel, the infusion
being taken largely.

Pellitory of Spain. Ftjretlirum.

A VERY pretty little plant kept in our gardens.
It is eight inches high. The stalk is round and
thick. The leaves are very finely divided, so that
they resemble those of the camomile, but they are
of a pale green, thick, and fleshy, and the stalk 13
purple. The flowers stand at the tops of the
branches, and are very pretty : they are of the shape
and size of the great daisy or ox-eye, white at the
edges, yellow in the middle, ajid red on the back or
underside. The root is long, and somewhat thick,
of a very hot taste.'

The root is used : we have it at the druggists.
Its great acridness fills the mouth with rheum on
chewing, and it is good against the tooth-ach. It
is also good to be put into the mouth in palsies, for
it will sometimes alone, by ita stimulation, restore
the voice.

FAMILY HERBAL. 259

pENNr-ROYAL. PuUgium.

A WILD plant, creeping about on marshy
places, with little leaves, and tufts of red flowers at
the joints. The stalks are a foot long, round, and
often of a reddish colour. The leaves are small,
broad, and pointed at the ends, and of a pale green
colour. The flowers stand round the joints m thick
clusters : they are like those of mint, and of a
pale red, and the cups in which they stand are green,
and a little hairy. The whole plant has a strong
penetrating smell, and an acrid but not disagreeable
taste.

The whole plant ig used, fresh or dried ; but
that which grows wild, is much stronger than the
larger kind, which is cultivated in gardens. The
simple water is the best way of taking it, though
it will do very well in infusion, or by way of tea.
It is excellent against stoppages of the menses.

Black Pepper. Piper nigrum,

AN eastern plant, of a very singular kind. It
grows six or eight feet in length, but the stalks are
not able to support themselves upright: they are
round, green, jointed, and thick, and when they
trail upon the gro'und, roots are sent forth from these
joints. The leaves arc large, of an oval figure,
of a . firm substance, and ribbed highly : they stand
on short pedicles, one at each joint. T|ie flowers
are small and inconsiderable : they grow to the
stalk. The fruit succeeds, which is what we call
pt^pper : they hang upon a long stalk, twenty or
torty together : they are green at first, but when
ripe they are red : they g^row black, and wrinkled
in drying. The largest and least wrinkled on the
CDat, are the btist grains.

260

FAMILY HERBAL

«

The fruit is used, and it is excellent against all
coldnesses and crudities upon the stomach. It
^ives appetite in these cases, and assists digestion.
It is also good against dizzinesses of the head, and
against obsitructions of the liver atid spleen, and
against colics. We arc apt to neglect things as
medicines, that we take with food ; but there i»
hardly a more powerful simple of its kind than
pepper, when given singly, and on an empty sto-*
uiach.

White Pepper. Piper Album.

THE common white pepper we meet with, is
made from the black, by soking it in sea water till
it swells, and the dark wainkled coat falls oif ;
but this though the common, is not the true white
pepper : there is another kind, which is natural, and
has no assistance from art. The white pepper plant,
lias round, thick, and whitish stalks : they lie upon
the ground, and have largejoints : ateach joint stands
a single leaf, which is long, and narrow, sharp at
the end, and ribbed. The flowers grow on little
stalks, hanging down from the joints : they arc
small and yellow. The fruit is round ; at first
green, and when ripe white, which is gathered and
dried for use.

This fiuitisused. The common white pepper
is milder than the black ; that is, it is black pepper,
which has lost a part of its virtue : this possesses all
the qualities of the other, and yet it has not so sharp
a taste.

The Long Pepper Plant. Piper longum.

AN Amcri( an plant, in some degree resembling
thp other ptppers in its general growth, but not

FAMILY HERBAL.

261

at all in its fruit. The stalk is round, thick, joint-
ed, and of a deep greeji colour : it is not able to
support itself, but climbs upon bushes. The
leaves are long and narrow ; they stand one at each
joint, upon long foot stalks. The flowers grow
upon the outside of the fruit : they are small and
inconsiderable. The fruit, which is what we call
long pepper, is an inch and a half long, and as thick
as a large quill, marked with spiral lines, and di-
vided into cells within^ in each of which is a sin-
gle seed.

This has the same virtues-with the common black
pepper, but in a less degree ; it is not so hot and
acrid, and therefore will be borne upon the sto-
mach when that cannot.* It is excellent to assist
digestion, and prevent colics.

The Jam.4ica Pepper Tree. Fiper Jamaicense,

AN American tree, in all respects different from
the plants which produce the other kinds of pep-
per, as is also the fruit altogether different. It
should not be called pepper: the round shape of
it was the oaly thing that led people to give it such
a name. The Jamaica pepper tree is large and
beautiful. The trunk is covered with a smooth
brown bark. The branches are numerous ; and
they are well covered with leaves. The tree is
as big and high as our pear trees. The leaves
are oblong and broad, of a shining green colour :
they grow in pairs, and they stand on long pedicles.
The flowers grow only at the extremities of the
branches : they stand a great many together, and
are small. The fruit which succeeds is a berry,
green at first, and afterwards becoming of a red
dish brown, and in the end, black. They are,
when ripe, full of a pulpy matter, surrounding

962

FAMILY HERRAL.

the seeds ; hut they are dried when unripe for
our use.

The fruit, thus gathered and dried in tlie sun,
is what we call Jamaica pepper, piamenta, or
allspice. It is an excellent spice : it strengthens
the stomach, and is good against the colic. The
best way to take it is in powder, mixed with a
little sugar. It will prevent vomiting, and sick-
cess after meals, and is one of the best known rC"
iiaedies for habitual colics.

Guinea Pepper. Capsicum.

A COMMON plant in our gardens, distinguish-
ed by its large scarlet pods. It grows a foot and
a half high. The stalk is angulafed, thick, and
green, tolerably erect, and branched. The leaves
stand irregularly, and are longish, pretty broad,
and of a deep green colour. The flowers are
moderately large and while, with a yellow head
in the niiddle : they grow at the divisions of the
branches. The fruit follows, and is an inch and
a half long, an inch thick, and biggest at the base,
■whence it grows smaller to the point: the colour
ia a fine red, and its surface is so smooth, that it
looks like polished coral : it is a skin containing
a quantity of seeds.

The fruit is the part used. Held in the mouth,
it cures the tooth-ach ; for its heat and acrimony
are greater than in pellitory of Spain, and it fills
the mouth with water. Applied externally, bruis-
ed and mixed with honey and crumbled bread,
it is good fur a quinsy .

Periwinkle. Tuica pervinca.
A VERY pretty creeping plant, wild in some

FAMILY IIERBA.L. ^^-^

pkceSj but kept in gardens also. The stalks are
numerous, and a foot or more in length, but they
do not stand upright : they are round, green,
and tough, and generally trail upon the ground.
The leaves are oblong, broad of a shining green
colour, smooth on the surface and placed two
at each joint. The flowers are large and blue:
they are bell-fashioned^ and stand on long foot
stalks : the fruit succeeding. Each is composed
of two longish puds ; each containing . several
feeds.

The whole plant is used fresh. It is to be boil-
ed in water, and the decoction drank with a little
red wine in it. It stops the overflowing of the
menses, and the bleeding of the piles.

Spelt, or St. Peter's Corn. Zea,

A PLANT of the corn kind, resembling barley ;
sown in some parts of Europe, but not much "
known in England. It grows a foot and a hah
high. The stalk is round, hollow, jointed, and
green ; the leaves are grassy, but broatl. At the
tops of the stalk stands an ear like that of barley,
but smaller and thinner, though with long beards ;
♦he grain is not unlike barley in shape, or between
that and wheat, only much smaller than either.

The seed or grain is the part used ; it is supposed
to be strengthening and in some degree astringent,
but we know very little of its qualities, nor are
they considerable enough to encourage us to iii-
quire after them.

Pimpernel. Amgallis fiore ruhro.

A PRETTY little plant common in corn fields
and garden borders. The stalks are square, smooth,
green, but not very upright : they are five or six

FAMILY HERBAL.

inches The leaves stand two at each joint,

and they are of an oblong figure, considcrablj
broad in the middle, and pointed at the end. The
flowers stand singly on long slender foot-stalks ;
they are small, but of a most bright scarlet colour.

The whole plant is used, and the best method
of giving it, is in an infusion, made by poufingboil*
ing water upon it fresh gathered : this is an excel-
lent drink in fevers ; it promotes sweat, and throws
out the. small pox, measles, or any other eruptions:
the dried leaves may be given in powder or a tea
made of the whole dried plant, but nothing is so well
as the infusion of it fresh, those who have not seen
it tried this way do not know how valuable c me-
dicine it is.

There is another kind of pimpernel, perfectly
like this, but that the flowers are blue ; tliis is cal-
led the female, and the other the male pimpernel,
but the red flowered kind has most virtue.

The Pine Tree. Finns.

A LARGE and beautiful tree, native of Italy,
b\ii kept in our gardens. We have a wild kind of
pine in the North, called Scotch fir, but it is not
the same tree. The trunk of the true pine is cover-
ed with a rough brown bark, the branches with a
smoother, and more reddish. The leaves are long
and slender, and they grow always two from the
same base^ or out of the same sheath, they are of
a bluish green colour, and are a little hollowed on
the inside : the flowers are small and inconsiderable ;
they stand in a kind of tufts on the branches ;
the fruit are cones of a brown colour, large, long,
and blunt at the top. These contain between the
scales certain white kernels of a sweet taste, and
covered with a thin shell.

These kernels aretne part used, and they are ex-

FAMILY HERBAL;

265

1 elle it in consumptions, and after long illness, given
by way of restorative. An emulsion may be made
by beating them up with barley water, and this will
beof the same service with common emulsions foe
heat of urine.

The Wild Pine Tree. Pinus sylvestris.

A TREE native of many parts of Germany,
very much resembling what is called the manured
pine, or simply the pine before described. It grows
to be a large and tall tree ; the trunk is covered
with a rough brown bark, that of the branches is
paler and smoother. The leaves are very narrow,
and short ; they grow two out of a cas^ or husk, as
in the other, and are of a bluish green colour.
They differ principally in being shorter. The
flowers are yellowish, and like the others very small
and inconsiderable, the cones are small, brown, and
hard, and sharp at the tops, they contain kernels in
their shells, among the scales as the other ; but
they are smaller.

The kernels have the same virtues as those of the
other pines, but being little, they are not regarded.
The resin which flows from this tree, eitiier naturaj-
Iv, or when it is cut for that purpose, is^Miit we
call common turpentine. It is a thick substance,
like honey, of a brownish colour, and very strong
and disagreeable smell.

When this turpentine has been distilled to make
oil df turpentine, the resin which remains, is what
we call common resin ; if they put out the fire
in time, it is yellow resin ; if they continue it
longer, it is black resin. They often "boil the tur-
peiuine in water without distilling it for the com-
mon resin ; and when they take it out half boiled
for this purpose ; it is what we call Burgundy

Mm

266

FAMILY HERBAL.

pitch. And tlie whitish resin wliich is called thus,
fir frankincense, and is a thini^- qnite diirerent from
olibanum, or the fine incense, is llie natural resin
flowing from the branches of this tree, and harden^
ing into drops upon them. It does not differ much
from the common turpentine in its nature, but is
less offensive in smell.

The several kinds of pitch, tar, and resin, arc
principally used in plaisters and ointments. The
turpentine produced from this tree also, and cal-
led common turpentine, is principally used in the
same manner, the finer turpentines being given
inwardly. These are procured from the turpen-
tine tree, the larch tree, and the silver fir. The
yellow resin and the black are sometimes taken
inwardly in pills, and they are very good against
the whites, and the runnings after gonorrhosas ;
but for this purpose it is better to boil some bet-
ter sort of turpentine to the consistence and give it.

PioNY. Pcdoma.'

A FLOWER common in our gardens, hut ot
great use as well as ornament. The common
double piony is not the kind used in medicine;
this is called' the female piony ; thp single flow ered
one called the male piony, is the right kind. This
grows two or three feet high. The stalk is round,
striated, and branched : the leaves are of a deep
jS^reen, and each composed of several others :
the flowers are very large, and of a deep purple,
with a green head in the middle. When they are
decayed, this head swells out " into two or more
seed vessels, which are whitish and ha:ry <iti the
outside, and red within, and full of black stvds.
The root is composed of a number of lougish or
roundish lumps, connected by fibres to the main

FAMILY HERBAL.

267

source of the stalk ; Ibese are brown on the out-
side, aiaii -whitish wiOiiij.

The roots are used ; an infusion of them pro-
moles the raeoses. The powder of them dried is
good against hysteric and nervous complaints. It
is particularly recommended against the falling
sickness.

The PisTACHiA Tree. Pistaclda.

A TREE common in the East. The trunk is
covered with a brown rough bark, the branches
grow irregularly, and their bark is reddish. The
leaves are each composed of several pairs of small
ones ; these are oblong, broad, and of a beautiful
green colour, and firm texture. The flowers grow
in tufts; they are white and small ; the fruit which
succeeds is what we call the pistachia nut ; it is
as big as a filbert, but long and sharp-pointed, and
it is covered with a tough wrinkled baric. The
shell within this is woody and tough, but it easily
enough divides into tv^o parts, and the kernel with-
in is of a greenish colour, but covered with a red
skin. It is of a sweet taste.

The fruit is eaten, but' it may be considered as
a medicine ; it opens obstructions of the liver,
and it works by urine. It is an excellent restora-
tive to be given to people wasted by consumptions;^
or other long and tedious illnesses.

Pitch Tree. Picea.

A TREE of the fir kind, and commonly called
the red fir. It is a tall tree of regular growth ;
the bark of the trunk is of a reddish brown, and
it is paler on the branches; the leaves are very
numerous, short, narrow, and of a strong green ;

268

FAMILY HERBAL.

they stand very thick, and are sharp, or ahnost
prickly at tlie extremities. The flowers are yel-
lowish and inconsiderable; and the fruit is a long
and large cone, -which hangs down ; whereas that
of the true fir tree, or the yew-leaved fir, stands
upright.

The tops of the branches and young shoots are
used : they abound with a resin of the turpentine
kind. They are best given in decoction, or brew-
ed with beer. They are good against the rheu- .
matism and scurvy ; they work by urine, and heal
ulcers of the urinary parts.

Pitch and tar are produced from the wood of
this tree, the tar sweats out of the wood in burn-
ing, and the pitch is only tar boiled to that consis-
tence. To obtain the tar, they pile up great heaps
oftheM'ood, and set fire to them at top, and the
tar sweats out of the ends of tlie lower, and is
catched as it runs from then^i.

Burgundy pitch is made of the resin of the wild
pine tree, which is conmjon turpentine boiled in
water to a certain consistence, if they boil it longer,
it would be resin, for the common resin is only this
turpentine boiled to a hardness.

The Ammoniacum Plant. Ammoniacum.

A TALL plant, native of the East, and very im-
perfectly described to us. -What we hear of it is,
that it grows on the sides of hills, and is five or six
feet high ; the stalk is hollow and striated, and
painted with various colours like that of our hem-
loc. The flowers, we are told, are small and white,
and stand in great round clusters at the tops of the
stalks, the leaves are very large and composed of a
multitude of small divisions : one circumstance we
lean add from our own knowledge to this description.

FAMILY HERBAL.

aud it gives great proof of the authenticity of the
rest ; this is, that the se^ds are broad, flat, striated,
and have a foHanous rim, as those of dill. We
could know .by these which are fouu(jl very fre-
quently ainong' the gum, that it was a plant of this
kind which produced it : so that there is great pro-
bability that the rest of the description, which has
been given us by those who did not know we had
this cootifniation at home, is true. These seeds
often appear verj fair and sound. I have caused a
great number of them to be sown, but tbey have
never grown. Though one of the sagapenum! seeds
grew up a little when,sown among them : it would
be worth while to repeat the experiment^ for some
limes it might succeed.

We use a gum or rather gum resin, for it is of
a mixed nature between both, which is procured
from this plant, but from what part of it, or in
what manner we are not informed ; it is whitish, of
an acrid taste, with some bitterness, and is an ex-
cellent medicine. It is superior to all other drugs
in an asthma, and is good to promote the menseSj
and to open obstructions of all kinds. The best
way of giving it is dissolved in hyssop water.
It makes a milky solution. It is used externally
also in plaisters for hard swellings, and pains in
the joints.

Broad Leaved Plantain. Plant a go major.

A COMMON plant by our way-sides, with
broad short leaves, and long slender spikes of brown
seeds. The leaves rise all from the root, for
there are none upon the stalk. They are of a some-
what oval figure^ and irregularly indented at the
edges, sometimes scarce at all. They have several
large ribs, but these do not gr(/w side-ways from

270 FAMILY HERBAL.

ihe middie one, but all run lenj^h-waya, like that
from the base of the leaf ^toward the poiirt. The
stalks grow a foothi^b, their lower half is naked,
and their upper part thick set, first with small
and inconsiderable flowers, of a greenish white
colour, and aftcrv. ards with seeds which are browa
and small.

This is one of those common plants, which have
so much virtue, tbat nature seems to have made
them common for universal benefit. The whole
plant is to be used, and it is best fresh. A de-
coction of it in water is eix'^ellent against overllow-
ings of the menses, violerft purgings with bloody
stools and vomiting of blood, the bleeding of the
piles^ and all other such disorders. The seeds
beaten to a powtfer, are good against tlie whites.

There is abroad leaved plantain with short flow-
cry spikes, and hairy leaves, this has full as much
virtue as the kind already described : the narrow
leaved plantain has less, but of the same kind.

Plowman's Spikenard, Baccharis mompelicnsium.

A TALL robust wild plant with broad rough
leaves, and numerous small yellowish flowers,
frequent by road'»fiides, and in dry pastures. The
plant grows three feet high. The stalks arc round,
thick, upright, and a little hairy. The leaves are
large, broad from the root, and narrower on the
stalk ; they are blunt at the points, and a little in-
dented at' the edges. The flowers grow on the
tops of the branches, spreading out into a large
head from a single stem ; they a^re littl-e and yellow :
the seeds have down fixed to them. The root is
brown and woody ; the whole plant has a fragrant
and aromatic smell.

The leaves and tops given in decoction, are good

FAMILY HERBAL.

%1\

ag'iiiiist inward bleedings. . The rootj dried and
powdered, is a remedy for purgings, and is good
against the whites. ,

PoLEYMOuNTAiN. FoUum luonUmunx.

A PRETTY plant, native of the warmer parts
of Europe, and kept in our gardens. It is ten in-
ches high, ' The stalks ajce square and whitish:
the leaves ar^ oblong and narrow, of a white colour,
and woolly surface ; they stand two at a joint, and
they are indented at the edges. The flowers are
small and white. They grow in a kind of woolly
tufts at the tops of the branches.

The whole plant is used ; it is best dried ; given
in infusion, it promotes the menses, and removes
obstructions of the liver, hence it is recommended
greatly in the jaundice. It operates by urine.

Candy Poleymountain. Folium creticum.

A LITTLE plant of a woolly appearance, native
of the Grecian Islands, and kept in some, gardens.
It grows but about six inches high. The stalks
are square, white, weak, and seldom upright.
The leaves stand two at each joint : they are nar-
row, oblong, and not at all indented at tiie
edges. They are of a white woolly aspect, and of
a pleasant smell. The flowers are small and white,
and they grow in tufts at the tops of the stalks:
their clips areTery white.

The whole plant is to be used dried. It ope-
rates very powerfully by urine, and is good against
all hysteric complaints, but it is not to be given to
women with child, for it has so much cfiicacv in
promoting the menses, that it may occasion abortioi:.

273

FAMILY HERBAL

Polypody. Poli/podium.

A SMALL plant of the fern kind. It is a fool
high, and consists only of a single leaf. Several of
these commonly rise from the same root, but each
is a separate and entire plant. The stalk is naked
for five inches, and from thence to the top stand on
each 'side, a row of small, oblong, and narrow
segments, resembling so many small leaves, with
an odd one at the end. The whole plant, is of a
bright green colour, but the backs of these divisions
of the leaf, areata certain season, toward autumn,
ornamented with a great number of round brown
spots, these are the seeds : those of all ferns are
carried in the same manner. The root is long,
slender, and creeps upon the surface of old stumpj
of trees among the moss. The root is used, and it
is best fresh ; it is a safe and gentle purge ; the best
way of giving it is in decoction, in which form it
always operates also by urine. It is good in the
jaundice and dropsies, and is an excellent ingredient
in diet-drinks against the scurvy ; but beside these
considerations, it is a safe and good purge, on all
common occasions.

The Pomegranate Tree. Granatus.

A COMMON wild tree in Spain and Italy,
kept with us in gardens. It gri)ws to the bigness
of our apple-trees. The branches spread irregu-
larly; they have a reddish brown bark, and have
here and there a few thorns. The leaves are nu-
merous ; on the extremities of the branches they
are small, oblong, narrow, and of a fine green.
The flowers arc large, and of a beautiful deep red:
the fruit is as big as a large apple, and has a brown
woody covering; it contains within a great quaa-

FAMILY HERBAL.

§73

t'dy of seeds, with a sweet and tart juice about
them.

The rind of the fruit is used, it is to be dried
and given in decoction ; it is a powerful astrin*
gent : it stops purgings and bleedings of all kinds^
and is good against the whites.

The Wild Pomegranate Tree. Balaustia.

A SMALLER tree than the former, but like it
in its manner of growth ; except that the branches
are more crooked and irregular, and are more
thorny. The leaves are oblong, small, and of a
bright green, and they are set in clusters towards
the end of the branches. The flowers are beau-
tiful, they are double like a rose> and of a fine
purple.

The flowers are the part of the wild pomegranate
used in medicine ; our druggists keep them and call
them balaustines. They are given in powder or
decoction to stop purgings, bloody stools, and over-
flowings of the menses. A strong infusion of them
cures ulcers in the mouth and throat, and is a good
thing to wash the mouth for fastening the teeth/

The PoMPKiN. Fe'po. '

A Very large and straggling plant, cultivated
by our poor people. The stalks are very long and
thick,' but they lie upon the ground ; they are
aiigulated and rough. The leaves are extremely
large, and of a roundish figure, but cornered and
angulated, and they are of a deep green colour,
and rough to the touch. The flowers are very
large, and yellow, of a bell-like shape, but an-
gulated at liie mouth, and the fruit is of the melon
kind, only bigger and round ; of a deep grcea

N o

274

FAMILY HERBAL.

when unripe^ but yellow at last: in this, under
the fleshy part, are contained many large flat seeds.

The poor people mix the fleshy part of the fruit
with apples^ and bake thcra in pies. The seeds are
excellent in medicine ; they are cooling and diure-
tic ; the best way of taking them is in emulsions,
joiade with barley water. They make an emulsion
as railky as almondsj and are preferable to them,
and all the cold seeds, in strang-uries heat of
urine.

The Black Poplar. Popiihis nigra.

A TALL tree, frequent about waters, and of a
Very beautiful aspect. The trunk is covered with a
smooth pale bark ; the branches are numerous, and
grow with a sort of regularity. The leaves are short
and broad, roundish at the base, but ending in a
point ; they are of a glossy shining green, and stand
en long foot stalks. The flowers and seeds are
inconsiderable ; they appear in spring, and are little
regarded.

The young leaves of the black poplar are ex-
cellent mixed in pultices, to be applied to hard
painful swellings.

The White Poppy. Papaver album.

A TALL and beautiful plant, kept in our gar-
dens, a native of the warmer climates. It grows
a yard and half high : the stalk is ^ound, smooth,
upright, and of a bluish green ; the leaves are
very long, considerably broad, and deeply and ir-
regularly cut in at the edges ; they are also of a
bluish green colour, and stand irregularly on the
stalk. The flowers are very large and white, one
ifaads at the top of each division of the stalk;

FAMILY HERBAL.

275

when they are fallen^ the seed-vessel^ or poppy
hcad^ grows to the bigness of a large apple, and
contanis within it a very great quantity of small
whitish seeds, with several skinny divisions.

When any part of the plant is brokeOj there
flows out a thick milky juice, of a strong, bitter,
end hot taste, very like that of opium, and full as
disagreeable.

The heads are used with us, and sometimes the
seeds. Of the heads boiled in water, is made the
syrup of diacodium. The heads are to be dried
for this purpose, and the decoction is to be made
as strong as possible, and then boiled up with
sugar. The seeds are beaten up into emulsions
■with barley water, and they are good against' stran-
guries, and heat of urine : they have nothing of
the sleepy virtue of the syrups, nor of the other
parts or preparations of the poppy. Syrup of
diacodium, puts people to sleep ; but gently, and
is safer than opium or laudanum.

Opium is nothing more than the milky juice of
this plant concreted ; it is obtained from the heads :
they cut them while upon the plant in the warmer
countries, and the Juice which flovys out of the
wound, hardens and becomes opium : they make
an inferior kind also, by bruising and sqeezing the
heads. Laudanum is a tincture of this opium
made in wine. Either one or the other is given
to compose people to sleep, and to abate the sense
of pain ; they are also cordial and promote sweat ;
but they are to be given with great care and cau-
tion, for they are very powerful, and therefore
they may be very dangerous medicines. It is
good to stop violent purgings and vomiting ; but
this must be effected by small doses carefully given.
The present practice depends upon opium and
t)lecding for the cure of the bite of a mad dog ;

2T6

FAMILY HERBAL.

but it i? not easy to say that any person ever was
cared, who became thoroughly distempered from
that bite. One of the strongest instances we have
known, was in a person at St. George's hospital,
under the cure of Dr. Hoadly, there was an ap-
pearance of the symptomSj and the cure was elfect-
cd by this method.

Black Poppy. Papaver nigrum.

A TALL and fine plant, but not so elegant as
the former. It is a yard high. The stalk is round,
upright, firm, and smooth, and toward the top
divides into some branches. The leaves are Ions:
and broad, of a bluish green colour, and deeply
and irregularly cut in at the edges. The flowers
are large and single : they are of a dead purple
colour^ with a black bottom. The heads or seed-
Tessels are round, and of the bigness of a walnut.
The seed is black.

A syrup of the heads of this poppy is a strong-
er suporifie than the common diacodium, but it is
not used. The gentleness of that medicine is
its merit : when something more powerful is
used, it is better to have recourse to opium, or
laudanum.

JIed Poppy. Papaver erraticum.

A COMMON wild plant in our corn fields, dis-
tinguished by its great scarlet flowers. It is a
foot high. The stalk is round, slender, hairy, of
a pale green, and branched. The leaves are long
and narrow, of a dusky green, hairy,- and very
deeply, but very regularly indented^ The flowers
are very large, and of an extremely bright aud
fine scarlet colour, a little blackish toward the

FAMILY HERBAL.

277

bottom. The head is small, not larger than a horse
bean, and the seeds are small, and of a dark colour.
The whole plant is fall of a hitter yellowish juice,
which^runs out when it is any where broken, and
lias something of the smell of opium.

The flowers are used. A syrup is made from
them by ppuring as much boiling water on them
as will just wet them, and after a night's standing,
straining it olF and adding twice its weight of
sugar : this is the famous syrup of red poppies.
It gently promotes sleep. It is a much weaker
medicine than the diacodium. It is greatly re-
commended in pleurisies and fevers ; but this up-
on no good foundation. It is \ery wrong to de-
pend upon such medicines : it prevents liaving re-
course to better.

The Primrose. Primula veris.

A VERY pretty, and very common spring
plant. The leaves are long, considerably broad,
of a pale green, and wrinkled on the surface : they
grow immediately from the root in considerable
numbers. The stalks which support the flowers
are single, slender, four or five inches high, a
little hairy, and have no leaves on them : one
flower stands at the top of each, and is large, white,
and beautiful, with a yellow spot in the middle.
The root is fibrous and whitish.

The root is used. The juice of it snuffed up
the nose occasions sneezing, and is a good remedy
against the head-ach. The dried root powdered,
has the same effect, but not so powerfully.

Privet. ' Ligustrum.

A LITTLE wild shrub in our hedges. It

278

FAyilLY HERBAL.

grows four feet iiigli. The stalks are slender,
touffh, and covered with a smooth brown bark.
The leaves are oblong and narrow : they are sirjall,
of a dusky green colourj broadest in the middle,
and placed in pairs opposite to one another^ and
they are of a somewhat firm substance, and have
DO indenting lit the edges. The flowers are white
and littlcj but they stand in tufis at the ends of the
branches, and by that make a good appearance.
The fruit is a black berry : one succeeds to every
fiower in the cluster.

The tops are used ; and they are best when the
flowers are just beginning to bud. A strong in-
fusion of them in water^ with the addition of a
little honey and red wine^ is excellent to wash the
mouth and throat when there are little sjres in
them, and when the gums are apt to bleed.

Pur SLAIN. Portulaca.

A COMMON plant in our gardens, and of a
Tery singular aspect : we have few so succulent.
It grows a foot long, but trails on the ground.
The stalks are round, thick, and fleshy, of a reddish
colour, and very brittle. The leaves are short
and broad : they are of a good green, thick, fleshy,
and broad, and blunt at the end. The flowers
are little and yellow : they stand among the leaves
toward the tops of the stalks. The root is small,
fibrous, and whitish.

Purslain is a pleasant herb in sallads, and so
wholesome, that '(is a pity more of it ic not eaten :
it is excellent against the scurvy. The juice fresh
pressed out with a little whit6 wine, works by
urine, and is excellent against stranguries und
violent heats, and also against the scurvy.

FAMILY HERBAL.

279

Q

The Quince Tree. Cydonia.

A COMMON tree in our gardens, of irregular
growth. The trunk is thick, and has a browH
bark. The branches are numerous, straggling,
and spreading. The leaves are roundish, of a
dusky green on the upper side, and whitish under-
neath. The flowers or blossoms are large and
beautiful, of a pale flesh colour. Tlje fruit is of
the shape of a pear, and has a large crown : it is
yellow when ripe, and of a pleasant smell : its
taste is austere, but agreeable. The seeds are
soft and mucilaginous.

The fruit and seeds are used. The juice of the
ripe quince made into a sjrup with sugar, is ex-
cellent to stop vomiting, and to strengthen the
stomach. The seed, boiled in water, gives it a
softness, and mucilaginous quality; and it is au
excellent medicine for sore mouths, and may be
used to soften and moisten the mouth and tlu;oat iri
fevers.

R.

The Radish. Baphanus.

A COMMON plant in our gardens, the root of
which is eaten abundantly in spring. In this state
we only see a long and' slender root, of a purple or
scarlet colour, ( for there are these varieties) min-
gled with white ; from which grow a quantity of
large rough leaves, of a deep green colour, and
irregularly divided: amidst these in summer rises
the stalk, which is a yard high, round, and very
much branched. The leaves on it are much smaller

280

FAMILY HERBAL.

than those from the root. The flowers are very
numerous small and white, with some spots of red.
The pods are thick, long, and spungy.

The juice of the radish roots fresh g^athered,
with a little white wine, is an excellent remedy
against the gravel. Scarce any thing operates
more speedily hy urine, or brings away little stones
more successfully.

HoksE Radish. Raphanus rusticamis.

A PLANT as well known in our gardens as the
other, and wild also in many places. The root is
very long, and of an exceedingly acrid taste, so that
it cannot be eaten as the other. The leaves are
two feet long, and half a foot broad, of a deep
green colour, blunt at the point, and a lit-
tle indented at the edges : sometimes there are
leaves deeply cut and divided, but that is an
accidental variety. The stalks arc a yard high :
The leaves on them are very small and narrow, and
at the tops stand little white flowers, in long spikes :
these are followed by little seed-vessels. The plant
seldom flowers, and when it does, the seeds scarce
ever ripen. It is propagated sufficiently by the
root, and wherever this is the case, nature is less
careful about seeds.

The juice of horse radish root operates very
powerfully by urine, and is good against the jaun-
dice and dropsy. The root whole, or cut to pieces,
is put into diet drink, to sweeten the blood ; and the
eating frequently and in quantities, at table, is good
asrainst the rheumatism.

Ragwort. Jacoh£ca.
A WILT) plant, very common in our pastures.

FAMILY herbal:

end distinguished by its ragged leaves, and clusters
of yellow flowers. It is two feet high. The stalk
is robust, round, striated, and often purplish. The
leaves are divided in an odd manner, into several
parts, so that they look torn or ragged ; their co-
lour is a dark dusky green, and they grow to the
stalk without any foot-stalk, and are broad and
rounded at the end. The flowers are moderately
large and yellow, and the tops of the branches are
so covered with them, that they often spread toge-
ther to the breadth of a plate. The whole plant
has a disagreeable smell. The root is fibrous, and
the seeds are downy.

The fresh leaves are used : but it is best to take
those that rise immediately from the root, for they
are larger and more juicy than those on the stalk :
they are to be mixed in pultices, and applied out-
wardly as a remedy against pains in the joints : they
havr. a surprising effect. It is said that two or three
times applied, they will cure the sciatica, or hip
gout, when«ver so violent.

The Raspberry Bush. Muhus idteus. {

A LITTLE shrub, common in our gardens, but
wild also in some parts of the kingdom. The stalks
are round, weak, tender, of a pale brown, and
prickly. The leaves are each composed of five
others : they are large, of a palo green, indented
about the edges, and hairy. The flowers are little,
of a whitish colour, with a great quantity of threads
in the middle: The fruit is the common raspberry,
composed like the ' blackberry of several grains:
it is soft to the touch, and of a delicate taste.
The colour varies, for white ones are common.

The juice of ripe raspberries, boiled up wi<h
sugar, makes an excellent syrup. It is pleasant, and

o o

282

FAMILY HERBAL,

agreeable to the stomach, good against sicknesses
and Teachings.

The Rattle-Snare Root Plant. Seneca.

A SMALL plant, natiye of Araerica> with weak
stalks, little leaves, and white flowers. It grows a
foot high. The stalks are numerous, weak, and
round, few of them stand quite upright, some gene-
rally lie upon the ground. The leaves stand irre-
gularly : they are oblong and somewhat broad, and
of a pale green. The flowers are little and white :
they stand in a kind of loose spikes, at the tops of
the stalks, and perfectly resemble those of the
common plant we call milkwort, of which it is in-
deed a kind: the whole plant has very much tli«
aspect of the taller kind of our English milkwort.
The root is of a singular form : it is long, irregu-
lar, slender, and divided into many parts, and these
have on each side, a kind of membranous margin
hanging from them, which makes it distinct in its
appearance, from all the other roots used in the
shops.

We owe the knowledge of this medicine, origi-
nally to the Indians: they give it as a remedy
against the poison of the rattle-snake, but it has
been extolled, as possessing great virtues. Dr.
Tennant brought it into England, and we received
it as a powerful remedy against pleurisies, quinzies,
and all other diseases where the blood was sizcy ; it
was said to dissolve this dangerous texture, better
than all other known medicines ; but experience
does not seem to have warranted altogether these
cffiects, for it is at present neglected, after a great
many and very fair trials.

When this remedy was discovered to be the
foot of a kind of polygala, which discovery was

FAMILY HERBAL. ^83

ing to the gentleman who brought it over, and
\\i(h it some of the plant, for the inspection of
the curious. The roots of the English poljgala
were tried ; those of the common blue or white
tlowered milkwort, ( for that variety is purely ac-
cidental,) and they were found to have the same
effects: thej were given by some in pleurisies,
with great success. It was said at that time they
had less virtues than the seneca root, though of
the same kind : but it must be remembered, the
virtues of the seneca root were then supposed
to be much greater than they really^ were. The
novelty adding to the praise.

The Common Reed. Arundo.

A TALL water plant sufficiently known. The
stalks are round, hard, jointed, and six or eight
feet high. The leaves are long and broad, but
otherwise like those of grass, of a pale green colour,
and highly ribbed. The flowers are brown and chaffy,
and stand in prodigious numbers at the tops of the
stalks, in a kind of panicle. The roots are knotty
and jointed, and spread vastly.

The juice of the fresh roots of reeds promotes
the menses powerfully, but not violently. It is
an excellent medicine : it works by urine also ;
i*nd is good against stranguries and the gravel.

Prickly Restharrow. Anonis spijiosa.

A LITTLE, tough, and almost shrubby plant,
common in our dry fields, and by road sides. It is
a foot high. The stalks are round, reddish, tough,
and almost woody. The leaves are numerous :
tbcy stand three on every foot stalk, and grow

3»4 FAMILY HERBAL.

pretiv close to the stalk. There are several short
and sharp prickles about the stalks, principally
at the insertions of the leaves. The 'leaves are
of a dusky green, and serrated about the edges.
The flowers are snnall and purple : they stand
among the leaves towards the tops of the stalks,
and are in shape like pea blossoms, but flatted :
each is followed by a small pod. The root is
white, very long, tough, and woody.

The root is to be taken up fresh for use, and
tlie bark separated for that purpose. It is to be
boiled in water, and the decoction given in large
quantities. It is good against the gravel, and in
all obstructions by urine ; and it is also good in
the dropsy and jaundice.

Rhapontic. Bhaponticujn sive rlia.

A TALL robust plant, native of Scythia, but
kept in many of our gardens. It grows four feet
high. The stalk is round, striated, an inch thick,
sometimes hollow, and very upright. The leaves
are large and broad : those from the root are
about a foot and a half long, and a foot broad ;
of a deep green colour, with large ribs, and blunt
at the ends. The flowers are small and white :
they stand in clusters at the tops of the stalk;,
and are succeeded by triangular seeds.

The root is the part used, and this is what the
EDtients used under the name of rha. It is of
the nature of rhubarb, but dift'erent in this, that
it is less purgative-, and more astringent; for this
reason, there are many purposes whicli it would
answer much better. We have it at the druggists,
but there is no depending upon what they sell,
for they seldom keep it genuiiu;.

FAMILY HERBAL. 285

Rice Oryza.

I

A VERY common plant in the East, sown in
the fields for the sake of the seed or gVain. It
grows four feet high ; the stalk is round, hollow,
and jointed ; the leaves are long and grassy, and
of a pale green colour, but they are broader than
those of any of our kinds of corn. The flowers are
inconsiderable ; the seeds or grains are contained in
bushes of a brown colour, each having a long beard
to it, usually curled at the bottom, and divided at
the top into two parts.

We eat rice as a food rather than medicine; but
it is excellent for those who have habitual purgings
or loosenesses ; it is to be eaten any way for this
purpose, only it must be continued, audit will do
more than all the medicines in the world. The rice-
milk is excellent for this purpose.

Garden Rocket. Erucasatioa.

A COMMON plant in our gardens, two feet
high, and very erect. The stalk is round and of
a deep green ; the leaves are oblong, consideralrly
broad, of a deep green colour, and divided at the
edges : the flowers are moderately large, and of a
whitish colour, veined with purple, and they stand
in a long spike at the top of the stalk. The pods
are long and slender.

Some people are fond of rocket as a sallad herb,
but it is not very pleasant. It works by urine, and
is good against the scurvy. A strong infusion of
the leaves made into a syrup is good against coughs,
it causes expectoration, and eases the luno-s.

S85

FAMILY HERBAL.

The Dog Rose, or Wild Rose. Cynoshatus, aive
ro^a sylvestris.

A COMMON bush in our hedges. The stalks
or steins are rounds woody, and very prickly. The
leaves are composed each of several smaller ; these
stand in pairs on a rib, with an odd one at the end ;
and they are small, oblong, of a bright glossy green
colour, and regularly indented at the edges. The
fiowers arc single, large, and very beautiful : there
is something simple and elegant in their aspect that
pleases many, more than all the double roses raised
l»y culture. They are white, but with a blush of
led, and very beautiful. The fruit that follows
these is the common hip, red, oblong, and contam-
jug a great quantity of hairy seeds.

The fruit is the only part used ; the pulp is sepa-
rated tiom the skins and seeds, and beat up into a
conserve with sugar ; this is a pleasant medicine^
and is of some efficacy against coughs.

Though this is the only part that is used, it is not
ihe only that deserves to be. The flowers, gather-
ed in the bud and dried, arc an excellent astringent,
made more powerful than the red roses that are com-
monly dried for this purpose. A tea, made strong
of these dried buds, and some of them given with
it twice a day in powder, is an excellent medicine
for overflowings of the menses ; it seldom fails to
effect a cure. The seeds separated from tiie fruit,
dried and powdered, work by urine, and are good
against the gravel, but they do not work very
powerfully.

Upon the branches of this shrub, there grow a
kind of spungy fibrous tufts, of a green or redish
colour, they are called bedeguar. They are caus-
ed by the wounds made by insects in the stalks,
as the galls are produced upon the oak. They arc

FAMILY HERBAL.

astringent, and may be given in powder ac^alnst
fluxes. They are said to work by urine, but expe-
rience does not warrant this.

The Damask Rose. Bosa damasccna.

A COMMON shrub in our gardens, very mucli
resembling that incur hedges last mentioned. It
grows five or six feet high, but the stalks are not
very strong, or able to support themselves. They
are round, and beset with sharp priekles. Tiie
leaves are each composed of two or three pairs of
smaller ones, with an odd one at the end : they are
whitish, hairy, and broad, and are indented at the
edges. The flowers are large and very beautiful,
of a pale red colour, full of leaves, and of an ex-
tremely sweet smell ; the fruit is like the conunoo
hip.

The flowers are used. The best way of giving
them is in a syrup thus made. Pour boiling wa-
ter upon a quantity of fresh gathered damask roses,
just enough to cover them ; let them stand four
and twenty hours, then press off the liquor, and
addto it twice the quantity of sugar; melt this,
and the syrup is completed : it is an excellent purge
for children and there is not a better medicine
for grown people, who are subject to be costive.
A little of it taken every night will keep the body
open continually ; medicines that purge strongly,
bind afterwards. Rose water is distiUcd from thi»
kind.

The White Rose, /tosa alia.

A COMMON shrub also in our gardens. It
grows ten or twelve feet high, but is not very able
to support itself upright. The stalks are round.

SS8

FAMILY liERBAL.

prickly, and very much branched. The leaves are
of a dusky green, each composed of several pairs
of smaller, with an odd one at the end. The flow-
ers are somewhat smaller ihnu those of the damask
rose, but of the same form : and ihc'ir colour is
white, and they have less fragrance than the
damask.

The flowers are used. They are to be gathered
in the bud, and used fresh or dry. A strong infu-
sion of them is good against overflowings of the
menses, and the bleeding of the piles.

The Red Rose. JRosa ruhra.

ANOTHER shrub common in our gardens, and
the least and lowest of the three kinds of roses. TJie
stalks are round, woody, weak, and prickly, but
they have fewer prickles than those of the damask
rose : the leaves are large ; they are composed each
of tluee or four pair of smaller, which arc oval, of a
dusky green, and se-r rated round the edges. The
flowers are of the shape and size of those of the
damask rose, but they are not so double, and they
have a groat quantity of yellow threads in the mid-
dle. They are of an exceeding fine deep red co-
lour, and they have very little smell : the fruit is
like the common hip.

The flowers are used. , They are to be gathered
when in bud, and cut from the husks without the
white bottoms and dried. The conserve of rrd
roses is made of these buds prepared .as for the
drying; they are beaten up with three times their
weight of sugar. When dried, they have more vir-
tue ; they are given in infusion^ and sometimes it\
powder against overflowings of the menses, and all
other bleedings. Half an ounce of these dried bud«
are to be put into an earthen pan, and a pint of

FAMILY HERBAL.

boiling water poured upon them after they have
stood a few minutes, fifteen drops of oil of vitriol
are to be dropped in upon thera, and three drachms
of the finest sugar, in powder, is to he added at the
same time, then the whole is to be well stirred
about and coA'ered up, that it may cool leisurely :
when cold it is to be poured clear oflf. It is called
tincture of roses ; it is clear, and of a fine red colour.
It strengthens the stomach, and prevents vomitings,
and is a powerful as well as a pleasant reraedj
against all fluxes.

The Rose- Wood Tree. RKodium.

THERE are two kinds of wood known under
the name of rose-wood, the one from the East,
which, when fresh brought over, has a very fra-
grant smell, exceedingly like that of the damask
rose, and from the wood is distilled the oil, which
is sold under the name of essence of damask rose;
we have no account of the tree which affords this.
The other rose-wood is the produce of Jamaica,
and has very much of the fragrant smell of the*
eastern kind, but it is not the same ; the tree which
produces this is fully described by that great natu-
ralist sir Hans Sloane, in his History of the Island
of Jamaica. The tree grows twenty feet or more
in height, and its trunk is very thick in proportion.
The leaves arc each composed of three or tour pairs
of smaller • these stand at a distance from one ano-
ther on the common stalk ; the flowers arc little
and white, and they grow in clusters, so that at a
distance, they look like the bunches of elder flow-
ers. The fruit is a round berry, often each of the
bigness of a tare. The wood of this tree is lighter^
paler coloured, and of a looser grain than the
eastern rose- wood.

p p ■>

290

FAMILY HERBAL.

Tlie wood is said to be good in nervous disorders,
but we seldom make auy use o("it.

liosEMARv. Rosmarinus.

A PRETTY shrub, wild in Spain and France,
and kept in our gardens. It is five or six feet
high, but weak, and not w^ell able to support itself.
The trunk is covered with a rough bark. The
leaves stand very thick on the branches, which are
brittle and slender : they are narrow, an inch long,
and thick, and they are of a deep green on the
upper side, and whitish underneath. The flowers
stand at the tops of the branches among the leaves ;
they are large and very beautiful, of a greyish co-
lour, with a somewhat reddish tinge, and of a very
fragrant smell. Rosemary, when in flower, makes
a very beautiful appearance.

The flowery tops of rosemary, fresh gathered,
contain its greatest virtue. If they are used in
the manner of tea, for a continuance of time, they
are excellent against head-achs, tremblings of the
iirabs, and all other nervous disorders. A conserve
is made of them also, which very well answers
this purpose : but when the conserve is made only
of the picked flowers, it has less virtue. The con-
serve is best made by beating up the fresh gathered
tops with three times their weight of sugar. The
famous Hungary water is made also of these flow-
ery tops of rosemarv. Put two pound of these into ^
a common still, with two gallons of melasses spirit,
and distil off one gallon and a pint. This is Hun-
gary water.

Ro&A S0L.1S, OR Sundew. Ros solis.

A VERY singular and very pretty litlle plant.

FAMILY HERBAL. 29 1

✓

common in boggy places on our heaths. It grows
six or seven inches high. The leaves all rise im-
mediately from the root ; they are roundish and
hollow, of the breadth of a silver two-pence, and
placed on foot- stalks of an inch long ; they are
covered in a very extraordinary manner with long
red hairs, and in the midst of the hottest days they
have a drop of clear liquor standing on them.
The stalks are slender and naked ; at their tops
stand little white flowers, which are succeeded
by seed-vessels, of an oblong form, ccntain-
ina: a multitude of small seeds^ The root is fi-
brous.

The whole plant is used fresh gathered. It is
esteemed a great cordial, and good against convul-
sions, hysteric disorders, and tremblings of the limbs;
but it is not much regarded.

Rhubarb. lihaharbarum,

A TALL, robust, and not unhandsome plant, a
native of many parts of the East, and of late got
into our gardens, after we had received many others
falsely called by its name.

It grows to three feet in height. The stalk is
round, thick, striated, and of a greenish colour,
frequently stained with purple. The leaves are
very large, and of a figure approaching to triangu-
lar ; they are broad at the base, small at the point,
and waved all along the edges. These stand on
thick hollowed foot-stalks, which are frequently
also reddish. The flowers are whitish, small and
inconsiderable ; they stand at the tops of the stalks
in the manner of dock-flowers, and make little more
figure ; the seed is triangulated. The root is thick,
long, and often divided toward the bottom ; of a
• yellow colour veined with purple, but the purple

I

FAMILY HERBAL.

appears much more plainly in the dry, than in the
fresh root.

The root is used : its virtues are sufficiently
known ; it is a gentle purge^ and has an after as-
(ringency. It is excellent to strengthen the sto-
mach and bowels, to prevent vomitings, and carry
off" the cause of colics ; in the jaundice also it is
extremely useful. Rhubarb and nutmeg toasted
together before the fire, make an excellent remedy
against purgings. There is\scarce any chronic dis-
ease in which rhubarb is not serviceable.

The Rhapontic monks rhubarb, and false monks'
rhubarb, all approach to the nature of the true
rhubarb ; they have been described already in their
several 'placesi

i Rue. Ruta. '"\

A PRETTY little shrub, frequent in our gar-
dens. It grows three or four feet high. The stem
is firm, upright, and woody; very tough, and
covered with a whitish bark. The branches are
numerous, and the young shoots are round, green,
and smooth ; the leaves are contposed of many
smaller divisions ; they are t)f a blue green colour,
and fleshy substance : and each division is short,
obtuse, and roundish. The flowers are yellow, not
large, but very conspicuous ; they have a quantity
of threads in the center, and they are succeeded by
rough seed-vessels.

Rue is to be used fresh gathered, and the tops
of the young shoots contain its greatest virtue.
They are to be given in infusion : or they may be
beaten up into a copserve with three times their
weight of sugar, and taken in that form. The in-
fusion is an excellent medicine in fevers ; it raises
the spirits, and promotes sweat, drives any thing •

FAMILY HERBAL.

293

out, and is good against head-aclis, and all other
nervous disorders which attend certain fevers. The
conserve is good against weaknesses of the stomach,
and pains in the bowels. It is pleasant, and may be
taken frequently by people subject to hysteric dis-
orders with great advanfcige.

Rupture- WORT. Hcrniaria.

A LITTLE low plant, wild in some parts of the
kingdom, but riot common, and kept in the gardens
of the curious. It grows three or four inches long,
but the stalks lie on the ground: many grow from
the same root, and they spread into a kind of cir-
cular figure. They are slender, round, jointed, and
of a pale green. The leaves are very small, and
nearly of an oval figure ; they stand two at each
joint, and are also of a pale green. The leaves
are very small ; the root is very long, but not thick.

The juice of the fresh gathered herb, externally
applied, has been much celebrated against ruptures :
perhaps without any great foundation. An in-
fusion of it, taken inwardly, works by urine,
and is very good against the gravel, and in the
jaundice.

S

Saffron. Crocus.

A VERY pretty plant, of the same kind with
what are called crocuses in our gardens. It is
planted in fields, in some parts of England, and
yields a very profitable kind of produce. The
flowers of this plant appear in autumn, but the leaves
not till sometime after they are fallen. These flow-
lers have, properly speaking, no stalk ; they rise ira-

294 FAMILY HERRAL.

mGdiately from the root^ which is roundish, and as
big- as a large nutmeg, and they stand a little way
above the surface of the ground ; they are of a pur-
plish blue, and very large ; the lower part h cov-
ered with a skinny husk. In the centre of these
stand three stamina, or threads, with yellow tops,
which are useless, but in the midst between these
rises up what is called the pistil of the flower.
This is the rudiment of the future seed-vessel ; it is
oblong- and whitish, and at its top separates into
three filaments ; these are long, and of an orange
scarlet tolour ; these three filaments are the only
part of the plant that is used ; they are what we call
saffron. They are carefully taken out of the flower
and pressed into cakes, which cakes we see under
the name of English saflron, and which is allowed
to be the best in the world.

The leaves are long and grassy, of a dark green
colour, and very narrow. They are of no use.

Saffron is a nabic cordial.

Bastard Saffron. Cartliamus.

A PLANT in its whole aspect as unlike to that
which produces the true saff'ron, as one herb can
be to another ; but called by this name, because
of the yellow threads which grow from the flow-
er. It is of the thistle kind, two feet and a
lialf high, and very upright. The stalk is round,
angulated, and branched, but it is not prickly.
The leaves are oblong, broad, round at the points,
and prickly about the edges. The flowers stand
at the tops of the branches : they consist of round-
ish, scaly, and prickly heads, with yeliow flowers
growing from amongst them : those are like the
flowers in the heads of our thistles, but narrower
and longer.

FAMILY HERBAL. 295

These flowers are used by the dyers in some
parts of Europe. The seed is the part taken irrto
the shops : it is longish, covered^ and white with
a hard covering' ; it is to be given in infusion,
which works both by vomit and .stool, but not
violently. It is good against rheumatisms and the
jaundice.

Sagapenum Plant. Sagapcnum.

A LARGE plant, native of Persia and the East
Indies, a\)d described but imperfectly to us ; how-
ever, so that we have confirmation that the descrip-
tion is authentic, if not so finished in all its parts
as we could wish. It grows upon the mountains,
and is eight feet high ; the leuvss arc very large,
and are composed of a great multitude of little
parts, which are fixed to a divided rib, and are
of a bluish green colour, and when bruised, of a
strong smell. The stalk is thick, striated, round,
?K)]low, and upright, purplish toward the bottom,
but green upwards. The leaves which stand on
it are like those which rise from the root, only
smaller. The flowers are little and yellowish ;
they stand in very large umbels at the tops of the
stalks, and each of them is succeeded by two
seeds; these are flat, large, brown, and striated.
The root is long, thick, of a yeUowish colour, and
of a disagreeable smell. This is the account we
have from those who have been of late in the
East : and there is a great deal to confirm it. We
find among resin which is brought over to us,
pieces oP the stalk and many seeds of the plant :
these agree with the description. I procured some
of the seeds picked out of some sagapennm, by
youpg Mr. Sisson, to be sowed with all proper
care at the lord Petre's, whose priuci.pal gardener

296

FAMILY HERBAL.

was an excellent person at his business, and with
them some seeds of the ammoniac um plant,, pick-
ed also out of a large quantity of that gum. Those
of the ammoniacum plant all perished; from the
gagapenum seeds^ though more than an hundred were
sown, we had on\f one plant, and that perished
bv some accident ver}-* young ; but what we saw
of the leaves gave credit to the account given
of the plant by Mr. Williams, who told us he
had seen it h\ Persia. These^are curious parts
of knowledge, and they are worth prosecuting by
those who have leisure : the success of this experi-
ment shews the possibility of raising some of those
plants at home, which we never have been able
to get truly or fully described to us.

We use a gum resin obtained from the roots
of this plant, by cutting them and catching the
juice ; we call this, when concreted into lumps,
sagapenuni. We have it either finer in small
pieces, or coarser in masses ; it is brownish, with
a cast of red, and will grow soft with the heat of
the hand ; it is disagreeable both in smell and taste,
"but it is an excellent medicine. It is good for all
disorders of the lungs arising from a tough phlegm,
and also in nervous cases. It has been found a
remedy in inveterate hcad-achs, after many other
medicines have failed. It is one of those drugs,
too much neglected by the present practice, wliich
encourages the use of others that have not half
their virtue : but tliere are fashions in physic, as
there are in all other things.

Red Sage. Salvia hortensis.

THE common sage of our gardens. It is a
kind of shrubby plant, a foot or two high, and
full of branches. The stem is tough, hard, woody.

FAMILY HERBAL.

297

and covered with a brown rough bark ; the smaller

branches are reddish, the leaves are oblong and
broad ; they stand on long foot stalks, and are of
a singular rough surface, and of a reddish colour.
The flowers grow on stalks that rise only at that
season of the year, and stand up a great deal above
the rest of the surface of the plant ; they are large
and blue, and are of the figure of the dead nettle
flowers, only they gape vastly more. The whole
plant has a pleasant smell. The leaves and tops
are used, and they are best fresh ; the common
way of taking them in infusion, or in form of
what is called sage tea, is better than any other :
they are cordial, and good against all diseases of
the nerves : they promote perspiration, and throw
anything out which ought to appea^r upon the skin.
The juice of sage works by urine, and promotes
the menses.

Sage of Vitue. Salvia minor.

ANOTHER shrubby plant, very like the former
in its manner of growth, but wanting its red colour.
It is a foot or two in height, and very bushy, Tiie
stem is woody. . The branches are numerous. The
leaves are oblong, narrower than in com,mon sage,
and of a whitish green colour : there is often a
pair of small leaves at the base of each larger.
The flowers grow in the same manner as in the
red sage, but they are smaller. The whole plant
has a pleasant smell.

The green tops are used ; and their virtues are
much the same with those of the former, but they
are less. It got into use from an opinion that the
other was too hot^ but this was idle.

FAMILY HERBAL.

Wood Sage. Salvia agrestis.

A WILD plantj common in woods and hcdgeS;,"
with leaves like sage, and spikes of small flowers.
It grows to two feet and a half high. The stalk is
square, firm, slender, and upright. The leaves
stand two at each joint i they are somewhat shorter
and broader than those of sage, of a greea colour,
and serrated about the edges. The flowers are
numerous, and very small : they stand in long
spikes, and are of a greenish yellow colour, with
some red threads in them. The plant has a singu-
lar smell, with something of the garlic flavour, but
that not strong.

The tops are to be used fresh. Made into an in-
fusion, they promote urine and the mense^: the
juice of them drank, for a continuance, is excellent
against rheumatic pains.

The Salep Plaj^t. Orchis orientalis.

A VERY pretty plant, of the nature of our
common orchis, native of the East, but growing t>
a greater height and producing larger roots thaii
with us, though it seems very nearly allied to whaf
wc call the tall female orchis, with large flower?,
which is frequent in our meadows. It grows in
damp ground, and is a foot high. The stalk is
round, juicy, and tender. The leaves are eight
inches long, and not an inch broad, of a dark greea
colour, and also juicy. The flowers stand at th*
fops of the stalk, in a spike of two inches long :
they are moderately lajge, and of a pale red colour.
The root is composed of two roundish bodies, of the
bigness of a pigeon's egg, and of a white colour,
with some fibres.

, We use tlie root, which we receive dry froim

I

FAMILY HERBAL. 299

Turkey. They have a peculiar method of curing
it : tbev make it clean, and then soak it four and
twenty hours in water; after this, they hang a
quantity of it in a coarse cloth, over the steam of a
pot in which rice is boiling ; this softens it, but it
gives it a sort of transparence, and qualifies it for
drying; these juicy roots otherwise growing moul-
dy. When they have thus far prepared it, they
string it upon a thread, and hang it in an airy place
to dry : it becomes tough as horn, and transparent.
This is a practice common in the East with the roots
they dry for use, and it would be well if we would
practise it here : the fine transparent kind of ginseng,
which we have from China, is dried in this manner.
It is highly probable, nay it is nearly a certainty,
that the roots of our common orchis have all the
qualities and effects of this salep, but we don't
know how to dry them. If we tried this method,
it might succeed ; and in the same manner, our own
fields and meadows might afford us many medicines,
which at present we purchase at a great price, from
the farthest parts of the earth.

The dried root is the part used ; and it is an ex-
cellent restorative, to be given to persons wasted
with long illnesses : the best way is to put a small
quantity of it in powder, into a bason of warm
water, which it instantly turns into a jelly, and a
little wine and sugar are to be added. The Turks
use it as a provocative to venery they take it dis-
solved in water, with ginger and honey.

Samphire. Crithmum maritimum.

A plant not xmcommon about sea coasts, with
KiuPh of the appearance of fennel, only not so tall :
Borne have called it sea fennel. It is two feet high.
The leaves are large, and divided in the manner of

300 FAMILY HERBAL.

those of fennel, into slender and small parts, but
they are thick and fleshy. The stalk is round, hol-
low, striated, and a little branched. The flowers
are small and yellow, and they stand at the tops of
the stalks in great clusters or umbels, in the manner
of those of fennel. The whole plant has a warm
and agreeable taste, and a good smell.

The leaves are used fresh ; but those which grow
immediately from the root, where there is no stalk,
are best: they are pickled, and brought to our
tables ; but they are often adulterated, and other
things pickled in their place. The juice of the
fresh leaves operates very powerfully by urine, and
is good against the gravel and stone, against sup-
pressions of the menses, and the jaundice.

Sanicle. Sanicula.

A PRETTY wild plant common in our woods,
and distinguished by its regular leaves, and small
umbels of flowers. It grows a foot and a half
high. The leaves are numerous, and they all rise
immediately from the root : they stand on long foot-
stalks, and are very conspicuous : they are of a
roundish shape, but cut in so, as to appear five
cornered, serrated about the edges, and of a very
deep glossy green colour, and shining surface. The
stalk is striated, upright, naked : on its top grows
a little round cluster of flowers : they are small and
white, and each is succeeded by two little rough
seeds. The root is fibrous.

The lea\;es are used. A strong decoction of them
is good against the overflowing of the raensps, and
the bleeding of the piles. It has hern vastly
celebrated for the cure of ruptures, but that i&
idle.

FAMILY HERJ^AL.

301

The Sarsaparilla Plant. Sarsaparilla.

A PLANT of the climbing kind, native of the
warmer countries. The stalks run to ten or twelve
feet i« length, but are weak, and support them-
selves among the bushes : they are whitish, angu-
lar, and striated, and are full of small prickles.
The leaves are an inch long, or more, and above
half an inch broad, of an oval figure, of a deep
green on the upper side, and white underneath,
firm in their texture, and ver\' glossy. The flow-
ers are little and yellowish. The berries are black,
round, and of the bigness of a small pea. The
root is very large and slender.

The root is used. Our druggists keep it : they
split it in two. It is brown on the outside, and
white within ; and its taste is insipid. It is sup-
posed to have great virtues, but tliey are not per-
fectly established. They have been at times dis-
puted, and at times supported. Given in decoc-
tion, it promotes sweat and urine. It has been
esteemed good against the scurvy, and famous in
the cure of the venereal disease. It isj in general,
accounted a sweetener of the blood.

The Sassafras Tree. Sassafras.

A BEAUTIFUL tree, native of America, and
to be met with in some of our gardens. It grows
twenty five or thirty feet high. The trunk is
naked till it comes near the top. The branches
grow near together, and spread irregularly. The
leaves are of two kinds : those on the older parts
of the twigs are oblong and pointed, somewhat
like bay leaves ; and those on the tops of the
branches are larger, broader, and divided into
three parts, like the leaves of maple, or they carry

S02

FAMILY HERBAL.

8?>rae resemblance of the smaller leaves of the fig-
iree. The Howcrs are small and yellow. The
fruit are berries like bay berries. The wood is
of a reddish colour and perfumed smell.

The wood is used. Our dru2:gists receive it in
logs, and ciit it out into shavings. The wood of
tJ>e root is best, and its bark contains most virtue
of all. It is best taken in infusion, by way of tea,
for it is very pleasant : it promotes sweat, and
irs good against the scurvy, and 3.11 other foul-
i^csses of the blood. It is a constant ingredient ip
diet drinks jigainst the venereal disease.

Savine. Salufja,

A LITTLE garden shrub, green all the winter.
The trunk is covered with a reddish brown bark.
The. branches are numerous, and stand confusedly.
The leaves are small, narrow^ of a dark green
colour, and prickly. The flowers are very small,
ajTid of a yellowish colour; and the fruit is a
small berry, of a black colour when ripe, and cover-
cil with a bluish dust like the bloom of a plum.

The tops of the young branches are used : they
are best fresh, and given in the manner of tea.
They very powerfully promote the menses ; and
if given to women with child, will frequently cause
;nniscarriage. The countrj' people give the juice
laixed with milk to children, as a remedy against
worms : it generally works by stool, and brings
worms away with it.

Summer Savory. Saturcia horfensis.

A COMMON. little plant in our kitchen gardens.
It is ten inches or a foot high. The stalks are nu-
merous, and very hard, and woody toward the bot-

FAMILY HERBAL.

3G3

torn. The leaves are oblong and narrow : they
Bland two at each joint, with a quantity of young
ones in their bosoms. The flowers grow on the
upper parts of the stalks among' the leaves: they
are white with a tinge of bluish or reddish. The
whole plant has a pleasant smellj and an agreeable
taste.

The whole plant is used. An infusion of i(,
drank in the manner of tea, is good against coiicy
painSj and it opens obstructions, and promotes the
menses.

There is another kind of savory, with more woody
stalks, called winter savory : this has much tlie
same virtues.

The Red Saunders Tree. Santalum rudrum.

A TREE, native of the West Indies, but of
which we have sreen nothing but the wood, and
have received very imperfect descriptions. They
say it grows forty feet high : that the leaves are
small, but many, set near together : their colour is
a dusky green ; and their substance thick and
fleshy. The flowers are like pea blossoms, and
the fruit is a pod, containing three or four seeds.
This is all we have been informed concerning the
tree, and part of this by hearsay only.

The wood is used. It is of a deep red colour.
It is astringent, and is good against violent purgings
and overflowings of the menses : for the former
purpose, it is best given in powder, in small doses ;
and for the latter, it is given in decoction. But it
is not much used.

The Yellow and White Saunders Tree.
Santalum jiiLDum ct album.

A BEAUTIFUL tree, native of the East Indies

304

FAMILY IIFJIBAL.

It grows forty or fifty feetliigh^ and is very mucli
branched. The leaves stand two or three pairs
upon a stalk, in the manner of those of the lentisk,
and are not unlike those of that tree in shape ; they
are of a dark greea colour, small, oblong, and
flesh}'. The flowers are moderately large, and of
a deep dusky blue ; the fruit is a berry, of the big-
ness of a large red cherry, which is black when ripe.
The wood is white in the outer part, and yellovr at
the heart, and these two parts are kept separate,
and were long supposed the woods of two different
trees. They have the same smell and taste, only
that the yellow has them bdth in greatest perfec-
tion : and in the same manner, their virtues are the
same; but the yellow is so much superior, that the
white deserves no notice.

The yellow saunders is best taken in the man-
ner of tea, it is this way not unpleasant, and is
cordial, good against disorders of the nerves, and
hysteric complaints, and opens obstructions, it
also gently promotes perspiration, and works by
urine.

White Saxifrage. Saxifraga albai

A VERY pretty plant in our meadows, dis-
tinguished by the regular shape of its leaves, and
its white snowy flowers. It grows ten inches high ;
the stalk is round, thick, firm, upright, and a little
liairy. The leaves are of a pale green colour, and
fleshy substance : they are of a roundish figure,
and indented about the edges ; and they stand upon
long foot-stalks. The flowers are large and white ;
they grow in considerable numbers on the tops of
the stalks. The root is composed of a parcel of
small white or reddisit granules.

The root is used : and these sinali parts of which
it consists have been used to be called by ignorant

FAMILY llERBAL.

apothecaries saxifrages seed. It is diuretic, and
good against the gravel. The roots are best freshj
and the best way of giving them is in decoction.

Meadow saxifrage. Seseli prctfense.

A WILD plant also, but though known by the
same English name with the other, very diftererit
in form and flower. It grows to more than two
feet in height. The stalks are round, deeply stri-
ated, of a dark green colour, and considerably
branched. The leaves are large, but they are di-
vided into a multitude of fine narrow segments.
The flowers stand at the tops of the stalks, in little
umbels or round clusters, and they are small and
yellow. The root is brown, long, and slender, and
is of an aro'iuiiic and acrid taste.

The root is used : it is best fresh taken up.
Given in a strong infusion, it works powerfully
by urine, and brings away gravel. It also eases
those colics, which are owing to the same
cause.

Scabious. Scabiosa.

A COMMON wild plant in our corn-fields, dis-
tinguished by its tall round stalks, and round blue
flowers. It grows to three feet in height. The
leaves rise principally from the root, and they lie
spread upon the ground. They are oblong, and
irregularly divided at the edges ; they are of a
pale green, hairy, and rough to the touch. The
stalks are round, upright, hairy, of the same pale
green colour, and they have a few leaves on them,
placed two at a joint ; these are more deeply
divided than those on the ground. The flowers
atand at the tops of the branches, they are of a

R r

305

FAMILY HERBAL.

deep blue colour, and each is composefi of a number
of smaller llosucles, collected into a head. The root
is long and brown.

The leaves growing- from the root are to be
gathered for use before the stalks appear. They
are best fresh. A strong infusion of them is good
ftgain?t asthmas, and difficulty of breathing, and
the same infusion made into syrup, is good against
coughs. The flowers are said to be cordial, and
an infusion of them to promote sweat, and carry
off fevers, but this is less authentic ; the juice exter-
nally applied is good against foulnesses of the skin.

The ScAMMONY Plant. Scammoma.

A CLIMBING plant, native of the eastern
parts of the world. The stalks are numerous,
green, slender, and angulated ; they are five or six
feet long, but unable to support themselves with<r
out the help of bushes. The leaves stand irregular-
ly, and not very close to one another ; they are of
a triangular figure, and bright green colour, and
they stand upon long foot-stalks. The flowers
are large and bell-fashioned ; they resemble very
much those of our common little bind-weed being
whitish, but they oftener have a yellowish than a
reddish tinge. The root is a foot and half long, and
as thick as a man's arm, full of a milky juice. They
wound the roots and catch the milky juice as it
runs out in shells ; and this when it has concreted
into a hard mass is the scarnmony we use.

It is a rough purge, but a very powerful and
useful one. It is good against the rheumatic
pains, and will reach the seat of many disorders that
a connnon purge does not afi'ect. However, it is
stildom given alone : and a great misfortune is,
iliat the compositions made w ith it are ne ver to he

i

FAMILY HERBAL.

perfectlj depended upon, because there is so mucli
/lifference in several parcels of scammony, that they
'neera hardly the sam"e medicine, some are so very

srtrong, and some so weak.

Garden Scurvy Grass. Cochlearia hortensis.

A COMMON wild plant about our sea coasts,
but kept also in gardens tor its virtues ; it is a foot
high ; the stalks are round, weak, and green ; the
leaves that rise from the root make the most con-
siderable appearance ; Ihey stand in a large tuft,
and are of a roundish figure,, and a bright green
colour, tender, juicy, and supported on long and
slender foot-stalks. There are but few leaves on
the stalks, and they are not so round as those from
the root, but are a little angular and pointed.
The flowers stand at the tops of the stalks, in little
chisters ; they are white, small, and bright ; they are
succeeded by short roundish seed-vessels.

The fresh leaves are used, and the best way of
all is to drink the expressed juice of them; this is
excellent against the scurvy, and all otiier foul-
nesses of the blood. It raavbe mixed with Seville
orange juice to make it pleasant, and should be
taken every day for six weeks or two months toge-
ther in sprhig.

Sea Scunvv Grass. Cochlearia marina.

A COMMON plant also about our s<;a coasts,
and by the sides of rivers, where the tide comes.
The leaves are not so numerous as those of the other ;
and they are oblong, of a reddish green colour,
pointed at the ends, and indented at the edges in an
irregular manner ; they are considerably larger than
those of garden scurvy grass, and more fleshy. Tb^

m

FAMILY HERBAL.

stalks arc eight or ten inches high ; they arc ten-
^eiv, round, and striated ; they have few leaves
on them, hut the flowers arc small and while, and
stand in clusters at the tops of the stalks, as in
the other. The leaves are to be used fresh gather-
ed, or their juice is to be taken. Their virtues
are the same as those of the other. But it is the
general opinion that they ^are greater^ though the
taste he not so agreeable.

The Sebesten Tree,. Ni/xa sive sehestcn.

A TREE of the bigness and form of our com-
mon plum tree, and producing a fruit not altogether
unlike it. The trunk is covered with a rough
bark, the branches grow irregularly and crooked,
and are generally so slender toward the ends, and
so full of leaves that they bend downward ; the
leaves are broad and short ; the flowers are white,
small, and sweet scented ; they stand in tufts or
clusters, and the cup in which they stand remains
and encloses the fruit. This [ is somewhat like
a plum, and has a kernel in the same manner :
its shape is oblong ; and the pulpy part of it is so
tough and clammy, that being beat up with water,
it makes good birdlime.

This fruit is the part used ; it is sent over to
us dried in the manner of a prune. It used to be
a constant ingredieiit in decoctions for coughs,
and disorders of the lungs, but it is now dis-
regarded.

Self-heal. Prunella.

A LITTLE wild plant common about way sides,
■with dark green leaves, and short tufts of blue
flowers. It grows six inches higb; the stalk is

FAMILY HERBAL. 30i)

square, and a little hairy ; the leaves stand in pairs
vpon it, but there are seldom more than two or
three pair, the great quantity of them rise imme-
diately from the root ; they are oblong, broad,
blunt at the point, and not at all indented at the
edges. The flowers are small ; they stand in a
kind of short spikes or heads : the cups of them
are often purplish. The root is small and creep-
ing, and full of fibres. The juice of self-heal
is astringent ; it is good against purgings, with
very sharp or bloody stools, and against overflow-
ings of the mjenses. The dried herb made into
an infusion and sweetened with honey, is good
against a sore throat, and ulcers of the mouth.

The Senna Shrub. Sena.

A LITTLE shrub, three or four feet high,
native of the East. The trunk is covered with a
whitish and rough bark ; the leaves are composed
each of three pair of smaller, disposed on a com-
mon rib, with an odd one at the end : they are
oblong, narrow, and sharp pointed, of a smooth
surface, a thick substance, of a pale greeti colour,
and not indented at the edges. The flowers are
like a pea blossom in shape, but they are yellow,
marked with purple veins. The pods are short
and flat, and the seeds are small and brown.

We have the dried leaves from the East, the
druggists keep them. They are given in infusion,
and are an excellent purge, but' as they are apt to
gripe in the working, the common method is to
throw in a few cardamom seeds, or some other
varm medicine into the water.

SIO FAMILY HERBAL.

Bastard Sena. Coluiea.

A COMMON shrub kept for ornament in our
gardens. The trunk is not very robust, but it
keeps upright, and is covered with a whitish rough
bark. The leaves are composed each of several
pairs of smaller, set on a commonj rib, with an
odd leaf at the end ; but they are rounder and
broader in proportion to their length tlian those
of the true sena. The flowers are yellow they
are but small, but they hang in long bunches,
and are succeeded by pods, which look like blad-
ders, of a greenish colour.

The loaves are used ; some give aji infusion of
them as a purge but they are very rough : they
work both upwards and downwards, and are only
fit for very robust constitutions. For such as can
bear them, they are good against rheumatic paing.

The Senega Tree. Senica.

A TREE frequent in the East, and named from
a gum which it affords, and which is brought in
great quantities into Europe. The tree is large
and spreading ; its trunk is covered with a rough
bark, its branches with asmogther of a pale brown,
and they are very full of thorns.

The leaves are large, and they are composed of
many smaller set in pairs, very beautifully and
evenly about a common rib, with an odd one at the
end of each rib : they are oblong, and of a beauti-
ful green. Th« flowers are white, and of the
shape of a pea blossom ; the fruit is a large and
flat pod, jointed or divided into several parts,
with seeds in them ; the tree is of the acacia kind,
in many things very like that which produces the

FAMILY HERBAL.

3il

gum arable, and the gum which is obtained from
it is in the same manner very like that.

This gum is the only product of the tree heard
of in medicine, and this is not much. It is brought
over, however, in great quantities, for the dyers
use a great deal of it. It is in large lumps, of the
bigness of an egg; rough on the surface, but
glossy and smooth when broken, and of a pale
brown colour. It is as easily and entirely dissolv-
ed in water as gum arabic, and has the same vir-
tues. It is very seldom called for by name in
medicine, but it is nevertheless often used, for
the druggists have a way of breaking the lumps
to pieces, and putting them among the gum
arabic ; they may be distinguished by their brown
colour, the true gum arabic being white, or yel-
lowish, if coloured at all, and never having any
brown in it : some pick these brown pieces out ;
bu(, upon a separate trial, they are found to be
80 perfectly of the same nature, that it is a needless
trouble.

The Right Service Tree. Sorhus legitima.

A TREE wild in some parts of this kingdom,
but not known in others, nor even in many of our
gardens. It grows twenty feet high or more, and
the branches stand very irregularly. The leaves
are each composed of several pairs of smaller,
set on a common rib, with an odd one at the end ;
these are long, narrow, and serrated, so that they
have some resemblance of the ash tree. The
flowers are not large ; they are white, and stand
in clusters. Each is succeeded by a fruit of the
shape of a pear, and of the bigness of some pears
ttf the smaller kind j these are green, except where

S12

FAMILY HERBAL.,

they havo, been exposed to the sun, where they art
sometimes reddisli ; the taate is very pleasant when
they are ripe.

The unripe fruit is used; they press the juice,
and give it against purgings^ but it is little known.

The Common Service Tree, Sorbics vulgaris,

A LARGE tree and very beautiful, its growth
being regular, and the leaves of an elegant shape ;
the bark of the trunk is greyish, and tolerably
smooth ; on the branches it is brown : the leaves are
single, large, and of a rounded figure, but divided
into five, six, or seven parts, pretty deeply, and
serrated round the edges ; they arc of a bright greea
on the upper part, and whitish underneath. The
flowers arc little and yellowish, and they grow ia
clusters ; tlie fruit is small and brown when ripe.
It grows in bunches.

The imripe fruit of this service is excellent
against purgings, but it can only be had recourse to
when in season, for there is no way of preserving
the virtue in them all the year.

Shepherds' Purse. Bursa 'pastoris.

THE most common almost of all wild plants^,
over-running our garden-beds, and court-yards.
The leaves spread upon the ground, and arc long,
somewhat broad, and more or less indented at the
edges, for in this there is great variation : the stalk«
arc round, upright, and eight or ten inches high,
they have few leaves on them. The flowers stand
at the tops in little clusters, and they are small and
white : below there is commonly a kind of spike
of the seed-vessels ; these are short, broad, aud of

FAMILY HERBAL. 313

the figure of a, ha-g, or pouch, and are divided a
little at the end. The seeds are^mail and yellovy-
ish, and the roots white.

The juice of shepherd's purse is cooling and
astringent ; it is good against purgings, with sharp
and bloody stools; against the bleeding of the piles,
and the overflowings of the menses.

Skirret. Sis arum.

A PLANT kept in our kitchen gardens. It
grows three or four feet high. The stalk is roiind^
hollow, striated, and somewhat branched : the leaves
are each composed of three or five smaller, two or
four set opposite and one at the cad ; they are ohr
long, serrated at the edges, ar.d sharp pointed ; the
end leaf is longer than the others. The flowers are
little: they stand in round clusters on the tops of
the branches. The root is of a singular form : it
is composed of several long parts like carrots. They
are of a good taste, and some people eat them at
their tables.

A decoction of them works by urine, and is good
against the gravel. The roots boiled in milk, are
an escellent restorative to people who have suffered
long illnesses.

The Sloe Tree. Prunus sylvestris.

THE common low shrub in our hedges, which
we call the blackthorn. It is a plum tree in
miniature. It grows five or six feet high ; the trunk
and branches are all covered with a dark purplish or
blackish bark. The leaves are roundish, and of a
j^ood green, elegantly dentated about the edges.
The flowers are small and white. The fruit is %

8 S

314

FAMILY HERBAL.

little plum, of a very austere taste when unripe, hut
pleasant when mellow.

The juice expressed from unripe sloes, is a very
good remedy for fluxes of the belly. It may be
boiled down to a firm consistence, and will so keep
the whole year. We used to find this dried juice
kept by druggists under the name of German acacia,
but they neglect it.

Smallage. Apiiim.

A COMMON wild plant, about ditch sides,
with the appearance of lelery. These are very
numerous and large. The stalk rises two feet and
a half in height, and is round, smooth, striated, and
branched. The leaves on it are like those from the
root, composed of many small parts, which are
broad and indented, but they are smaller. The
flowers stand in little umbels at the divisions of the
branches : they are small and of a yellowish white.
The seeds are small and striated. The roots are
long, not very thick, white, and of a strong, but not
disagreeable taste.

The roots are most used ; a strong infusion of
them fresh gathered, works briskly by urine. It is
good against the gravel, and in jaundices and other
diseases arising from obstructions in the liver and
spleen. The seeds dried are good against the colic,
and strengthen the stomach.

The CoLURiNE-wooD, OR Snake-wood Tree.
JLig/ium coluhvinum.

A TALL' tree of the East, irregular in its growth,
but not without beauty. The bark is rough aiul
brown ; the leaves are large, broad in Ihe niiddlo,

FAMILY HERI^AL.

315

ohlongi and sharp at the point. They are of a deep
green colour, and firm substance : the flowers are
small, they grow in clusters upon the branches, not
at their extremities, but in different parts of them.
The fruit is larg-e, and much of the shape of a
walnut. It is yellow when ripe, and contains a
great many round flat seeds. These are exactly of
the shape and form of what we call nux vomica ;
but they are not half so big. Some have, for this
reason, supposed the real nux vomica to be the
fruit of this tree ; but it is produced by another of
the same ge>nus. The wood of the smaller branches
is used : this is what we called lignum colubrinum,
adder-wood, and snake-wood. It is famous in the
East for curing fevers and destrovins' worms ;
they also say it is a remedy against the bites of
serpents, and hence comes its name. We have been
tempted to give it in some cases ; but it seems better
suited to the constitutions of the people among
whom it grows than to ours ; it brings on con-
vulsions, if given in too large a dose, or if too fres-h.
It loses its strength by degrees in keeping ; but
I don't know how it can be possible to deter-
mine what dose to give of such a medicine.

Sneezewort, Ptarmica.

A VERY pretty wild plant, with daisy-like
flowers, and narrow dentated leaves. It grows
two feet high. The stalk is round, firm, upright,
and but little branched. The leaves are very
numerous, and they stand irregularly ; they arc
an inch or more in length, and very narrow, rough
to fhe touch, and of a bright green. The flowers
stand at the tops of the stalks, so that they form
a kind of round head ; they are less than" daisies
and tlieir If^avcs broader.

FAMILY HERBAL,

The leaves of sheeiewortj dried and powdcrcdj
iakenby way of snuff, are excellent against the
head-ach. The roots dried are almost as fiery
as pellitory of Spain, and they cure the tooth-ach
in the same manner. A piece held in the mouth,
iills it with rheum in a minute.

Solomon's Seal. Polygonatum.

A PRETTY plant, wild in some places, and
frequenf in gardens. It grows a foot and half
high. The stalk is round, striated, and of a pale
green ; naked half way up, and from thence to
the top ornamented with large oval leaves of a
pale green, blunt, smooth, ribbed, and not at all
indented at the edges. The flowers hang from
the under part of the stalk ; they are small and
white; the fruit is a berry as big as a pea, and
black when ripe. The root is white, oblong,
irregular, and creeps under the surface of the
ground.

The root is the part used : it is commended
extremely for an outward application against
bruises. The root ^ried and powdered is good,
against purging* with bloody stools ; and the fresh
root beat up into a conserve with sugar, against
the whites.

SoPEWORT. Sa'pontiria.

A WILD plant, but not very common. It is
two feet high. The stalk is round, thick, jointed,
and of a pale green ; the' knots are large. The
Jeaves stand two at each joint ; they are of an
oval figure, and dark green colour, smooth, not
dentatcd at the edges, and full of large ribs. The
Howers stand in a kind of clusters at the tops;

FAMILY HERBAL; 317

they are white or reddish, and not very large:
t}ie root is knobhed and has a great many fibres
running from ii : it is of a disagreeable mawkish
taste.

The root is used ; and it should be fresh taken
up; a decoction of it opens obstructions;, and pro-
motes urine and perspiration. It is an excellent
sweetener of the blood.

Sorrel. Acetosa.

. A COMMON plant in our meadows, with
broad and oblong leaves, striated stalks, and red-
dish tufts of flowers. It is a foot^ and half high.
The stalk is round, not very firm, upright and a
little branched. The leaves are of a deep green,
angulated at the base, blunt at the point, and not
at all indented about the edges. The flowers stand
on the tops of the stalks, in the manner of those of
docks, of which sorrel is indeed a small kind.
They are reddish and husky ; the root is small
and fibrous ; the whole plant has a sour taste.

The leaves eaten as a sallad, or the juice taken,
are excellent against the scurvy. The seeds are
astringent, and may be given in powder for fluxes.
The root dried and powdered, is also good against
purgings, the overflowing of the menses7 and
bleedings.

There are two other kinds of sorrel, nearly of
kin to this, and of the same virtue : one small,
called sheep's sorrel, common on dry banks ; the
other large, with broad leaves, called garden
sorrel, or round leaved sorrel : this is rather pre*
ferahle to the common kind. Besides these, there
is a plant called in English a sorrel, so different
from them all, that it must be described sepa-
rately.

318

FAMILY HERBAL.

Wood Sorrel. Luiula.

A VERY pretty little plants common about our
wood sides, and distinguised by its bright green
elegant leaves, and pretty flowers. The leaves rise
in considerable number from the same root ; they
stand three together upon separate, long, and very
slender foot-stalks, of a reddish colour ; each is of a
heart-like shape, the broad and iudented part hang-
ing downwards, and the three smaller ends meeting
on the summit of the stalk. The flowers are
whitish, tinged with purple, very bright and de-
licate ; they stand also on single stalks, and rise im-
mediately on the root. The seed-vessels are large,
and when ripe, they burst asunder with the least
touch, and the seeds fly about. The root is small
and irregular.

The leaves are used ; they are to be fresh gather-
ed ; their root is very agreeably acid, and the juice
of them makes a pretty syrup. The leaves also beat
up with three times their weight of sugar, make an
excellent conserve. They arc good to qxiench tiiirsfc
in fevers, and they have the same virtue with the
other against the scurvy and in sweetening the
blood.

Southernwood. Ahrotaniim mas.

A SHRUBBY plant, native of many par/s of
Europe, but kept in our gardens. The stem is
woody, and tough, and is covered with a brown
bark. The leaves are divided into fine slender
parts, and are of a pale green, whitisli colour, and
strong smell. The flowers arf small and yellowish ;
they grow in great numbers on the top of the stalk,
and are naked, and of a rough appearance. The
seeds are longish, and of a pale brown.

Fi^MILY HERBAL. 319

The tops of the young branches are iiserl • a
decoction of them is good against >vorms, but it is
a very disagreeable medicine. Beaten into a con-
fierve with three times their weight of sugar, they
are not very unpleasant, and they are in this form
good against nervous disorders, and in all hysteric
complaints.

SowTHisTLE. Soticlius aspev.

A COMMON weed in our gardens, and about
our houses. It is three feet high ; the stalk is
round, thick, green, and upright. The leaves are
long, and not very broad ; they are indented at the
edges, and prickly between the indentings. When
any part of the plant is broken, there runs out a
milky juice. The flowers are large, and yellow:
they are somewhat like those of dandelion, and
stand in a kind of scaly cup. The seeds have
down affixed to them. The root is long and
white.

The leaves are to be used fresh gathered ; a strong
infusion of them works by urine, and opens ob-
structions. Some eat them in sallads, but the in-
fusion has more power. There are three or four
other kinds of sovvthistle, common in some places
With this, and they have all the same virtues, but
this has them most in perfection.

SpEEnwELL. Veronica mas.

A COMMON little plant in our dry pastures,
and on heaths. The stalks are six or eight inches
long; the leaves are short, and of an oval figure.
The stalks arc not upright: they trail along the
ground, only rising at thin upper parts. The
leaves are of a pale green colour^ a little hairj'.

220

FAMILY HERBAL.

and dentafed at the edges : tlic flowers are small
and blue ; they grow in slender spikes, arising
from the bosoms of the leaves ; the^ root is small
and fibrous.

The whole herb is used, and it is best fresh. An
infusion of it drank in quantities, works by urine,
and opens all obstructions : it promotes the menses.
There was an opinion lately that this plant would
cure the' gout. The dried leaves pickeU from the
stalks, were sold in our markets, and people made a
tea of them. The opinion was so prevalent, that
the plant was in a manner destroyed for many
miles about London, but likfe all other things,
that want trutli for their foundation, it came to
uothing.

Spignel. Meum,

A WILD plant not altogether unlike fennel.
It grows two or three feet high. The stalks are
round, striated, and branched. The leaves are
large, and divided like those of fennel, but into
narrower and finer parts, and they are of a very
dark green colour. The flowers are little and
white, but they stand in clusters at the tops of the
stalks, and are conspicuous by their number. The
root iS long and brown, and there are always a
quantity of filaments at the head of it like hairs :
these are the fibres of the stalks of former leaves.

The root is used, and it is best fresh taken up.
An infusion of it is excellent medicine in the gravel ;
it also opens obstructions, and promotes the menses.
The root dried and given in powder strengthens the
stomach, creates an appetite, and is good against
the colic.

FAMILY HERBAL. ^21

Spinage, Spi?iachia.

A COMMON herb ia our kitchen gardens.'
It grows two feet high; the stalk is round, thick,
and juicj ; the leaves are broad and cleft at the
bases, so that they resemble a broad arrow head :
the flowers arc inconsiderable ; the seeds grow oa
other plants of the same kind> and are rough and
prickly : the root is white and oblong.

The leaves are eaten at our tables ; but their
iu ice may very well be recommended as a medi-
cine. It works by urine, and is good against the
gravel. The leaves eaten frequently keep the
body open.

Spleenwort. Aspleniuni.

A SINGULAR plant, of the nature of the ferns,
but not like any of them in form. The root is
fibrous. From this the leaves rise in great numbers
together, each being a distinct and separate plant ;
they are narrow, and five inches long, deeply in-
dented on each side, but very irregularly, and
covered on the under part with small seeds. When
they first grow from the root, they are folded in-
ward, so that only the under part appears ; and
they have a very peculiar aspect^ more like some
insect than the leaf of a plant. It grows on old
walls, and i,« green all the winter, but it has most
virtue in spring.

The whole plant is used. It is best given in in-
fusion, and must be continued for some time ; it
opens all obstructions of the liver and spleen, and
is excellent in disorders arising from that cause.
They say the powder of the dried leaves cures rhe
ricketSj but this wants proof.

3iK FAMILY HERBAL.

Indian Spikenard, tardus Indica.

•' AN East Indian plant, of the grass kind, with
triangular stalks, and yellowish flowers. It re-
sembles not a little that common yellow tufted grass,
which is frequent in our meadows in spring. It is
six or eight inches high. The leaves are long,
narrow, and of pale green ; they are very numerous,
and stand in a thick tuft almost growing together
at the hases. The stalks rise among these ; they arc
naked, triangular, and of a pale, green colour ; the
flowers stand in tufts, of the bigness of an horse-
bean, on the tops of the stalks ; they are blackish,
but ornamented with yellow threads, which give
the whole a yellowish appearance. This is the
plant, some samples of which have been of late
brought over, as the Indian spikenard, and there
is reason and authority for supposing they are so.
The tops of the roots have that sort of tuft of hairy
matter, which we call Indian spikenard, growing
to them ; and it is of the nature of the hairy top
of the spignel root, owing to the fibres of decayed
leaves. Breynius also calls the plant which affords
the Indian Spikenard, a kind of cyperus grass.

The tuft of fibres at the tops of the root of
this plant, is what we call Indian spikenard ; they
are brown, flattish, matted together, and of a plea-
sant smell : they are good in disorders of the
nerves, and hysteric cases ; but so many better
medicines are at hand, that this is rarely used.

Sponge. Spojigia.

A SEA plant of a very singular kind and form.
It has neither leaves, stalks, nor branches, nor has
it the colour or aspect of our ordinary plants.
It more approaches to the nature of the mushrooms.

FAMILY HE RBAIa

■323

than of any ether of the vegetable kinds. It
grows to the rocks, and swells out into an irrejijular-
ly shaped mass of matter, full of holes, of a yel-
lowish colour, and refaining a great deal of water,
which is easily pressed out, and is received again
on dipping it again in the wet. It is of a round-
ish figure, and sometimes hollow. Sponge in the
shape of a funnel is frequently seen, and has
been described as a particular species ; but this
is only an accident in the growth.

It would be very imprudent to swallow sponge
in its natural form ; but calcined, it is of excellent
service to sweeten the blood, and is good against
the scurvy, and the evil : great care is to be taken
inthe burning it. It must be made brittle and fit
for powdering, but if it be calcined too long, all
the volatile parts will be driven off, and it will be
worth nothing.

Great Spurge. Esula mqjcr.

WE have many kinds of spurge wild in Eng-
land, and some of them large enough ; but this
used in medicine is a dift'crent species. It is native
of Germany, and is kept in our gardens. It grows
a yard high ; the stalk is round, thick, reddish,
and divided into branches. The leaves are nume-
rous, and stand irregularly ; they are narrow and,
of a pale green, and are broadest at the end. The
flowers are little, and of a- pale yellow, but the
seed-vessels are large, and make a conspicuous
figure on the tops of the branches. The root is
very thick and long ; it consists of a firm heart
covered with a thick rind. The whole plant, when
broken, affords a milky acrid j uice.

The bark of the root is used dry; and even ia
that state is very rough in its operation. It works

S24 FAMILY HERBAL.

by stool and vomit;, and is good in the rheumatism
and dropsy ; but it is not every constitution that
can bear the use of such remedies.

The Lesser Spuege. Esida minor.

A LESSER plant than the former, but suffici-
ently robust ; it is a native of the same part of the
world, but is common in our gardens. It is a
foot high. The leaves are longish and very nar-
row, but rounded at the end : the slalks are thick,
rou(jd, and red ; the flowers are small and yellow ;
and the seed-vessels large and three cornered.
The whole plant is full of a sharp niilky juice,
but most of all the root.

-^he bark of the root is used. It works by
vomit and stool as the former ; but though with
less violence, yet too rough for most constitutions.
It jid good in the rheumatism.

Squill. Scilla.

A VERY common plant by the sea side in
Italy and other parts of Europe, but not native
of this country . It grows a yard high, and when
in flower, is very beautiful ; the stalk is thick,
round, fleshy, and green, or else reddish. Tlie
flowers are white ; they are small but they have
their beauty. They stand in a long spike down-
a third part of the stalk ; the leaves are very largfs
and long ; they are of a deep green colour, and
grow immediately from the root ; the root is
round, and of a pound weight ; it is composed
like an onion of many coats one over another,
and is full of an acrid slimy juice. The colour
IS white or red, and they call"^ it the whijte or red
aquill.

FAMILY HERBAL.

325

The root is used dried, or infused in vinegar or
wine, and that afterwards made into a syrup witk
honey. These three preparations are called the
■wine of squills, vinegar of squills, and oxymel
of squills ; they are all good against asthmas,
and difficulty of hreathing. The oxymel is most
given for this purpose ; the vinegar causeis vomit-
ing, and cleanses the stomach ; the wine of squills
works by urine, and is good against the jaundice
and dropsy.

Starwort. Aster aticus.

A COMMON wild plant, in many parts of
Europe and in the Grecian islands, but not here :
we have it in gardens. It is afoot and half higli.
The stalk is round, hairy, and branched ; the
leaves are oblong, moderately broad, and rounded
at the ends, and of a dusky green. The flowers
are yellow and large ; they resemble the marigold ;
it is singular that there stand some leaves under
this flower disposed in rays like a star ; the root
is long.

The fresh leaves are used ; and that only ex-
ternally. Bruised, and laid on as a pultice, they
are a cure for buboes, and other hard swellings,.
The plant is called also ingunialis, from its pecu-
liar efl'ect in dissipating buboes of the groin.

The Star Thistle, Calciircipa.

A WILD plant on our healhs, but not very
common. It is two feet higli, and extremelv
branched ; the stalks are round, hard, and whitish.
The principal leaves rise from the root, and are
disposed in a circular manner on the gfound.
T^iey are oblong, and divided along the sides

S26

FAMILY HERBAL.

quite to tlie middle rili : there are some smaller
on the stalk, but few. The flowers are numerous :
Ihcy are red, and of the form of the flowers of
thistles. They grow out of a scaly and thorny
bead. The seeds are winged with down. The
root is oblong.

The root is used ; a strong infusion of it is ex-
cellent against the gravel, and is good also in the
jaundice. It opens obstructions;, and works by
urine.

The Starry Headed Anise Tree. Aiiisim stel-

latum.

A TALL and very beautiful tree, native of the
Eas<, and much esteemed there. The trunk is
covered with a thick bark : the branches are
irregular and spreading. The leaves are very
large ^ind beautiful ; tbey are composed each of
ten or twelve pair of others set on a common rib,
with an odd one at the end ; they are longish,
broad, serrated at the edge.-, and pointed at the
ends, and are of a beautiful pale green colour,
and of a fragrant smell when bruised, such as that
we perceive in the young leaves of the walnut
tree, but with a mixture of somewhat aromatic.
The flowers stand at the tops of the branches, on
divided pedicFes ; they are white and very fra-
grant. The fruit is of a singular figure, of the
shape of a star, and of a woody substance ; it is
composed of five or more fays, and in each is a
lingle, smooth, brown seed. They have the srael!
of aniseed, and thence have been called by the
name, for there is not the least resemblanci' be-
tween the plants which prodiue tlie two ; one
being a small herbj and the other a large and fine
^ree.

FAMILY HERBAL.

327

The fruit h only used, and we sometimes see
it at the druggists ; if the present practice en-
couraged it we might have it common enough :
and it is one of those drugs which we neglect,
while we are fond of such as do not deserve the
distinction. It is an excellent medicine against
coldness of the stomach, colics, and those hcad-
achs which arise from indigestion. It also works
powerfully hy urine ; and with it possesses all
the virtues of aniseed and many others ; and even
in a very superior degree : it has not its disagree-
able flavour. An oil drawn from it by distillation,
is sweet and excellent ; -it has all the virtues of
our oil of aniseed, but not its disagreeable taste,
and it does not congeal like it in cold weather.

Staves-Acre. Staphis agria.

A VERY pretty plant, native of Italy, and
kept in our gardens. It is two feet and a half
high. The stalk is round, thick, firm, and up-
right, and a little hairy. The leaves are of a
roundish figure, but divided deeply into seven
parts, and these serrated at the edges ; they are
large, and of a deep green, and stand on long foot-
stalks. The flowers are of a deep blue, large,
and very like the flowers of lark-spur : they grow
in. a spike at the tops of the stalks; the seed-
vessels are notched, and the seeds rough.

The seeds are used. Some venture to give them
' inwardly in small doses against the rheumatism,
and the venereal disease. They operate by vomit
and stool, and bring a great quantity of water
from the mouth. The powder of them is most
used to kill vermin, by sprinkling it on children's
heads that have bcBn kept uncleanly,

S28 FAMILY HERBAL.

Golden Stcechas. Slccchas cilrina.

A PRETTY plant, native in the warmer parfs
of Europe, and kept in our gardens. It is a shrub-
by herb, two feet hig;h, and keeps its leaves all
the year. The stem is vvoodj ; the leaves stand
thick on the lower branches, and they are longish,
narrow, and whitish, especially on the under side.
The flowers are yellow, and stand at the tops of
the stalks ; they are dry and chairv, and may be
kept for a long time. The whole plant has au
agreeable smell, when rubbed betw een the fingers.

The leafy stalks are used ; their tops are best,
and those fresh gathered : an infusion of them
works by urine, and opens ohstructions. It is
good in jaundices, and obstructions of the menses.

There is another plant called Arabian stoechas^
or French lavender. It has been described already
under the head of lavender, to which it belongs,
for it is altogether diflerent from this plant,

Tjie Storax Tree. Stt/rax arbor.

A SMALL tree, native of the East, and some
parts of Europe ; but in Europe it yields none of
the resin we call storax. We have it in some
gardens. It is twenty feet high ; the trunk is
covered with a brown bark : that on the branches
is greyish ; the leaves arc of a brownish or a dusky
green on the uper side, and whitish underneath : the
flowers arc white and large ; the fruit is like a nut,
roundish and little, and is covered with a woolly
eoat; three ofthc flowers grow together usually, and
are succeeded by three of these.

We use no part of the tree, but a resinous sub
stance, which is produced from it. This is^^kcpt
at the druggi»ts, and is reddish and of a fragrant

FAMILY HERBAL.. 399

%xne\\, but ^very foul. It is good in all diseasps of
the breast and lungs, being an excellent balsam-.
It is also good in all nervous and hysteric comr
plaints^ and it promotes the menses.

; The Strawberry Plant. Fragaria.

A VERY common little plant, both in our
•woods and gardens. The leaves stand three upon
each stalk, and they are large, broad, sharp at the
point, and serrated about the edges ; the stalks trail
upon the ground, and take root at the joints : th^
flowers are white ; they stand four or five together
upon a long foot-stalk rising from the root and withr
out any veins : they are white, and moderately
large ; the fruit is well known. When ripe it is
red, and of an agreeable taste.

The fresh leaves are used ; an infusion of them
is good liquor to wash a sore mouth or throat ;
taken in large quantities, it works by urine, and is
good against the jaundice.

Succory, dehor eum.

A COMMON pUnt in our gardens. It is near
at yard high, but of no great beauty. The stalk
is round, striated, thick, green, and strong. The
principal leaves grow from the root ; they are long,
narrow, and deeply indented, and are of a bluish
green, and hairy ; those on the stalks are smaller,
and have no foot-stalks. The flowers are of the
shape of those of dandelion, but they are blue ;
the seed is winged with down. The flowers grow
to the sides of the stalks, not at the tops, as in
dandelion. The root is long and brown on the
eurfacig ; it is full of a milky juice, and whit*
'V/ithin,

U tt

33-0 FAivliLY HEREAu

Tlje root is used ; an infusion of it opens 0I3-
structions ; it is good against tho jaundice. A de-
coction of tho whole plant, fresh gathered, worits
powerfyliy by urine, and is good againsi the gravel.
It also ^'ently promotes the menses.

The Sugar Cane. Arundo saccharifcra.

A KIND of reed, native of the East and West
Indies, of the Canary islands, and of some other
places; and ^ cultivated in all our plantations. It
IS eight or ten feet high. The stalk is round,
hollow, hard, jointed, and upright; it is very like
that of a common reed, only so ranch thicker.
The leaves arc like those of the reed, but vastly
larger ; and the flower.« are in the same manner, dry,
brown, and chaffy, but the cluster of them is a
yard long ; the roots are long, creeping, and jointed
in the manner of the stalk. In very hot countries,
the sugar will sweat out at the cracks of the stalks,
and stand in form of a bright powder ; thi » is native
sugar, and is what the antients meant when they
talked of honey growing upon reeds. We press out
the juice, .and boil it to the consistence of brown
sugar, which is afterwards refined, and becomes the
■white powder or loaf-sugar.

It were idle to talk of tho virtues of sugar, its
uses are sufficiently knovvn, and are very great.

Sumach. Rhus.

A SHRUB, native of warmer countries, but
common in our gardens. It is of a singular ap-
pearance. It does not grow to more than ten or
twelve feet Ingh ; the wood is brittle, and the bark
is brown. The leaves are long and very beautiful,
^^ich consist* of a great many pairs of smaller

FAMILY HERBAi;:

331

kavcs/with an odd one at the end ; these are singly,
ttblong, and of a dark green, and serrated at the
edges. The flowers are white ; they grow in very
large, thick, and long clusters, and are succeeded by
flat seeds, hairy and roundish, and of an austere
astringent taste. There are several other kinds of
sumach in the gardens of curious people, some of
them much more beautiful, but this is the kind that
is to be preferred for its medicinal virtues.

The seeds, dried and powdered, stop purgings,
and the overflowings of the menses. The fresh
tops have also great eifect in strengthening the sto-
mach and bowels ; they are best taken in infusion.
The bark of the root has the same virtue ; but tke
seeds have it in the greatest degree.

SwALLOW-woRT. Ascifpias.

A COMMON plant in gardens, but native of
the warmer climates. It is two feet high. The
stalks are round, slender, of a dark colour, and
pointed ; the leaves are large and longish, and of
a deep green ; they stand two at each joint.. The
flowers are small and '-vhite, and each is succeeded
by two pods growing together ; the root is fibrous
and spreading.

The root is used; an infusion of it fresh is good
against the jaundice; it works by urine and opens
obstructions. Dried and given in powder, it opC'-
rates by sweat, and is good in fevers.

T

The TACAMAH.ic Tree. TacamaJiaca,

A LARGE and beautiful tree, native of the
East, and of America. It is fifty or sixty feet

^^2 FAMILY herbal;

ijiglv. The bark is brown on the trunk, and grey-*
ish on the branches. The leaves are large and
longish, sharp-pointed, and dentated at the edges ;
they arc of a dusky green on the upper side, and
brownish underneath. The flowers are incon-
siderable and yellowish. The fruit is small and
round. The buds of the tree are very fragrant ;
a brown kind of resin issues from ihem, which
sticks to the fingers, and this has that pleasaut
smell.

We use no part of the tree, but a resin which is
produced from it. The druggists keep this. It ig
brown; some of it is in grains, and some in a
mass. It is used only externally ; a plaister made
of it, spread on leather, is applied to the fore-
head against the head-ach ; and to the navel in
hysteric cases, ^but it does not seem to have much
efficacy.

The Tamarind Tree. Tamarindus.

A VERY pretty tree, native both of the East
and West Indies, and kept in many of our gardens.
The trunk is covered with a pale coloured rough
bark; the branches with a smoother. The leaves
are each composed of a great many pairs of smaller,
disposed on a common rib, with no odd one at the
end. They are small, oval, and of a pale or
Avhitish green. The flowers are large, and very
pretty ; they are part yellow, and part white; the
white leaves of them stained often with red. They
stand in clusters, half a dozen together. The fruit
is a flat pod, broad, brown, and hard ; these contain
a pulpy substance, and the seeds a stringy matter
with them. The pulp, strings, and seeds arc
brought over to us, and the pulp is separated for
use ; it is of a pleasant acid taste, and is a gentle

FAMILY HERBAL.

and excellent purge ; it works also by urine. It is
good in the jaundice. The pulp is useful also to
cool the mouthj and quench thirst in fevers. It 13
not much used singly as a purge.

Tamarisk. Tamariscus.

' A LITTLE tree, frequent wild in France, and
kept in our gardens : it grows, however, raucli
larger in its native climate than here. The (,bark
is brown on the trunk, and paler on the branches,
and the young shoots are red and very slender.
The leaves are very beautiful ; they are of a fine
bright green, delicately divided into small parts,
and regular. The flowers are very small and red ;
but they stand in spikes, and very close together ;
and as four or five of these spikes also often stand
together, they are very conspicuous ; the seeds are
small, and lodged in a downy substance.

The bark is used dried, and the tops of the
branches fresh ; both have the same virtue ; the.
one is best in decoction, the other in a light in-
fusion, made in the manner of tea. Either is good
to open obstructions. They promote the menses,
arc good in the jaundice, and it is said against the
rickets.

Tansy. Tanacetum.

A COMMON plant in our gardens. It is a
yard high : the stalks are round, firm, upright,
and of a pale green ; the leaves are large, oblong,
broad, and very beautifully formed ; they are each
composed of several pairs of smaller, set oh each
side of a common rib, with an odd leaf at the end.
These arc narrow, long, pointed, and serrated at
the edges. The flowers stand in large clusters at

334? FAMILY IIEIIRAL.

the tops of the stalks, and tlicy arc roundish,
yclloWj and naked. The root is a cluster of
largo creeping fibres. The whole plant hah a
strong smell.

The leaves are to be used fresh gathered ; a
strong infusion of them opens obstructions; it
works powerfully by urine_, and gently promotes
the menses. The flowers dried, powdered, and
mixed with treacle, are a common medicine for
worms, and they \isibly destroy them.

Wild, Tansy. Argentina

A COMMON wild plant about our way sides,
and a great ornament to them. It rises to no
height. The stalks creep upon the ground, and
take root at the joints ; but it is easily distinguish-
ed by its silvery leaves and yellow flowers. The
stalks are round and reddish. The leaves rise
from these ; they are very large, and each com-
posed of a great many pair of smaller set on both
sides of a common rib;, with an odd one at the
encV They are of the shape, and much of the
size of the leaves of tansy ; and the smaller leaves
of which they are composed, are oblong, narrow,
and serrated ; but they are of a most beautiful
colour; a fine silvery green on the upper side,
and a perfect silvery white on the under. The
flowers stand on short foot stalks, and are large
and yellow, somewhat like the flowers of the crow-
foots, but more beautiful.

The leaves are used ; a strong infusion of them
is given with success against the bleeding of the
piles, and bloody stools: and made less strong
and sweetened a little with honey, it is excellent
for a sore throat. The women use it also to take
away freckles, but this seems idle.

FAMILY HERBAL.

Tarragon. Dracunculus. ^

A COMMON plant in our gardens. It is two
feet high. The stalk is round, upright, firm,
and o-reeu ; the leaves arc very numerous, and
stand^ irregularly. They are longish and very
narrow, and of a deep green colour ; the -flowers
are little and greenish, in form like those of
wormwood : they stand in spikes at the tops of
the stalks. The whole plant has a strong smell,
somewhat like fennel.

An infusion of the fresh tops works by urine,
and gently promotes the menses.

Tea. Thea.

A SHRUB, native of the East, and cherished
there with great care. It is six or seven feet high f
the branches are slender ; the leaves are numer{»us,
oblong, serrated round the edges, and sharp point-
ed. The flowers are as big as orange flowers,
and white ; they stand in a very small cup : the
fruit is dry, and of the bigness of a nut, contain-
ing one, two, or three cells.

All the kinds of tea arc the leaves of this shrub ;
they only difier as they are gathered in diflerent
stutes : the bohca tea is gathered when the leaves
are in the bud, and more heat is used in drying
it. The several sorts of green arc got from the
young shoots or older branches, in spring, in sum-
mer, or in autumn, and dried with difierent de-
grees of care, according to their value.

Good green tea, drank moderately, strengthens
the stomach, and assists digestion ; it is good
against sicknesses, and will prevent the colic: but
when bad tea is drank, and a great deal of it,
Bothing is more, pernicioitfif. Bohea tea is more

336

FAMILY HERBAL.

asfringenf, and it is restorative and strengthening ;
this should be drank with cream, but Nvitli onljr
a moderate quantity of sugar.

Teazle. Dipsacus sylvcstris.

A TALL and stately plant, common by road
sides, with large burr-Iikc heads, and little red
flowers growing out of them. It is six fret high :
the stalk is single, thick, white, and very strong.
The leaves grow two together, encompassing the
stalk at their base, and make a hollow there which
will hold water : they are prickly on the under
part along the rib. The heads are as big as an
apple, and somewhat oblong : they are of a pale
<;olour. The root is long.

The root is used ; it is bitter, and given in
infusion, strengthens the stomach and creates an
appetite. It is also good against obstructions of
the liver, and the jaundice ; people have an opinion
of the water that stands in the hollow of the leaves
being good to take away freckles.

There is another kind of teazle, called the ma-
nured teazle. The heads are used i^in dressing of
cloth ; the virtues are the same, and they differ
very little in their general form.

Blessed Thistle. Carduus benedictuf.

A PLANT once in great esteem, and at present
not altogether neglected. It is a native of the
Warmer countries, and is raised with us in gardens.
It is two feet high ; the stalk is reddish, slender,
and weak ; very much branched, and scarce able
to keep upright under the weight of leaves and
heads. The leaves are long, narrow, cut in on
both sides, and of an obscure green. The flow-

FAMILY herbal;

ers are yellow ; they stand in a kind of g^rcen leafy
heads : the little leaves composing these head»
are prickly; and each of the cups of the ilowers
ends in a long brown spine, dented on both sides.

It is a hitter and stomachic. An infusion of it,
taken in large quantities, will excite vomiting :
in smaller draughts, it is good to create an appe-
tite, and prevents sicknesses and reachings. The
leaves, dried and powdered, are good against worms.
It was at one time supposed to possess very great
virtues against fevers of all kinds ; but th^t is
BOW disregarded.

MiLR Thistle. Car dims. mario!.

A VERY beautiful plant, common by road-
sides, but wanting only to have been a native of
Greece, or the Indies, to be esteemed one of the
most elegant vegetables iit the world. The leaves
rising from the root are two feet longj and raoro
than a foot broad, of a beautiful deep green, varie-
gated all over with irregular lines of a milk whitCj
dcntated deeply at the edges, and prickly. They
spread themselves into a round of more than a yard
diameter, and when they grow out of the way of
dust, make a most charming appearance. A single
stalk rises in the midst of these. It is five feet
high, round, thick, very firm, upright, and divided
at the top into a few branches. The leaves on it
are like those from the root, and variegated with
white in the same manner. At the tops stand the
flowers, which are of the nature of those of other
thistles, but twice as big, and vastly more beau-r
tiful. The flowery partis of a deep and fine pur-r
pie ; the head itself is composed of beautiful scales
arranged with great regularity, and each ternii-

X %

338 FAMILY HERBAL.

nating in a single and very strong prickle : the root
is long and thick ; the seeds are winged with liowu.

The root and seeds are used. An infusion of
the fresh root removes obstructions, and worki by
uri-ne ; it is good against the jaundice. The seeds
beaten up into an emulsion with barley-water are
good in pleurisies. The young leaves with tlic
prickles cut cfflf, are excellent boiled in the way of
cabbage ; they arc very wholesome, and exceed all
other greens in taste.

Thorn Apple. Stramo7num,

A VERY beautiful plant, native of warmer
climates, but frequent in our gardens • we some-
times meet with it, as it is called, wild ; but it is na
native of our country. Seeds have been scattered
from gardens.

It is three feet high ; the stalk is round, thick,
and divided into nianv branches. The leaves are
very large, oblong, broad, and of a bright green ;
divided at the edges, and of a pretty appearance,
but a very ill smeil. The flowers are yery large,
and white ; they are hollow, and long ; open, and
angulated at tlwj brim. The fruit is as big as a
large walnut, and is covered with prickles ; the
root is very long and thick, white, and of an ill
smell.

The leaves are used externally ; the coimtry
people lay them upon bums and inflammations ; but
this k not always safe. The root and seeds arc
of a sleepy quality ; but they are not thought safe
to be given inwardlv. Opium is a less dangerDua
medicine, so they are not used,

FAMILY HERBAfe,

339

Goats' Thorn. Tragaca?itha.

A LITTTE white looking prickly shrub, native
of the East, but kept in our gardens. It is not
above two or three feet high, very spreading, and
full of branches. The stem is of a tough and very
firm substance, covered with a whitish rough bark :
the branches are as tough, and the bark is pale
but smoother. The leaves are long and narrow ;
tbev are each composed of a great many pairs of
smaller set on a middle rib, which is continued
into a thorn, and when these leaves fall ofi, remains
a white thorn of that length. The flowers are
white and small ; they are of the shape ot a pea
blossom, but flatter ; the pods which follow are
short and flat.

No part of the shrub itself is used, but we have
a gum produced by it, and called by its name in
the shops ; this is what they also call gum dragant;
it is white and tough, and is in long twisted pieces ;
•it sv/eats out of the bottom of the trunk in the heat
of summer. It is good in coughs arising from a
sharp humour ; and in sharpness of urine, and
sharp stools, but it is a disagreeable medicine ; it
is very difficultly powdered, and the solution is not
pleasant.

TiioRouGiiwAx. Perfoliata.

A VERY beautiful wild plant among oirc
corn, distinguished by the stalk growing through
the leaves. It is three feet. high. The stalk is
round, firm, upright, whitish, and toward the top
divided into some branches. The leaves are broad
and oval ; the stem runs through them toward the

FAMILY Ilt'RBAL.

bottom, for ihey have no foot-stalks, and they sur-
round it io their hirgesft part, ending in a blunt
point. They are of a hluisli green colour, and
not dented at the edges. The flowers are little and
yellow, they stand in clusters, or a kind of umbels
at the tops of the branches, with a parcel of small
leaves placed under thera. The root is white, oblong,
and slender.

The leaves are used by the country people
against wounds and bruises externally, the seeds are
given inwardly, to prevent the ill effects of internal
hurts.

Thyme. Thymus.

A COMMON plant in pur kitchen gardens,
with hard and woody stalks, small leaves, and pale
red flowers. The height is eight or ten inches;
the branches are numerous. The leaves stand two
at each joint, and are of a dusky green ; the flow-
ers are disposed in a kind of short spikes at the tops
of the stalks ; the whole plant has a strong smell,
and an aromatic taste.

A tea made of the fresh tops of thyme, is good
in asthmas, and stuffings of the lungs : it is recom-
juended against nervous complaints^ but for this
purpose the wild thyme, called mother of thyme, is
preferable. There is an oil made from thyme that
cures the tooth-ach> a drop or two of it being put
upon lint, and applied to the tooth ; this is com-
monly called oil of origanum.

Toad Flax, Linaria.

A COMMON wild plant, with narrow bluish
leaves, and thick spikes of yellow flowers. Itgrowa

FAMILY HERBAL.

341

bn dry Danks, and is a foot and half high. The stalk
is round and thiok, firm, uprig-ht, and single. The
leave.-; stand irregularly ; they arc oblong, narrow,
smooth, not dented at the edges, and pointed at
the ends : the flowers stand in a short and thick
spike ; they are large, and many of them are gene-
rally open' together ; they have a spur behind, and
their forepart is of two yellows, a darker in the mid-
dle, and a paler on each side.

The tops are used fresh gathered, or the whole
herb dried. An infusion of them is excellent
against the jaundice, and all inward obstructions ;
it gently promotes the menses, and works by urine.
A fine cooling ointment is made by boiling the fresh
plant chopped to pieces in lard, till it be crisp ; the
lard is then to be strained off, and is of a fine green
colour.

Tobacco. Nicotiana.

A TALL and beautiful plant, native of the West
Indies, but kept in our gardens. It is five feet
high ; the stalk is round, thick, upright, single, and
a little hairy. It has a clammy dampness about it,
by which it sticks to the hands in touching. The
leaves are very large, oblong, and pointed at the
ends. They are of a dusky grc^n colour, and feel
also clammy like the ?talk. The flowers are redl
and large ; they are long, hollow, and opei^ at the
mouth. The seed-vessel is oval, and the seeds are
small.

The leaves are good fresh or dried. A slight
infusion of them fresh gathered is a powerful-
vomit; it is apt to work too roughly, but for con-
stitutions that will bear it, is a good niedii ine
agamst rheumatic pains. An ointment made of the
fresh ones with lard, is good against the inilaiu-

342

FAMILY HERBAL.

tnation of the piles, the distilled oil is sometimes
dropped on cotton to cure the tooth-ach, applying
it to the tooth ; the powder kills all kinds of vermin.
As to the custom of chewing and taking it as snufi,
little can be said for them, from practice, and no -
thing from reason : nor much for smoking. Xf
these customs had any good tendency, it would be
taken off by the constant practice.

There is a lesser, greener kind of tobacco, called
Engli.sh tobacco. It has the same virtues wiJh
the other, but in a more remiss degree. The leaves
•are often sold for those of the other.

ToRMENTiL. Tormentilla.

A VERY common wild plant, but very pretty,
and of great virtue. The stalks are eight inches
long, but they don't stand upright. They are very
slender, rourfd, and of a brownish coloiir. The
leaves stand seven or thereabout together at a joint,
all rising from one base ; they are narrow, longish,
pointed at the ends, and serrated at the edges, and
of a deep green. The flowers are small, but of a
beautiful shining yellow : they gro\v on slender
foot-stalks, and arc of the shape and colour of the
crow-foot flowers, only more beautiful ; and much
. less. The roots arc large, thick, and crooked,
brown on the outside, and reddish within, and of
an austere taste.

The root is the part used, and it is best dried ; it
may be given in powder, or decoction. The pow-
der is excellent against the bleeding of the piles,
bloody stools, and the overflowings of the menses.
Two ounces of the root added to a quart of harts-
horn drink in the boiling, gives it a pretty colour,
and adds to its virtue ; the root is cordial as well as-
astringent, and operates a little by sweat : this de-

FAMILY HERBAL. S43

coction is therefore vcrj serviceable in fevers, at-
tended with purgings. It checks this moderately,
and is good against the fever at the same time,.

Tree of Life. Arhor vit(F,.

A SMALL tree of irregular growth, a nativft
of America, but common in our gardens. The
trunk is covered with a rough brown bark : the
branches are numerous, and irregular ; the young
twigs are flatted and the leaves on them arc very
flat, and of a scaly texture ; they are of a bright
green, narrow, and somewhat like the leaves of
Cyprus, only not prickly ; the fliowers are whitish,
small, and inconsiderable : they stand towards the
tops of the branches. The whole tree has a strong
and not agreeable smell, it brings into one's mind
old bad cheese.

The young shoots, and tops of the branches, arc
used fresh. An infusion of them is good against
obstructions of the lungs, but it must be slight, and
the use continued.

The Gum Anime Tree. Ariinie arbor.

A LARGE and beautiful tree, native of Amerl-
ca. Its trunk is covered with a rough brown bark ;
the leaves are large and oblong ; they are not un-
like those of the common bay -tree in form, and
they always grow two at a joint, one opposite to
the other. They are very numerous; and the
branches of the tree spread a great way ; they are
not at all naked, but the head seems at a distance a
solid mass : the leaves are of a firm texture, but
when held up to the light, innumerable holes are
»een in them, as they are in the leaves of St, John's-
"wort. The flowers are shaped like pea blossom? ;>

S44

FAMILV^ HERBAL.

they are of a purple colour, and stand at the tops of
the bra^nches. The fruit is a large pod.

The only substance we owe to this trc€, is what
we commonly call gum anime, but that is a very ill
name, it is properly a resin. It is whitish, brittle,
and very fragrant. We sometimes also sec at the
druggists a greenish, brownish, or reddish resin,
called gum anime ; this comes from the East, and
is what was originally known by that name ; but
et present the other only is used. It is a fine bal-
sam, good in consumptions, and against the whites r
and it is put into some ointments, for old ulcers,
"with great advantage.

Trefoil. Trijoliam Purpureiim.

A COMMON wild plant in our meadows. It
is eight inches high ; the stalk is round, and not very
upright ; the principal leaves rise immediately from
the root ; they stand three together upon long foot-
stalks, and are of an oval fig-ure, but pointed ; of
a pale green colour, a little hairy, and have gene-
rally a white spot in the center of each. The
leaves on the stalks, are of the same form, but little :
the fiowsrs stand at the tops, in a kind of short,
thick, spikes ; thcj are small and red, and are fol-
lowed bv little fiat pods.

The flowers are used ; they are best fresh ga-
thered, and given in infusion. They are good
against the bleeding of the piles ; and while they
are balsamic and astringent in the bowels, they work
by urine.

Turmeric Curcuma.

A NATIVE of the East-Indies, and a very sin-
gular plant. The leaves rise imraodialely from

FAMILY HERBAL

34b

the root, and are long, broad, pointed at the
ends, not dented at tlie edges, and of a very deep
jgrecn colour. On other parts of the root stand
the stalks, which bear the flowers ; these arc a
foot high, and of the thickness of a goose quill.
They have only a kind of films instead of leaves ;
the flowers stand in short thick spikes, and are
of a red colotir, longish and slender ; they look
very pretty in the spike, but do not last long;
the root is oblong, thick, and of an irregular
figure, whitish on the outside^ and of a deep
yellow within ; it creeps under the surface of the
ground.

Our druggists keep these roots dry. They are
good against the jaundice ; they open all obstruc*
tions, and promote the menses^ and work bJT
urine^

TuRPETH. Turpethum.

A PLANT of the bind-wced kind, native of
the East Indies. It grows to twelve feet in length,
but the stalk is slender and weak^ and cannot
support itself upright. The leaves are oblong,
broad, and obtusely pointed. The flowers are
white, and large ; they very much resemble
those of the common great bind-weed, and the
seed-vessel is large and full of little seeds; the
root is very long and slender.

The bark of the root is sent us dry. It is
properly indeed the whole root, with thr hard
woody part taken out of its centre. It is kept
by our d/uggists ; it is a brisk purge given in a
proper dose, but it is very rarely used at this
time.

^ y

3t6 FAMILY HERBAL.

The Turnip. Jlapum.

A PLANT too common in our gardens to re-
quire a curious description. The root is round
and white, or purplish. TIjc leaves are large,
long, rough, and of a deep green ; they are deep-
Ij cut at the edges, and large and round »i the
ends: the stalks are a yard high, roand, sraootli,
firm, upright, and branched ; the leaves on thern
are small and smooth ; the flowers are little and
yellow, and they stand in a kind of long spikes ;
Ihey are followed by long pods.

The roots are so frequently eaten, that few
vould think of their possessing any medicinal
•virtues, but being cut into slices, and stewed with
sugar ; till their juice with the sugar, becomes
a syrup ; this is a very good medicine against
a cough.

The Turpentine Tree. Terebinthus.

A TALL tree in the East, where it is native ;
Ave have it in gardens, but it never arises to any
great height here. The bark is brown and rough :
the branches are numerous and stand irregularly ;
the leaves are each composed of a double row
of smaller set on a common rib, with an odd
one at the end. These are oval, and of a deep
shining green. The flowers arc small and pur-
ple ; they appear in form of clusters of threads
before the leaves ; the fruit is long, but with a
kernel of a resinous taste. The whole shrub has
ulso a resinous smell.

We use no part of the tree but the fineChio tur-
pentine, tlie most esteemed of all those balsams, i.s
obtained from it ; in the island whence it has
its name. It is a pleasant and an excellent mcdi-

FAMILY HERRAL. 347

«

cine ; it works bv urine, and is an universal bal-,
sam.' It is good'^in coughs and all other disorders
of the lungs'^; and it stops the whites, and the
weaknesses after venereal complaints.

There are several other kinds of turpentine ia
use in the shops produced from the different trees ;
the Venice turpentine is from the larch tree ; the
Strasburg turpentine from the yew-leaved fir;
and the common turpentine from the wild pine.
They all have been mentioned already, under
the names of the several trees which produce
them; bnt this is tlie finest kind. What is called
Cyprus turpentine is obtained from the same tree
with the Ohio turpentine, the right turpentine tree,
but it is coarser and "browner, otherwise the same
with the Chio.

Tutsan. AndrosdBinum.

A VERY singular and beautiful plant, and of
great virtues. It grows in our woods, and under
hedges, but not very common : it is kept in many
gardens. It grows two feet in height. The
stalks are firm and smooth, of a reddish colour
tolerably upright, and not at all branched, ex-
cept for some young shoots near the top. The
leaves stand two at each joint, opposite to one
another, and at no great distance ; they are very
large, and of a shape approaching to oval. Their
colour is a brownish green ; they arc smooth and
not serrated at the edges. The flowers are not
very large, but of a beautiful yellow ; tliey re-
semble those of St. John's wort, and are like them
full of yellow threads, which, when rubbed, stain
the hand* red. The fruit is a kind of berry,
black when ripe, and containing a great quan-
tity of small seeds. . The whole plant in autumo

343 FAMILY HERBAL.

frequently appears of a blood red colour, vpry
singular and beautiful. The root is small, red-
dish, and irregular ; it creeps under the surfacf.

The leaves are an excellent cure for i'mnh
wounds. Scarce any thing is equal to them. The
young aud tender ones at the tops of the branches
are to be chosen ; they arc to be bound upon (he
wound;, and they stop the bleeding and perforin
a very speedy cure. I have had very late and
very singular instances of the effects of this herb.
Many of the common plants are celebrated for
this virtue, but the effect of this is surprismg.

Twy Blade. BifoUam.

A VERY singular and pretty plant, common
in our meadows in the beginning of summer.
It is a foot high ; the stalk is round, green,
tender, and upright; it lias only two leaves on it,
and they grow from the root. They are very
large, broad, of an oval figure, and stand oppo-
site to one another, about the middle of the stalk
or somewhat lower. The flowers arc small and
green ; they are of an uncommon figure, some-
what like thiit of the orchis, and they st^md in
a long spike ; the seeds are very small, and the
root is small, slender, and white.

The fresh gathered plant is used ; an infusion
of it made strong, i« good against the bleeding of
the piltis, and the juice is recommended to be ap-
plied to them externally.

V.

Garden Valerian, Valeriana horinusis.

A TALL and bcinutiful plant, native of the

FAMILY HERBAL.

349

mountainous parts of Italy, and common in our
gardens. It is three fe2*t high. The stalk is
upright, round, striated, and hollow. The leaves
which grow from the root, are long and somewhat
broad ; some of these are divided deeply on each
side, others are entire ; all have a broad and round
end. Those on the stalks are smaller, and they
are all deeply divided. The flowers stand iti
large tufts, in the form of umbels, at the tops
of the stalks and branches ; they are small and
white. The root is long, irregular, and mode-
rately thick; it creeps under the surface of
the ground, and has a strong smell ; its colour is
brown, and it is full of tibres.

This root is used dry ; the druggists call it phu :
it is good in fevers and suppressions of the menses,
for it is diaporetic, and good against all obstruc-^
tions. It works also by urine, and it is warm up-
on the stomach, and good against disorders of the
ni^rves.

Wild Valerian. V(\leriana sylvestris,

A TALL and handsome plant, frequent in our
woods and upon heaths, not unlike the garden
valerian in "its form and manner of growth, and
of greater virtues. It is a yard high. The
stalks are round, striated, upright, hollow, and
of a pale green. The leaves are large and beauti^
ful ; they are each composed of several pairs of
smaller set on a common rib, and with an odd
one at the end. These arc long, narrow, deiH
tatcd at the edges, of a faint green colour, and
a little hairy. The flowers stand in large tufts
like umbels at the tops of the stalks, and are
small and white with a blush of reddish. The
root is of a whitish colour, ^ud ia composed of

350

FAMILY HERBAL

a. great rnan^' thick fibres. Itisofavcrj strong
aixi disagreeable smell.

The root is used ; it is best dried and given in
powder, or in infusion It is an excellent medicine
in nervous disorders. It is said that it will cur«
the falling sickness, hut its good effects against head-
aehs, low-spiritedness, and tremblings of the limbs,
are well known.

The V A NIL LA Plant. Vanilla.

A CLIMBING plant, native of America. It
^ows to thirty feet or more in length, but the
stalk is slender and weak, and climbs upon trees to
support it. It is round, striated, green, and tough.
The leaves arc numerous and placed irregularly ;
they are a foot long, considerably broad, and Itfci;
those of the common plantain, of a dusky green,
and have high ribs. The flowers are small in shape
like a pea blossom, but of a greenish white colour.
The pods are long and flatted, of a brown colour,
of a very fragrant smell, and full of exceedingly
small seeds.

This pod is the part used ; it is a cordial and
restorative ; it opens obstructions, and promotes the
menses ; it operates by urine, and by sweat, but it is
not much used. Some put them into chocolate,
to givcita flavour, and to make it more cordial
and restorative ; this is done in the grinding up tha
nuts to the cake, and we buy it by the name of
Vanilla chocolate.

Y ER V A 1 N . Verbena.

A COMMON wild plant.about our path-ways,
with slender spikes, and a few little flowers. It is
two feet high ; the stalks arc numerous, square, very

FA.MILY IJERBAt. 351

strong, a little hairy, and often purplish. The
leav<;5 grow two at each joint ; they are oblong, nar-
row, notched at the edges, of a dusky green, and of
a wruikled and rough surface. The flowers are
white, with a tinge of purplish: there is a long
spike of their buds, and of the remaining cups,
but only tw o or three flowers are open at a time.

The fresh gathered tops are used ; an infusion
of them is good against obstructions of the liver and
spleen : it is warm upoa the stomach, and a
continued use of it will remove nervous com-
plaints.

The Vine. Vilis.

A WEAK shrub, too familiar in our gardens to
need much description. The trunk is covered with
a rough bark ; the branches are long, weak, and
straggling; the leaves are roundish in. the whole
figure, but indented deeply into five or seven di-
visions, the lower are inconsiderable : the fruit
is round or oblong, juicy, and produced in great
bunches.

We use no part of the . common vine, as it grows
with us ; but not to mention the several kinds of
wine that are useful on different occasions, the
dried fruit in the form of what wc call raisins and
currants, is in constant repute. Raisins of the sun,
Malaga raisins, and currants all have the same vir-
tno ; they arc good in coughs, and soreness of the
lungs, and in consumptions.

Vinegar is also a product of the grape : it is
wine become sour, and spirit of wino and brandy
of the very best kinds, are made from wine also by
distillation. The substance called tartar, of which
the cream of tartar is made, is onlv a salt of tlie
gj-ape, which sticks to the wine casks. So that we

352

FAMILY HERBAL.

owe to flie grape, more medicines than to anyone
Bimple whatsoever.

VioLiit. Violn.

A COMMON wild plant in our woods and
hedges, but of a fra£^rance superior to all that
wc ret eive from the rich East. It is a little, low,
creeping plant, obscure even when in flower j the
stalks are round, green, and creeping; they do
not rise up, but spread themselves along the ground,
taking root at the joints ; the leaves rise ffom
these rooted parts ; they are large and stand each
on a long foot stalk. They are of a heart-like
shape, and dented round the edgxjs, and of a deep
green. The flowers are small and of a deep and
beautiful purple ; they stand singly on short foot
stalks arising among the leaves, and covered by
them.

The flowers are ths part used ; boiling water
h to be poured upon them just enough to cover
them, and it is to stand all night ; when it is
strained clear o% the sugar is to be added to it,
at the rate of two pounds to each pint, and it is to
be melted over the fite ; this makes syrun of
violets, an excellent gentle purge for children.
The leaves are dried also, and arc used in the
decoctions for clysters. An infusion of them Works
by urine.

Vjper's Grass. Scorzonera.

A TALL and handsome plant, native of the
warmer parts of Europe, but kept in our gardens.
It is three feet high ; the stalk is round, thick,
upright, and firm • the leaves are numerous and
stnnd irregularly ; they are long, narrow, of a

FAMILY HERBAL.

353

pale green, sharp pointed, and not dentated at the
v.dges. Those from the root are long and narrow
alsoj but they are considerably larger. The flow-
ers grow at the top of the branches ; they are
large like dandelion flowers in shape, and of a
most beautiful pale yellow ; the seed has a white
down annexed to it. The root is long, thick,
and brown.

The root is the part tiscd, and it is best fresh
taken up. It is given ii\ infusion, and it is cor-
dial, and operates by sweat ; it is good in fevers,
but little used.

Viper's Bugloss. Ecjiium.

A COMMON wild plant, about ouqpath ways,
ind on ditch-banks, known by its spotted stalks,
and fine blue flowers. It is a foot and half high;
the stalk is round, thick, firm, hairy, and upright ;
it is of a whitish, colour stained with spots and
lines of blue, red, and purple. The leaves are
longish and narrow ; they are rough, and of a
deep dusky green, broad and blunt at the point,
and have no foot stalks. The flowers are large,
and of a beautiful blue, with a red stamina in
the middle.

The leaves are used ; those growing from thei
root are best ; an infusion of them is cordial,
and operates by sweat ; it is good in fevevs, and
against head-achs, and all nervous complaints

The Virginian Snareroot Plant. Serpentci"
ria Virginiana.

A LITTLE plaHt of the birthwort kind, but
diflorent from the several sorts of that plant, des-
eriUed already ip. thoir places, in its roots, and

K Z

S54

FAMILY HERBAL.

in its manner of growing. It is two feet h'v^h,
when it grows in a favourable soil, and has
bushes or any thing else to support it. The stalk*
are weak and green ; the leaves stand irn'gularlj
on them, and they are oblong, narrow^ and auri-
culated at the bottom. The flowers are small,
hollow, and of a deep dusky purplish colour.
The root is composed of a vast quantity of strings,
which are of a dusky olive colour, and of a
strong smell and aromatic taste. The roots of
this plant were the first that came into use, under
the name of Virginian snakeroot, but there are
upon the spot two other plants of the same kind,
though different species, which have thready roots
of the same form, and they are indifferently taken
up for use; they all seem to have the same vir-
tue, so that there is no harm in the mixture.
There is sometimes another root mixed among
them ; but that is easily distinguished,^ for it is
black, and these are all of the same duskv olive
colour. This last adulteration should be avoided.

The Virginian snakeroot is an excellent medi-
cine in fevers ; it operates by urine and by sweat,
and will often take off inveterate hcad-achs.
It is also given by some as a remedy against
worms ; and it was originally famous against the
poison of the raitle-snake, and was a remedy we
learnt from the Indians. It is good against
worms in children, and may be given in small
doses for a continuance of time. Scarce any
thing is more effectual.

The VoMic Nut Tree. Nux vomica.

A TALL and spreading tree of the East, very
rikethat which affords the wood called snake-
wood in the shops, and by some supposed tlu

FAMILY HERBAL. 355

same with lit, but that is an error : the kcrnals of
the fruit of that tree, are indeed of the shape
of the vomic .nuts, but they are not half so big.
The tree is large and spreading : the branches
arc numerous, and the leaves are large : they stand
in pairs opposite to one another ; and are oblong,
broadest in the middle, and rounded or hi ant at
the end, and of a very bitter taste ; the flowers
are small, and stand in clusters at certain parts
of the young branches : the fruit is of the big-
ness of an apple, and is yellow when ripe. The
kernels in this are what we call nux vomica ;
there arc fifteen of them in each fruit, and they
are lodged in three divisions.

These kernels arc the only part used ; our drug-
gists keep them ; they are round, flat, and of a
whitish colour, very firm, and tough. They
have been used as poison to dogs, cats, and other
animals ; but there are those who give them to
the human species, in small doses, without mischief,
and with very good effect. Quartan agues that
have stood it against the bark, have been cured
by them ; but if the dose be too large, they
bring on convulsions, aod there is great reason tp bc-
Ifeve, that in very large ones they would kill.
At present we have choice of so many medicines
for every disorder, that it is almost unpardonable
to give such as are suspicious. Some people
have vcn|tured to give even ratsbane, as medi-
cine, mixed with other things, and in the twenti-
eth part of a grain for a dose ; but reason con-
demns this rash way of practice, and doubly, as
there is no necessity to authorize it.

«

356 FAMILY HERBAL.

The Walnut Tree. Juglans.

A COMMON tree in our gardens ; it grows
to a great bigness, and is very much branched.
The leaves are very large and long ; each is com-
posed of a double row of smaller, and has an odd
one at the end. These are each of an oval figure
and yellowish green colour, and of a pleasant
smell. The flowers are little ; they are yellow-
ish, and arranged irt loose catkins. The fruit is
covered with a green thick coat, and has wilh-
in a kernel divided into parts, and of an uneven
surface.

The bark of the walnut tree is a good emetic ;
it may be given in infusion, or dried and powder-
ed ; it ^'omits easily and plentifully. The skin
that covers the kernel is good against fluxes.

Wall-Flower. Leucoium.

A COMMON wild plant, but not without
beauty; it is frequent on old walls, and has yel-
low and sweet-scented flowers. The stalks are
\TOody, and a foot and half high ; the leaves are
very numerous, longish, narrow, and of a dead
green. The flowers stand in a kind of spikes, at
the tops of the stalks, and are yellow and mode-
rately large,. The seeds arc contained in long
pods.

The flowery are used ; and an infusion of them
fresh is good against the head-acli, and in all nerv-
ous disorders. They are also good to steep in oil,
to which they give a cordial warmth, and make
it good against pains in the limbs. Rut they are
^Qt either way much used at present.

FAMILY HERBAL. -^^^
Water Arrow Head. Sagiita aqiiatica.

A VERY pretty plant, common in our ditcbcs,
with leaves like the bearded heads of arrows,
and with prett_y white flowers. It is two feet
atid a half high, but generally the greatest part
of the stalk is buried in water, very little appear-
ing above, except the spike of flowers. The:
loaves stand each upon a pedicle, which is round,
thick, and very long ; they are of a beautiful
green, and are broad, and bearded at the base,
and sharp at the point; the flowers are white, to-
lerably large, aad very bright ; and the stalk,
on which they are supported, is also round and
thick.

The common people in many places have a cus-
tom of applying these leaves bruised to inflamma-
tions ; they cool and give ease, but it is not al-
ways right.

Water Plantain. Plantago aqiiatica.

A VERY common tall plant in ditches, and
having not the least resemblance of any kind of
plantain, except in the leaves ^ from which, how-
ever, it has received its name. The root is com-
posed of a great quantity of fibres. From this,
there rise in spring a number of leaves, oblong,
broad, smooth, and of a beautiful green colour,
and having in shape, though not at all in colour
or consistence, some slight resemblance of plan-
tain: thc-y are perfectly smooth, of a glossy sur-
face, and brittle. These stand for many months
without the stalk ; and doubtless in this state it
got. the name. The stalk is two feet or more
in height ; round, firm, and upright ; and at
,tlie top it sends out a vast number of branches.

358

FAMILY HlllRAL.

which send out other smaller ; and even these last
are again divided. On the tops of the last di-
visions stand the flowers >vith their buds, and
the seed-vessels ; so that the whole has the ap-
pearance of a cone. The flowers are little and
white, and consist of three leaves each ; they
stand hut a little time, and only a few are seen
tog-ether.

The seed is the part used : the plant is to be
suffered to stand, till this is thoroughly ripe, and
then cut up gently, and laid to dry two or
three days upon a table : a smart stroke or two,
will dislodge a great quantity ot the seeds ; they
are very good against the overflowing of the
menses, and all other bleedings ; and are giv-
en in powder, in electuaries, small doses be-
ing to be taken at a time, and often repeated.

Rue-leaved Whitlow-Grass. Paronydxia

rutacco folio.

A COMMON little plant, early in spring, on
our walls and houses, and of a very singular as-
pect ; it is red, and has pretty white flowers.
It is not more than four inches high; the stalks
are round, upright, and a little hairy ; and they
are covered with an unctuous clamminess, which
makes them stick to the fingers in handling. The
leaves are little, and also red ; they arc each
divided into three parts at the extremity, in the
way of fingers : they stand irregularly on the
stalks, and they arc thick, fleshy, and clammy
in handling. The flowers stand at the tops of
the branches ; they arc liftle, but of a very bright
white, and look very conspicuous. The whole
plant dies away as soon as it has ripened the seed,
and is not lo be seen again till the ac\t spring.

FAMILY HERBAL. 359

The fresh gathered plant is t& he used entire :
! a strong infusion of it is a very great sweetcmcr
i,of the blood. It is excellent against the scurvy
1 in whatever form ; and there are accounts of its
tcuring the king's evil, that seem very wcli attested.
. A syrup may be made of its juice, or of a very strong
! infusioii of it ; or a conserve of the leaves : for
1 the dried plant has very little virtue, and it is
tto be hiwl frosh only a very small part oT iha
lycar.

The White Wjllow. SaUx vulgaris alha,

A VERY corairion tree in wet places, and this
mhlcb is used in medicine is the most common of
sail the several kinds of it. It is also the largest,
lit grows to be a tall tree : the bark is whitish, and
rrough upnu the trunk, and grey upon the branches ;
tthe leaves are oblong, narrov?, and whitish, es-
fpecially on the under side : they stand irregularly
ton the branches,, and are a little serrated at the
eedges, and pointed at the ends. iThe flowers are
vvery inconsiderable, hut they are arranged severai
ttogcthcr, in what are called catkins or palms,
iThe seeds are small ; they stand in the same catkins,
Lmixed with fine white down.

The bark of the branches is used, and it is best
(dried ; it is good against purgings, and the over-
ifiowings of the menses, and is most conveniently
ijg^iven io powder, half a dram for a dose.

Winter Green. Fyrola.

AN EXTREMELY^ pretty plant, wild in some
jparts of England, but not common. The stalk is
iround, thick, upright, and ten inches high. The
ikaves all grow from the root^ for the stalk. is naked.

FAMILY HERBAL.

they are broad, roundish, and of a deepgrecn colour ;
they are of a lleshy substance, and stand each ou
a separate foot-stalk of three or four inches long.
The flowers are small, and of a very bright white ;
they stand in a kind of loose spike on the taps of
the stalks. The root is composed of a quantity oi
thick whitish fibres.

The leaves are used. A decoction of them with
a piece of cinnamon, and a little red wine, is giver
against the overfiowiugs of the menses, bloody stools,
and all haemorrhages, and against ulcers in ths
urinary passages, and bloody urine.

WoAD. G last urn.

A PLA^iT cultivated in fields, in many parts
of England, for the use of the dyers, and com-
monly met with ia places near those where it was
sown, as if a wild plant ; but it is not properly a
native of our country. It is a tall, erect, and hand-
some plant ; the stalk is round, thick, firm, upright,
and four feet high ; but it is usually so covered
■with the leaves, that scarce any part af it is to be
seen naked. The leaves are long and of a consider-
able breadth. They are large at the baje, where
they grow to the stalk, without any foot-stalks ;
and narrower all the way to the point. They are
of a bluish green colour, and the w hole plant is
covered with them, so the top has a pretty aspect.
The flowers arc little and yellov/ ; they stand i:i
great numbers about the tops of the stalks, which
are divided ^nto a multitude of small brauclirs;
and they arc succeeded by small seed vessels. The
root is long and thick.

Although the dyers arc the people who pay
most regard to woad, and for whose use it is cul-
tivated, it has virtues that demand for it a great

FAMILY HERBAL.

361

deal of respect in medicine. The top of the 3talkj,
before the llovvers appear, contain the greatest vir-
tuCj and thej are beat fresh. They arc to'be given in
infusion, and they are excellent against obstructions
of the liver and spleen ; they w^ork by urine, and
so take effect ; the use of this infusion must be
continued a considerable time : these arc disorden
that come ^on slowly, and are to be slowly re;^
moved.

WooDRUFFt:. Asperula.

A COMMON little wild plant, in our wood*
and thickets : it is ten inches high. The stalk
is square, slender, weak, and not able to support
itself perfectly upright. The leaves stand several
at each joint, encompassing the stalk in the man-
ner of a star ; they are oblong, broad, and of a
deep green. In their form and manner of growth
they much resemble those of common cleavers,
but they are larger, though the plant is so much
less, and they are not rough as in that plant, but
nearly smooth. The flowers stand at the tops
1 of the stalks in little clusters ; they are small and
white ; the seeds stand two together in a globular
form. The roots are little and fibrous.

The fresh herb is Used, and is best given in a
strong decoction ; it opens obstructions of the
liver and spleen, and is a cordial, and stomachic.
It is good in the jaundice,

' The WormseeO Plant. AhsintJnum santonicum.

A KTND of wormwood, native of the East
jand not known so much as in our gardens. The
plant is tyro feet high. The leaves are very fine-

2 jk

362

FAMILY HERRAL.

ly divided, like those of the true Roman worm •
wood, and of a pale green on the upper side, and
a silvery white below. The stalks are stiff, firm,
wood J, and branched; they are of a whitish
colour, and have a loose downy skin upon them :
the flowers are small and brownish ; they resem-
ble those of wormwood, and stand in a kind of
loose spikes at the tops of the stalks.

The seeds are used : our druggists keep them ;
and very often the unripe buds of the flowers in
their place, are mixed with them. They are good
against worms in children ; the good women give
them mixed with treacle : and few medicines
for this purpose have better effect. For people
of nicer palates, they may be powdered, and made
into boluses.

i Treacle Wormseed. Camelina.

THIS is not the plant which produces what
the druggists sell under the name of wormseed ;
that is the produce of an Egyptian kind of
■wormwood, just described. This is an English
herb of the podded kmd, and very distinct in its
whole appearance from that, and all of its sort.
It is two feet high. The stalks are round, up-
right, firm, and toward the top divided into
branches ; the leaves are very numerous, and
stand irregularly. They are longish, narrow,
pointed at the ends, not at all dented at the edges,
and of a dusky green colour. The flowers are
}Ht]e and yellow ; they stand in small clusters at
the tops of the branches, and under them is a kind
of spike of pods ; these are long and slender,
green at first, but of a kind of brown colour when
sipe; and in each is a great number of seeds;

FAMILY HERBAL. 363

these are round, small, and of an extremely bit-
ter taste, much more bitter than the common
wormsced.

This seed is'the part used. The good women
bruise it, and mixing it with treacle, give it to
the children of robust constitutions against worms.
It operates powerfully, by stool, and, if given in
too large a quantity by vomit. It is therefore
to be used with discretion ; but it will answer the
purpose, and is preferable, for many reasons, to
those mercurial medicines, which it is the fashion
of the times to give to people for those disorders ;
especially in the country, where there seldom is
skill enough in the practitioner to manage, as he
ought, medicines, which may be the occasion of
«o much mischief.

Common Wormwood. AbsyntMum vulgar e. '

A WILD plant frequent by way sides, and on
ditch-banks. It is a yard high. The stalks are
round, striated, white, firm, and branched. The
leaves are large, but they are divided into a great
number of small parts. They are of a pale whit-
ish green, and stand irregula.rly on the stalks ;
many larger, but of the same kind, rise from the
root. The flowers stand in a kind of loose spikes
at the tops of the stalks ; they are small and
hjown. The whole plant is of a very bitter
taste.

The tops of the plant are to be used fresh gather-
ed; a very slight infusion of them is excellent for
all disorders of the stomach, and will prevent
sickness after meals, and create an appetite ; but
if it be made strong, it will not only be disagree-
able to the taste, but will disgust the stomach

The tops with the flowers on them dried aod

3(54

FAMILY HERIUL.

powdered, are good against agues, atid have the
same virtue with worrasccd in killing worms ;
indeed they are much better than the wormsced
that is commonly to be met with, which is gene^
rally too much decayed. The juice of the large
leaves of wormwood, which grow from the root
before the stalk appears^ is good against the dropsy
and jaundice, for it opens obstructions, and works
by urine powerfully.

Sjea [Wormwood. Absynthium seriphium.

A PLANT common in our salt-raarshcs, and
about ditches, where salt water comes. It has
somewhat the aspect of wormwood, but the leaves
are much narrower in the divisions, and the whole
plant is smaller. The stalks arc woody, firm, up-
right, very much branched, and afoot and a half
high. The leaves arc whitish and small. The flow-
ers stand in loose spikes at the tops of the stalks ;
they are little and brown ; and they very much,
resemble those of the common wormwood, except
for .the size. The whole plant has a bitter taste
but not disagreeable, and it has a pleasant aroma-
tic smell.

The tops fresh gathered, and the whole plant
dry, are used. They call it Roman wormwood
at the markets and in the shops; and it is used
for the other : it has the same general virtues.
All the three kinds indeed possess them in com-
mon ; but the common wormwood is the most dis-
agreeable to the taste, and sits worst upon the
stomach : this is better than that, hut it is much
more disagreeable than the true Roman worm-
wood. It is very strengthening to the stomach;
it assists digestion, and prevents wind. It is com-
monly an ingredient in tlie bitter infusions, an(J

FAMILY HILIIBAL.

S65

tinctures of the shops, but it does very well alone ;
boiling water poured upon it, and suffered to
stand till it is cold, then strained off, is an excel-
lent medicine to cause an appetite. Put into white
winC;, it also gives a pkasant bitter flavour, with
the same virtues.

Roman Woumwood. Ahsynthiim Romanum.'

A VERY delicate plant of tlie wormwood kind,
native of the warmer parts of Europe, but kept
in our gardens. It is two feet and a half high ;
the stalk is round, smooth, hard, upright, of
a browish colour, and somewhat woody. The
leaves stand irregularly on it, and they are small
and divided into very fine segments : they are
more like the leaves of the common southern-
wood in figure, than those of either of the other
wormwoods. The flowers are little and brown,
like those of common wormwood, but vastly
smaller ; they are very numerous, and stand at
the tojjs of the stalks in a kind of long and thick
spikes. The root is creeping and spreading, and
composed of fibres. The whole plant has a bitter
taste, but not at all like that of vrormwood, ex-
tremely aromatic and pleasing. The flowers are
very bitter, and have little of this aromatic fla-
vour.

The fresh tops are used, and the whole plant
dried. It is excellent to strengthen the stomach;
but that is not all its virtue. The juice of the fresh
tops is good against obstructions of the liver
and spleen, and has been known singly to cure the
jaundice.

366

FAMILY HERBAL.

Y.

Yarrow. Millefolium.

A COMMON plant in our pastures, and by
\vay sides. It is two or three feet high the stalk
is round, upright, firm and striated : the leaves
are long, and not very broad, and they are the
most beautifully divided of those of any knowa
plant.

Their colour is a deep green, and the parts
into which they are divided are exceedingly Lae,
slender, and regularly arranged : the flowers stand
at the lops of the branches, in the manner of
umbels, in round and large tufts ; they are white,
but they often have a blush of red. The root
is white and creeping, and the seeds are white,
broad, and flat.

The -vhole plant is used fresh gathered, but
the best part is the tops of the shoots ; these are
to be boiled in water, and the decoction sweeten-
ed with fine sugar ; it is excellent against the
bleedings of the piles, and bloody fluxes, and
the overflowing of the niienses. It is also heal-
ing and good in ulcerations of the ureters : and
it operates gently by urinq,

Z.

The Zedoary Plant. Zcdoaria.

AN Eastern plant, very singular, and very
beautiful. The root creeps under the surface,
and has many tuberous lumps, "some long, and
some round ; but the long are preferred. The
round have by many been called zcrumbeth ;
though the zerurabeth is properly anolhcr root.

FAMILY HERBAL. S67

to be described in its place. The leaves of tb«
zedoary plant are large, very broad, and not
vastly long ; they stand in cl asters, encircling
one another at the bases : the flowers stand on
separate stalks : these are only eight or ten inches
high. They are small, of an irregular shape,
and purplish.

The root is the only part used ; our drug-
gists keep it dry ; it is a warm cordial, and
stomachic medicine ; it strengthens the stomach,
assists digestion, and expels wind. It is good
aL j in all nervous complaints, such as lowness of
spirits, faintings, tremblings of the limbs, and
restlessness. An ounce of zedoary, sliced thin,
and put into a quart of wine, makes an excellent
tincture for these purposes, and is very good
taken in the quantity of a small glass, on going
into a damp, or what is suspected to be a taint-
ed air.

The Zerumbeth Plant. Zcrunihetlia.

THE zerumbeth plant in some respects re-
sembles that which alTords the zedoary, but it
is larger. It is a native of the East, and has
not been yet got into our gardens. The leaves grow
together in such a manner as to form a kind of
stalk ; this is six feet high or more ; but it is
• only formed of their lower parts wrapped round
one another, in the manner of the leaves of our
flags. Tlie loose part of each leaf is long, nar-
row, and of a bluish green. The flowers stand
upon separate stalks; these rise about afoot
high, and are of a brownish colour : they hava
only a sort of films upon them in the place of
leaves. The flowers stand io a short and thick
spike, at the tops of these, they are oblong.

FAMILY HERBAL.

liollow, moderately large^ and of a beautiful
scarlet. The root is lonj^ and irregular.

The root is used ; our druggists keep it : it it
warm and good in all nervous cases. Its virtues
are very nearly the same -with those of zedoary ;
and in general the rourrd roots of zedoary arc sold
under its name, though in reality it is a much
longer, as v^ell as larger root, than the zedoary
itself.

APPENDIX.

Concerning the virtues of plants which have not
yet been tried.

AS the intent of this work is truly to be of use to
mankind, the author who is desirous of makib^
that utiUty as extensive as possible, cannot close it
without observing, that, notwithstanding the great
deal that is known of the virtues of English plants,
there is certainly a great deal more unknown ; and
there is room for great discoveries.

The plants mentioned in this work are only four
or five hundred, and not all these of English
growth : if they were, they would yet be but a
very small number in proportion to the whole.
The catalogue of those native of our own country,
as published by Mr. Ray, amounting to many
thousands : great numbers therefore remain yet
untried.

To what purpose can a man devote the hours
of his leisure better, than to the discovering among
the number of the unregarded, virtues which may
farther supply the catalogue of our own temediei,
and make the roots and Seeds brought from re-
mote countries less neeessary ? What encourage-
ment to the attempt, that there are such rnul-
titude of objects for the trial ! and that the dis-
eovering but one remedy a,mong them all, for

370

APPENDIX.

a disease we knew not how so well to cure before,
is a source of more true honour, than can be de-
rived from all the useless knowledge lu the
world !

If any suppose the trial dangerous^ they mis-
lead themselves ; and to encourage so laudable an
undertaking, I shall observe how little is the
hazard, and how considerable the advantages,
from what we know already.

If a man were to be turned loose upon an island
"where no person had set foot before, he might
dread to taste of any plant he saw, because ha
nlight not know, but every one he saw was fatal :
and supposing him to have got over this fear,
the ignorance of the virtues of all would keep
him backward : but this is not at all the case with
him, who shall at this time set about inquiring
into the virtues of plants in England. The
poisonous plants, native of our soil, are hardly a
dozen, and these arc charactered even to the eye,
by something singular or dismal in the aspect.
They are well known ; and he has nothing to do
but to avoid them. For the rest, he has so many,
"whose uses and qualities arc already perfectly
known, that he has a great foundation to go upon
in the search, becau^p he can compare those he
does not know with them. Their tastes will go
a great way toward informing him ; but this is
not all, their very outward figures will direct him :
for in general those plants which agree in the
external aspect, agree likewise in their virtues.

To give an instance in the marshmallow. It is
known to work by urine, and to be good against
the gravel. We will suppose no more known
concerning this kind. A person desirous of ex-
tending this useful knowledge, finds that by tlKJ
taste of the root, which is insipid, and its mti-

APPENDIX.

371

tilaginous quality, he might have guessed this to
be its virtue, from what he before knew of medi-
cine. The next plant he meets, we will suppose
is the common mallow, and afterwards the little
white flowered mallow, which lies upon the
ground ; he tastes the roots of these, and he finds
they arc like the other : he will therefore guess,
that they have the same virtues and upon trial,
he will fiad it is so.

But this is not all : if he had examined the
flower of the marshmallow, in what manner it
was constructed, and how the little threads grew
within it, he would have found that the flowers ,
of these other two mallows were, in all respects,
like those of the other ; and farther, he would
have found, that the seeds of these two kinds
were in the same manner disposed in circular bo-
dies : from this he might, without tasting their
roots, have been led to guess that their virtues
were the same ; or having guessed so much from
this, he might have been thence led to taste them,
and by that have been confirmed in it : but he
might be carried farther ; he would find the same
sort of round clusters of seeds in the hollyoak
in hi? garden ; and upon examining the single
flowers, he would see they were also alike : and
hence he would discover that it was of this kind ;
and he would rightly judge that the hollyoak,
also possessed the same virtues.

This is a method by which many of the plants
mentioned in this book, have been found to have
virtues which others neglected; for there are
many named in the preceding pages, and named
with great praise, of which others have made
little account : these arc the means by which the
first guesses have been made about tlieir virtues ;
and experiments have always confirmed them.

373

APPENDIX.

It has not always happrued that the virtues'oF a
plant thus tried, have been in a degree worth
setting in a light of consequence : they have been
sometimes slight, and the plant has been disregard-
ed ; but they have scarce ever missed to be found
of the same nature.

These experiments, I have always thought ho-
nesty required me to make upon myself and I
never found harm from the trials. I had no right
lo bring into the least possible danger, the health
of others ; as to my own there was no probability
pf harm ; but if it had happened, the intent would
have sanctified the accident, arid I should have
been contented.

There is this great use in examining other plants
"which have the same sort of flowers and fruits
with those which we know to have virtues, that
■we may in this way discover plants at home, to
supply the place of those we have from other
countries. It is certain the sun in warmer climates
does ripen the juices of vegetables farther than
in ours> but yet we find the plants of the same
kind from whatever part of the world they come,
to possess nearly the same kind of virtues ; gene-
rally indeed they are the same, only difiVjring in
degree. Thus all the mallows of Spain and Italy,
to bring the trial to the before-named instance,
possess the same virtues with the marsh mallow,
mallow, and hollyoak of England ; and the case
is the same with those which are trulv mallows
of the East and West Indies ; though this does
not hold good with respect to some of the
plants of those countries which have been brought
hither under that name.

Thus also, that root which was at one time
about to be brought very much into use, under
^he name of the senega rattle-snake root, but

APPENDIX.

of which little mention has been made herc^ be-
cause the attention has not been turned upon novel-
ty but use, being found to belong to a kind of milk-
wort, or polygala. The roots of the comraon
milkwort of our pastures being tried, have been
found to possess the same virtues, though in a
less degree. This plant would not have been re-
garded, if the other had not been found to be of
the same kind ; but to that we owe the knowledge
of its virtues.

There is this great reason for seeking in our own
climate, plants of the same nature, and form, and
kind, with those which in other countries afford
us remedies ; that they are generall^^ of the same
kind, and maybe fitter for our constitutions. This
is certain, that as the sun ripens the juices of plants
in hotter countries to more virtue than with us,
so it makes men's constitutions more able to bear
their efFects.

The Chinese will swallow such doses as are
poison to one of us. This we know in many in-
stances, and it ought to encourage us in the pre-
sent research ; because, if the same doses which
agree with them, are too much for us ; we may
also find, that other medicines, of the same kind
of virtues, though in a less degree, may also
be found to agree better with our constitutions.
I would not carry so far as some have done, that
opinion of nature's having provided in every
country the remedies for the diseases of that coun-
try : God is the author of nature, and he know-
ing there would be commerce among mankind,
knew that would not be necessary. But not-
withstanding that it may be necessary in some
cases, and convenient in many, for us to have drugs
from abroad, yet in general it will be better for us
to be cured by those herb* we may find at home ;

S74

APPENDIX,

and til ey will be found upon (rial more sufiF.cirnt
for that purpose, tlian we at present imagine. The
nieans'are at hand, but we have made very little
use of them, propojtioned to their number and
their value.

The observation already made, that the exter-
nal form of plants may very well give the hint
for a conjecture about their virtues, is much more
general than might be imagined. Almost all
the plants of the same kinds are of the same vir-
tues. But that is not all : for in general, those
of the same class possess the same qualities ;
though different in degree : and this is a prodigi-
ous help to him, who shall set out upon the gene-
rous and useful plan of adding to the number of
the useful plants. It is also singular, that what
might appear objections in this case, being brought
to the trial, will often be found confirmations of
the truth there is in the observation.

Thus suppose a man, observing that lettuce is
eatable, should inquire into all the plants like
lettuce, which are those that have flowers com-
posed of many parts, and have the seeds winged
with, a white downy matter, to find whether they
were eatable ; let us examine how he would suc-
ceed. The plants of this class native of England,
are the sowthistle, the hawkweeds, the dandelions,
goats-beards, succory, and endive, all eatables.
The hawkweeds are less agreeable in the taste,
but wholesome ; and as to the wild lettuces, thoso
who would bring the opiate quality of the prin-
cipal of them as an objection, strengthen the ob-
servation ; for the garden lettuce also has an opi-
ate quality. This wild one possesses it in a great-
er d< gree, but still in such degree, that it is an
exrrllent medicine, not at all dangerous. Its
bitter taste would prevent people's eating it, for

APPENDIX.

375

it is disagreeable ; but its virtuos are the same
with those of lettuce, only greater. There are
some kinds of hawkweed also, which have a bitter
milky juice, altogether like that of this lettuce;
and they, also, have this opiate quality. I have
tried many of them, but as they are none of them
equal to the great wild lettuce in this respect, it
would have been idle to have spent many words
about them.

This general obeervation may be carried a great
deal farther ; but it were, the business of a volume,
not of a short appendix, to explain it at large. Ik
general, the seeds of umbelliferous plants, that is,
those which have little flowers in rounded clusters.,
each succeeded by two seeds, are good against
colics ; those of carraway, anise, cummin, corian-
der, and ail of that kind, are produced by plants
of this figure. In the same manner, the verticil-
late plants, as they are called, that is, those which
have the flowers surrounding the stalks, as in mint
and thyme, are of a warm nature ; and however
they diflfcr in degree and circumstance, they have
the same general virtues. Farther, such plants
as are insipid to the taste and smell, have generally "
little virtues ; and, on the contrary, those which
have the most fragrant smell, and sharpesfc
taste, have the greatest virtues, of whatever
kind.

In general also, those plants which have a strong
but an agreeable taste, are most worthy to be
examined with respect to their virtues ; for they
are generally the most valuable; and on the con-
trary, when a very strong taste is also a very dis-
agreeable one ; or, in the same manner, when the
strong smell of a plant has also something heavy,
disagreeable, and overpowering in it, there is
mischief in the herb, rather than any useful quality.

376

APPENDIX.

The poisonous plants of tliis country are very
few ; but they are for the most part cliaracterized
after this manner : so that they are known as it
■were at sight, or by the first ofter of a trial.

Thus we sec how very little can be the danger ot
inquiring farther into the -virtues of our own
plants, by experiments ; and how useful such an
inquiry may be to mankind is sufficiently proved
by the rhatter of the preceding Yolnmc.

Wht^t I have written, is with ■ intent to en-
courage, ^ome who have opportunities to make
the trial ; and for my own part, I shall not be
wanting. What I hare already discovered in this
way, I ara pleased to see makes no inconsiderable
addition to the present publication ; what I shall
discover farther, or learn from the experiejice of
others, shall have its plaice ih the succeeding edi-
tions.

Fims.

Bunjjay t. Printed by C. Brirbtry.