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THE
Ufeful Family-Herbal;
- o R,
AN ACCOUNT
OF ALL
Thofe En g l i s h P l ants wh ich are remarkable for th c i r
Virtues, and of the Drugs which are produced by
Vegetables of other Countries; with their Descrip-
tions and their Uses, as proved by Experience.
Illuftrated with
FIGURES ofthe MOST USEFfJL ENGLISH P LANTS,
WITH AN
INTRODUCTION;
CONTAINING,
I. Directions for the gathering
and preferring Roots , Herbs ,
Flowers, and Seeds.
II. The various Methods of pre-
paring thefe Simples for prefent
III. Receipts* for making from
them diftilled Waters, Conferees ,
Syrups, and other Forms proper
to be in Readinefs, and for keep-
ing all the Year.
IV. The Ways of making up Elec-
tuaries, juleps, Draughts, and
the other common Forms of Re-
medies ; together with Cautions
in the giving them.
AND AN
APPENDIX;
Containing a Proposal for the farther feeking into the Virtues of
Englijh Herbs, and the Manner of doing it with Eafe and Safety.
The Whole intended for the Ufe of Families, and for the InfruFiion of
thofe who are defirous of relieving the difreffed Sick.
By Sir JOHN HILL, M. D.
FELLOW OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY SCIENCES AT BOURDEAUX.
i I.. — ..- ■ ■■■■■■ * ■■■ 1 ■ ■ .. ■ »
A NEW EDITION, Corrected.
LONDON:
Printed for A. Millar, W. Law, and R. CaFer ;
and for Wilson and Spence, York.
M,DCC,LXXXIX.
(PRICE SIX SHILLINGS.)
tiSRART,
izm
S^CjO
TO THE HONOURABLE THE
Lady Betty Germain.
* \
Madam?
"When a Book intended for the be-
nefit of mankind, written with that foie
view, and preferring ufe to oftentation,
required fome name under whofe pro-
tection it might be received with favour
by the world, it will not appear ftrange
to any, unlefs perhaps to yourfelf, that
yours fhould be prefixed.
I am no flatterer, Madam, but I
think it a duty thofe who have it in
their power to make truth public owe
to mankind, that they fhould place vir^
tue in the moft conspicuous light. It
is thus made more generally and more
extenfively ufeful than it could be by
any other means : And your humanity,
benevolence, and generous charities,
fhall, being thus delivered to the public
' A 2
iv DEDICATION.
eye, and continued down perhaps to
another generation, be an example to
thofe who never faw you, and blefs the
defeendants of thofe thoufands whom
your hand has relieved.
Virtues, like yours, Madam, in any
age, would have been eonfpicuous ; but
in the prefent, where all goodnefs is fo
much difregarded, they fhine with a
new luftre. To be generous at a time
when profufion in follies renders others
niggards in good things ; to relieve, be-
caufe the object is diftreffed, not be-
caufe fome particular voice or interefh
recommends him, and to maintain a
fenfe of religion as the fupport of virtue,
and a futurity as the period in which,
it fhall be rewarded; at a time when
partiality directs even thofe who affe6t
humanity, and when every thing facred
is trod under foot, and Heaven itfelf
treated as a chimera, this, Madam, is
an honour, that in the eye of reafon
eclipfes all the pomp of rank, and all
the cftentation of title. It is more your
i
DEDICATION.
v
glory, Ma.da.in, to have claimed this cha
rafter, than to have defcended from the
longed; line of patriots and of heroes. It
is for thefe the goodwill celebrate yon;
anticipating that praife which your pure
fpirit fhall tafte, when angels fing about
it, as they conduft it to thofe regions,
which He, who loves virtue, has pre-
pared for its reception.
Pardon a ftranger, Madam, who ack
•dreftes you in terms, fuited not to the
ordinary circumftances of rank and title,
thofe others fhare with you ; but in that
goodnefs in which, to the misfortune of
the world, you are alnioft alone : and
who knows the moft: that he. can lay
will not be accounted flattery, becaufe,
bad as men are in general, they all al-
low virtue to be amiable, and all allow
that you poflefs it in the fulleft cha-
rafter.
That you may yet long continue a
blefling to the prefent age, is, Madam,
the moft ftncere wifti of him who knows
A 3
vi DEDICATION.
v
he confiders the interefts of others more
than your own in that defire : And who
is, with the moft true refpeft*
MADAM ;
Tour Ladyships
t
> i
i
mojl obedient and .
mojl humble Servants-
John Hill.
THE PREFACE.
jV^any books have been written upon the fame
fubjedt with this, but if one of them had treated it
in the fame manner, this would have been ren-
dered unneceffary, and would never have employ-
ed the attention of its author.
It is his opinion, that the true end of fcience is
ufe; and in this view, the prefent work has been
undertaken: It appears to him a matter of more
confequence, and a fubjedt of more fatisfadtion, to
have difeovered the virtues of one herb unknown
before, than to have difpofed into their proper
claims fixteen thoufand; nay, fo far will a fenfe of
utility get the better of the pride of mere curiolity,
that he Ihould fuppofe this a thing preferable to
be faid ot him, to the having difeovered fome un-
known fpecies ; to having picked from the bottom
of fome pond, an undeferibed conferva, or to ha-
ying fetched from the molt remote parts of the
- A 4
THE PREFACE.
viii
world, a kind of tree-mofs, with heads larger than
thole at home.
Ir grieves a man of public fpirit and humanity,-
to fee thofe things which are the means alone of the
advantages of mankind ftudied, while the end, that
advantage itfelf, is forgotten. And in this view he
will regard a Culpepper, as a more refpectable per-
fon, than a Linnreus or a Dilknhis.
1 hat botany is an ufeful fludy is plain; becaule
it is in vain that we know betony is good for head-
achs, or felf-heal for wounds, unlefs we can diftin-
guifli betony and felf-heal from one another, and
fo it runs through the whole ftudy. We are taught
by it to know' what plants belong to what names,
and to know that very diftinddly; and we lhall
be prevented by that knowledge from giving a
purge for an aftringent, a poifon for a remedy;
let us therefore efteem the ftudy of botany, but . let
us know, that this ufe of the diftindtions it gives
is the true end of it; and let us refpect thofe, who-
employ their lives in eftablilhing thofe diftindtions
upon the molt certain foundation, upon making
them the mold accurately, and carrying them the
fartheft poffible: Thefe are the botanifts; but with
all the gratitude we owe them for their labours,
and all the refpedt we fhew them on that confide-
ration, let us underftand them as but the feconds
in this fcience. The principal are thofe who know
liow to b ing ihe’r difcoveries to ufe, and can fay
.1
THE PREFACE.
IX
what are the ends that will be anfwered by thofe
plants, which they have fo accurately diftinguilh-
ed. The boy collects the fpecimens of herbs with
great care, and bellows ten years in palling them
upon paper, and writing their names to them : He
does well. When he grows a man, he negledls
his ufeful labours ; and perhaps defpifes himfelf for
the mifemployment of fo much time : But if he has,
to the knowledge of their forms, added afterward
the Itudy of their virtues, he will be far from cem-
furing himfelf for all the pains he took to that end.
He who willies well to fcience and to mankind,
mull wifh this matter underftood : And this is the
way to bring a part of knowledge into credit ^
which, as' it is commonly pradlifed, is not a jot
above the lludies of a raifer of tulips or a carnation-
fancier.
When we confider the ftudy of plants, as the
fearch of remedies for difeafes, we fee it in the
light of one of the moll honourable fciences in the
world; in this view no pains are too great to have
been bellowed in its acquirement; and in this
intent, the principal regard ought to be had to
thofe of our own growth. The foreign plants,
brought into our lloves with fomuch expence, and
kept there with lo much pains, may fill the eye
with empty wonder: But it would be more to the
honour of the poflelTor of them, to have found out
>
X
the preface.
the ufe of one common herb at home, than to
have enriched our country with an hundred of the
others. Nay, in the eye of reafon, this oftentatious
Rudy is rather a reproach. Why fhould he, who
has not yet informed himfelf thoroughly of the na-
ture of the meaneft herb, which grows in the next
ditch, ranfack the earth for foreign wonders? Does
he not fall under the fame reproach with the gene-
rality of thofe, who travel for their improvement,
while they are ignorant of all they left at home;
and who are ridiculous in their inquiries concern-
ing the laws and government of other countries*
while they are not able to give a fatisfadlory anfwer
to any queftion which regards their own?
I have faid thus much to obviate the cenfures
of thofe to whom an inquiry into the virtues of
herbs, may feem the province of a woman. It is
an honour to the fex, that they have put our Rudies
to ufe; but it would be well, if we had done fo
ourfelves; or if, confidering that they might, we
had made our writings more intelligible to them.
The intent of words is to exprefs our meaning;
Writings are published that they may be under-
ftood; and in this branch, I fhall always fuppofe
he writes beft, who is to be underftood molt uni-
verfally. Now fo far are we from having had this
point in view in botany, that more new and more
ftrange words have been introduced into it, than
into all the fciences together: And fo remarkable
THE PREFACE. xi
is the Swede before mentioned, Linnaeus, for this;
that a good fcholar, nay the belt fcholar in the
world, fhall not be able to underftand three lines
together in his beft writings, although they are
written in Latin, a language in which he is ever
fo familiar. The author has not been at the pains
to explain his new words himfelf, but refers his
reader to nature ; he bids him Peek- them in the
flowers, where he found them.
The farther we perufe this confideration, the
more we fliall find a book like the prefent necefiary.
It appears, that what are called the books in bo-
tany, far from being in the compafs of many who
with to be ufefnl in their knowdedge of plants, are
not to be underftood by any, except a few, who
follow the ufelefs, though curious fteps of the au-
thor; in many parts perhaps, only by the author
himfelf. And as for the others which have not
thefe faftnoriable innovations, the beft among them
fay nothing of their ufe or virtue at all. The au-
thors efteem this a particular branch of knowledge,
and in this they are right. He who writes of the
'forms and figures of plants is a naturalift, and he
who deferibes their virtues ought to be a phyfi-
eian: He who writes a very good hiftory of plants,
may not have it in his power to fpeak knowingly
of their virtues, or the compafs of his work may
not give room for it, or his readers may notexpedi
or defire it; for this is the cafe with many whs*
xli
THE PREFACE.
have only an empty curiofity. He therefore may,
with reafon, omit the virtues where he deferibes
the forms; but let him make it a matter of con-
fidence, if his knowledge extend fo far, to do it
himfelf, or if not, to recommend it to be done by
fome other.
K jt
We fee' that the moft curious botanifts have
hot concerned themfelves about the virtues of plants
at all; that many of the others who have writ-
ten well on plants, have thought it no part of their
fubjed ; let us examine the others, thofe who are
of lefs repute. If ive look into the Englifh Her-
bals in particular, we find them large upon that
fubjeil ; indeed they are too large by much. They
fay fo 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 moil:
^rifling herb which they do not make a remedy for
almoft all difeafes. We may therefore as well take one
plant for any cafe as another ; and the whole of
their labours amounts to this, that the Englifh
herbs are full of virtues, but that they know not
what they are. If we add to the writers on herbs
in our own country thofe who fludy them, we
lhall find the very fame ufelefs curiofity. The
apothecary’s apprentice learns the names of plants
that he may win the gingerbread-book by way of
prize, but when he ihould come to the ufe oi
them he negledts them, and often forgets the little
i
THE PREFACE.
xni
he had known fo perfectly, that they fell him vi-
pers buglofs for bugle in the markets, and he
knows it is the right, becaufe the ft is painted..
Those who fearch into the nature in ,-bis pro-
vince are not a whit better. I w<: > v -d in.
Yorkfhire to one Brewer, who n ■ c . cl a
dre& on purpofe for herbalizing, an-.. h • - malic
for his face, and pads to his knees, 1 . might
creep into the thickets ; when f taike« . with the
man about his refearches, they were after fome
new kind of mofs: He never had confidered plants
except to know how they differ from one ano-
ther.
In this fituation, when knowledge is perplexed
with unintelligible terms, and the memory of the
ftudent confounded with a multiplicity of names;
when the ignorant only, who have written con-
cerning plants, have given themfelves any trou-
bles about their virtues; when phyfic is be-
coming entirely chymical, and a thoufand lives
are thrown away daily by thefe medicines,
which might be faved by a better practice ;
it appeared a ufeful undertaking to feparate
the neceflary from the frivolous knowledge,
and to lay before thole who are inclined to do
good to their diftreffed fellow -creatures, all that
is neceflary for them to know of botany for that
pprpofe, and that in the moft familiar manner,
XIV
THE PREFACE.
and to add to this what experience has confirmed
of: the many things written by others concerning
their virtues. This is the intent of the following
tvork.
The plants are arranged according to the Eng-
lifh alphabet, that the Englifh reader may know
•where to find them : They are called by one
name only in Englifh, and one in Latin ; and
thefe are their moft familiar names in thofe lan-
guages ; no matter what Cafpar, or John Bau-
hine, or Linnaeus call them, they are here fet
down by thofe names by which every one fpeaks
of them in Englifh °} and the Latin name is added,
under which they will be found in every dictio-
nary. To this is fubjoined, a general defcription
of the plant, if it be a common pne, in a line or
two, that thofe who already know it may turn at
once to the ufes ; and for fuch as do not, a
farther and more particular account is added. Laft
come the virtues, as they are confirmed by
pradice ; and all this is delivered in fuch words
as are common, and to be underftood by all.
Every thing that is fuperfluous is omitted, that
the ufeful part may remain upon the memory :
And to all this is prefixed, in a large introduc-
tion, whatfoever can be neceffary to complete
the good intentions of the charitable in this w7ay.
There are rules for gathering and preferring
THE PREFACE.
xv
herbs, and their feveral parts ; directions for mak-
ing Rich preparations from them as can cove-
niently be prepared in families ; and general ad-
monitions and cautions in their refpedtive ufes.
If I could have thought of any thing farther
that could tend to the making the book more
ufeful, I fhould have added it : as it is, the can-
did reader is defired to accept it, as written with a
view to be of real fervice to mankind.
v*r •
DIRECTIONS to the Binder for placing
the Plates.
Plate I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
—VI.
VII.
r- — VIII.
54
192
224
28^
3
35i
L37°
> to face page
THE
Ufeful Family-Herbal.
INTRODUCTION.
Containing general Rules for the gathering and
preferving Herbs, Roots, Barks, Seeds, and
Flowers ; together with the Methods of making
fuch Preparations from them , as may bef retain
their Virtues, or bemofi ufefd to be kept in la~
milies .
CHAP. I.
\ The Befign and Pnrpofe of the Work , and the Me-
thod ohferved in it.
*
THE intent of the Author in publifhing this book,
is to inform thofe who live in the country, and
are defirous of being ufeful to their families and
friends; or charitable to the poor, in the relief of
their diforders; of the virtues of thofe plants, which
grow wild about them: That they may be able to
fupply this neceffary affiftance, in places where apo-
thecaries are not at hand; and that they may be able
alfo to do it without putting themfelves to the ex-
pence of medicines of price, when the common herbs,
that may be had for gathering, will anfwer the fame
purpofe.
B
I N T k O D U C T I OlSJ .
*
However, as there arc cafes, in which more help
may be had from drugs brought from abroad, than
rrom any thing we can procure at home, an account
oi: thole roots, barks, feeds, gums, and other vegetable
productions, kept by the druggids and apothecaries,
is alfo added; and of the feverai trees and plants
Irdm which they are obtained; together with their
virtues.
J his Work, therefore, will tend to initruct thofe.
charitable ladies who may be defirous of giving this
great relief to the afflicted poor in their neighbour-
hood, and to remind apothecaries of what they had
before ftudied: But the frit-mentioned purpofe is
by much the mod ufeful, and the mbit Con'liderable,
dnd for this reafon the greatell regard is paid to it.
The plants are difpofed in the alphabet, according
to their Englilh names, that they may be turned to
the more readily ; and an account is given, in two or
three lines, of their general afpeCt and place of
growth, that thofe who in part know them already,
may underhand them at once: If they are not per-
feCily known from this, a more particular defcription
is added, by obferving which, they cannot be mida-
ken or confounded with any others ; and after this
follow, not only their virtues, as others are content
to fet them down, but the part of each plant which
contains them in mod perfection is named, and the
manner in which they may bed be given.
With regard to the virtues of plants, it has been
the cudom to attribute too many to mod of them :
So much is faid more than the truth on thefe occa-
fions, that thofe who would be informed, know not
what they fhould believe. This is more eautioufly
regulated here. The real virtues alone are let down,
as they are allured by experience : And the principal
of thefe are always fet in the mod confpicuous light.
Perhaps it may be allowed the Author, to fpeak with
more adurance than others of thefe things, becauler
he has been accuttomed to the practice ot phyiic in
INTRODUCTION. 19
that way. Very few things are named here, that he
has not feen tried; and it fome are fet down, which
other writers have not named, and fome ot which
they have faid moft, are tlightly mentioned; it is
owing to the fame experience, which has added to
the catalogue in fome things, and has found it too
great for truth in others.
Nature has in this country, and doubtlefs alfo in
all others, provided in the herbs of its own growth*
the remedies for the feveral difeafes to which it is
moft fubjed; and although the addition of what is
brought from abroad, fhoiild hot be fuppofed fuper-
fluous, therb is no occafion that it fhould make the
other negleded. This has been the confequence
of the great relped iliewn to the others; and, befide
tfhis, the prefent ufe of chemical preparations has al-
moft driven the whole of Galenical medicine out of
our minds.
To reftore this more fafe, more gefttie, and often
more efficacious, part of medicine to its natural credit,
has been one great intent in the writing this treatife;
and it is the more neceftary for the fervice of thofe
who are intended moft to be directed in this matter,
fince this is much Ids dangerous than the other:
Nay, it is hard to fay, that this is dangerous at all in
moft inftanees.
The apothecaries are apt, in their unfeeling mock-
ery, to fay, they are obliged to the good ladies, who
give medicines to their lick neighbours, for a great
deal of their bufinefs; for out of little diforders they
make great ones. This may be the cafe where their
{hops iupply the means; for chemical medicines,
and fome of the drugs brought from abroad, are not
to be trufted with thofe who have not great expe-
rience; but there will be no danger of this kind,
when the fields are the fupply. This is the medi-
cine of Nature, and as it is more efficacious in moft
cafes, it is more fafe in all. If opium may be dan-
gerous in an unexperienced hand, the lady who will
B 2
90
INTRODUCTION.
give in its place a lyrup of the wild lettuce, (a plant
not known in common practice at this time, but re-
commended from experience in this Treatife) will
imd that it will eafe pain, and that it will caufe deep,
in the manner of that foreign drug, but fine will never
find any ill confequences frqm it: And the fame
might be faid in many other inllances.
As the defcriptions in this work, very readily di-
fiinguilh what are the real plants that fhould be ufed,
and the great care will remain, in what manner
to gather and preferve, and in what manner to
give them ; it will be uleful to add a chapter or two
on thofe heads. As to the former, I would have it
perfectly underltood, becaufe a great deal depends
upon it; the latter cannot eafily be miftaken.
Having difplaced the drugs brought from abroad
in a great meafure from this charitable practice, I
would have every lady who has the fpirit of this true
benevolence, keep a kind of druggilt’s fhop of her
own: This fhould be fupplied from the neighbour-
ing fields, and from her garden. There is no reafon
the drugs fhould not be as well preferved, and as
carefully laid up, as if the produd of a different cli-
mate, though the ufe of the frefh plants will in ge-
neral be belt when they can be had.
As there are fome which will not retain their vir-
tues in a dried date, and can be met with only during
a fmall part of the year; it will be proper to add the
belt methods of preferring thefe in fome way, accord-
ing to the apothecaries manner; and thefe chapters,
with that which llr all lay down the method of ma-
king the preparations from them for ready iervice,
will be fufficient to lead to the perfect ufe of the me-
dicines of our own growth: And it will be found
upon experience, that thofe who fufhciently know
how to make a proper ufe of thefe, need feldorn have
recourfe to any others.
INTRODUCTION. n
/
CHAP. II.
Concerning the Methods of collecting and preferring
Plants, and parts of them for Ufe.
THE virtues of different plants redding princi-
pally in certain parts of them, and thole diffe-
rent according to the nature of the herb, thefe feve-
ral parts are to be feleCted, and the reft left; and
thefe are in fome to be ufed frefli and juft gathered;
in others, either neceffity, or the natural preference,
make it proper to dry and preferve them.
In fome only the leaves are to be ufed, in others
the whole plant cut from the root, in others the
flowers only, in others the fruits, in others the feeds,
in fome the roots, and of fome trees the barks, fome
the woods, and only the excrefcences of others; while
fome vegetables are to be ufed entire, whether it be
frefli gathered, or dried and preferved. Of all thefe,
inftances will be given in great number in the fol-
lowing flieets, and the matter will be fpecified under
each article, as the part of the plant to be ufed will
always be named; and it will be added, whether it
be beft frefh, or beft or neceffarily dried, or other-
wife preferved; but it will be proper in this place to
enter into the full examination of this matter, to fave
unneceffary repetitions under the feveral particular
articles.
The whole of moft plants, native of our country,
dies off in winter, except the root; and in many that
periflies alfo, leaving the fpecies to be renewed from
the fallen feeds. When the whole plant dies, the
root is feldom of any virtue ; but when the root re-
mains many years, and fends up new ftioots in the
fpring, it commonly has great virtue. This may be
a general rule: for there is very little to be expect-
ed in the roots of annual plants: Their feeds, for the
moft part, contain their greateft virtues.
S3
INTRODUCTION.
7%
In others, the root lives through the winter, and
there arife from it large leaves in the fpring, before
the ftalk appears. Thefe are to be diftinguifhed
from thofe which afterwards grow on the ftalk, for
they are more juicy, and for many purpofes much
better. In the lame manner, fome plants, from their
feeds dropped in autumn, produce a root and leaves
which Hand all the winter, and the ftalk does not
rile till the fucceeding lpring. Thefe are of the na-
ture ol thofe leaves, which rife from the root of other
plants before the ftalks in fpring; and are in the fame
manner to be diftinguilhed from thofe which grow
upon the ftalks; They have the full nourifhment
from the root, whereas the others are ftarved by the
growth of the ftalk and its branches, and the prepa-
rations made by nature for the flowers and feeds;
which are the great purpqfe qf Nature, as they are to
continue the plant.
For this reafon, when the leaves of any plant are
laid to be the part fitted for ufe, they are not to be
taken from the ftalk; but thefe large ones growing
from the root are tor be chofen; and thefe, where
there is no ftalk, if that can be; for then only they
are fulleft of juice, and have their complete virtue;
the ftalk running away with the nourifhment from
them. This is fo much done in fome plants, that
although the leaves growing from the root were
very vigorous before the ftalk grew up, they die and
wither as it rifes.
When the juice of the leaves of any plant is re-
quired, thefe are the leaves from which it is to be
preffcd : When they are ordered in decocftion, notice
is always taken in this book, whether they be belt
frefli or dried; if frelh, they ftiould be juft gathered
for the occafion, they fhould be cut up clofe from the
root, and, only lliook clean, not wafhed; for in many,
that carries off a part of the virtue, and they are to
be cut into the pot. If they are to be dried, the fame
caution is to be ufed, and they are belt dried, by
it
INTRODUCTION.
“3
Spreading them upon the floor of the room, with the
windows open, often turning them. When thorough-
ly dried, they fliould be put up in a drawer, prefling
them clofe down, and covered with paper. When
the entire plant is to be ufed except the root, care is
to be taken that it be gathered at a proper fe.ifon.
Nature in the whole growth oi plants, tends to the
production of their flowers and feeds, but when they
are ripe, the reft begins to decay, having done its
duty: fo that the time when the entire plant is in its
molt full perfection, is when it is in the bud; when
the heads are formed for flowering, but not a Angle
flower has yet difclofcd itfelf : This is the exaft time.
When herbs are to be ufed frefli, it is belt not to
take them entire, but only to cut oft' the tops ; three
or four inches long, if for infuflon ; and if for other
purpofes, lei's : If they are to be beaten up with fugar,
they fhould be only an inch, or lefs : juft as tar as
they are frefli and tender. The tops of the plant
thus gathered, are always preferable to the whole
plant for immediate ufe.
When the entire herb is to be dried, the feafon for
gathering it is to be asjuft defcribed, when the flowers
are buding; and the time of the day muft be when
the morning dew is dried away. This is a very ma-
terial circumftance, for if they be cut wet with the
dew, herbs will not dry well, and if they be cut at
noon-day, when the fun has made the leaves flag,
they will not have their full power.
Care muft alfo 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 are thus gathered, they are to be
looked over, the decayed leaves picked off, and the
dead ends of the ftalks cut away: They are then to
be tied up in fmall bunches, the lefs the better; and
hung upon lines drawn acrofs a room, where the
windows and doors are to be kept open in good
weather ; the bunches are to be half a foot afunder,
B 4
24
INTRODUCTION.
and they are to hang till perfectly dry. They are
then to be taken foftly down, without fhaking off the
buds of the flowers, and laid evenly in a drawer,
preffing them down, and covering them with paper.
They are thus ready for infufions or deco&ions, and
are better for diftillation, than when frelh.
The flowers of plants are principally ufed frefh,
though feveral particular kinds retain their virtue
very well dried; they are on thefe different occafions
to be treated differently.
Layender-flowers, and thofe of ftoecha, keep very
well, they are therefore to be preferved dry ; the la-
vender-flowers are to be dripped off the ftalks, hulk
and all together, and fpread upon the floor of a room
to dry : The ftoechas flowers are to be preferved in
the whole head ; this is to be cut off from the top of
the ffalk, and dried in the fame manner; When dry,
they are to be kept as the herbs.
When rofemary flowers are dried, they are gene-
rally taken with fome of the leaves about them, and
this is very right, for the leaves retain more virtue
than the flowers. Some dry borage, buglofs, and
cowflips, but they retain very little in that condition.
Rofe-buds are to be dried, and to this purpofe, their
white heads are to be cut off; and the full blown
flowers may be preferved in the fame manner. The
red rofe is always meant, when we lpeak of the dried
flowers.
For the reft of the flowers ufed in medicine, they
are beft frefh, but as they remain only a fmall part of
the year in that ftate, the method is to preferve them
ip the form of fyrups and conferves. Such as the
fyrup of cloves and poppies, the conferves of cowflips,
and the like. Of thefe a fliorr' general account fliall
be fubjoined, that nothing may be wanting to make
this book as ufeful for families, as the nature of fuch
a one will admit.
Among the fruits of plants, fe\eial are to be ufed
frc-fli, as the hip for conierve, and the quince, muU
INTRODUCTION. 25
berry, and black currant; from the juices of vvhich
l'yrups are made. As to thole which are to be dried,
as the j uniper-berries, the bay-berries, and the like, they
are only to be gathered when juft ripening, not when
quite mellow, and fpread upon a table or floor, often
turning them, till they are dry. But of thefeweufevery
few of our own growth ; molt of the fruits ufed in
medicine are brought from abroad, and muft be pur-
chafed of the druggift or apothecary.
With refpecl to the feeds and plants, it is other-
wife : Many of them are of our own growth, and
nothing is fo eafy as to preferve them. Thefe are all
to be ufed dry ; but nature has in a manner 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 fpread for three or four
days upon a clean floor, where the air has free paf-
fage, but where the fun does not come ; and they
are then ready to be put up.
The feeds ufed in medicine may be referred to
three general kinds. They either grow in naked
heads or umbels, as in fennel, parfley, and the like ;
or in pods, as in muftard and c relies ; or in large
flefhy fruits, as in melon and cucumbers. In each
cafe they muft be left upon the plant, till perfectly
ripe ; then they are only to be fhook from the heads
upon the floor or if in pods, a fmart ftroke or two
of the plant upon the floor, when they are thorough-
ly -ripe* will diflodge them. In the other cafe, the
fruit muft be cut open, and they muft be taken out
from among the wet matter, feparated from the
membranes that are about them, and fpread upon a
table in a dry place, where they muft be often turn-
ed and rubbed as they grow dry, that in the end they
may be perfedlly dry and clean.
Among the roots, a great many are to be ufed frefli,
but a greater number are beft dried. The black and
white bryony, the arum, and fome others, lofc all
their virtue in drying ; and many that retain fome.
26
INTRODUCTION.
yet lofe the greater part of it : There arc others
which are excellent both frefh and dried, as the
raarlhmallow and fome more.
As to the few which lofe their virtue entirely in
drying, it will be bed to keep fome of them always
in the garden, that they may be taken up as they are
wanted. The others are to be managed according to
their feveral natures, and they do a great deal toward
the furnifiiing this druggift’s {hop, which fiiould
be filled with medicines, the produce of our own
country.
The bed feafon for gathering roots for drying, is
in the earlier part of the lpring: What Nature does
for plants when they are jud going to flower, file
does for roots when the leaves are jud going to bud :
The juices are rich, frefh, and full, and the virtue is
dronged in them at this feafon, therefore they are to
be then taken up.
In the end of February and the beginning of March,
the ground fnould be fearched for the fird budding
of leaves, and the roots taken up. They are to bo
wiped clean, not wafhed ; and, according to their
feveral natures, prepared for drying.
Some are full of a mucilaginous juice, as marfh-
mallow, and above all other roots the fquill, and in
fome degree many others of that kind : thefe mud be
cut into thin dices crofs-wife, and they will dry bed
if laid upon a hair-cloth dretched acrofs a frame.
They mud be frequently turned ; and be very tho-
roughly dry, before they are put up; elfe they will
become mouldy: But, rightly prepared, they keep
very well.
Other roots have juices, that evaporate more eafily.
Thefe have the virtue either throughout the whole
fubftance, or only in the outer part, and they are to
be prepared accordingly. When roots are of one
uniform fubdance, they generally have the virtue
equal, or nearly fo, in all parts. Thefe fhould be
fplit open length-wife, fird cutting off the head, and
INTRODUCTION.
27
the little end;' or if confiderably thick, they may be
quartered; when this is done, they are to be ft rung
upon a line, by drawing a needle threaded with a fmall
twine through their thickeft part, and they are then to
be hung up to dry in the manner of the herbs ; the
line being ftretched acrofs a room, the doors and win-
dows of which are to be kept open in good weather.
When the roots confift of a fort of thick rind, or
flefhy fubftance within the rind, and a hard fticky
part in the middle ; this flefhy fubftance under it
poflefles all the virtues, the hard inner fubftance ha-
ving none ; in this cafe, the root is to be fplit long-
wife as before, and the hard woody part is to be ta-
ken out and thrown away; the reft is to be ftrung as
before defcribed, and dried in the fame manner.
When roots confift of fibres, thefe are generally
connected to a head, if it be ever fo fmall, and the
beft way is to fplit this in two, and then firing up
the feperate parts for drying.
It is needlefs to enumerate the examples of the fe-
veral kinds of roots here; they follow in their places:
But if the charitable lady would on firft looking over
this book, to fee what are molt ufeful, order her
gardener to take out of his ground, and to feek in
the fields the feyeral roots there mentioned, and fee
them dried and preferved according to thefe direc-
tions ; flie would be poffefTed of a let of drugs of a
new kind indeed, but they would lave the price of
many brought from other countries, and might be
ufed with lefs danger.
The barks pf trees make but a fmall part of the
Tnglilh drugs, and molt of them are bell frelli, but
fucli as will preferve arid retain their virtues dried,
are very ealily prepared that way : Nothing more is
required, than to cut them into moderate pieces, and
firing them up in the fame manner as the roots.
When they are dry they are to be put up as the
ythe.rs; and they will keep ever £b long ; but in all
28
INTRODUCTION.
»
t
this time they are for the moft part lofing of their
virtues. i
It may be prudent to preferve drugs brought from
abroad a great while, becaufe of their price ; but as
thefe coil only the trouble of gathering and prefer-
ving them, I would advife, that the whole fliop be
renewed every year ; and what is left of the old par-
cel ol every kind, being thrown away as the frefli one
is collected in its feafon.
The place for keeping thefe fhould be a dry room,
neither damp nor hot ; and they fhould now and then
be looked at, to fee that they are in order ; that they
do not grow mouldy, or lmell mufty through damp,
or become lighter, and lofe their virtue by too much
heat.
It may be juft proper to mention, that the woods
which we ufe, are belt kept in the block, and fhaved
off as they are wanted ; for being kept in fhavings,
they lofe their virtue : And in the fame manner as to
the foreign woods, it is belt to keep a block of faffafras,
and of ' lignum vita in the houfe, and cut them as
they are wanted.
As to the excrefiences, fuch as galls of the oak,
and the bur upon the wild briar, they are naturally
fo dry, that they only require to be expofed a few
days to the air upon a table, and then they may be
put up with fafety, and will keep a long time.
Laftly, the funguffes, fuch as Jews-ears, and the
like, are to be gathered when they are full grown,
and ftrung upon a line, that they may dry leifurely,
for elfe they fpoil : They muft be very well dried be-
fore they are put up, elfe they will grow mouldy in
damp weather ; and if once that happen, no art can
recover their virtues.
Thus may a druggift’s fhop of a new kind be filled,
and it will confift of as many articles, as thofe which
receive their furniture from abroad ; and there will
be this advantage in having every thing ready ; that
when cuftom has made the virtues of the feveral
/
INTRODUCTION.
29
things familiar, the lady may do from her judgment
as the phyflcian in his prefcription, mix feveral
things of like virtue together, and not depend upon,
the virtues of any one flngly, when the cafe requires
fomething of power. Thefe roots and barks pow-
dered, will make as handfome and as efficacious
boluffefs and mixtures, as any furnifhed by the apo-
thecary.
Concerning the various Methods of preparing Simples
for prefent Ufe.
HERE is no form of medicines fent from the
apothecary, which may not be prepared from
the herbs of our own growth, in the fame manner as
from foreign drugs. Electuaries may be made with
the powders of thefe barks, roots, and feeds, with
eonferves of flowers, and of the tops of frefh herbs :
And fyrups, made from their juices and infuflons';
the manner of making which is very Ample, and fhall
be fubjoined to this chapter, that all may be under-
Itood before we enter on the Book itfelf : And in the
fame manner their bolufles may be made, which are
only fome of thefe powders mixed up with fyrup :
And their draughts and juleps, which are made from
the diftilled waters of thefe herbs, with fpirit or with-
out, thefe fyrups being added, and the tinctures of
the roots and barks ; the method of making which
fliall be alfo annexed in a familiar manner.
But belide thefe feveral forms of giving them, there
are others much more Ample, eafy, and ready, and
thefe are generally more efficacious. I fliall arrange
thefe under three kinds, Juices, Infufions, and De-
coctions. TheR are the forms of giving the medi-
cines molt frequently mentioned in the conrie of the
work, and there is lefs trouble in them, than in the
CHAP. III.
INTRODUCTION.
3°
others. They arc not indeed contrived for lhew*
nor would they anfwer the pul-pole of the apothecary*
for his profits would be fmall upon them ; but when
the delign is only to do good, they are the molt to
be chofen of any.
Juices are to be exprefied from leaves or roots ; and
in order to this, they are to be firlt beaten in a mor-
tar. There is no form whatever in which herbs
have fo much effect, and yet this is in a manner un-
known in the common practice of phyfic.
Thefe are to be obtained in fome plants from thh
entire herb, as in water-crelfes, brooklime, and others
that have juicy llalks, in others the leaves only are
to be ufed, as in nettles, and the like, where the
ftalk is dry and yields nothing ; but is troublefome in
the preparation. When the juice of a root is to be‘
had, it mull be frelh taken up, and thoroughly
beaten. A marble mortar and wooden peftle, ferve
bell for this purpofe, for any thing of metal is im-
proper : Many plants would take a tinclure from it,
and the juice would be fo impregnated with it, as to
become a different medicine, and probably very im-
proper in the cafe in which it was about to be
given.
As thefe juices have fometimes an ill tafle, and as
fome of them are apt to be cold upon the llomach,
or otherwife to difagree with it, there are methods to
be ufed, to make them fit better upon it ; and in
fome cafes thefe increafe their virtues.
When the thick juice* frelh drawn, is too coarfe
for the perfon’s llomach, it may be differed to fettle
and grow clear : A little fugar may be added alfo in
beating the herb, and in many cafes, as in thofe
juices given for the feurvy, the juice of a Seville
orange may be added, which will greatly improve
the flavour.
To the roots, it is often proper to add a little white
wine in the bridling, and they will operate the bet-
ter for it. Thus for inflance: the juice of the flower-
INTRODUCTION.
31
cle-luCe root will not ftay upon many ftomachs alone 5
but with a little white-wine added in the bruiting,
all becomes eafy : and its effects are not the lefs for
the addition. The fame addition may be made to
fome of the colder herbs; and if a little fugar, and
upon occaiion a few grains of powdered ginger be
added, there will be fcarce any fear of the medicine
difagreeing with the flomach, aiid its effecfts will be
the fame, as if it had been bruifed and prelfed alone.
Infufions are naturally to be mentioned after the
juices, for they are in many cafes ufed to fupply
their place. Juices can only be obtained from frefh
plants, and there are times of the year when the
plants are not to be had in that date. Recourfe is
then to be had to the fliop, inftead of the field ; the
jplant whofe juice cannot be had, is there to be found
dried and preferved ; and if that have been done ac-
cording to the preceding directions, it retains a great
part of its virtues ; in this cafe it is to be cut in
pieces, and hot water being poured upon it, extracts
fo much of its qualities, as to Hand in the place of
the other. Often indeed the virtues are the fame :
In fome plants they are greateft from the infufion ;
but then fome others lofe fo much in drying, that an
infufion fcarce has any thing. But it is not only as
a help in the place of the other, that this preparation
is to be ufed, for infufions are very proper from many
frefh herbs ; and are of great virtue from many dry
ones, of which, when frefh, the juice would have
been worth little.
Infufions are the fitted forms for thofe herbs whofe
qualities are light, and whofe virtue is eafily extract-
ed : In this cafe, hot water poured upon them takes
up enough of their virtue, and none is loft in the .
operation : Others require to be boiled in the water.
From thefe are thus made what we call Decocftions :
And as thefe laft would not give their virtues in in-
tufion, fo the others would lofe it all in the boiling.
It w7ould go oft with the vapour. We know very
32
INTRODUCTION.
well, that the diftilled water of any herb is only the
vapour of the boiled herb caught by proper vefiels,
and condenfed to water : Therefore, whether it be
caught or let to lly away, all that virtue muftbeloft
in boiling. It is from this, that fome plants are fit
for deco&ions, and fome for infufions. There are
fome, which, if diftilled, give no virtue to the water,
and thefe are fit for decoctions, which will retain all
their virtue, as biftort, and tormentill roots, and the
like. On the contrary, an infufion of mint, or pen-
nyroyal, is of a ftrong tafte, and excellent virtue ;
whereas a decoflion of thefe herbs is difagreeable or
good for nothing.
There are herbs alfo, which have fo little juice,
that it would be impoffible to get it out ; and others
whofe virtue lies in the hulks and buds, and this
would be loft in the operation. An infufion of thefe
is the right way of giving them. Thus mother-of-
thyme is a dry little herb, from which it would be
hard to get any juice, and when gotten, it would
poflefs very little of its virtues ; but an infufion of
mother-of-thyme poftefles it entirely.
Infufions are of two kinds. They are either pre-
pared in quantity, to be drank cold; or they are
drank as they are made in the manner of tea. This
laft method^ is the beft, but people will not be pre-
vailed upon to do it, unlefs the tafte of the herb be
agreeable : For the flavour is much ftronger hot than
it is cold.
Infufions in the manner of tea, are to be made
juft as tea, and drank with a little fugar: The others
are to be made in this manner.
A ftone-iar is to be fitted with a clofe cover, the
herb, whether frelli or dried, is to be cut in pieces,
and when the jar has been fealded out with hot wa-
ter, it is to be put in : Boiling watej: is then to be
poured upon it, and the top is to be fixed on : It is
thus to ftand four, five, or fix hours, or a whole
i
INTRODUCTION.
33
night, according to the nature of the ingredient, and
then to be poured off clear.
It is impofiible to diredtthe quantity in general for
thefe infufions, becaule much more of fome plants is
required than of others : For the molt part, three^
quarters of an ounce of a dried plant, or two ounces of
the frefh gathered. The belt rule is to fuit it to the
patient’s ftrength and palate. It is intended not to be
difagreeable, and to have as much virtue of the herb
as is neceffary. This is only to be known in each
kind by trial ; and the virtue may be heightened, as
well as the flavour mended, by feveral additions. Of
thefe, fugar and a little white-wine are the molt fa-
miliar, but lemon-juice is often very ferviceable, as
we find in fage-tea ; and a few drops of oil of vitriol
gives colour and ftrength to a tindlure of rofes. Salt
of tartar makes many infulions ftronger alfo than they
would be,, but it gives them a very difagreeable tafte.
It is therefore fit only for fuch as are to be taken at
one draught, not for fuch as are to be fwallowed in
large quantities time after time.
Among the herbs that yield their virtues moft com-
modioufly by infufion, may be accounted many of
thofe which are pedtoral, and good in coughs, as
colts-foot, ground-ivy, and the like ; the light and
aromatic, good in nervous diforders, or mother-of-
thyme, baum, and the like ; the bitters are alfo ex-
cellent in infufion, but very difagreeable in decoc-
tion : Thus boiling water, poured upon Roman worm-
wood, gentian-root, and orange-peel, makes a very
excellent bitter. It need only ftand till the liquor is
cold, and may be then poured off for ufe.
It is often proper to add fome purging ingredient
to this bitter infufion, and a little frefh polypody-
root excellently anfwers that purpofe, without fpoil-
ing the tafte of the medicine.
Several of the purging plants alfo do very well in
infufion, as purging flax, and the like ; and the frefh
root of polypody alone is a very good one ; a little
C
34
INTRODUCTION.
lemon-juice added to the laft named ipfufion does no
harm; and it takes off what is difagreeable in the
tafte, in the fame manner as it does from an infufion
of lena.
I hus we fee what a great number of purpofes may
be anfwered by infufions, and they are the moft fa-
miliar ot all preparation's. Nothing is required but
pouring fome boiling water upon the plants, frelh or
dried, as already directed, and pouring it off again
when cold.
Decoctions are contrived to anfwer the purpofe of
infufions upon plants which are of fo firm a texture,
that they will not eafily yield forth their ufeful parts.
In thefe the ingredients are to be boiled in the wa-
ter ; as in the others, the boiling water was to be
poured over them. In general, leaves, flowers, and
entire plants, whether frefh or dried, are ufed in in-
fufions ; and roots and barks in decodtions.
An earthen-pipkin, with a clofe cover, is the belt
veffel for preparing thefe : for many of thofe medi-
cines, which are little fufpedfed of it, will take a tinc-
ture from the metal ; and it would be as improper;
to boil them in a copper-pan, as it is too common' j
a cuftom, as to beat the herbs and roots in a metal |
mortar.
Frefh roots are ufed in decoction, as well as thofe
which are dried ; and the barks, and other ingre- 1
dients in like manner. When the frelh are ufed, the |
roots are to be cut into thin flices, and the barks and
woods fhould be fhaved down ; as to the leaves and
entire plants, they need be cut but flightly. When I
dry ingredients are ufed, the roots and barks are befi J
pounded to pieces ; and as to the herbs and flowers,
little is to be done to them, and, in general, they are j
belt added toward the end of the decoction.
It is always belt to let the ingredients of a decoc-
tion It and in the water cold for twelve hours before |
it is fet on the fire, and then it fhould be heated gra-
dually, and afterwards kept boiling gently as long a< I
INTRODUCTION.
35-
is neceflary : and this is to be proportioned to the
nature of the ingredients. Generally a quarter of an
hour is fufficient, fometimes much longer is neceflary.
They are then to be ft rained off while they are hot,
prefling them hard, and the liquor fet by to cool :
When they are thoroughly cold, they are to be
poured off clear from the fettlement, for they always
become clear as they cool, and fweete^ed with a
little fugar. Frequently alfo, it is proper to add to
them a little white-wine, as to the infufions.
CHAP. IV.
7 oncerning Dijlilled Waters , and other Preparations
to be kept in the Houfe.
• /
1 Shall bring the charitable lady farther in this
matter than perhaps fhe was aware at the firft
etting out ; but it will be with little expence, and
ittle trouble. She will find, that I now intend file
hould keep a fort of chymift’s, or at leaft an apo-
hecary’s fhop, as well as a druggift’s ; but it will be
bunded upon the fame materials. No drugs brought
rom abroad, or to be purchafed at a great price, will
lave a place in it : They are all natives of our own
:ountry ; and the preparation of thefe medicines from
hem will coft only a little fpirit, a little fugar, and
he labour of a fervant.
That fpirit is bell which is called molojfes fpirit ;
t is to be bought at a l'mall price at the diftillers :
^.nd as to the fugar, the molt ordinary loaf kind will
lo for molt purpofes : Where other is neceflary, it
vill be particularly named.
Few families are without an alembic, or ftill, and
hat will be of material fervice. With that inftru-
c nent the Ample waters are to be made, with no ex-
. >ence befide the fire, and it. will be proper to keep
ii hofe of the following ingredients.
C a
36
INTRODUCTION.
Mint-water, peppermint-water, and pennyroyal-
water, are to be made of the dry herbs. Three
pounds of each is to be put into the Hill, with four
gallons of water, and two gallons is to be diftilled
off. • Milk-water is to be made thus ; a pound and a
half of l'pear-mint, a pound of rue, half a pound of
Roman wormwood, and half a pound of angelica
leaves, are to be put into the ftill with five gallons of
water, and three gallons are to be diftilled off. Com-
mon mint-water is good in lickneffes of the flomach,
peppermint-water in cholics, and pennyroyal to pro- ]
mote the menfes. Milk-water is good in fevers, and
to make juleps. It ufed to be made with milk, but
that anfwers no purpofe. Only one limple wnter
more need be kept, and that for cholics, it is belt
made of Jamaica pepper : A pound of Jamaica pep-
per is to be put into the ftill over night, with three
gallons of water ; and the next morning two gallons
of water diftilled off.
It has been cuftomary to keep a great many fimple
waters, but thele are all that are neceffary or proper.
The other herbs are better to be given in infufion and
decoction.
As for cordial vraters, they are made as the others,
only with the addition of fpirit. It may be proper to
keep the following •, and no more are neceffary.
1. Cinnamon- water, which is made by putting
into the ftill a pound of cinnamon, a gallon of fpirit,
and a gallon of water, and the next day diftilling off
a gallon. This is good in ficknefs at the ftomach,
and is a fine cordial.
2. Spirituous milk-water, made from a pound of
fpearmint, half a pound of angelica, and a quarter
of a pound of Roman v’ormwood, all green. lo
thefe is to be put a gallon of fpirit, and a gallon of
water, and a gallon to be diitilled off ; to which is
to be added, a pint of vinegar : This is good to pro-
mote fweat, and is ufed inftead of treacle-water, be-
ing better.
INTRODUCTION.
37
' 3.' Strong pennyroyal-water, which is ufed inftead
cf hyfteric-water in all hyfleric cafes, and to promote
the menfes, and is made of a pound and a halt of
dry pennyroyal, a gallon of fpirit, and lix quarts of
water, drawing off a gallon.
4. Annifeed-water, which is good in the cholic,
and is made with a pound of annifeed, a pound of
angelica-feed, and two gallons of fpirit, with one
gallon of water, dillilling off two gallons. No more
than thefe are neceffary. But before I clofe this ar-
ticle of dillilling, I lhall add the making of lavender-
water, fpirit of lavender, and Hungary-water, which
•are preparations of the fame kind, and very eafy.
Lavender-water is made from a pound of frefh la-
vender-flowers, and a gallon of moloffes fpirit, with
two quarts of water ; live pints is to be diftillcd off.
Hungary-water is made (?f a pound and a half of
rofemary-tops, with the flowers, a gallon of fpirit,
and a gallon of water, dillilling off five pints : And
to make the fpirit of lavender, or palfey-drops, mix
three pints of lavender-water, and one pint of Hun-
gary-water, and add to this half an ounce of cinna-
mon, the fame quantity of nutmegs, and three drams
of red Saunders-woocJ, thefe are to Hand together till
the fpirit is well coloured.
This is all the family practitioner will need with
dillilling ; A fhort account, but fufficient.
As for tinctures, which are a great article with
the apothecary and chymilt, making a great fliew,
and really very ufeful : I would have feveral of them
kept, and they are as eafily made as the waters, nay
more eafily. Moloffes fpirit is all that is necefiary
for this purpofe.
It would be well to keep tinctures of all thofe roots
and barks, which are faid to be good dried in the
courfe of this work; for a tincture will contain more
or lefs of the virtue of every one of thefe, and bp of-
ten convenient, where the powder, or decoction,
pould not be given. It is needlefs to enumerate thefe,
C a
INTRODUCTION.
38
and one rule of making ferves for them all : Two
ounces of the ingredient is to be cut in thin (lices,
or bruifed in a mortar, and put into a quart of fpirit ;
it is to (land a fortnight, in a place a little warm, and
be often (book ; at the end of this time it is to be ta-
ken out, drained off, and made to pafs through a
funnel, lined with whitilh brown paper, and put up
with the name of the ingredient.
To thcfe tindtures of the Englifh roots, barks, and
feeds, it would be well to add a few made of foreign
ingredients.
As, 1. The bitter tincture for the ftomach is made
of two ounces of gentian, an ounce of dried orange-
peel, and half an ounce of cardamon-feeds, and a
quart of fpirit : Or it may be made in white-wine,
allowing two quarts.
2. Tindture of caftor, good in hyfteric complaints,
and made with two ounces of caftor and a quart of
fpirit.
3. Tindture of bark, which will cure thofe who
will not take the powder, made of four ounces of
bark, and a quart of fpirit.
4. Tindture of foot, for fits, made with two ounces
of wood-foot, one ounce of afafoetida, and a quart
of fpirit.
5. Tindture of fteel, for the ftoppage of the menfes,
made of flpwefs of iron, four ounces, and fpirit a
quart.
6. Tindture of myrrh, made of three ounces of
myrrh, and a quart of fpirit, good for curing the
fcurvy in the gums.
7. Tindture of rhubarb, made of two ounces of
rhubarb, half an ounce of cardamon-feeds, and a
quarter of an ounce of faffron, with a quart of fpirit.
8. Elixir falutis, made of a pound of (toned raifins,
a pound of fena, an ounce and a half of carraway-
feeds, and half an ounce of cardamons, in a gallon
of fpirit.
INTRODUCTION. 39
9. Elixir of vitriol, made of fix drams of cinnamon,
three drams of cardamons, two drams ol long pep-
> per, and the fame of ginger, and a quart of lpirit :
To a pint of this tin&ure, drained clear off, is to be
j added four ounces of oil of vitriol: ibis is an ex-
cellent domachic. Ladly, to thefe it may be well to
add, the famous friars-balfam, which is made of
three ounces of benjamin, two ounces ol diained
dorax, one ounce of balfam ot Tolu, half an ounce
of aloes, and a quart of fpirit of wine, fucli as is
burnt under lamps. This fpirit may be made by
putting a gallon of molodes fpirit into the dill, and
drawing oft' two quarts, and this will be uleful for
fpirit of wine and camphire, which is made by dil-
lolving an ounce of camphire in a quart of the fpirit.
Ladly, we are to add w'hat is called the ajlhmatic
elixir, made with flower of benjamin and opium, of
each a dram, camphire two fc ruples, oil of annifeed
forty drops, liquorice-root half an ounce, honey one
j ounce, and a quart of fpirit. T. his is a gentle opiate,
and is much better in families than the drong lau-
rknum.
As to the tin&ures made with white-wine indead
pf fpirit, a few are fudicient. Steel-wine is made of
a quarter of a pound of filings of iron, and half an
ounce of mace, and the fame quantity of cinnamon*
put into two quarts of Rhenifh. Hiera-picra is made
pf half a pound of aloes, two ounces of winters-bark,
and five quarts of white-wine. The fird is a redo-
rative cordial and drengthener ; the latter is fufh-
( ciently known as a purge. Laudanum is made of
two ounces of opium, a dram of cloves, and a dram
pf cinnamon, and a pint of wine. Viper-wine is
made of two ounces of dried vipers, and two quarts
of white-wine •, and the tin dure of ipecacuanha for
a vomit, of two ounces of that root, half an ounce of
dry orange-peel, and a quart of fack. Ladly, what
is called elixir proprietatis, is made of aloes, myrrh,
and faffron, of each an ounce, fal ammoniac lix drams,
C 4
40 INTRODUCTION.
and fait of tartar eight ounces, in a quart of moun-
tain-wine.
Thefe are all the tinctures and wines that need be
kept in a family, whole charity is defigned to be
very extenfive, the expence of the whole is a trifle
not worth naming, and the trouble fcarce any thing.
Books are full of directions in particular for every
tincture, as if every one were to be made a different
way ; but the belt method is to give a good deal of
time and frequent fhaking, and that will Hand in the
place of heat in moil things of this kind : Neverthe-
lefs, I advife that they fhould Hand in a room where a
fire is kept while they are making ; and thofe which
require heat, that is, thofe that take a colour moft
flowly are to be placed neareft to it.
Eafy as thefe are, they are by far the moll difficult
part of the talk, the reft is as it were nothing. Con-
ferves, fyrups, and ointments, will be wanting, but
in the fame manner one direction will ferve for the
making the whole affortment of each, and the ingre-
dients will be at hand. As to plaifters, in general
they do more harm than good. Surgeons at this
time make very little ufe of them ; and in the courfe
of this work, many herbs will be named, the bruifed
leaves of which are better than all the plaifters in the
world.
Conferees fhould be made of rue, mint, feurvy-
grafs, wood-forrel, and Roman wormwood. As to
the four fir ft, the leaves are to be picked off from the
ftalks, and beaten up with three times the wmight of
fugar. The tops of the young flioots of the latter are
to be cut off', ahd they are to be beat up in the lame
manner. In the courfe of this work many plants
will be named, the green tops of which contain their
virtue \ thefe may all be made into conferees in the
fame manner, or as many of them added to thofe here
named as fhall be thought proper.
Confcrvesof the flowers of rofemary, mallows, arch-
angel, and lavender, are to be made alfo in the fame
INTRODUCTION.
4i
' 1 manner, and of red rofe-buds. Thefe laft are to be
picked from the hulk, and the white heels are to be
e| cut off. They are all to be beat up with three times
el their weight of fugar, and in the fame manner may
be made conferves of cowflip-flowers, and of thofe of
many other plants mentioned in the following pages.
The outer rinds of Seville oranges and lemons, are
I alfo to be made into conferves in the fame manner,
beating them firft to a pulp, and then adding the fu-
gar, and to thefe muff be added the conferve of hips
and floes, which are to be made in a particular man-
ner. The hips are to be gathered when fully ripe,
afterwards fet by in a cellar, till they growr very foft;
then they are to be laid upon the back of a large
hair-fieve, a difli being put underneath, they are to
be broke with the hand or a wooden-peftle, and rub-
bed about till all the foft matter is forced through the
hair-cloth, the feeds and fkins only remaining. This
foft matter is to be weighed, and to be beat up in a
! mortar with twice its weight of loaf-fugar, firft pow-
dered.
Sloes are to be gathered when they are moderately
ripe, and they are to be fet over the fire in water, till
they fwell and are foftened, but not till the fkin
burlts; they are then to be laid upon a fieve, and the
foft matter driven through as in the other cafe, and
three times the quantity of fugar is to be mixed with
this, that it may make a conferve by beating to-
gether.
Syrups are to be made of many ingredients: They
may be - made indeed of any infuiion, with fugar
added to it in a due quantity; and the way to add
this, fo that the fyrups ihall keep and not candy, is
to proportion the fugar to the liquor very exadly.
One rule will ferve for all this matter, and fave a great
deal of repetition. The liquor of which a fymp is
to be made, may be the juice of fome herb or fruit,
01 a decoction, or an infuiion; which ever it be, let
it Hand till quite clear, then to every wine-pint of it.
4*
INTRODUCTION.
add a pound and three quarters of loaf-fugar, firft
beat to powder: Put the fugar and the liquor toge-
ther, into an earthen-pan that will go into a large
fauce-pan, put water into the fauce-pan, and fet it
over the fire. Let the pan hand in it, till the fugar
is perfectly melted, fciimming it all the time, then as
foon as it is cold, it may be put up for ufe, and will
keep the year round without danger.
This being fet down as the general method of ma-
king the liquor into a fyrup, the reft of the defcrip-
tions of them will be eafy. They are to be made in
this manner: For fyrup of cloves, weigh three
pounds of clovecjuly-flowers from the hulks, and with
the white heels cut off: Pour upon them five pints of
boiling water* Lei them Hand all night, and in
the morning pour off the clear liquor, and make it
into a fyrup as directed above : In the fame manner
are to be made the lyrups of violets and red poppies:
But lefs of the violet-flowers will do, and more of the
poppies may be added: Thus alfo are to be made, the
lyrups of damalk-rofes, peach-blolfoms, cowllip-
flowers, and many others which will be recommend-
ed for that purpofe in this book.
Syrup of buckthorn, is to be made by boiling the
juice down to half its quantity, with a little cinna-
mon, ginger, and nutmeg, and then adding the
fugar.
The fyrups of lemon -juice, mulberries, and the
like, are to be made with a pound and a half of lu-
gar to every pint of the clear juice, which is to be
melted as in the former manner.
Syrup of garlic, leeks, orange-peel, lemon-peel,
mint, and many other things, are to be made of
ftrong infulions of thofe ingredients, made as before
directed, with the firft-mentioned quantity of iugar
added to them, when they have ftood to fettle.
Syrup of marlhmallows, and of poppy-heads, and
iome others, are to be made in the fame manner with
the ftrongelt decocftions that can poflibly be made
INTRODUCTION. 43
from tliofe ingredients, with the fame quantity of fu-
> gar, as is firft mentioned.
Syrup of balfam, is made by boiling a quarter of a
pound of balfam of Tolu, in a pint and a half of wa-
ter in a clofe velfel, and then making the water into
a fyrup, with the ufual quantity of fugar: And thus
may be made fyrups of any of the balfams.
Syrup of faffron, is made of a ftrong tindlure of faf-
fron in wine. An ounce of faffron being put to a
pint of mountain, and this when ftrained off, is to
be made into a fyrup, with the ufual quantity of
fugar.
At one time it was a cuftom to keep a quantity of
fyrups of a particular kind under the name of honeys.
They were made with honey inftead of fugar, and
fome of them, which had vinegar in the compofition,
were called oxymels. A few of the firft kind, and
very few, are worth keeping, and two or three of the
latter, for they have very particular virtues. The
| way of making them is much the fame with that of
making fyrups, but to be exact, it may be proper juft
’ to give fome inftance of it.
Honey of rofes is the moft ufeful, and it is to be
made of an infufion of the flowers and honey in this
manner : Cut the white heels from fome red rofe-
buds, and lay them to dry in a place where there is
a draught of air ; when they are dried, put half a
pound of them into a ft one-jar, and pour on them
three pints of boiling water; ftir them well, and
let them Hand twelve hours ; then prels off the
liquor, and when it has fettled, add to it five pounds
of honey, boil it well, and when it is of the conftft-
ence of a thick fyrup, put it by for ufe. It is good
again ft fore mouths, and on many other occalions.
in the fame manner may be made the honey of any
flower ; or with the juice of any plant, thus mixed
with honey and boiled down, may be made what is
called the honey of that plant. As to the oxymels,
they are alfo made in a very uniform manner. The
44 INTRODUCTION.
following- are fo iifeful, that it will be proper always
to keep them in readinefs.
For oxymel ot garlic, put half a pint of vinegar
into an earthen-pipkin, boil in it a quarter of an ounce
of caraway-feeds, and the fame quantity of fweet
fennel-feeds, at laft add an ounce and a half of frelh
garlic-root fliced thin; let it boil a minute or two
longer, then cover it up to Hand till cold, then prefs
out the liquor, and add ten ounces of honey, and
boil it to a conliftence.
For vinegar of fquills, put into a pint of vinegar
three ounces of dried fquills, let it Hand two days
in a gentle heat, then prefs out the vinegar, and when
it has Hood to fettle, add a pound and a half of honey,
and boil it to a conliftence. Both thefe are excellent
in afthmas.
To thefe alfo fhould be added, the common firnple
oxymel, which is made of a pint of vinegar, and two
pounds of honey boiled together to the conliftence of
a fyrup.
Finally, as to ointments, nothing can be fo eafy as
the making them of the common herbs, and the ex-
pence is only fo much hogs-lard. The lard is to be
melted, and the frelh-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 crifp, and
then the lard is to be ftrained off. It will be green,
and will have the virtues of the herb, and muft be
called ointment of fuch an herb. To thefe I ftiall
take the opportunity of adding the way of making
two or three more, which, though not the produce of
Englifh herbs, are very ufeful, and our charitable
ihop fhould not be without them.
i. The white- wine ointment, called unguentum.
This is made by melting together four ounces of
white wax, and three ounces of-fpermaceti, in a pint
of falad-oil, and adding, if it bedefired, three ounces
of cenefs, and a dram and half of camphire: But it is
better for all common purpofes without thefe.
INTRODUCTION.
45
1. Yellow bafilicon, which is made by melting to-
gether yellow wax, refin, and Burgundy-pitch, of
each half a pound, in a pint of wine of oil of olives,
and adding three ounces of turpentine.
3. Black balilicon, which is made by melting to-
gether in a pint of olive-oil, yellow wax, refin, and
pitch, of each nine ounces.
4. The mercurial ointment, which is thus made:
Rub together in an iron-mortar, a pound of quick-
filver, and an ounce of turpentine, when they are well
mixed, add four pounds of hogs-lard melted, and
mix all thoroughly together. The ointment of tutty is
prepared with levigated tutty, and as much vipers-fat
as will make it into a foft ointment; thefe are only to
!be mixed together upon a marble, by working them
with a thin knife. This is for disorders of the eyes,
the foregoing for the itch, and many other complaints,
but it muft be ufed cautioufly. And thole which
I were before named for old fores.
Of the fame nature with the ointments, are, in
fome degree, the oils made by infufion of herbs and
flowers in common oil. Thefe are alfo very eafily
prepared, and an inftance or two will ferve to ex-
plain the making of them all. The moll regarded
among thefe, is the oil of St. John’s-wort, and that
is thus made; pick clean a quarter of a pound of
the flowers of common St. John’s-wort, pour upon
them a quart of olive-oil, and let them Hand toge-
ther till the oil is of a reddifh colour. Oil of elder
is made of a pound of elder-flowers, which are to be
put into a quart of olive-oil, and boiled till they are
crifp, and the oil is to be then ftrained off.
3. What is called the green oil, is thus made:
Bruife in a marble-mortar, three ounces of green
camomile, with the fame quantity of bay -leaves, fea-
wormwood, rue, and fweet-marjoram ; then boil them
in a quart of oil of olives, till they are a little crifp.
I he oil is then to be poured off, and when cold put
up for ufe.
46
INTRODUCTION.
Thefe oils are ufed to rub the limbs when there
i5 pain and fwellings; their virtues will be found at
large, under the feveral herbs which are the principal
ingredients : And after one or other of thefe methods,
may be made the oil by infufion, or by boiling of any
plant, or of any number of plants of like virtue.
Laftly, though herbs are now left out of the com-
pofition of plaifters, even the melilot being now made
without the herb from wftfich it was firft named:- It
may be proper to add the way of preparing a few
that are molt ufeful, and ought to be kept in fa-
milies.
1. The common plaifter is thus made: Boil to-
gether a gallon of oil, five pounds of powdered-
litharge, and a quart and four ounces of w7ater. When
the water is boiled away, the reft will be united into
a plaifter, but it mult be ftirred all the time: This
ufed to be called diachylon. To make diachylon with
the gums, add to a pound of the laft defcribed, two
ounces of the galbanum, and an ounce of common
turpentine, and the fame quantity of frankincenfe.
Melt them all together, the gums firft, and then add
the plaifter.
2. For a ftrengthening-plaifter, melt two pounds
of the common plaifter, and add to it half a pound
of frankincenfe, and three ounces of dragons-blood.
3. For a drawing plaifter, melt together yellow
wax, and yellow refin, of each three pounds, and a
pound of mutton-fuet. This is ufed inftead of the
old melilot-plaifter to drefs blifters; and the blifter-
plaifter itfelf is made of it, only by adding half a
pint of vinegar, and a pound of Spanifti-flies in pow-
der, to two pounds of it, juft as it begins to cool
from melting. The quickfilver-plaifter is thus made:
Rub three ounces of quickfilver, with a dram of bal-
fam of fulphur, till it no longer appear in globules,
then pour in a pound of the common plaifter melted,
•and mix them well together.
I
INTRODUCTION.
47
To clofe this chapter, I (hall add a few waters
i made without diftillation, which are very cheap and
i very ferviceable, and the family-fhop will then be
jj quite complete.
1. Lime-water. This is made by pouring gradu-
j ally fix quarts of water upon a pound of quick lime ;
{ when it has ftood to be clear, it muft be poured off.
If a pound of lignum- vitas wood, an ounce of liquo-
rice-root, and half an ounce of faflafras-bark be add-
ed to three quarts of lime-water, it is called corn-
pound lime-water ; and is excellent in foulneffes of
the blood.
2. The blue eye-water. This is made by putting
a dram of fal-ammoniac into a pint of lime-water,
and letting it ftand in a brafs veffel, till it is of a lky-
blue colour.
3. Alum-water is made by boiling half an ounce
of white vitriol, and the fame quantity of alum in a
quart of water, till they are diffolved.
Thus have we defcribed all the drugs and compo-
sitions that need be kept in the charitable fliop of the
family, which intends to relieve a neighbourhood of
poor in their greateft of all diftrefies, that of fick-
nefs. The difeafes for which thefe remedies are to
be ufed, will be found enumerated at large under the
fcveral heads of the principle ingredients, as defcri-
bed in the fucceeding pages. It only remains to fay
a few words about the manner of putting thefe things
molt conveniently together, and we then fhall have
prepared for all that follows.
48
INTRODUCTION.
CHAP. V.
Concerning the bejl Methods of putting^ Medicines to-
gether for prefent taking.
IN the firfl, place, although thefe feveral forms of
fyrups, conferves, and the like, have been named,
as what will be fometimes neceflary. The great
pradtice in the country will lie in the infulions and
decodtions of the frefh plants and roots.
The ftrength of thefe infulions and decoctions, is
to be proportioned to the tafte: For as they are made
to be fwallowed in quantities, if they be made fo
ftrong as to be very difagreeable, that end will be de-
feated: They may be .rendered more pleafant by
iweetening them with fugar, about an ounce of which
is to be allowed to a quart; and occalionally a little
white-wine, or a final! quantity of fome of the cor-
dial-waters may be added to them. The dofe of
either decodtion or infufion, will be in general about
half a pint, except where they are intended to purge
or vomit; there they mult be more carefully and ex-
actly proportioned to the ftrength, than can be told
in this general manner.
Of the fimple waters, about a quarter of a pint is a
dofe, and of the cordial waters, lefs than half that
quantity. Thefe may be occalionally given alone; ,
but they are moftly intended for mixing with other ,
ingredients.
The tindlures are to be given in drops, from ten
to an hundred, according to their ftrength and na-
ture: But to name a general dofe, it is about five and ,
twenty drops. Thefe, however, will be alfo more ,
ferviceable in mixtures, than fingly. Of the purging
tindlures in wine, and the elixir falutus, three, four,
or more fpoonfuls is the dofe.
It would be well to keep tindlures of many of the
roots recommended in nervous cafes, as cordials,
%
INTRODUCTION.
49
aftringents, and of many other kinds; and alfo to
keep powders of thefe roots in readinefs: And thus
the common forms of medicines, as fent from apothe-
caries, will be very eafy.
For a julep, fix ounces of one ol the fimple wa-
ters, two ounces of one of the compound- waters, or
thofe made with fpirit, two drams of a fyrup, and
fifty drops of a tincture, make a very agreeable one.
Thus for an hylteric julep, let- the fimple water be
pennyroyal, the fyrup that of faffron, and the tinc-
ture of caftor, and it is a very pleafant julep; and fo
of all the reft. If a pearl-cordial be defired, it is
only mixing the fimple and ftrong waters without
fyrup or tincfture, and adding two drams of fugar,
and half a dram of levigated oyfter-fliells. The
apothecaries will not be pleafed with this difclofing
the mvfteries of their profeftion, but the public good
is of more confequence than his pleafure.
Draughts are only little juleps, with more power-
ful ingredients added to them. An ounce and a half
of a fimple water, .three drams of a ftrong water, one
dram of a fyrup, and forty drops of a tindture,
makes a draught ; but to thefe may be added a fimple
of fome power to increase the virtue. What waters,
tindlures, fyrups, or powders fhall be ufed, will be
determined from the cafe itfelf.
Bolufes are made with thefe powders in a certain
dofe. A fcruple or half a dram, is made into a fort
of pafte with fyrup. The cuftom is to cover it with
a little leaf-gold, but this is better let alone : Some
ufe leaf-brafs which is abominable.
Electuaries are to be made of powders, conferves,
and fyrups, they differ from bolufes in this, as well
as in the fize, that the dofe is fmaller, although the
piece taken be as large; which is owing to the con-
ferve, that having in general little virtue in compa-
rifon of the other ingredients. This is the form moft
convenient for medicines that are to be taken for a
50 INTRODUCTION.
,
continuance of time, and the dofe of which needs
not be fo very punctually regarded.
Thus for an eleCtuary againft an habitual loofe-
nefs, when it exceeds the proper bounds; mix to- i
gether an ounce of conferve of red rofes, and fix
drams of fyrup of cloves, add to thefe two drams of
powdered biftort-root, one dram of powdered tor-
mentill, and half a dram of toafted rhubarb. This ,
makes an eleCtuary, a piece of which, of the bignefs
of a nutmeg, taken once in two days, will check the
abundance of ftools, without flopping the cuftomary
loofenefs entirely: It will glfo be a pleafant medi-
cine. If a draught of tincture of rofes, which will
be defevibed in the following part of this work, under
the article red-rofe , be taken after this, it will increafe
the power.
In this manner the charitable lady may fupply the
place of the apothecary, to thofe who could not af-
ford fuch afiiltance: And experience is fo good a
guide, that fhe will be able in molt cafes to fave the.
expence of the doClot* alfo; And there will be this !
fatisfaCtion in her own mind, that while Die deals
principally with thofe innocent fort of medicines
which the fields afford her, fhe will be inwery little
danger of doing harm. The Galenical phyfic per-
haps will be found effectual in many more cafes, by
thofe who Hick to it folely, than they are aware who
do not ufe it ; as to the mifehief of medicine, that is
almolt entirely chemical. It would be idle to fay,
that chemical medicines do not do great good; but.
they require to be in fkil fill hands: When the igno-
rant employ them, death is more likely to be the con-
fequence, than the relief from the diforder any other
iv ay.
One ufeful obferyation may ferve well to clofe this
introduction. Opiatps, and medicines of that kind,
to compofe perfons to reft, and to take off pain, will
be often neceifary ; bqt as they are the molt power-
ful medicines the charitable practitioner will have
INTRODUCTION.
5*
to do withal, they are the mod capable of doing *
; harm : The great care will therefore lie in the right
3 life of thefe.
As there are three different preparations defcribed
in this book for anfwering this purpofe, befide the
ii opium, and that folution of it in wine, which is call-
ed laudanum , I would advife that thefe two latter bo
iufed very feldom. A fyrup made of the juice of the
wild lettuce, is an excellent medicine; the fyrup of
diacodium, which is made of a ftrong decodtion of
poppy-heads, is a little ftronger than this; and if
fomething more powerful than thefe is required,
there is the afthmatic elixir. One or other of thefe
may almoft on every occalion ferve the purpofe ; and
it is almoft impofllble that the ufe of them ftiould be
attended with danger. I would therefore advife that
opium or laudanum be very rarely ufed: Perhaps it
might be well to fay, not ufed at all, for the others
will be able, in almoft all cafes, if pot univerfally, to
anfwer the purpofe.
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THE
Family-Herbal.
A.
Acacia Tree. Acacia vera five Spina JKgyptiaca.
ThE acacia is a large but not tall tree, with prick-
ly branches: The leaves are winged, or compofed of
feveral fmall ones fet on each fide a middle rib ; and
the flowers are yellow. The trunk is thick, and the
top fpreading.
The leaves are of a bluifh green, and the flowers
refemble in fhape pea-bloffoms; many of them ftand
together. Thefe are fucceeded by long and flatted
pods. The feeds contained in each are from four to
feven, and the pod between them is very fmall 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 drops, but we have from it two
drugs.
i. The acacia juice ; and, 2. The gum Arabic.
The acacia juice, or fuccus acaciae, is like liquo-
rice-juice, hard and black. They bruife the unripe
pods and feeds, and prefs out the juice which they
evaporate to this confidence. The gum Arabic
ouzes out of the bark of the trunk and branches, as
the plum-tree and cherry-tree gum do with us. -
The acacia juice is an «aftringent but little ufed.
The gum Arabic is good in ftranguries, and in coughs
from a thin lharp rheum ; it is to be given in folution,
54 TIIE USEFUL' FAMILY-HERBAL.
an ounce boiled in a quart of barley-water, or in ’
powder in electuaries or otherwife.
What is called the German-acacia is the juice of '
unripe lloes evaporated in the fame manner.
Aconite. Anthora Jive Aconitum Salutiferum.
T here are many poifonous aconites, not ufed ; but
there is one medicinal, and kept in the Ihops: This is j
called the wholefome aconite and antitbora.
It is afmall plant, a foot high, with pale green di- |
vided leaves, and yellow flowers. It grows erect,
and the ftalk is firm, angular, and harry; the leaves ;
do not Hand in pairs. The flowers are large and
hooded, and of a pleafant fmell; the feed-veflels are
membranaceous, and the feeds black; the root is tu-
berous ; it fometimes conilfl? of one lump or knob,
lometimes of more. It is a native of Germany, but
we have it in gardens. The root is the only part
ufed; it is fuppofed to be a remedy again ft poifons,
but it is not much regarded at this time*
Adder’ s -Tong ue. OphiogloJJinn.
Adder’s-tongue is a little plant common in our
meadows. It confifts of a Angle leaf, with a little
fpike of feeds riling from its bottom, which is fuppo-
fed to relemble the tongue of a lerpent.
The leaf is of an oval lhape, and of a fine bright
green colour; it is thick and flefny, and has no ribs
or veins. The ftalk on which it Hands riles from a
root compoled of lmali fibres, and is four inches or
more high. The fpike rifes to about the fame height
above it : And the tongue, or leed-vefiel, is notched on
each fide. The whole plant is buried among the
grafs, and muft be fought in April and May, for it
dies off Yoon after; and nothing is feen of it till the
next leafon.
It is a fine cooling herb, and an excellent oint-
Adders 'Ifrngne
Black Brvuiue
C animatt-Cim ] in* (dile
Tlate I
Averts or Berk Bermet
Brook lime
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 55
ment is made from it. The leaves are to be chopped
to pieces, and four pounds of them are to be put into
three pounds of fuet, and one pint of oil melted to-
gether. The whole is to be boiled till the herb is a
little crifp, and then the ointment is to be drained
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.
Agrimony. Agrimonia.
A common Englifh plant: It flowers in the midft of
lummer. It grows to a foot or more in height, the
leaves are winged, and the flowers are yellow. The
root it perennial, the leaves are hairy, of a pale green,
and notched at the edges; the ftalk is Angle, firm,
and round; the flowers hand in a long fpike, they
are fmall and numerous, and the feed-veffels which
lucceed them are rough like burs. The plant is
common about hedges.
The leaves are ufed frefh or dried ; they have been
recommended in the jaundice ; but they are found by
experience to be good in the diabetes and inconti-
nence of urine. The plant is alfo one of the famous
vulnerary herbs, and an ingredient in the right ar-
quebufade-water.
Black Alder. Alnus Nigra. Yrangula.
The black alder is a little fhrub : The flioots are
brittle, flender, and covered with a brown bark; the
leaves are roundifh, of a bright green, and veined;
they terminate in a point. The berries are large and
black, they are ripe in autumn; the flowers which
precede thefe are fmall and inconflderable, they are
whitifh, and Hand on fhort ftalks.
The fhrub is frequent in moift woods, and the
berries are fometimes mixed among thole of the
I) 4
56 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
buckthorn by fuch as gather them for fale, but this-
fhould be prevented.
No part of the black alder is ufed in medicine ex-
cept the inner rind ; this is yellow ; and is a good
purge; the belt way to give it is in a decoftion.
Boil an ounce of it in a quart of water, and throw
in at lead two drams of ginger and fome caraway-
feeds ; let the patient proportion the quantity to his
ftrength : It is excellent in the jaundice. In York-
fhire they bruife the bark with vinegar, and ufe it
outwardly for the itch, which it cures very fafely.
Alehoof, or Ground-Ivy. Hedera Perrejlris .
A low plant that creeps about hedges, and flowers
in fpring. The ftalks are hollow and fquare, a foot
or more in length ; the leaves are roundilh, and
notched at the edges: In fpring they are ufually of
a purplilh colour, and the flowers are blue; the leaves
Hand two at each joint, and the roots are fibrous.
The whole plant has a peculiar and ftrong fmell ; it
fhould be gathered when in flower.
It is an excellent vulnerary, outwardly or inward-
ly ufed; a conferve may be made of it in fpring:
And it may be given by way of tea. It is excellent
in all diforders of the bread and lungs, and in thofe
of the kidneys, and againd bloody and foul urine.
Allheal, or Clown’s Allheal. Panax Coloni.
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 dalk is weak, fquare, and hairy:
The leaves dand two at a joint, and are of a pale
green, notched at. the edges, and of a ftrong fmell;
the flowers dand in cluders round the ftalk at the
joints. They are like thofe of the dead-nettle kind,
but fmaller; the root is perennial and creeps.
It is an excellent wound herb, but mud be ufed
D4
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 57
frefti. The leaves are to be bruifed, and laid upon
a new-made wound, without any addition ; they
flop the bleeding, and cure.
Almond-Tree. Amygdalus.
Bitter and fweet almonds are very different in tafte,
but the tree which produces them is the fame; it
is diftinguifhable at lead: only by the tafte of the al-
mond.
It is a moderately large tree, with long narrow
leaves, of a beautiful green, and notched at the
edges ; the bloffoms are large, of a pale red colour,
and very beautiful. The fruit is compofed of three
parts, a tough matter on the outfide, a ftone within
that, and in this fliell the almond by way of kernel.
They cultivate almond-trees in France and Italy.
Sweet almonds are excellent in emulftons, for
ftranguries, and all diforders of the kidneys and
bladder; they ought to be blanched, and beat up with
barley-water into a liquor like milk; this is alfo
good in fmaller quantities for people in confumptions
and hectics.
Bitter almonds are ufed for their oil; this taftes
fweet, and what is called oil of fweet almonds, is com-
monly made of them. But the cakes left after pref-
fing, afford by diftillation a water that is poifonous,
in the fame manner as laurel- water.
The Aloe-Plant. Aloe.
There are a great many kinds of the aloe preferred
in our green-houfes and ftoves. They are all natives
of warmer climates, but of thefe 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 fpecies. Thefe two are the fuccotrine
aloe-plant, and the common aloe.
The fuccotrine aloe is a very beautiful plant; the
58 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
leaves are like thofe of the pine-apple, eighteen or
twenty inches long, prickly at the lides, and armed
with a large thorn at the end. The Balk is half a
yard high, or more, naked at the bottom, but orna-
mented at top with a long fpike of flowers; thefe are
of a long fhape and hollow, and of a beautiful red
colour.
The fuccotrine, or fineft aloes, is produced from this
plant; the leaves are prefled gently, and the juice
received in earthen-vefiels : It is fet to fettle, and then
dried in the lun.
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 prickly, and have a very fliarp.
thorn at the point. The ltalk, when it flowers, is
five or fix feet high, and divided into feveral bran-
ches; the flowers are yellow, ltreaked with green.
From the juice of the leaves of this plant are made
the hepatic and the caballine aloes ; the hepatic is
made from the clearer and finer part of the juice, the
caballine from the coarfe fediment.
The fuccotrine aloes is the only kindthat fliould be
given inwardly; this may be known from the others,
by not having* their offenfive fmell. It is a molt ex-
cellent purge, but it muft not be given to women
with child, nor to thofe who fpit blood, for it may
be fatal. The beft way of giving it is in the tindlure
of hiera-picra.
Aloes-Wood. Lignum Aloes.
It may be neceflfary to mention this wood, as it is
fometimes ufed in medicine, although we are not ac-
quainted with the tree which affords it. We are
told that the leaves are fmall, the flowers moderately
large, and the fruit as big as a pigeon’s egg, and
woolly ; and we read alfo, that the juice of the tree,
while frefh, will raife blifters on the ikin, and even
i
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 59
caufe blindnefs : But thefe accounts are very im-
perfect.
We fee three kinds of the wood in the (hops, and they
are didinguifhed by three different names, calambac ,
common lignum aloes , and calambour\ of thefe the
calambac is the fined and the mod refinous, the ca-
lambour is almod a mere chip, the other is of a middle
value between them. They are all of the fame vir-
tue, but in different degrees. They are faid to be
cordial and drengthening to the domach, but we ufe
them very little.
True Amo mum. Amomum verum Kacemofum .
Amomum is another of thofc drugs we receive from
abroad, and do not know the plants which produce
them. The fruit itfelf, which is called amomum , is
like the leffer cardamom, but that it is round ; it con-
lids of fkinny hulk and feeds within, and is whitifh,
and of the bignefs of a horfe-bean. Several of thefe
fometimes are found growing together to one dalk in
a clofe body. •
The old phyficians ufed it as a cordial and carmi-
native, but at prefent it is much negleCted.
Common Amomum. Amomum Vulgare.
Though the amomum before-mentioned be not ufed
in prefeription, it is an ingredient in fome old com-
politions ; and, being often not to be met with, it has
been found neceffary to fubditute another carmina-
tive-feed in its place ; this grows on an Engliih plant,
thence called alfo amomum .
The common amomum, otherwife called bajlard
Jlone-parJley, is frequent about our hedges ; it grows
to three feet in height, but the dalk is (lender, and
divided into a great many branches. The leaves are
of a bright green and winged, or eompofed of double
60 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL.
rows of fmaller, with an odd one at the end. There
grow fome large and very beautiful ones from the
root ; thofe on the ftalks are fmaller. The flowers
grow in little umbels, or clufters, at the extremities
of all the branches. They are fmall and white.
Two feeds follow each flower, and thefe are ftriated,
fmall, and of a fpicy tafte ; the plant is diftinguiftied
at fight from all the others of its kind, of which there
are many, by the flendernefs of its ftalks and branches,
and the fmallnefs of the umbels ; and more than all
by the peculiar tafte of the feeds, which have a fla-
vour of mace.
It is proper to be particular, becaufe the plant is
worth knowing. Its root is good for all difeafes of
the urinary paflages, and the feeds are good in dis-
orders of the ftomach and bowels, and alfo operate
by urine. The quantity of a fcruple given in cholics
often proves an immediate cure, and they are a good
ingredient in bitters.
Alkanet. Anchufa.
Alkanet is a rough plant of no great beauty, cul-
vated in France and Germany for the fake of its root.
It grows to a foot and a half high : The leaves are
large and of a rough irregular furface, and bluilh
green colour ; the flowers are fmall and purplifh ;
the root is long and of, a deep purple. It is kept
dried in the (hops. It has the credit of an aftringent
and vulnerary, but it is little ufed. The beft way of
giving of it is, to add half an ounce to a quart of
hartfhorn-drink ; it gives a good colour, and increafes
the virtue.
Angelica. Angelica.
A large and beautiful plant kept in our gardens,
and found wild in fome parts of the kingdom. It
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 61
grows to eight feet in height, and the ftalks robuft,
and divided into branches. The leaves are large,
and compofed each of many fmaller, fet upon a di-
vided pedicle ; they are notched at the edges, and of
a bright green. The flowers are fmall, but they ftand
in vaft clufters of a globofe form : Two feeds follow
each flower.
Every part of the plant is fragrant when bruifed,
and every part of it is ufed in medicine. The root
is long and large; we ufe that of our own growth
frefh, but the fine fragrant dried roots are brought
from Spain. The whole plant pofiefles the fame vir-
tues, and is cordial and fudorific; it has been always
famous againft peftilential and contagious difeafes.
The root, the ftalks candied, the feeds bruifed, or
the water diftilled from the leaves, may be ufed, but
the feeds are the moft powerful. It is alfo an ingre-
dient in many compofitions.
Anise. Anifum.
T he anifeed ufed in the fiiops is produced by a fmall
plant cultivated in fields for that purpofe in the ifland
of Malta and elfe where, it grows to half a yard
high, the ftalks are firm, ftriated, and branched; the
leaves which grow near the. ground are rounded and
divided only into three parts; thofe on the ftalks are
cut into flender divifions. The flowers are fmall, but
they grow in large umbels, at the top of the branches,
and two feeds follow each ; thele are the anifeed.
As much bruifed anifeed as will lie on a fixpence
is excellent in cholics: It is alfo good in indigeftions,
and other complaints of the ftomach.
^Apples of Love. Pojim Amoris.
These are large juicy fruits, but they are produced
not on a tree, but on a fmall and low plant. The
ftalks are weak, and divided into many branches;
6-2 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
\
the leaves are large, but they are compofed of many
imall ones fet on a divided ftalk, and they are of a
faint yellowifh green colour. The flowers are fmall
and yellow, the fruit is large, and when ripe of a red
colour; it contains a foft juicy pulp and the feeds.
The plant is a kind of nightlhade, we cultivate it
in gardens. The Italians eat the fruit as we do cu-
cumbers. The juice is cooling, and is good exter-
nally ufed in eruptions on the {kin, and in difeafes of
the eyes, where a (harp humour is troublefome.
Archangel. Lamium album.
A common wild plant, more vulgarly called the
dead-nettle. It grows about hedges, it is a foot high,
and has leaves Ihaped like thofe of the nettle, but
they do not fling. The ftalk is fquare, and the leaves
are hairy ; the. flowers are large and white, they
(land at the joints where the leaves are fet on, and are
very pretty. The leaves Hand in pairs, and the root
creeps under the furface.
The flowers are the only part ufed ; they are to be
gathered in May, and made into conferve. A pound
of them is to be beat up with two pounds and a half
of fugar. They may alio be dried. They are ex-
cellent in the whites, and all other weaknefies.
There is a little plant with red flowers called alfo
the red archangel , or red dead-nettle. It is common
under the hedges, and in gardens; the {talks are
fquare and weak, the leaves are fhort, and notched at
the edges, and the flowers fmall and red ; the plant
is not above four or five inches high, and thefe flowers
grow near the tops among the leaves. They are in
{hape like thofe of the white archangel, but fmall.
The herb is ufed frefh or dried, and the flowers.
The decodion is good for floodings, bleedings at the
nofe, fpitting of blood, or any kind of hemorrhage.
It alfo flops blood, bruifed and applied outwardly,
i
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 63
Arrach, or Stinking Arrach. Atriplex Olida.
A SMALL wild plant that grows about farm-yards,
and in wafte grounds. The ftalks are a foot long,
but weak: they feldom Hand upright, they are ftri-
ated, and of a pale green. The leaves are fmall,
fliort, and rounded, of a bluifli green colour, and of
breadth of a fhilling, or lefs. The flowers are in-
confiderable, and the feeds fmall, but they hand in
clufters at the tops of the branches, and have a green-
ilh-white appearance. The whole plant is covered
with a fort of moifl; dull in large particles, and has a
molt unpleafant fmell. It is to be ufed frefli gather-
ed, for it lofes its virtue in drying. A fyrup may be
made of a pint of its juice and two pounds of i'ugar,
and will keep all the year. The leaves alfo may be
beat into a conferve, with three times their weight
of fugar : In -any of thefe forms it is an excellent me-
dicine in all hyfleric complaints. It cures fits, and
promotes the menfes, and the necefiary evacuations
after delivery.
There is another kind of arrach alfo mentioned by
medical writers, and called garden arrach j it is an
annual raifed from feed, for the ufe of the kitchen.
It grows to a yard high, and the leaves are broad :
Thofe which grow from the root have a little leaf alfo
on each fide the bafe. They are covered with a wet
dull like the other kind. Thefe leaves are cooling
and foftening, they are good in clyfters, but they are
lefs ufed, and lefs valuable than the other.
Aron. Arum.
.A very common plant under our hedges, and more
vulgarly called cuckowpint , and, by the children,
lord ana lady. T. he root is of the bignefs and fhape
of a wqlnut, brown on the outfide, and white within •,
and this, as well as the whole plant, is of a fliarp and
64 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
acrid tafte. This root lies deep. The leaves are
large and fhaped like the bearded head of an arrow,
of a ftrong green colour; and fometimes fpotted. In
April and May rife among thefe thick ftalks fupport-
ing a very fingular kind of flower ; the pointal of
which is long, thick, flefliy, and of a red or white
colour, and the whole furrounded with a green mem-
branaceous cafe. Afterwards this cafe and the pointal
fall off, and there remains only the Item fupporting
a quantity of berries, which are ripe in autumn, and
are then of a fine red colour.
The root is the part ufed. It is an excellent me-
dicine in palfies. Half one of the roots, frefh ga-
thered and bruifed, will fometimes reftore the fpeech
at once ; and a continued life of them goes a great
way towards a cure. It is alfo good in lcorbutic
cafes, and in all inward obftructions. Some dry and
powder it, but it then lofes almoft all its virtue.
Arsesmart, or Water-pepper. Perficaria Urens.
A common wild herb negledted, but of great virtues.
It grows every where about ditches, and in watery
places. It is a foot and a half high; the ftalks are
weak, green or reddifli, and jointed. The leaves are
long and narrow like thofe of the peach-tree, of a
bright green, not fpotted, and even at the edges.
The flowers ftand at the tops of the ftalks in flender
fpikes of a greenifh white. As there are feveral
other kinds of arfefmart, and moft of them different
from this in their nature and qualities, great care is
to be taken to gather the right. It muft have no fpot
upon the middle of the leaf.’ There is another com-
mon kind of arfefmart with fuch a fpot, and with
thicker ftalks and thick fpikes of reddifli flowers,
which has none of its virtue.
The right arfefmart is an excellent medicine in ob-
ftrueftions of urine, in the gravel and ftone: And in
the jaundice and beginning dropfies it has done great
\
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 65
: cures. The juice of the frelh-gathered plant is the
j belt way of giving it. Outwardly it is good to cleanfe
i old ulcers.
Artichoke. Cinara.
T? he root of the common artichoke or hartichoke,
[. cultivated for our tables, is an excellent medicine,
ri The plant itfelf is of the thiftle-kind* and its head
I which we fee at table, owes much of its bignefs and
Iflefhinefs to culture. The leaves are large, and di-
vided into many parts, and often they are prickly.
The Item is robuft and ftriated, and the head is
formed oflarge fcales; the flowers are of the thiftle-
kind, and the feeds are, as in the thirties, winged with
down.
The root, frefh gathered, fliced, and boiled in water,
fix ounces to a quart of the water, make a decodtion,
which works by urine, and I have known it alone
cure a jaundice.
Asarabacca. Afarum.
A very little and low plant found wild in many
parts of Europe, and common in our gardens. The
roots creep about the furface of the ground, the
leaves grow ftngly from them, and there is no Hem
or ftalk. Each leaf has its feparate foot-ftalk three or
four inches long, and the leaf itfelf is roundifh, of a
dark green, and fleftiy ; the flowers are fmall, and of
a dufky colour, and they ftand near the ground.
The roots are the molt valuable part; the juice of
them may be given in fmall dofes, or they may be
dry and given in powder or infufion. It works very
powerfully by urine, and is good in obftructions of
the menfes, and in jaundices and dropftes.
E
66 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL,
Tile Asii. Fraxinus.
A common tree in our hedges and woods. The bark
of the branches is grey, and the leaves are winged ;
the fmall ones of which they are compofed are ob-
long and dented. The flowers are of a whitifh green,
and come before the leaves : The feeds are what they
call a/h-keys) thefe ripen in September.
The bark of the young branches is good in ob-
ftrudtions of the liver and fpleen, and therefore is of
great fervice in droplies, jaundice, and other com-
plaints of that origin. It works by urine ; the feeds
have the fame virtue) but in a lefs degree.
The Manna Ash. Fraxinus minor e Folio.
This is a lower tree than the common afh, and is
not a native of our kingdom, but is frequent in
Italy, where tire manna is gathered from its leaves
and branches.
The bark of this tree is paler than that of our com-
mon afh, and the leaves are compofed of fmaller and
narrower parts, but the dower and fruit differ very
little. f
They have alfo in Calabria another low afli-tree.
which has the backs of the leaves fmaller than ours,
and Hatter and more rounded, and from this alfo
they colledt manna for the ufe of the apothecaries.
The manna is a fweet or honey juice that naturall)
fweats out of the bark and leaves in hot weather.
The fined manna of all is that which otizes out of the
leaves ; this is in fmall pieces. It flows out of the ribs
of the leaves in Augult in the heat of the day, and
foon hardens into this form. They get the greated
quantities of all by cutting the bark of the trunk and
branches, and this is often large and flaky, but it is
yellowilh. That which is flaky, white, and hollow
has blued out of itfelf, and is much better.
i
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 67
Manna is a moft excellent purge, very gentle, and
without any aftet aftringency. There is a kind of
manna ufed in France, called the Briancon manna \
this is produced by the larch-tree ; and there is ano-
ther kind more rare, called Perjian manna. This is
produced by the Ihrub called alhagi, a kind of broom,
or nearly allied to it. But thefe are fcarce with us.
Asparagus. AJparagus Sativus.
The afparagus plant is one whofe root is ufeful in
medicine, although a different part of it be eaten at
the table. Its virtues are not unlike thofe of the ar-
tichoke-root, but greater.
The afparagus is a wild plant in many parts of Eng-
land about the fea-coafts, and its root, in this wild
Hate, is better than that of the cultivated plants, but
its flioots have not that fine flelhy fulnefs. 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 fmall and greenifh, but the
berries which fucceed them are as big as peaie, and
red.
The root is a powerful diuretic, and is good in all
obftrudfions of the vifcera. It has been known lin-
gly to perform cures in jaundices and dropfies. It is
heft given in decodtion.
Asphodel. Afphodelus verus Ramofus Albus.
An elegant garden-flower, a native of Italy, and pre-
ferved with us more for its beauty than its ule, tho’
fometimes taken as a medicine. It grows to three
feet in height, and the ftalk divides into three or four
branches towards the top. The flovyers are white,
and they ftand in fpikes on the tops of thefe divifions.
They are ftreaked with purple on the top, and have
yellow threads in the middle. The leaves are long
and narrow, hollowed and fharp-pointed j the root is
E 2
68 TI-IE USEFUL FAMILY-I-IERBAL.
compofed of feveral oblong lumps. The root is the
part ufed in medicine, and it is laid to be good a-
gainft all obftruclions, particularly againlt thofe ot
the menfes.
There is another kind of afphodel with yellow i
flowers, the root of which is faid to poflefs the fame i
virtues, but it is more rarely ufed than the other.
I
The Asafoetida Plant, dfafcetida Herba.
This is a Perfian plant, and is a very tall and robuft
one. It grows to nine feet high, and the ftalks are
.as thick as a child’s leg; they are hollow, and di-
vided toward the tops into feveral branches. The
leaves are very large, and compofed of many fmaller,
let upon a divided rib. They refemble in fome de-
gree the leaves of the piony, The large ones rife
immediately from the root, and fmaller of the fame
form Hand at diftances upon the ftalks, one at each
joint. The flowers are lingly very fmall, but the}
Hand in vaft clufters, or umbels, at the tops of the
ftalks, and the ieeds follow, two after each flower ;
they are large, broad, and ftriated, and have the
fame fmell with the gum, but not fo ftrong. The
root is very long and thick; it is black on the outfide
and white within, and is full of a thick juice of a
ftrong fmell, which, when hardened, is afafoetida,
fuch as we fee.
No part of the plant is ufed, but only this gum.
or hardened juice of the root. They cut oft' the top>
of the root, and let the juice that rifes from the
wound dry. It becomes reddifh on the outfide, and
white within, and is the afafoetida of the ftiops.
An excellent medicine in all nervous diforders ; it
may be given alone rolled up into pills, no way
better.
I
I
{
1
1
2
a
t
t
l
i
fe
k
*n
to
tli
at
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 69
Avens. Cflrryophyllata.
A common wild plant negle&ed, but worthy of our
1 notice. It grows about hedges, and rifes to fourteen
inches high ; the ftalk is firm and flender, and is di-
vided into leveral branches. The leaves are large
and rough, the ftalk alfo is hairy. The leaves that
grow from the root are winged; they confift of three
pair of fmall ones, and one much larger at the end.
Thofe on the ftalk are fmaller, and confift of fewer
'e parts ; but otherwife they are alike. The flowers are
*• fmall and yellow; they are fucceedcd by rough heads,
as big as a horfe-bean, compofed of many feeds with
r, hooked filaments. The root is longifh and large, of
•• a firm fubftance, reddifti colour, and very fragrant
e and fpicy fmell; it is better than many drugs kept in
e the fhops.
i It is a cordial and fudorific. It is good in nervous
v -complaints ; and I have known it alone cure inter-
? pittent fevers, where the bark has been unfuccefsful.
}
B.
T
'OT
Balm. Melijfa .
A Plant common in our gardens. It grows to two
feet in height, and the ftalks are robuft, fquare, and
hairy. The leaves are oblong, broad, pointed at the
end, and dentated about the edges, and they ftand
two at a joint ; the flowers are fmall and white, but
they have large rough tops, which remain after they
are fallen. 1 hey ftand in circular clutters round
the ftalk at the upper joints ; the whole plant is of a
- 3
7o THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
fragrant fmell. The root creeps and fpreads abun-
dantly. The plant is in ilower in July.
Frefh balm is much better than dry, for it lofes
its fragrancy in drying. rl he beft way of taking it is
in tea : It is good for diforders of the head and fto-
mach.
The Balm of Gilead Shrub. Balfamum Syriacum
Ruta Folio.
This is an eaftern fhrub; it grows to five or fix feet
high, and the branches are very tough, and, when
broken, have a fragrant fmell. The leaves are like
thofe of rue, only larger, and of a deeper green ; the
flowers are moderately large, and like pea-bloffoms ;
they are of a pale purplifh hue mixed with white.
The feeds are yellow and very fragrant ; they are con-
tained in a kind of pods.
No part of the fhrub is ufed, but only the balfam.
which is obtained from it ; the fineft kind runs from
the tree of itfelf : There is a fecond fort obtained by
boiling the twigs and young fhoots ; and a third
coarfer, which rifes to the top of the water, after the
purer fort has been taken off. This lafl is almofl the
only kind we fee, and even this is very frequently
adulterated.
It is a very fine balfamic and detergent ; it is good
in the whites, and all weakneffes ; and it is cordial
at the fame time that it adts as a balfam j it is belt
taken alone upon fugar.
The Balsam Capivi-Tree. ArhorBalfamifera Fruflu
Monofpermo.
This is a large tree. The wood is of a red colour,
and fine grain ; the bark is brown ; the leaves are
broad, fhort, and pointed at the end, and are of a
dark green on the upper-fide, and a mealy white un-
derneath. The flowers are as large as apple-faloffoms.
i
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 71
and of a pale colour; the fruit is a pod containing
-only one feed, which is as big as a nut, and the ker-
nel is fweet, and of a good tafie.
The tree is frequent in the Brafils. We ufe no
part of it, but only the balfam which runs out at the
wounds they make in the trunk in fummer ; it is
thin like oil. It has the fame virtues with turpen-
tine, but is more powerful ; it is excellent in the
whites, and it is good in all complaints of the urinary
palfages. It may be taken alone on fugar.
The Balsam of Pejr.u-Tr.ee, Abor Balfainifera Pe-
ruviana.
This is a fiirub of eight feet high, with Bender and
tough branches. The leaves are very long and nar-
row ; the flowers are yellow and large, and the fruit
is crooked. The whole plant ’has a fragrant fmell,
efpecially the young Bioots and the buds.
The balfam of Peru is procured from the fragrant
tops of this flirub, by boiling them in water ; the
blackifli liquor rifes like oil to the top, and, when
cold, it is the balfam of Peru. There is a white bal-
fam of Peru very fragrant and fine, but it is fcarce.
This is the produce of the fame tree, but it ouzes na-
turally from the cracks in the bark.
The black balfam of Peru is a cordial as well as a
balfam ; it is excellent in d Borders of the bread, and
in all obftruftions of the vifeera ; ten drops at a time
given on fugar, and continued daily, have cured
afthmas and beginning confumptions. It alfo pro-
motes the menfes, and is excellent in fuppreflions of
urine. Outwardly applied, it heals frefii wounds.
Fhe Balsam of Tolu-Tree. Arbor Balfaviifera
Tolutajia.
This is a kind of pine-tree. It does not grow to
any great height, but fpreads into a great quantity
E 4
72 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL.
of branches. The leaves are long and very llender,
and of a deep green ; the bark is of a reddifh white,
and the fruit is a fmall cone brown and hard.
No part of the tree is ufed but the balfamonly which
comes from it. They wound the trunk in hot fea-,
fons, and this liquid refin flows out, which they put
up into fhells for exportation : It is thick, brown,
and very fragrant. It is excellent in confumptions,
and other diforders of the breaft, and may be given
in pills. The balfamic fyrup of the apothecaries is
made from it, and pofiefles a great deal of its virtues.
The Barberry-Bush. Berberis.
This is a wild bufh in fome parts of England, but
it is common every where in gardens ; it grows to
eight or ten feet high in an irregular manner, and
much branched. The bark is whitifh, and there are
abundance of prickles about the branches. The
leaves are of an oval figure, and flrong green colour,
and are indented about the edges. The flowers are
fmall, and of a pale yellowifh colour ; the fruit is
fufhciently known ; the berries are oblong, red, and
of a four tafte. The branches are brittle, and, un-
der the pale outer rind, there is another yellow and
thicker. This is the part ufed in medicine; it is ex-
cellent in the jaundice, and has often cured it lingly.
It is alfo good in all obftrudtions. The bell way to
give it is infufed in boiling water.
Barley. Hordeam.
The barley ufed in medicine is the fame with that
of which bread is made, and which ferves the brewer
and diftiller in their feveral capacities. It is known
at fight from wheat, w'hen growing, for it is not fo
tall, and the leaves are fmaller and narrower. A long
beard grows from each grain in the ear, and the ear
is compofed'of two rows of them.
.
! XHE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 73
We life this grain in two forms, the one called
- French barley , and the other pearl barley. The
French barley is fkinned, and has the ends ground
off; the pearl barley is reduced by a longer grind-
ing to a little round white lump. The pearl barley
makes the finer and more elegant barley-water, but
the French barley makes the belt. It is excellent in
heat of urine, and in all gravelly cafes, and is a good
drink in molt acute difeafes, where diluting is requi-
red : It is alfo in fome degree nourilbing.
Baren-wort. Epidemium.
r
V. *
A singular and very pretty plant, native of Eng-
land, but not common. It grows in woods, and has
beautiful purple and yellow flowers. It is a foot
high. The leaves are oval and heart-fafhioned,
deeply indented at the edges, and of a dufky green.
The flalks which produce the flowers, are weak,
brittle, and generally crooked ; the flowers Hand in
a kind of very loofe fpike, ten or a dozen upon the
top ; they are fmall, but very Angular and conlpicu-
ous; 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 occafion is eafily
known. When it (lands expofed to fun, it feldom
does flower; as we fee in gardens, where it is plant-
ed in fuch fituations, for it will Hand many years
without flowering; but our woods favour it, being
dark and damp : The old people faw it in warmer
climates, and under an unfavourable expofure. They
called it from this circum fiance, as well as from its
virtues, by a name, which exprefied being barren
and fruitlefs.
The people in the north give milk in which the
roots have been boiled, to the females of the domefiic
animals when they are running after the males, and
I
7+ THE useful family-herbal.
they fay it has the certain eflfedt of flopping the na-
tural emotions. Plain fenfe leads thefe fort of people
to many things. They have from this been taught
to give it to young women of robuft habits fubjecl to
violent hyfteric complaints, and, I am allured, with
great fuccefs ; they give the decodlion of the root
made ltrong and fweetened. It was a coarfe allufion
that led them to the practice, but it fucceeds in cafes
that foil all the parade of common practice. It is
faid that, if they take it in too large quantity, it ren-
ders them ftupid for fome hours, but no ill confe-
quence 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 gardens, but it
feldom rifes to more than the figure and height of a
fhrub with us. The wood is not ftrong but fpongy
and friable; the leaves remain green all winter; the
bark of the large branches is of a dulky brown, that
of the twigs reddifh , the leaves are long and fome-
what broad, pointed at the end, and very fragrant.
The flowers are very fmall and inconfiderable; their
colour is whitifh; they appear in May, but are not re-
garded : The berries are ripe in the latter end of
autumn, and are large and black, confifting of two
parts within the fame fkin.
The berries are dried, and are the part of the tree
moflly ufed; but the leaves alio have great virtue.
The berries are given in powder or infufion ; they are
good in obftrudtions, and in cholics. They promote
urine, and the evacuations after delivery. The leaves
are cordial and good in all nervous complaints. Pa-
ralytic people would find great benefit from fmall
dofes of them often repeated; and four or five dofes
have fome times cured agues. They are to be put
freih into an oven, and, when they are crifp, reduced
To powder.
THE USEFUL FAMILY- FIE.RBAL.
75
K
Basil. Ocymum vulgare Mnjas.
Basil is a fmall herb, native of warmer countries,
but not uncommon in our gardens ; it is bufliy and
branched, the ftalks are fquare, and the leaves hand
two at each joint. They are broad and Ihort, and
fomewhat indented at the edges. The flowers are
fmall and white, and are of the lhape of thofe of the
dead-nertle; they Hand on the upper parts of the
branches in loofe fpikes. The whole plant has a
very fragrant fmell.
Bafll is little ufed, but it deferves to be much more.
A tea made of the green plant is excellent againfl:
all obftru&ions. No Ample is more effedtual for
gently promoting the menfes, and for removing thofe
complaints which naturally attend their ftoppage.
There are two or three other kinds of bafil, but
they have not equal virtue.
The Bdellium-Tree. Arbor Bdellium Ferens.
We are very well acquainted with the gum, or ra-
ther gum refln, called bdellium, but we know very
little of the tree from which it is produced; the
belt defeription we have of it, amounts to no more
than it is moderately large, bulhy, and full of branches
with prickles upon them, and with oblong and broad
leaves deeply indented at the edges, fo that they re-
ferable oak-leaves ; and that, w'hen the young fiioots
are broken, they yield a milky juice. But even this
does not come upon certainty, that is, we are not af-
fured, that this tree produces the very gum we fee.
This is of a red brown colour, and bitterilh tafte.
It is a good medicine in obftru&ions of the liver
and fpleen, but it is not much ufed.
76 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
The Bean. Faba.
I he common garden-bean is fufficiently known ; it
grows to a yard high, its ftalks are angular, and the
leaves, which are of the winged kind, ftand one at
each joint; the flowers are white, fpotted with black,
and are finely fcented. The pods and their feeds
need not be defcribed.
It has been cuftomary to diftil a W’ater from bean-
flowers, and ufe it to loften the fkin, but common
diftilled water does as well. It is otherwife with
the water of the bean-pods. Thefe are to be bruifed,
W'hen the beans are half ripe in them, and diftilled
with water in a common Alembic. The water is a
very gentle carminative, without any heat or acrid-
nefs: this is excellent for childrens’ gripes.
The Malacca Bean-Tree. AnacardiumLegitimum.
This is a large tree, native of Malabar and the
Philippine iflands; it grows to the height and big-
nefs of our tailed: elms, and has much of their man-
ner of growth, as to the branches. The leaves are
vaftly large, of an oblong figure, and obtufe ; the
flowers are fmall and wdiite, they grow in bunches,
and have fomewhat of the fmell of the fyringa flower,
but fainter. The fruit is of the bignefs of a pear,
and much of the fame fhape; it is of a deep red,
when ripe, and of a pleafant tafte ; the kernel is not
within this, as is commonly the cafe in fruits, but it
hangs out loofe at the end. This kernel or feed is of
the fhape of an heart; it is as big as an olive, and has
a dufky red coat or fhell, but it is w'hite within.
This is the part ufed in medicine, for the w'hole fruit
is not regarded. The anacardium, or kernel, is faid
to be a cordial, and a ftrengthener of the nerves,
but v-e do not much ufe it. There is a very Ibarp
liquor between the outer and inner rinds of the fhell,
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 77
which will take away freckles from the fkin, but it
is fo fharp that the ladies mult be cautious how they
ufe it.
The West-India Bean, or Cashew Nut-Tree.
Arbor Acctju vulgo Cajou.
It appears by the defcription of the anacardium how
very improperly it is called a nut , for it is the kernel
of a large fruit, though growing in a lingular manner.
The cafe is juft the fame with refpedt to the cafhew-
nut, for it is neither a nut nor a bean, any more than
the other: But it is necefiary to keep to the common
names, and it is proper they fhould be mentioned
together.
The tree which produces it is large and fpreading;
the bark is of a pale colour, rough and cracked, 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 fine green colour. The flowers are fmall, but
they grow in tufts together. The fruit is of the big-
nefs and lhape of a pear, and of an orange and pur-
ple colour mixed together ; the ca/Jjew^nut, or bean ,
as it is called, hangs naked from the bottom of this
fruit. It is of the bignefs of a garden-bean, and in-
dented in the manner of a kidney ; it is of a greyifli
colour, and confifts of a flielly covering, and a fine
white flelhy fubftance within, as fweet as an almond.
Between the two coats of this fhell, as between thofe
oi the anacardium, there is a fharp and cauftic oil,
which ferves in the fame manner as the other to take
off freckles, but it muft be ufed with great caution.
It actually burns the lkin, fo that it muft be fuffered
.to lie on only a few moments; and, even when ufed
ever fo cautioufly, it fometimes caules mifehief.
78 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
The Bengal Bean-Tree. Faba Bengalenjis.
A large tree, native of the eafl, and not unlike our
plum-tree. It is thirty or forty feet high; the leaves
are roundifh, but fliarp-pointed, and of a deep green;
they are finely indented, and of a firm texture. The
flowers are large and white; they refemble in all re-
fpedls the blofloms of our plum-trees. The fruit is
a kind of plum of a long fhape, with a fmall quan-
tity of fleihy matter, and a very large flone. It is a
kind of myrobolan, but is not exadlly the fame with
any that we ule.
The Bengal-bean , as it is called, is an irregular
production of this tree : It is very ill named a bean;
it is truly a gall like thole of the oak; but it does
not rife like them from the wood or leaves, but from
the fruit of this particular plum. It is as broad as a
walnut, but flatted, and hollowed in the centre ; its
original is thus: There is a little black fly frequent
in that country, which lodges its eggs in the unripe
fruit of this particular plum, as we have infedls in
England, which always choofe a particular plant,
and a particular part for that purpofe. The fly al-
ways llrikes the fruit while it is green, and has but
the rudiments of the flone. It grows diftempered
from the wound, and the flone never ripens in it, but
it takes this lingular form.
It is an excellent aflringent. It is of the nature
of the galls of the oak, but lei's violently binding. It
is good in all purgings and bloody fluxes, and againfl
the overflowings of the menfes.
Bear’s-Breech. Acanthus.
A very beautiful plant, native of Italy, and fome
other warm parts of Europe, and kept in our gardens.
It grows a yard high; the flalk is thick, round, and
flqfby; the leaves grow from the root, and are a foot
79
the USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Jong, four inches broad, very beautifully notched at
the edges, and are of a dark glofly green. The flowers
Hand in a kind of thick fliort fpike at the top of the
Hulks, intermixed with fmall leaves; thefe flowers
are large, white, and gaping. I lie whole plain,
when in flower, makes a very beautiful appearance.
The root creeps.
This plant is not fo much known in medicine as it:
deferves. The root, being cut in flices, and boiled
in water, make an excellent diuretic decoction. It
was a great medicine with an eminent apothecary ol
Peterborough, and he gave more relict with it in
the gravel and Hone, than any other medicine would
afford.
BxaEVFoot. Htlleborus nlger .
A low and Angular plant, but not without its beau-
ty ; it is a native of many parts of Europe, but we
have it only in gardens; the leaves arc large; each
riles from the root lingly, on a foot-ftalk of fix inches
long, and is divided into nine parts like lingers on a
hand : Sometimes the divilions are fewer. The
flowers are very large and beautiful; they are as big
as a common Angle rofe, or nearly fo; they are white,
reddilh, or greenilh, according to the time of their
leaving been open; and they Hand each on a finglc
flalk, which riles from the root, and has no leaves oi?
it. It flowers in January.
The root is an excellent purge, it works brifkly
but lafely; it dellroys worms, and is good in drop-
lies, jaundice, arid many other difeafes, and even in
madnefs. But it is very necellary to keep it in one’
own garden, for, if the root be bought, they com-
monly fell them of the green-flowered, wild, or ba-
flard hellebore in its place, which it is a rough me-
dicine.
84
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Ladies Bedstraw. Gallium Luteum.
A pretty wild plant, frequent about hedges in June
and the fucceeding months. The ftalk is weak, and
two feet high, the leaves are of a blackifh green, and
fmall, and the flowers are yellow. The ftalk is an-
gular and whitilh, very brittle, and feldom ftraight;
the leaves Hand a great many at each joint, and are
fmall, narrow, and difpofed about the ftalk like the
rowels of a fpur ; the flowers grow in great tuffs on
the tops of the ftalks, fo that they make a very con-
fpicuous appearance, though fingly they are very
fmall.
This herb is little regarded, but it has very gre'at
virtue; it fhould be gathered, when the flowers are
not quite blown, and dried in the fhade. An infu-
flon of it will cure the raoft violent bleedings at the
nofe, and almoft all other evacuations of blood.
A
*
to
P
a
d
of
an
s
in
hi
w
k
of
it
Beet.
4
Beta alba.
ti
A common garden plant eaten at our tables, but
thefe often afford medicines as well as food. The
white beet, which is the medicinal kind, grows three
or four feet high. The ftalk is robuft and ftrong;
the leaves are broad and undulated; the flowers are
inconfiderable; they are of a greenifh white colour;
the root is large and long.
The juice of frefh beet-root is an excellent remedy
for the head-ach and tooth-ach, when the wThole
jaw is affedled ; it is to be fnuffed up the nofe to
promote freezing.
The red beet-root is good for the lame purpofe,.
but it is not fo ftrong as the white.
A
Vf
tl
a
k
C!
*
T
n
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. Si
White Be hen. Beben album.
A common wild plant in our corn fields. It is two
feet high ; the ftalks are weak, and often crooked ;
but they are thick enough, round, and of a whitifh
green colour. The leaves are oblong, broad, and of
a fine blue green colour, not dented at all at the
edges, and they grow two at every joint; the joints
of the ftalk where they grow are fwelled and large,
and the leaves have no ftalks. The flowers are white,
moderately large, and prickly. They ftand upon a
hulk, which feems blown up with wind.
This is one of thofe 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 ftalks rife, and dried. An infufion is one
of the beft remedies known for nervous complaints ;
it will not take place againft a violent prefent difor-
der; but it is an excellent preservative, taken cau-
tioufly.
Red Behen. Limonium majzis.
A common wild plant about our fea-coafts, and a
very pretty one. It grows to a foot in height ; the
ftalks are naked, and the flowers red; and, in their
difpofition, they fome what refemble lavender, whence
the plant is alfo called by fome fea-lavender. About
the bottoms of the ftalks ftand clutters of large and
broad leaves, rounded at the ends, of a deep green
colour, and fattifh lubftance; thefe rife immediately
from the root, and the ftalks grow up among them.
The ftalks are very tough and ftrong, and branched,
and of a paler green; the root is long and reddifh.
The people in Eflex cure themfelves of puraivTS,
and of overflowing of the menfes, with an infufic*: >f
this root; and it is a very great medicine, thoi :h
little kn9wn. It is to be gathered as foon as the
F
82 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
young leaves appear, cleaned and dried; it may be
taken in powder, halt' a dram for a dofe. Thefe are
not the white and red behen-roots of the old writers
on phytic, but they are better.
/
The Ben Nut-Tree. Balanus Myrepjtca.
This is an Arabian tree, not very large, but exceed-
ingly lingular in the nature of its leaves. They are
compofed of a great number of fmall roundifh parts,
growing at the extremities of tlrong branched foot-
ftalks. The leaves fall firft, and thefe foot-fialks long
after. When the leaves are fallen, and the {talks
remain, the tree makes a very Angular appearance.
The fruit is a pod, long, but {lender, and containing
two feeds : Thefe are what we call the ben-nuts .
They are of an oblong figure, and irregularly rigid;
the lhell is hard, but the kernel fat, foft, and oily,
and of a bitter tafte.
The kernel operates by vomit and ltool violently,
and is feldom ufed. It affords an oil which has nei-
ther fmell nor tafie, and which will keep a long time
without growing rancid.
The Benjamin-Tree. Arbor Benzionifera.
A. beautiful tree frequent in the Eaft, and there
affording the fine fragrant refin of its name: It is alfo
of the growth of America, and thrives there, but it
yields no refin. It is a moderately tall tree; the bark
is fmooth and brown; the leaves are broad, oblong,
and not unlike thofe of the lemon-tree. 1 he flowers
are whitifli, and very inconfiderable. The fruit is as
big as a nutmeg, and confifts of a flefliy fub fiance on
the outfide, and a kernel inclofed in a thin and brittle
{hell 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 degrees into
i
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBA1L. 83
that reddifh and white fragrant refin we fee. It is an
excellent medicine in dilorders of the breaft and
lungs: And a tintture of it made with fpirit of wine,
makes water milky, and this mixture is called vir-
gins-milk ; it is good to cleanfe the fkin.
Wood-Betony. Betonica Sylvejlris.
A common wild herb, but of very great virtue. It
is frequent in our woods, and among bullies, and
flowers in June. The flalks arealmoft naked, and a
foot high, and the flowers are purple. There grow
many leaves from the root; they have long flalks,
and are broad, above an inch long, of a blackifli
green colour and hairy, blunt at the point, and in-
dented about the edges. The flalks are fquare, of a
dark colour, hairy, and not very ftrong. The leaves
on them are very few, and very diftant ; but they
hand two at a joint, and are like the others. The
flowers Hand at the tops in form of a kind of thick
fliort fpike they are fmall and purple, and of the
fliape of the flowers of mint.
Betony is to be gathered when juft going to flower.
It is excellent for diforders of the head, and for all
nervous complaints. . The habitual ufe of it will cure
the moft inveterate head-achs. It may be taken as
tea, or dried and powdered. Some mix it with to-
bacco, and fmoke it, but this is a more uncertain
method.
There is a tall plant with fmall purple flowers
growing by waters, thence and from the fliape of the
5 leaves called water -betony, but it has none of the
■ virtues of this plant; it is a kind of figwort, and
1 poflefles the virtues of that plant, but in an inferior
fi degree,
e
0
F2
8+ the useful family-herbal.
Bind-Weed. Convolvulus major.
A common wild plant which climbs about our
hedges, and bears very large white flowers. The
Italics are weak and flender, but very tough, fix or
eight feet long, and twift about any thing that can
fupport them. The leaves are large, and of the fhape
of an arrow-head, bearded at the bafe, and fharp at
the point: They Hand fingly, not in pairs, and are of
a pale green colour. The flowers are of the breadth
of a crown-piece at the mouth, and narrower to the
bafe, bell-fafhioned, and perfectly white. The root
is long and flender.
In Northamptonfhire, the poor people ufe the root
of this plant, frefli gathered, and boiled in ale as a
purge ; they fave the expence of the apothecary, and
anfwer the purpofe better than any one thing would
do for them. It would naufeate a delicate ftomach,
but, for people of their ftrong conftitution, there is
not a better purge.
h
ai
t
)o
re
tt
i
\
I
ID
l
i
ft
The Billberry-Bush.
Vaccinia nigra .
It
A little tough fhrubby plant, common in our bog-
gy woods, and upon wet heaths. The flalks are
tough, angular, and green; the leaves are fmall;,
they ftand fingly, not in pairs, and are broad, fhort,
and indented about the edges. The flowers are fmall.
but pretty, their colour is a faint red, and they are
hollow like a cup. The berries are as large as the
biggeft pea, they are of a blackifli colour, and of a.
pleafant tafte.
A fyrlip made of the juice of billberries, when not
over ripe, is cooling and binding ; it is a pleafant and
gentle medicine for women whofe menfes are apt
to be too redundant, taken for a week before the
k
9
K
b
Io
ft
la
ft
ft
te
fo
time.
■N.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 85
The Birch-Tree. Betula.
A tall and handfome tree common in our wood?
and hedges. The bark is fmootb and white. The
young flioots are reddifh, and they are final 1 and
long. The leaves are beautiful; they are Ihort,
roundilli, of a fine bright green, and notched about
the edges. The flowers are inconfiderable ; the fruit
js a little fcaly, globule, preceding the leaves in
fpring.
The juice of the birch-tree, procured by boring a
hole in it in fpring, is diuretic, and good againft the
fcurvy. The leaves, frefh gathered and boiled in
water, afford a decoction, which ads in the fame
.manner, and is good in dropfies : And in all cutane-
ous diforders, outwardly ufed.
Round-rooted Birthwort. Ariflolacbia Rotunda.
A wild plant in Italy and the fouth of France, but
with us found only in the gardens of the curious.
It has no great beauty, or even Angularity in its ap-
pearance, till examined: Tfie ftalks ate a foot and a
half long, but weak; they are fquare, and of a dufky
green colour. The leaves are fhort, broad, and
roundilh, of a dufky green; alfo the flowers are long,
hollow, and of an odd form, not refembling the flowers
;of other plants: They are of a dufky greenifh co-
lour on the outfide, and purple within: The fruit is
iflefhy, and as big as a fmall walnut. The root is
large and roundifh.
The root is the only part ufed in medicine, and
1 that we have frqm countries where the plant is a na-
tive; it is a rough and difagreeable medicine; it of-
ten offends the ftomach, but it is an excellent drug
for promoting the neceflary evacuations after de-
livery.
TThere are two other kinds of birthwort, the roots
F 3
86 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL.
of which are alfo kept in the fliops; the one called
the long birtbwort, the other the climbing bin thwart.
They poflefs the lame virtues with the round, but
in a lefs degree, and are therefore lefs regarded.
Ba shops -wood. Ammi.
A wild plant in France and Italy, but kept only in
our gardens, in its external figure, fomewhat re-
fembling parfley when in flower. The^ftalk is round,
firm, and ftriated; it grows two feet high. The
leaves are of the compound kind, and formed of
many fmaller, which are broad, fhort, and indented
at the edges. The flowers are fmall and white, but
they Hand in fuch large tults at the tops of the ftalks
that they make a confiderable appearance. Eacfy
flower is fiicceeded by two feeds; thefe are fmall
and ftriated, of a warm aromatic tafte, and not dif-
agreeable.
The feeds are the only part of the plant ufed in
medicine ; they are good again!! the cholic, as all
the other carminative feeds are; but they are alfo
diuretic, lb that they are particularly proper in
thofe cholics which arife from the Hone in the kid-
neys and ureters ; they alfo promote the menfes.
There is another fort of bifhops-weed called cretic
ammi, the feeds of which are ufed in medicine; they
are of the fame virtues with thefe, but are lefs ufed.
They have a more fpicy lmell.
Bistqrt. Bijlorta.
A very beautiful wild plant: It grows in our mea-
dows, and, when in flower in May and June, is very
confpicuous, as well as very elegant in its appearance.
It is about a foot and a half high ; the leaves are
broad and beautiful, and the flowers grow in a thick
lpike or ear at the top of the ftalks, and are of a bright
red colour. There rife immediately from the root a
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 87
number of largo and beautiful leaves, long, broad,
and of a fine green colour. The ftalks on which they
ft and, have alio a rim of the leaf running down them*
the ftalks are round, firm, and ered, of a pale green,
and have two or three leaves, like the others, but
fm aller, on them, placed at diftances. The fpike ot
the flowers is as long and thick as a man’s thumb:
The root is thick apd contorted, blackilh on the out-
lide, and red within.
If we minded our own herbs, we fliould need fewer
medicines from abroad. The root ot biftort is one
of the belt aftringents in the world ; Not violent but
hire. The time of gathering it is in March, when
the leaves begin to (hoot. String feveral ot them on
a line, and let them dry in the lhade. The powder,
or decoction of them, will flop aft fluxes ot the belly,
and is one of the fafeft remedies known for overflow-
ings of the menfes. They are alfo good in a diabetes.
The ufe ,of this root may be continued without dan-
ger, till it effeds a perfect: cure.
Bitter-Sweet. Solatium Lignofam .
A common wild plant, with weak but woody ftalks
that runs among our hedges, and bears bunches of
very pretty blue flowers in fummer, and in autumn
rjed berries. The ftalks run to ten feet in length,
but they cannot fupport themfelves upright: They
are of a bluifh colour, and, when broken, have a very
difagreeable fmell like rotten eggs. The leaves are
oval, but fharp-pointed, and have each twolitcie ones
near the bafe; they are of a dulky green and indent-
ed, and they grow fingly on the ftalks. The flowers
are fmall and of g fine purplifti blue, with yellow
threads in the middle. The berries are oblong. This
is little regarded in medicine, but it deferves to be
better known : We account the night-ihades poifon-
ious, and many of them are fo; but this has no harm
in it. The wood of the larger branches, and the young
88 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
*
llioots of the leaves, are a fafe and excellent pu , •
I have known a dropfy, taken early, cured by US
lingle medicine.
Blood- wort. Lapathum Scinguineum .
k'
A beautiful kind of dock kept in gardens, and :
wild in fomc places. It grows to four feet high; the
flallcs are firm, {lift, upright, branched, and Itriated,
The leaves are very long and narrow, broadeft at the
bafe, and fmaller all the way to the end. They ^
are not at all indented at the edges, and they Hand o
upon long foot-ftalks: Their colour is a deep green, a
but they are in different degrees ftained with a beau-
tiful blood-red; fometimes the ribs only are red, l
fometimes there are long veins of red irregularly r
fpread over the whole leaf; fometimes they are very s
broad, and in fome plants the whole leaves and the f
ftalks alfo are of a blood colour; the flow7ers are very <
numerous and little. They, in all refpedls, referable
thofe of the common wfild docks. The root is long
and thick, and of a deep blood-red colour.
The roots are ufed: They are bell dry, and they
may be given in deeodlion, or in powder: They are
powerfully aftrjngent; they flop bloody-fluxes, fpit-
ting of blood, and the overflowings of the menfes. It
is alfo good againft violent purgings and againft the
whites.
Braiuele. Rubus vulgaris.
i ■» * 1
fT he moft common bufh in our hedges. The ftalks
are wToody, angulated, and of a purplifh colour; and
they are armed with crooked fpines; the leaves are
rough, indented, and Hand either five or three ori a
jtalk. The flowers are white, with a very faint tinge
pf purplifh, and the fruit is compofed of a number
pf fmall grains.
' moft negle&ed things have their ufe. The
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 89
buds of the bramble-leaves boiled in fpring- water*
and the- decodlion fweetened with honey, are excel-
lent For a fore throat. A fyriljp made of the juice of
the unripe fruit, with very fine fugar, is cooling and
aftringent. It is good in immoderate fluxes of the
menfes, and even in purgings. The berries are to
be gathered for this purpofe, when they are red.
Blue-Bottle. Cyanus.
A very common and a very pretty weed among our
corn; the leaves are narrow, and of a whitifh green;
and the flowers of a very beautiful blue, and large.
The plant is about a foot high, and, when in flower,
makes a confpicuous and elegant appearance. The
root is hard and fibrous; the ftalk is very firm, white,
and augulated, and branched. The leaves that grow
from the root have fome notches on the edges ; thofe
on the ftalk have none, and they are narrow like
blades of grafs ; the flowers ftand only on the tops of
the branches, and they grow out of fcaly heads. The
feeds are beautiful, hard, white, and ihining.
The leaves which grow on the ftalks of the blue-
bottle, frefh gathered and bruifed, will ftop the
bleeding of a frefti wound, even if a large veffel be
cut. They are not fufficiently known for this pur-
pofe, but they exceed all other things : And may fave
a life where a furgeon is not to be had in time for
fuch an accident. A diftilled water of the flowers
ufed to be kept in the fliops, but it was of no value.
An infufion of them works gently by urine.
There is a large kind of this plant in gardens,
which is called a vulnerary or wound-herb. But it
}s not fo good as ‘this.
The Box- Tree. Buxus.
A common little fhrub in our gardens, and a native
of our own country, though not common in its wild
9o THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Rate. With us it grows but to a fmall height; in
l'ome other parts of Europe, it is a tolerably large
fhi'ub. The bark is whitilh, the wood yellow ; the
leaves fmall, roundilh, fmooth, of a very dark green
colour, and very numerous. The flowers are fmall,
and greenifh yellow ; the fruit is little, round, and’
furniilied with three points.
The wood of the box-tree, and particularly of the
root, is an excellent medicine in all foulnefles of the
blood, it has the fame virtues with the guiacum,
but in a greater degree. It is to be given in decoc-
tion, not made too ftrong, and continued a long time,
There have been infhmcesof what were called leprofie$
cured entirely by this medicine. There is an oil
made from it by diftillation, which is good for the
tooth-ach. It is to be dropped on cotton, and to bq
put into the tooth.
Borage. Borage,
A rough plant, common in our gardens, with great
leaves, and beautiful blue flowers. It grows two feet
high; the ftalks are thick, round, flefti)g and juicy;
and covered with a kind of hairinefs fo iturdy, that it
almoft amounts to the nature of prickles. The leaves
are oblong, broad, very rough and wrinkled ; and
they have the fame fort of hairinefs, but lefs ftiff than
that of the ftalk; the largeft grow from the root, but
thofe on the ftalks are nearly of the fame fhape. The
flowers are placed toward the tops of the branches ;
they are divided into five parts of a moft beautiful
blue, and have a black eye, as it were, in the middle.
Borage has the credit of being a great cordial ; but,
if it poflefs any fuch virtues, they are to be obtained
only by a light cold infufion; fo that the way ‘of
throwing it into cold wine is better than all the me-
dicinal preparations, for in them it is naufeous.
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 91
White Bryony. Brionia alba.
A TALL, climbing, wild plant, which covers our
hedges in many places. The leaves are fomewhat
like thofe of the vine; the flowers are inconfiderable;
but the berries are red, and make a great fhew. The
root is vaftly large, rough, and whitilh ; the ftalks are
tough, ten or twelve feet long ; but weak and unable
to fupport themfelves; they have tendrils at the joints,
and by thefe they affix themfelves to bullies. The
leaves are broad, and divided deeply at the edge, and
they are hairy. The flowers are of a greenifli white,
and fmall, but the berries are moderately large, and
full of feeds.
The root is the only part ufed in medicine; the
juice of it operates very ftrongly. by vomit and ftool,
and that in a fmall dofe. All conftitutions cannot
bear it, but, for thofe that can, it is excellent in
many fevere difeafes; dropfies have been cured by
it. It is alfo good againft hyfteric complaints, but
for this purpofe, it is to be given in very fmall dofes,
and frequently repeated.
Black Bryony. Brionia nigra.
.There is not any inftance which more blames our
negled ol the medicines of our own growth, than
this or the black bryony, a medicine fcarce known or
heard of, but equal to any.
The plant climbs upon bullies and hedges like the
former, but this by twilling its ftalk about the
branches of trees and ffirubs, for it has no tendrils.
It runs to fifteen feet in height; the fialk is tough
and angular; the leaves are broad, and of a heart-
like ffiape, and are perfectly fmooth and Alining, and
of a glofiy and very deep blackifh green/1 The
flowers are very fmall, and ol a greeniJh white; the
0 the USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
berries are red. The root is black without, white
within, and full of a flirriy juice.
The root of black briony is one of the beft diure-
tics known in medicine. It is an excellent remedy
in the gravel, and all other obftructions of urine,
and other diforders of the urinary paflages.
Brooklime. Anagallis Aqucitica, Becabunga.
A common wild herb frequent about fhallow waters,
with a thick {talk, roundifli leaves, and fpikes of lit-
tle bright blue flowers. Brooklime grows to a foot
high. The ftalk is round, flefhy, and large, yet it
does not grow very upright : It ftrikes root at the
lower joints. The leaves are broad, oblong, blunt
at the end, and a little indented on the edges. The
flowers ftand fingly on fhort foot-ftalks one over ano-
ther, fo that they form a kind of loofe fpike ; the
roots are fibrous.
Brooklime has great virtues, but mult be ufed frefh
gathered, for they are all loft in drying. The juice
in fpring is very good againft the feurvy ; but it muft
be taken for fome time. It works gently by urine,
but its great virtue is in fweetening the blood.
Broom. Genifla.
A common naked-looking flirub that grows on wafte
grounds, and bears yellow flowers in May. It is two
or three feet high. The ftalks are very tough, an-
gular and green ; the leaves are few, and they are
alfo fmall ; they grow three together, and ftand at
diftances on the long and flender ftalks ; the flowers
are numerous, they are fhaped like a pea-blofibm,
and are of a beautiful bright yellow ; the pods are
flat and hairy.
The green ftalks of broom, infufed in ale or beer
for the common drink, operate by urine, and remove
obftruttions of the liver and other parts ; they are far
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 93
mous in the dropfy and jaundice. It is a common
pra&ice to burn them to allies, and infufe thofe alhes
in white-wine ; thus the fixed fait is extraded, and
the wine becomes a kind of lee. I his alio works by
urine more powerfully than the other, but the other
is preferable for removing obftrudions.
Butchers-Broomc. Rufcus.
« 1
A LitTLE flirubby plant, frequent on our wade
grounds and heaths, with final! prickly leaves and
bufhy tops. The plant grows a foot and a half high.
The ftalks are roundifh, ftriated, thick, and very
tough; they are naked towards the bottom, and divide
into fome branches towards the top ; they are there
covered with leaves ; thefe leaves are fhort, broad,
oval, and pointed, the point running out in a prickle;
they are of a bluifh green, and very thick and flefhy ;
the flowers are feldom regarded ; they grow in a An-
gular manner upon the backs of the leaves ; they ar©
very finall and purplifh : Thefe are fucceeded each
by a Angle berry, which is red, round, and as big as
a pea. The roots are white, thick, and numerous.
The root is the part ufed, and it is an excellent
medicine to remove obftruclions. It works power-
fully by urine, and is good in jaundices, and in ftop-
pages of the menfes, and excellent in the gravel.
Buck-beans. Trifolium Palujlre.
An herb better known by the common people than
among the apothecaries, but of great virtue. It grows
wild with us in marfhy places, and is of fo very An-
gular an appearance, that it mull be known at fight.
It grows a foot high, the leaves Hand three upon each
ftalk, and thefe ftalks rife immediately from the roots.
They are thick, round, fmooth, and flefhy ; and the
leaves themfelves are large, oblong, and have fome
refemblance of thofe of garden-beans. The flowers
/
94 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Band upon naked Balks, which are alfo thick, round,
flefhy, and whitifli : They are fmall, but they grow
together in a kind of thick fliort fpike, fo that in the
duller they make a confpicuous appearance ; they
are white with a very faint tinge of purple, and are
hairy within ; the root is whitifh, long, and thick.
The leaves of buck-bean are to be gathered before
the Balks appear for flowering, and are to be dried ;
the powder of them will cure agues, but their great
ufe is againB the rheumatifm : For this purpofe they
are to be given for a continuance of time in infufion,
or in the manner of tea.
Buckthorn. Spina Cervina.
A prickly Birub, common in our hedges, with pale
green leaves, and black berries. It growrs to eight or
ten feet high. The bark is dark-coloured and glofiy,
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 inconfi-
derable ; they are of a greenifh yellow, and grow in
little clufiers. The berries, which are ripe in Sep-
tember, are round, glofly, black, as big as the
largefl pepper-c,orns, and contain each three or four
feeds.
The juice of the berries, boiled up with fugar,
makes a good purge ; but it is apt to gripe, unlels
fome fpice be added in the making : It is a rough
purge, but a very good one.
I-
Bucks horn-Plant ain. Coronopus.
A very pretty little plant which grows in our fandy
and barren places, with the leaves fpread out in the
manner of a Bar all the way round from the root, and
in the heads like other plantains, although fo very un-
like them in its leaves ; the root is long and Bender;
the leaves, which lie thus flat upon the ground, are
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 95
1 narrow and long, very beautifully notched and di-
1 vided, fo as to refemhie a buck’s horn, whence the
1 name, and of a pale whitifn green, and a little hairy.
The ftalks are flender, fix inches long, but feldom
H quite ere£t ; they are round, hairy, and whitilh, and
have at the top a fpike of flowers of an inch or two in
length, altogether like that of the other plantains,
only more flender.
This plant has obtained the name of Jlar of the
earth , from the way of the leaves fpreading them-
ielves. Thefe leaves bruifed, and applied to a frefli
wOund, flop the bleeding, and effedt a cure. It is
faid alfo to be a remedy againft the bite of a mad
dog, but this is idle and groundlcfs.
Bugle. Bugula.
A common wild plant, and a very pretty one, with
gloflfy leaves, creeping ftalks, and blue flowers ; it is
frequent in damp woods. The ftalks, when they rife
up to bear the flowers, are eight or ten inches high,
fquare, of a pale green colour, often a little purplilh ;
and have two -leaves at every joint, the joints being
fomewhat diftant. Thefe leaves are of the fame form
with thofe which rife immediately from the root, ob-
long, broad, blunt at the point, and of a deep green
colour, fometimes alfo a little purplilh, and are flight-
ly indented round the edges ; the flowers are fmall,
and of a beautiful blue, in fhape like thofe ofbetony ;
they grow in a fort of circles round the upper part of
the ftalks, forming a kind of loofe fpikes ; the cups
remain when the flowers are gone, and hold the feeds.
The juice of this plant is efteemed good for in-
ward bruifes ; it is a very good diuretic.
' Bugloss. Buglojfum Hortenfe .
A rough and unfightly plant, kept in our gardens
£br the fake of its virtues, but very rarely ufed. It
96 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
grows to a foot and a half high ; the leaves are rough
like thofe of borage, but they are long and narrow, of
a deep green colour, and rough furface ; the ftalks
are alfo covered with a rough and almoft prickly
hairinefs ; the fame fort of leaves Hand on tbefe as
rile immediately from the root, only fmaller. The
flowers Hand at the tops of the branches, and are very
pretty, though not very large; they are red when
they firlt open, but they aftervyards become blue; the
root is long and brown ; it flowers in June and July.
Buglofs fhares with borage the credit of being a
cordial; but perhaps neither of them have any great
title to the chara&er ; it is ufed like borage in cool
tankards, for there is no way of making any regular
preparation of it that is poffelfed of any virtues.
1 here is a wild kind of buglofs upon ditch-banks,
very like the garden kind, and of the fame virtues.
Burdock. Bardana .
%
If the laft-mentioned plant has more credit for me-
dicinal virtues than it deferves, this is not fo much
regarded as it ought. Providence has made fome of
the moll ufeful plants the moll; common, but, becaufe
they are fo, we foolilhly negled them.
It is hardly necelfary to deferibe the common bur-
dock. It may be enough to fay, that it grows a yard
high, and has vail leaves of a figure approaching to
triangular, and of a whitifh green colour ; the ftalks
are round, llriated, and very tough ; the flov^ers are
fmallandred, and they grow among the hooked prickles
of thofe heads which we call burs, and which Hick to
our clothes. Even this feems a provifion of nature in
kindnefs to us. In pulling of thefe we fcatter the feeds
of which they are compofed, and give rife to a molt
ufeful plant in a new place. The root of the burdock
is long and thick, brown on the outlide, and whitifh
within ; this is the part ufed in medicine, and it is
of very great virtues. It is to be boiled, or infufed in
2.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 97
water ; tire virtue is diuretic, and is very powerfully
fo. It has cured dropfies alone. The feeds have the
fame virtue, but in a lefs degree. The root is faid
to be fudorific and good in fevers ; but its virtue in
operating by urine is its great, value.
Burnet. Pimpiiiella Sangniforba.
A common wild plant. It grows by way-fides, and
in dry places, and flowers in July. The leaves which
rile immediately from the root are very beautiful ;
they are of the winged kind, being compofed of a
great number of fmaller, growing on each fide a mid-
dle rib, with an odd one at the end. They are
broad, Ihort, roundiih, and elegantly ferrated round
the edges ; the (talks are a foot high, round, ftriated,
purplifh or green, and almoft naked ; the few leaves
they have are like thofe at the bottom. On the tops
of thefe Italks (land the flowers ; they are difpofed in
little round clutters, and are fmall and of a pale red-
difh colour, and have a number of threads in the
middle.
Burnet is called a cordial, and a fudorific , and is re-
commended in'fevers. They put it alio into cool tan-
kards like borrage. The root is a good aftringent ;
dried and powdered, it flops fluxes and overflowings
of the menfes.
Burnet Saxifrage. Pimpinella Saxifraga.
A pretty plant, wild in our dry pafiures, and un-
der hedges, but not very common in all parts of the
kingdom ; it grows two feet high, and has the flowers
in umbels ; the (talk is firm, ftriated, and branched
the leaves riling from the root are pinnated, and the
lefler leaves, of which they are compofed, are hard,
of a deep green, narrow, and indented. The le es
upon the ftalks are fmaller and narrower: the ri -s
are little and white, but they Hand in fo large ; -
ters, that they make a good figure: ' ooi is v.o y, -
and of a hot burning tafte j the feeds are ftriated,
G
q3 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB At.
The root is the only part ufcd ; ir. fliould be taken
Up in fpring before the ftalks (hoot up, and dried. It
is very good in cholics and diforders of the ftomach,
sad it works by urine.
Butter-Bur. Petajites.
A very lingular and very confpicuous plant, not un-
frequent with us in wet places. The llowcrs appear
before the leaves, and they would hardly be fup-
pofed to belong to the fame plant. The ftalks are
round, thick, fpungy, and of a whitifh colour, and
have a few films by way of leaves upon them. On
the top of each Hands a fpike of flowers, of a pale
reddifh colour ; the whole does not rife to more than
eight inches in height. Thefe appear in March.
When they are dead, the leaves grow up ; thefe are
roundifh, green on the upper fide, and whitifh un-
derneath, of a vaft bignefs, and ftand fingly upon
hollowed foot-ftalks, of a purplifli.nvhitifh, or green-
ifh colour; they are often two feet broad. The root
is white and long, it creeps under the furface of the
ground.
The root is the part ufed ; it is praifed very high-
ly as a remedy in peftilential fevers; but, whether it
deferve that praife or not, it is a good diuretic, and
excellent in the gravel.
Bur-Reed. Sparganhm.
A common water-plant, with leaves like flags, and
rough heads of feeds : It is two or three feet high.
The ftalks are round, green, thick, and upright.
The leaves are very long and narrow, fharp at the
edges, and with a fharp ridge on the back along the
middle;, they are of a pale green, and look freih and
beautiful. The flowers are inconfiderable and yel-
lowifh ; they ftand in a kind of circular tufts about
the upper part of the ftalk : Low^er down ftand the
rough fruits called burs, from whence the plant ob-
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 99
: tained its name ; they are of the bignefs of a • large
i nutmeg, green and rough. The root is compofed of
I a quantity of white fibres.
The unripe fruit is ufed ; they are aftringent, and
' good again it fluxes of the belly, and bleedings of all
kinds : The belt way of giving them is infufed in a
rough red-wine, with a little cinnamon. Fhey ufe
them in fome parts of England externally for wounds.
A ftrong decoction of them is made to w’afh old ul-
cers, and the juice is applied to ffefh hurts, and they
lay with great fuccefs.
C.
1
The Chocolate Nut-Tree. Cacao.
TPhis is an American tree, very beautiful, as well
as very valuable for its fruit. The trunk is of
the thicknefs of a man’s leg, and the height of fif-
teen feet ; but -in this it differs greatly according to
the foil; and the fize of the fruit alfo will differ from
the fame caufe ; whence fome have talked of four
different kinds of the chocolate-nut. The tree grows
very regularly ; the furface is uneven, for the bark
riles into tubercles ; the leaves are half a foot long,
three inches broad, of a fine ftrong green, and pointed
at the ends; the flowers are fmall and yellowifh, and
they grow in clufters from the branches, and even
from the trunk of the tree ; but each has its feparate
llalk. The fruit ia of the Ihape of a cucumber, half
a foot long, and thicker than a man’s wrift ; this is
rigid, and, when ripe, of a purplilh colour, with fome
tindt of yellow. The Cacao nuts , as they are called,
are lodged within this fruit; every fruit contains be-
tween twenty and thirty of them; they are of the big-
nefs of a large olive, but not fo thick j and are com-
G 2
1 00 T H E USEFUL F A M I LY-H E R B A L.
poi'ed of a woody fliell, and a large kernel, which af-
fords the chocolate.
The common way of taking this in chocolate is
not the only one in which it may be given ; the nut
itleif may be put into electuaries. It is very nourilh-
ing and reftorative.
C a l a m i n t. Calami nth a.
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 rob uft herb. It is eight or ten
inches high, and has roundifh dark green leaves, and
white flowers. The ftalks are fquare, and very much
branched ; the leaves are of the bignefs of a man’s
thumb-nail, fomewhat hairy, and flightly indented
about the edges ; the flowers ftand in little clufters
furrounding the ftalks, and are of a whitilh colour,
a little tinged with purplifh ; the root is compofed of
a few fibres. Calamint fhould be gathered when juft
coming into flower, and carefully dried ; it is after-
wards to be given in the manner of tea, and it will
do great fervices in weaknefies of the ftomach, and
in habitual cholics. I have known effectual and lad-
ing cures performed by it.
Pennyroyal Calamint. Calamintha odhte Pulegiu
A little plant of the fame kind with the other, and
found in fome places, but more common. It is a
foot high ; the ftalks are robuft and firm ; the leaves
are finall, and of a whitilh green colour, and more
hairy than in the other ; the flowers are fmall and
white, with a tinge of purple ; the plant grows more
ere£t, and is lefs branched than the other ; and it has
a very ftrong and not a very agreeable fmell ; the
other is ftrong-feented and pleafant.
This is to be preferved dry as the other, and taken
in the fame manner. It is excellent againft ftoppages-
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
1 0 £
of the menfes, and, if taken conftantly, will bring
them to a regular courfe.
Calves-Snout, or Snapdragon. Antirrhinum .
A common wild plant in many parts of Europe, and
is very frequent in our gardens, and upon the walls
•of gardens; its natural lituation is on hills among
barren rocks, and nothing comes fo near that, as the
top of an old wall with us : The feeds are light, and
are ealily carried thither by the wind, and they never
fail to flrike, and the plant llourifhes. It is two feet
high, the llalks are round, thick, firm, and tolerably
upright, but generally a little bent towards the bot-
tom; the leaves are very numerous; they are oblong,
narrow, not indented at the edges, blunt at the ends,
and of a bluifli green colour. The flowers are large
and red, they frand in a kind of loofe fpikes upon the
tops of the (talks; the root is white and oblong.
The lrefli tops are ufed ; an infuiion of them works
by urine, and has been recommended by fome in the
jaundice, and, in other difeafes arifing from obftruc-
tions of the vifcera ; but we have fo many Englifh
plants that excel in this particular, and the tafte of
the infufion is fo far from agreeable, that it is not
worth while to have recourfe to it.
C a me l s - n a y. S chcnn nth us.
A SORT of grafs of a fragrant lmell, frequent in many
parts of the eaft, and brought over to us dried for the
life of medicine. _ It grows to a foot high, and in all
refpedls refemblesYome of our common kinds of grafs,
particularly the darnel. The leaves are long and nar-
row ; the llalks are round and jointed, and have
grafly leaves alfo on them, and the flowers (land on
the tops of the flalks in a double feries ; they are not
unlike thofe of our grafles, chaffy, and ornamented
ivith a few filaments.
G 3
102 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
It was at one time in great efteem as a medicine ;
they called it a cordial, and a promoter of the men-
fes, but it is now very little regarded.
Chamomile. Cbampemeli/ to.
'
A common low wild plant, of a beautiful green, a
fragrant fmell, and with flowers not unlike daifies.*
It is frequent on damp heaths, and gets no good by-
being brought into gardens. It grows larger there,
but has lefs efficacy. In its wild (late it i'preads its
branches upon the ground, taking root at the joints.
The ftalks are round, green, and thick ; the leaves
are very finely divided, and of a dark blackilh green
colour. The flowers grow upon long foot-ftalks, and
are white at the edge, and yellow in the middle :
The flowers are moft ufed. Thofe which are railed
for fale are double, and they have very little virtue
in comparifon of the Angle ones. They are to be ta-
ken in tea, which is a pleafant bitter ; or in powder
they are excellent for diforders of the ftomach, and
have fometimes cured agues, as many other bitters
will. The tea made of them is alfo good againft the
cholic, and works by urine.
The Camphor-Tree. Arbor Camphorifera.
This is a kind of bay -tree of the Eaft-Indies, but it
grows to the height of our talleft trees. The bark is
brown and uneven on the trunk, but it is fmooth and
green on the young branches. The leaves are like ,
thofe of the common bay-tree, only a little longer;
and they are curled at the edges. The flowers are
fmall and white, and the fruit is a berry altogether
like our bay -berries, and of the bignefs of a large
pea. The wood of the tree is white, or a little red-
difh, and veined* with black, and fmells of the cam-
phire. The leaves alfo, when they are bruifed, fmell
bf camphire ; and the fruit moft of all.
0» V * • ‘
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 103
The only produd of this tree, ufed in medicine, is
the refin called camphire \ and this is not a natural, but
a fort of chymical preparation. '1 hey cut the wood
to pieces, and put it into a fort of fubliming vefiel,
with an earthen head full of draw, ihev make a
fire underneath, and the camphire rifes in form of a
white meal, and is found among the draw. This
is refined afterwards, and becomes the camphire we
ufe.
It is fudorific, and works by urine. It alio pro-
motes the menfes, and is good in diforders of the
bladder.
|r - . , \
White Campion. Lychnis Flore alba.
A common wild plant in our hedges and dry paflures,
with hairy leaves, and white flowers. It .grows to a
foot and a half high : The ftalks are' round and hairy }
the leaves are of an oval form, and alfo hairy ;
and they grow two at every joint : They are of a
dufky green, and are not indented about the edges.
The flowers are moderately large, and white ; they
.grow in a kind of fmall duffers on the tops of the
branches, and each has its Separate foot-itaik.
This is a plant not much regarded for its virtues,
•but it deferves notice*, the country people gather the
flowers in fome places, and give them in the whites
and other weaknefies with l’uccefs.
The Canel Bark-Tree, called the Winter’s
Bark-Tree. •Canella Alba.
\
A very beautiful American tree. It grow7* fifty feet
high, and is commonly much branched. The bark
is of a greyifh broum ; the leaves are very like thofe
of the bay-tree, and the flowers are purple *, they are
fingly very final], but they ftand in a kind of um-
bels, and make a very pretty figure ; the fruit is a
berry which Hands in the cup of the flower ; it is of
G 4
104 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
the bigneis of a pea, and ot a deep blackifh purple
when ripe. It is frequent in Jamaica in wet places.
The inner rind of this tree is the part ufed in me-
dicine ; it is brought to us rolled up in quills, in the
manner of cinnamon, and is of a fpicy tafte, and of
a whitifh colour. Its proper name is canella alba,
white canel ; but the druggifls have accuftomed
theml'elves to call it cortex winteranus, winter’s bark.
It has the fame virtues with that, but in a much
iefs degree ; and they are eaflly known afunder, that
being the whole bark of the tree, and compofed of
two coats; this being only the inner bark, and there-
fore compofed only of one. It is good in wcaknefics
of the ftomach, and in habitual cholics. Some re-
commend it greatly in pailies and all nervous com-
plaints, but its virtues of this kind are not fo well
eftabliihed.
Canterbury Bells. Trachelium Majus.
A very beautiful wild plant, with leaves like the
llinging-nettle, and large and very elegant blue
flowers. It grows by road-lides, and in dry paftures,
and is two or three feet high. The ftalks are fquare,
thick, upright, flrong, and hairy. The leaves grow
irregularly, they are of a dulky green, and hand up-
on long foot-ftalks ; they are broad at the bafe, and
fharp at the point, and all the way indented very
fliarply 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 beautiful blue colour, hollow and divided into
feveral parts of the extremity. If the foil be poor,
•fhe flowers will vary in their colour to a pale blue,
reddifli, or white, but the plant is flill the fame.
The frefh tops, -with the buds of the flowers upon
them, contain mod virtue, but the dried leaves may
be ufed. An infufion of them fharpened with a few
$rops of fpirit of vitriol, and iweetened with honey,
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL. 105
, Is an excellent medicine for fore throats, ufed by way
of a gargle. The plant is fo famous for this virtue,
j that one of its common Englifh names is throat-wort :
J If the medicine be fw allowed, there is no harm in it ;
but, in the ufe of everything in this way, it isbeft to
i pi t the liquor out together with the foulneffes which
it may have walhed from the affected parts.
The Caper Shrub. Capprtris.
A common Ihrub 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 ufed in medicine is the bark of
the roots.
The ihrub grows to no great height; the branches
;are weak, and ill able to fupport themlelves, they are
tough and prickly : The leaves Hand irregularly, and
are of an oval or roundifh figure ; the thorns are hook-
ed like thole of the bramble ; the flowers, when full
opened, are purplifli and very pretty; the fruit is
roundifh.
The bark of the root is to be taken in powder, or
infulion ; it is good againit obllructions of the liver
and fpleen, in the jaundice, and hypocondriac com-
plaints: It is alfo recommended in indigeflions.
The Car anna-Tree. Caranna Arbor.
A tall Eaft-India tree, and a very beautiful one :
The trunk is thick, and the bark upon it is brown
and rough; that qn the young branches is fmcoth
and yellowifb. The leaves are long and narrow, like
thofe of fome of our willow-trees. The flower is
fmall, and of a pale colour, and the fruit is of the
bignefs of an apple.
1 ne refin, called gum-caranna, is a product of this
tree; it is procured by cutting the branches: they
io6 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
fend it in rolls covered with leaves of rufhes- it is
blackifh on the outfide, and brown within.
It is fuppofed a good nervous medicine, but it is
rarely ufed.
The lesser Cardamom Plant. Cardamomum Minus,
An Eaft-Indian plant, in many refpedls refembling
our reeds. It grows to ten or twelve feet high. The
ftalk is an inch thick, round, fmooth, green, and
hollow, but with a pith within. The leaves are half
a yard long, and as broad as a man’s hand: Befides
thefe ftalks, there arife from the fame root others
which are weak, tender, and about eight inches high ;
thefe produce the flowers, which are fmall and greern-
ilh, and after every flower, one of the fruits called the
lejfer cardamoms , which are a light dry hollow fruit,
of a whitilh colour, and fomewhat triangular fhape,
of the bignefs of an horfe-bean, and of a dry fub-
flance on the outfide, but with feveral feeds within,
which are reddifli and very acrid, but pleafant to the
tafle.
Thefe fruits are the Iefler cardamoms, or, asAhey
are generally called, the cardamom-feeds of the fhops.
They are excellent to ftrengthen the ftomach, and
affift digeftion. They are alfo good for diforders of
the head, and they are equal to any thing againfl
cholics ; they ate beft taken by chewing them
lingly in the mouth, and their tafle is not at all dif-
agreeable.
rI he two other kinds are the middle cardamom, a
long fruit very rarely met with, and the great carda-
mom, otherwife called the grain of Paradife, is much
better than the cardamoms.
The Caranna-Tree. Caragna.
A tall and fpreading tree of the Weft-Indies, the
branches are numerous and irregular ; the trunk is
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 107
:overed with a brown bark, the branches with a
paler ; they are brittle ; the leaves are long and nar-
•ow, of a pale green, and fliarp-pointed; the flowers
tre finall, the fruit is roiindifh, and of the bignefs of
m apple. This is the belt account we have of it,
but this is far from perfed or fatisfa&ory in every
refped.
All that we ufe of it is a relin, which ouzes out of
the bark, in the great heats; this is brown, fomewhat
foft, and we have it in oblong pieces, rolled up in
rufhes ; we put it only externally; a plaifter made of
it is good for diforders of the head, and fome fay will
cure the fciatica without internal medicines y but
•■his is not probable.
Cajiline Thistle. Carlina.
I have obferved that many plants are not fo much
regarded for their virtues, as they ought to be; there
are, on the contrary, fome which are celebrated more
than they deferve: The carline thiftle is of this laft
number. It is not wholly without virtues, but it has
not all that are afcribed to it.
This is a plant without any (talk. The leaves are
long, narrow, of a dark green colour, divided and
prickly at the edges ; and they lie fpread upon the
ground in manner of a ftar. The flower appears in,
the midft of thefe without a {talk, riling immediately
from the root, with feveral fmall leaves round about
it. It is the head of a thiftle, and the flowery part
is white on the edge, and yellow in the middle.
The root is long/ and of a brown colour on the out-
fide, and reddilh within; it is of a warm aromatic
tafte.
This is the only part of the plant ufed in medicine.
•They fay it is a remedy for the plague: But however
-that may be, it is good in nervous complaints, and in
ftoppages of the menfes.
io8 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
The Caraway Plajs't. Carum .
A wild plant of the umbelliferous kind, frequent iri
moft parts of Europe, but cultivated in Germany for
the fake of the leed. I have met with it very com-
mon in Lincolnfhire.
It grows to a yard high ; the ftalks are ftriated
and firm; the leaves are finely divided, and the
flowers are white and fin all, they grow in tufts, or
umbels, on the t-ops of the branches; the feeds that
follow them are very well known.
The feeds are excellent in the cholic, and in dif-
orders of the ftomach they are belt chewed.
Wild Carrot. Daucus Sylvejlris.
A common plant about our hedges, and in dry pa-
ftures. It grows near a yard high, and has final}!
flowers, and after them rough feeds difpoled in um-
bels, at the tops of the branches, thefe are hollow,,
and thence called by the children birds-nejis.
The ftalks are ftriated and firm, the leaves are di-
vided into fine and numerous partitions, and are of a.
pale green and hairy; the flowers are white.
The feed is the part ufed in medicine, and it is a
very good diuretic; it is excellent in all diforders of
the gravel and ftone, and all obftru&ions of urine; it
is alfo good in ftoppages of the menfes.
k
s
?
t(
ft
pt
IE
1
k
Candy Carrots. Daucus Cretenjis.
A plant frequent in the Eaft, and cultivated in
fome places for the feed. It grows near a yard high ;
the ftalk is firm, upright, ftriated, and branched:
The leaves are like thole of fennel, only more finely
divided, and of a whitifh colour; the flowers are
white, and the feeds are oblong, thick in the middle,
and downy.
od
If
fo
t
fit
k
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HER BAL. 109
Thefe feeds are the only part ufed: They are good
in cholics, and they work by urine, but thofe ot our
awn wild plant are more ftrongly diuretic.
The Cascarilla-Tr.ee. Cafcariua.
A tree of South- America, of the fruits and flowers
of which we have but very imperfect accounts, tho'
we are very well acquainted with the bark of its
young branches. What we have been told of it is,
that the branches are numerous, and fpreading irre-
gularly; that the leaves are oblong, green on the up-
per fide, and whitifh underneath; and the flowers
fmall, fragrant, and placed in a fort of duller.
The bark which our druggifts fell is greyifh on
the outfide, brown within, and is of an agreeable
fmell : When burnt they cail it eleuthericin bark , and
bajlard Jefuits bark: It is cordial and aflringent. It
is very properly given in fevers attended with pur-
ging. And many have a cultom of fmoking it among
tobacco; as a remedy of head-achs, and diforders of
the nerves: It alfo does good in pleurifies and peri-
pneumonies: Some have recommended it as a fove-
reign remedy in thofe cafes, but that goes too far.
The Cassia Fistula Tree. CaJJla F ejlula.
This is a large tree, native of the Eaft, 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
compofed of three or four pairs of fmaller, with an
odd one at the ertd. The flowers are of a greenifli
yellow, but they are very bright, and very numerous,
fo that they make a fine appearance, when the tree is
full of them: The pods follow thefe, they are two
feet long, black, and woody, having within a black,
foft, pulpy matter, and the feeds.
This pulpy matter is the only part ufed in medi-
no THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
cine. It is a gentle and excellent purge, the lenitivx
ele&uary owes its virtues to it. It never binds after-
ward, and therefore is an excellent medicine for
thole who are of coftive habits ; a fmall doze of ii
being taken frequently.
The Cassia Bark Tree. Cajfia Lignea.
This is a large fpreading tree, frequent in the Eaft-
Indies, and very much refembling the cinnamon-tree
in its appearance. The branches are covered with
a brownifh bark; the leaves are oblong, and pointed
at the ends, and of a deep green colour, and fragrant
fmell. The flowers are fmall, and the fruit refembles
that of the cinnamon-tree.
The bark of the branches of this tree is the only
part ufed in medicine; it is of a reddiih brown co-
lour like cinnamon, and refembles it in fmell and
tafte, only it is fainter in the fmell, and lefs acrid to
the tafte; and it leaves a glutinous or mucilaginous
matter in the mouth. It is often mixed among cin-
namon, and it poflelTes the fame virtues, but in a lefs
degree. However, in purgings it is better than cin-
namon* becaufe of its mucilaginous nature. It is an
excellent remedy given in powder in thefe cafes, and
is not fo much ufed as it ought to be.
T he Cassia C aryophyth ata, or Clove Bark T ree.
Cajfia C aryophyth at a..
This is a large and beautiful tree, frequent in South
America. The trunk is covered with a dulky bark,
the branches with one that is paler coloured and
more fmooth. The leaves are like thofe ol our bay-
tree, only larger, and when bruifed, they have a very
fragrant fmell: The flowers are fmall and blue, and
have a white eye in the middle.
The only part of this tree ufed in medicine, is the
inner bark of the branches. This is brown, thin,
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THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. m
(and rolled up like cinnamon ; it is hard in colour, of
a fpicy fmell, and in tafte it has a mixed flavour of
flcinnamon and cloves, and is very hot and pungent.
It is good in diforders ot the ftomach, and in cho-
|lics, but it is not fo much ufed as it deferves.
Cassidory, or Arabian Stjechas. Stcechas Arabica. .
A very fragrant and pretty fhrub, native of Spain,
and many other warm parts of Europe. It- grows
I much in the manner of lavender, to a yard or more
in height, and is not uncommon in our gardens. T. he
branches are firm and woody: The young fhoots are
pliable and fquare, and are naked to the top. The
leaves ftand upon the branches, two at each joint;
they are long, narrow, and white. The flowers ftand in
little clufters or heads, like thofe 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 are the only part ufed : They are of
the nature of thofe of lavender, but more aroma-
tic in the fmell: They are very ferviceable in all
nervous complains, and help to promote the menfes.
They are belt taken dried and powdered.
The Cassumunar Plant. Cajfumimar.
A common plant of the Eaft-Indies, but of which
I we do not feem to have yet fo perfect a defcription
as might be wifhed. Its leaves are large, long, and
like thofe of our flags, and they involve one another
in a lingular manner about their bafes. The flowers
are fmall, and they are in a fhape ibmewhat like thofe
of certain of our orchifes. They are mottled with
purple and yellow: The feed is little and brown, the
root creeps under the furface of the ground, and is
of a yellow colour, and fragrapt fmell, and of a warm
tafte.
/
ii2 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
rl he root is ufed : We have it at the druggifts. It is
ot the lame nature with zedoary, and has by fome been
called the yellow zedoary. It is a very good medi-
einc m nervous and hyfteric complaints. It is warm
find ftrengthening to the ftomach: It is remarkably
good againit the head-ach, and in fevers. It operates
- quick by urine and by fweat.
Catmint. Nepeta.
A common wild plant about our hedges, but of very
great virtues; it grows a yard high, and has broad
whitifh leaves, and whitifh flowers like mint. The
ftalks are fquare, whitifh, hairy, and erect: The
leaves Hand two at a joint: They are broadeft at the
bafe, and terminate in an obtule end ; they are a little
indented at the edges, and of a whittilh green on the
upper fide, and very white underneath. The flowers
are fmall and white; and they grow in a kind of
fpiked clufters, furrounding the ftalks at certain di-
ftances. The whole plant has a very ftrong, and not
very agreeable lmell.
Catmint fnoukl be gathered juft when the flowers
are opening and dried. It is an excellent woman’s
medicine; an infufion of it is good againft hyfteric.
complaints, vapours, and fits, and it moderately pro-
motes the menfes: It is alfo good to promote the
evacuations after delivery.
Great Celandine. Sheltdonium majur.
common wild plant with large leaves and yellow
flowers: Which, when broken in any part, ftalk, or
leaves, emits a yellow juice. It grows three feet high,
but the ftalks are not very robuft ; they are round,
green, and naked, with their joints. The leaves
ftand two at each joint, they are large, long, and
deeplv divided at the edges, and are ot a yellowifh
green. The flowers are final!, but of a beautiful yel-
2,
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 113
low, and they Rand on long foot-ftalks feveral to-
gether.
Celandine (hould be ufed frefti, for it lofes the
greateft part of its virtue in drying. The juice is the
belt way of giving it; and this is an excellent medi-
cine in the jaundice; It is alfo good againft aii ob-
ftruCtions of the vicera, and if continued a time, will
do great lervice againft the fcurvy. The juice alio
is ufed fuccefsfully for fore eyes.
Little Celandine. Cbclidonium minus.
T he great and the little celandine are plants fo per-
fectly different, that it is hard to conceive what could
induce the old writers to call them both by the fame
name. They hardly agree in any thing, except it be
that they have both yellow flowers. The great ce-
landine approaches to the nature of the poppy ; the
fmall celandine to that of the crow-foot; nor are they
any more alike in virtues than in form.
Little celandine is a low plant, which is feen al-
moft every where in damp places in fpring, with
broad deep green leaves, and gloffy yellow flowers.
It does not grow to any height. The leaves are an
inch long, and nearly as broad; they fomewhat re-
femble thofe of the garden hepaticas, and are of a
dark green, and frequently fpotted; they rife fingly
from the root on long, Render, and naked ftalks. The
flowers rife alfo fingly from the root on long, Render,
and naked ftalks; they are as broad as a (hilling, of a
fine fhining yellow colour, and compofed of a num-
ber of leaves. The root is fibrous, and has fmall
white tuberous Tumps connected to the firings.
The roots are commended very much againft the
piles, the juice of them is to be taken inwardly ; and
feme are very fond of an ointment made of the leaves;
they chop them in pieces, and bbil them in lard till
they are crifp; then (train off the lard, which is cou-
ld
1X4 THE useful family-herbal.
verted into a line green cooling ointment. The ope-
ration of the roots is by urine, but not violently.
Little Centaury. Centaurium minus.
A pretty wild plant which flowers in autumn, in our
dry places. It is eight or ten inches high, the leaves
are oblong, broad, and blunt at the point, the Italics
are ftiff, firm, and erect, and the flowers arc of a fine
pale red. There grows a cluftre of leaves an inch
long, or more, from the root; the Italics divide towards-
the top into feveral branches, and the flowers are long
and Header, and ltand in a clulter.
This is a Aomachic: its tafte is a pleafant bitter,
and given in infufion; it ftrengthens the ftomach,
creates an appetite, and is good alfo againfl obftruc-
tions of the liver andfpleen. It is on this laft account
greatly recommended in jaundices; and the country
people cure agues with it dried and powdered.
As there are a greater and lefier celandine, there is
alfo a great as well as this little centaury, but the
large kind is not a native of our country, nor ufed by
us in medicine.
Ciiaste-Tree. Agnus Cajlrus.
A little fhrub, native of Italy, and frequent in our
gardens. It is five or fix feet high; the trunk is rough,,
the branches are imooth, grey, tough, and long; The
leaves are fingered, or lpread like the fingers of one’s
hand: When opened, five, fix, or feven of thefe di-
vifions Hand on each Italic, they are of a deep green
above, and whitifh underneath ; the flowers are fmall
and of a pale reddilh hue; they Hand in long loofe
fpikes, the fruit is as big as a pepper-corn.
The feeds of this fhrub, were once luppofed to al-
lay venerv, but no body regards that now. A decoc-
tion of the leaves and tops, is good againfl: obftruc-
tions of the liver.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 115
I I
' The black Cherry-Tree. Corcifus Fruttu negro.
This is a well known tall tree, and well lhaped.
I The leaves are broad, roundifh, fharp at the point,
and indented round the edges. The flowers are
white, the fruit is well enough known. The medi-
cinal part of this is the kernel within the ftone. This
has been fuppofed good againfl apoplexies, palfles,
and all nervous difeafes. The water diftilled from
it, was for this reafon in, conftant ufe as a remedy for
children’s fits. But a better practice has now ob-
tained: It is highly probable that this wrater occa-
fioned the diforders it was given to remove. Laurel-
wrater, when made of great ftrength, we know to be
a hidden poifon : When weak, it taftes like black-
cherry-water, and is not mortal: In the fame man-
ner black-cherry-water, which uled to be given to
children when weak drawn, has been found to be
poifonous when of great ftrength. There is, there-
fore, the greateft reafon imaginable to fuppofe that in
any degree of ftrength, it may do mifchief. Very
probably thoufands of children have died by this un-
fufpedted medicine.
The gum which hangs upon the branches of cher-
ry-trees, is of the fame nature with the gum arabic,
and may be ufed for the fame purpofes, as in heat of
urine, diflolved in barley-water.
r
Winter Cherry. Alkekengi.
A very lingular and pretty plant kept in our gar-
dens; it grows two feet high, not very erect, nor
much branched; the ftalk is thick, ftrong, and an-
gulated: The leaves are large, broad, and lliarp-
pointed ; the flowers are moderately large and white,
but with yellow threads in the middle ; the fruit is a
round red berry, of thebignefsofacommon red cherry,
ir
116 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
contained in a green hollow hulk, round, and as big
as a walnut.
'I he berries arc the only part ufed, they are to be
feparated from the hulks, and dried, and may be then
given in powder or deco&ion. They are very good I
in ftranguries, heat of urine, or the gravel: They alfc
arc given in jaundices, and dropfies : They will do
good in thefe cafes, but are not to be depended upon
alone.
Chervil. Cbcerefolium.
A salad herb, cultivated in gardens, but not with-
out its medicinal virtue. It is like parlley in its
manner of growth, but the leaves are more divided,
and of a paler colour. The {talks are round, llriated,
hollow, and of a pale green; they divide into feve-
ral branches, and are about two feet high: The
leaves on them are like thofe from the root, but
fmaller. The flowers are bitter and white, they Hand
in large tufts at the tops of the branches. The feeds
are large and fmooth.
The roots of chervil work by urine, but moderate-
ly; they fhould be given in deco&ion.
The Chesnut-Tree. Cajtanca.
A tall, fpreading, and beautiful tree. The bark is
lmooth and grey : The leaves long and moderately
broad, deep, and beautifully indented round the*
edges, and of a fine llrong green. The flowers are a
kind of catkins, like thofe of willows, long and Ben-
der, and of ayellowifh colour; the fruits are covered
with a rough prickly Ihell, and under that, each par-
ticular chefnut, has its firm brown coat, and a thin
lkin, of an aullere tafte over the kernel.
This thin lkin is the part ufed in medicine, it is to
be feparated from the chefnut, not too ripe, and dried:
COi
$
\
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
117
It is a veiy fine aftringent ; it ftops purgings and over-
flowings of the menles.
Earth-Chesnut, or Earth-Nut. Bulbocafianum .
A common wild plant, which has the name from its
• root. This is of the bignefs of a chefnut, roundifh,
brown on the outfide, and white within, and of a
fweet tafte. The plant grows to a foot high: The
leaves are divided into fine and numerous partitions:
The ftalk is firm, upright, round, ftriated, and green ;
the flowers are white and little, but they grow in
great tufts on the tops of the branches.
The root is the part ufed; it is to be roafted in
the manner of a chefnut, and eaten. It is faid to have
great virtues, as a provocative to venery, but this is
not well confirmed.
Chick-weed. Alfnie Media.
The commoneft of all weeds, but not without its vir-
tues. The right fort to ufe in medicine (for there are
feveral) is that which grows fo common in our gar-
len-beds: It is low and branched. The ftalks are
round, green, weak, and divided: They commonly
ean on the ground. The leayes are fhort and broad,
)f a pleafant green, not dented at the edges, and
minted at the edges; thefe grow two at every joint.
The flowers are white and (mall.
The whole plant cut to pieces, and boiled in lard
rill it is crifp, converts the lard into a fine green
moling ointment * The juice, taken inwardly, is good
igainft the fcurvy.
The China-root Plant.
S?nilax cujus Radix China officiorum.
A. nailing plant, /frequent in 'the Eaft-Indies. It
jrows to ten or twelve feet in length, but the ftalks
h3
ii8 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
are weak, and unable to Hand ereft ; they are ridged,
of a brown colour, and fet with hooked yellow
prickles. The leaves are oblong and broad, largelt
at the ftalk, and blunt at the points, of a {hining
green colour, and glofly furface; the flowers are iinall
and yellowifli ; the fruit is a round yellowifn berry.
The root is large, irregular, and knotty; brown on
the outflde, and reddilh within. This is the part
ufed, they fend it over to our druggifts: It is a fweet-
ener of the blood, and is ufed in diet-drinks for the
venereal difeafe, and the fcurvy. It is alfo faid to be
very good againft the gout, taken for a long time to-
gether.
There is another kind of this root brought from
America, paler on the outflde, and much of the fame
colour with the other within, fome have fuppofed it
of more virtue than the other, but moil fuppofe it in-
ferior, perhaps neither has much.
(4
f
t
i
I
Chick. Cicer.
A little plant of the pea-kind, fown in fome places-
for the fruit as peas. The plant is low and branched;
the ftalks are round and weak, and of a pale green;
the leaves are like thofe of the pea, but each little
leaf is narrower, and of a paler green, and hairy-
like the ftalk : The flowers are fmall and white, and
refemble the pea-bloflom. The pods are fhort, thick,
and hairy, and feklom contain more than two, often
but one feed or chich in each.
They are eaten in fome places, and they are gentle
diuretics.
Cinqefoil. Pentaphyllum .
A creeping wild plant common about way-fides,
and in paftures. The ftalks are round and frnooth,
and ufually of a reddilh colour; they lie upon the
ground, and take root at the joints ; the leaves ftand on
long foot- ftalks, five on each ftalk, they are above an
inch long, narrow, of a deep dulky green, and indent-'
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 119
ed at the edges, the flowers alfo ftand on long foot-
ftalks, they are yellow, and of the breadth of a fhil-
ling, very bright and beautiful. The root is large
and long, and is covered with a brown rind.
The root is the part ufed, it fhould be dug up in
April, and the outer bark taken off and dried, the
reft is ufelefs; this bark is to be given in .powder for
all forts of fluxes; it flops purgings, and the over-
flowings of the menfes ; few drugs are of equal power.
The Cinnamon Tree. Cinnamomum.
A large tree frequent in the Eaft, and not unlike
the bay-tree in its flowers, fruit, leaves, or manner of
growth, only larger. The bark is rough on the trunk
and fmooth on the branches: It has little tafte while
frelh, but becomes aromatic and fliarp, in that de-
gree we perceive by drying. The leaves are of the
iliape of bay Heaves, but twice as big; the flow7ers are
fmall and whitifh; the berries are little, oblpng, and
of a bluifh colour, lpotted with white.
The root of the common tree fmells. ftmngly of
camphire, and a very fine kind of camphire is made
from it in the Eaft, the wood is, white and infipid.
The leaves are fragrant.
The root is the only part ufed, and. this is an excel-
lent aftringent in the bowels; it is cordial and good
to promote appetite; it allb promotes the menfes,
though it acts as an aftringent in other cafes.
The Winters-Bark Tree. Cortex Winter amis.
*
A bark called by many winters -bark, has been al-
ready defcribed under its true name canella alba , in
this place we are to enquire into the true winters-
bark called by many writers cinnamon. The tree
which affords it is. /a- tree of twenty feet high, very
Ipreading and full ol branches: The bark is grey on
the outhde, and brown within. The leaves are two
H x
gS THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL.
inches long, and an inch broad, fmall at the flalk,
and obtufe at the end, and divided a little. The
flowers are white and fweet-fcented, the fruit is a
fmall berry.
The bark is the part ufed, they fend over the two
rinds together: It is very fragrant, and of a hot aro-
matic tafle. It is a fudorific and a cordial ; it is
excellent again!! the fcurvy.
T he Cistus Shrub (from which Labdanum is pro-
cured). Cijlus Ladanifera.
A very pretty fhrub frequent in the Greek illands,
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 reddifh; the leaves are almoft of the fhape
of thofe of fage; they Hand two at every joint, and
are of a dark green colour. The flowers are of the
breadth of half a crown, and of a pale red colour.
The gum labdanum is procured from this fhrub, and
is its only produce ufed in medicine. This is an exu-
dation difcharged from the leaves in the manner of
manna, more than of any thing elfe. They get it off
by drawing a parcel of leather thongs over the fhrubs.
It is not much ufed, but it is a good cephalic.
The Citron-Tree. Citrea Jive malus Medica .
A small tree with prickly branches, but very beau-
tiful in its leaves, flowers, and fruit; the trunk is grey
and rough; the twigs are green. The leaves are fix
inches long, and of a kind of oval figure, and of a
mofl beautiful green colour. The flowers are white
like thole of the lemon-tree, and the fruit refembles
a lemon ; but it is larger and often full of protube-
ranes. 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
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. m
i ;fo large. The juice is like that of the lemon; but the
5 yellow outer rind is the only part ufed in medicine:
3 This is an excellent ftomachic, and of a very pleafant
.flavour. The Barbadoes-vvater owes its tafte to the
3 peel of this fruit; and there is a way of making a
water very near equal to it in England, by the addi-
tion of fpice to the frefh peels of good lemons ; the
method is as follows :
Put into a fmall Hill a gallon of fine molafles fpirit,
put to it fix ounces of the peels of very fine lemons,
and half an ounce of nutmegs, and one dram of cin-
namon bruifed ; let them Hand all night, then add
two quarts of water, and fallen on the head ; diftil
five pints and a half, and add to this a quart and half
U pint of water, with five ounces of the finelt fugar
cfilfolved in it. This will be very nearly equal to the
fined Barbadoes-water.
The Ci trull. Citrullus.
A creeping plant of the melon kind, cultivated in
many parts of Europe and the Eall. The branches
or llalks are ten feet long, thick, angular, flefhy, and
hairy ; they trail upon the ground unlefs fupportea.
I he leaves are large, and Hand fingly on long foot-
llalks ; they are divided deeply into five parts, and
are hairy alfo, and of a pale green colour ; the flow'ers
are large and yellow, and very like thofe of our cu-
cumbers ; the fruit is alfo like the melon and cucum-
ber kinds, roundilh, often flatted and compofed of a
flefhy part under a thick rind, with feeds and juice
within.
The feeds are the only part ufed ; our druggifls
keep them : they are cooling, and they w'ork by urine
gently , they are bell given in form of an emuliion,
peat up with barley-water.
J22 THE USEFUL F A MILY.HERB AL.
Clary. Horminum.
Clary is a common plant in our gardens, not very-
beautiful, but kept for its virtues. It grows two feet
and a halt high ; the leaves are rough, and the flowers
of a whitifh blue. The ftalks are thick, flethy, and
upright ; they are clammy to the touch, and a little
hairy ; the leaves are large, wrinkled, and of a dutky
green, broad at the bafe, and fmaller to the point,
which is obtufe; the flowers Hand in long loofe fpikes,
they are difpofed in circles round the upper parts of
the ftalks, and are gaping and large, the cups in
which they ftand are robuft, and in fome degree
prickly.
The whole herb is uled frefh or dried. It is cor-
dial, and in fome degree aftririgent. It ftrengthens
the ftomach, is good againft head-achs, and ftops the
whites ; but for this laft purpofe it is neceflary to
take it a long time ; and there are many remedies
more powerful.
There is a kind of wild clary on our ditch-banks,,
and in dry grounds, which is luppofed to poflefs the
fame virtues with the garden kind. The feeds of
this are put into the eyes to take out any little offen-
iive fubftance fallen into them. As foon as they are
put in, they gather a coat of mucilage about them,
and this catches hold of any little thing it meets with
in the eye. Dr. Parfons has perfeftly explained this
in his Book of Seeds.
Cleavers. Aparine.
A. wild herb common in all our hedges, and known
by flicking to peoples clothes as they touch it. The
ftalks are fquare and very rough, two feet long, but
weak and unable to fupport themfelves, they climb
among bulhes. The leaves are long and narrow, and
of a pale green ; they grow7 feveral at every joint, en-
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 123
comparing the (talk in the manner of the rowel of a
fpur ; they are rough in the fame manner with the
ftalk, and flick to every thing they touch ; the flowers
are frnall and white ; the feeds grow two together,
and are roundifli and rough like the reft of the plant;
the root is fibrous.
The juice of the frefli herb is ufed ; it cools the
hody, and operates by urine ; it is good againft the
fcurvy, and all other outward diforders. Some pre-
tend it will cure the evil, but that is not true.
The Clove Bark-Tree. CaJJia Caryophyllata.
A tall and beautiful tree, native of the Weft-Indies.
The trunk is covered with a thick brown bark, that
of the branches is paler and thinner. The arms
fpread abroad, and are not very regularly difpofed ;
the leaves are oblong, broad, and fliarp-pointed ;
they are like thofe of the bay-tree, but twice as big,
and of a deep green colour. The flowers are frnall
and blue, they are pointed with ftreaks of orange-
colour, and are of a fragrant fmell ; the fruit is round-
ifli ; we ufe the bark, which is taken from the larger
and fmaller branches, but that from the fmaller is
belt. It is of a fragrant fmell, and of a mixed tafte
of cinnamon and cloves : The cinnamon-flavour is
firft perceived, but after that the tafte of cloves is pre-
dominant, and is fo very ftrong, that it feemsto burn
the mouth. It is excellent againft the cholic, and it
■warms and ftrengthens the itomach, and afiifts di-
geftion : It is alfo a cordial, and in frnall dofes, join-
ed with other medicines, promotes fweat. It is not
much ufed fairly in practice, but many tricks are
played with it by the chymifts to imitate or adulte-
rate the feveral productions of cloves and cinnamon,
for it is cheaper than*either.
124 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
The Clove July-Flower. Caryophyllus Ruber .
A common and very beautiful flower in our gardens;
it has its name from the aromatic fmell, which refem-
bles the clove-fpice, and from the time of its flower-
ing, 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 grafiy ; the ftalks are
round and jointed ; the flowers grow at the tops of
the branches, and the whole plant befides is of a
bluifh green.
The flowers are ufed ; they are cordial, and good
for diforders of the head ; they may be dried, and
taken in powder, or in form of tea, but the beft form
is the fyrup. This is made by pouring five pints of
boiling water upon three pounds of the flow'ers picked
from the hulks, and with the white heels cut off :
After they have flood twelve hours, ftraining off the
clear liquor without prefling, and dilfolving in it two
pound of the fineft fugar to every pint. This makes
the moft beautiful and pleafant of all fyrups.
The Clove Spice-Tree. Caryophyllus Aromaticus.
A beautiful tree, native of warm countries. It
grows twenty or thirty feet high, and very much
branched. The bark is greyifh ; the leaves are like
thofe of the bay-tree, but twice as large ; they are of
a bright fliining green, and Hand upon long foot-
fialks ; the flowers are not very large, but of a beau-
tiful blue colour, and the cups that contain them are
oblong and firm ; thefe are the cloves of the fliops.
They gather them foon after the flowers are fallen.
When they fufter them to remain longer on the tree,
they grow large, and fwell into a fruit as big as an
olive.
The cloves are excellent againft diforders of the
head, and of the ftomach ; they are warm, cordial,
K'
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THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 125
and (lengthening ; they expel wind, and are a good
remedy for the cholic. The oil of cloves is made
from thefe by chymifts ; it cures the tooth-ach ; a
bit of lint being wetted with it, and laid to the
tooth.
Cockle. Pfeudomelanthiuvi.
A tall, upright, and beautiful plant, wild in our
corn-fields, with red flowers and narrow leaves. It
is two feet high ; the llalk is Angle, (lender, round,
hairy, very firm, and perfectly upright ; the leaves
(land two at a joint, and are not very numerous ;
they are long, narrow, hairy, and of a bright green
colour ; the flowers (land fingly, one at the top of each
branch. They are very large, and of a beautiful red.
They have an elegant cup, compofed of five narrow
hairy leaves, which are much longer than the flower.
The feed veflel is roundilh, and the feeds are black.
They are apt to be mixed among grain, and give the
flour an ill talle.
The feeds are ufed ; they work by urine, and open
all obflrudtions ; they promote the menfes, and are
good in the dropfy and jaundice: the bed way of
giving them is powdered, and put into an ele&uary,
to be taken for a continuance of time : For thefe me-
dicines, whofe virtues are againft chronic dileafes,
do not take effect at once. Many have difeontinued
them for that reafon ; and the world in general is,
from the fame caufe, become fond of chymical me-
dicines ; but thefe are fafer, and they are more to be
depended upon ;• and if the two practices were fairly
tried, chymical medicines would lofe their credit.
Fhe Coculus Indi-Tree. a trbor Coculos Indicos
Fere ns.
A moderately large tree, native of the warmer parts
of the world. It is irregular in its growth, and full
1
126 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
of branches; the leaves are fhort, broad, and of a
heart-like lhape ; they are thick, flefhy, fmall, and
ol a dufky green ; the flowers are fmall and hand in
cl ufters ; the fruits follow thefe, they are of the big-
nefs of a large pea, roundifh, but with a dent on one
fide, wrinkled, friable, and brown in colour, and of
an ill fmell.
The powder of thefe ftrewcd upon children’s heads
that have vermin deftroys them, people alfo intoxicate
filh by it. Make a pound of pafte with flower and
water, and add a little red-lead to colour it ; add to
it two ounces of the coculus Indi powdered. See
where roach and other fiih rife, and throw in the
pafte in fmall pieces, they will take it greedily, and
they will be intoxicated. They will fwim upon the
fur face with their belly upward, and may be taken
out with the hands. They are not the worfe for
eating.
The Codaga-Shrub. Codaga Pali.
A little fhrub, frequent in the Eaft Indies, and
very beautiful as well as ufeful. It grows ten or fif-
teen feet high ; the brandies 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 fides; the flowers are large and white, and fome-
what refemble thofe of the rofe-bay, or nerium, of
which fome make it a kind. Each flower is fucceed-
ed by two long pods, which are joined at the ends,
and twift one about the other; they are full of a cot-
tony-matter about the feeds. The whole plant is
full of a milky juice, which it yields plentifully when
broken.
The bark is the only part ufed ; it is but newly
introduced into medicine, but may be had of the
druggifts ; it is an excellent remedy for purgings. It
is to be given in powder for three or four days, and
.
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 127
1 a vomit or bleeding before the ufe of it, as (may be
found neceffary.
The Coffee-Tree. Arbor Coffee Ferens.
A beautiful fhrub of the eaftern part of the world,
which we keep in many of our ftoves, and which
flowers and bears its fruit with us. It grows eight
or ten feet high ; the branches are (lender and weak;
the leaves are large, oblong, and broad, fomewhat
like thofe of the bay -tree, but bigger and thin. The
flowers are white, moderately large, and like jeffa-
mine ; the fruit is a large berry, black when it is
ripe, and in it are two feeds, which are what we call
coffee ; they are whitilh, and of a difagreeable tafte
when raw.
Coffee helps digeftion, and difpels wind ; .and it
works gently by urine. The bell way of taking it
is as we commonly drink it, and there are conftitu-
tions for which it is very proper.
Sea-Cole wo rt, or Sea-Bindweed. SoldaneUa .
A pretty wild plant that we have on the fea-coafts
in many places, and that deferves to be much more
known than it is as a medicine. The (talks are a
fodt long, but weak and unable to fupport themfelves
upright. They are round, and green or purplifli ;
the leaves are roundifli, but fhaped a little heart-fa-
Ihioned at the bottom ; they Hand upon long foot-
ftalks, and are of a Alining green ; the flowers are
large and red ; they are of the fliape of a bell ; the
roots are white and fmall ; a milky juice flows from
the plant when any part of it is broken, efpecially
from the root.
The whole plant is to be gathered frefli when about
flowering, and boiled in* ale with fome nutmeg and.
a clove or two, and taken in quantities proportioned
to the perfon’s ftrength ; it is a ilrong purge, and it
128 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
fometimes operates alfo by urine, but there is no harm
in that. It is fitted for country people of robuft con-
ftitutions, but it will cure clropfies and rhcumatifm.
Nay, I have known a clap cured on a country fellow
by only two dofes of it. The juice which ouzes from
the {talk and roots may be faved ; it hardens into a
fubftance like fcammony, and is an excellent purge.
Coltsfoot. Tujfilago.
A common wild herb of excellent virtues, but fo
different in its fpring and fummer, as that it is fcarce
to be known for the fame. The flowers appear in
fpring without the leaves ; they grow on {talks fix or
eight inches high, round, thick, flelhy, and of a red-
ilh colour, on wfffich there ftand a kind of films in-
Itead of leaves. The flowers grow7 one at the top of
each {talk ; they are yellow, and as large as thole of
dandelion, and like them.
The leaves come up after thefe are decayed ; they
are as broad as one's hand, roundilh, and fupported
each on a thick hollowed {talk ; they are green on
the upper-fide, and white and downy underneath.
The flowers are not minded ; the leaves only are
ufed.
Columbine. Aquilegia.
tin
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A common garden flower, but a native alio of our
country. It grows twro feet high; the leaves are di-
vided into many parts, generally in a threefold or- ft
der; the {talks are round, firm, upright, and a little f;
hairy ; the flowers are blue and large ; the feeds are ^
contained in a kind ot horned capfules. The leaves^,
and the feeds are ufed ; a decoction of the leaves is ft
faid to be good againft fore throats. 1 he feeds open i
obltrudtions, and are excellent in the jaundice, and
other complaints from like caufes.
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THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL, i?q
Comfrey. Symphytum.
A common wild plant of great virtue ; it is frequent
by ditch-fides j it grows a foot and a half high ; the
leaves are large, long, not very broad, rough to the
touch, and of a deep difagreeable green ; the Italics
are green, thick, angulated, and upright > the flowers
grow along the tops of the branches, and are white,
fometimes reddifh, not very large, and hang often
downwards. Thip root is thick, black, and irregular ;
when broken it is found to be white within, and full
of a ilimy juice. This root js the part uled, and it
is belt frefh, but it may be beat up into a conferve,
with three times its weight of fugar. It is a remedy
for that terrible difeafe the whites. It is alfo good
ggainft fpitting of blood, bloody fluxes, and purgings?
and for inward bruifes,
' The Contrayerva-Plant, Contrayerva.
A very Angular plant, native of America, and not
pet got into our gardens. It confifts only of leaves
riflng from the root upon Angle foot-ftalks, and
flowers of a Angular kind, Handing alfo on Angle and
epajate foot-ftalks, with no leaves upon them. The
eaves are large, oblong, very broad, and deeply di-
vided on each ftde, their colour is a dulky green, and
he foot-ftalks on which they ftand are fmall and
vhitifli, and often bend under the weight of the leaf.
The ftalks which fupport the flowers are fhorter and
reaker than thefe, and the flowers are of a very pe-
culiar kind ; they are difpofed together in a kind of
lat form, and are very fmall and inconfiderable.
The bed on which they are fttuated is of an oval
igure, and is called the placenta of the plant ; it i$
>f a pale colour and thin.
We are told of another plant of the fame kind ;
he leaves of which are lefs dividedr and the plzp«
I
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
centa is fquare, but the roots of both arc allowed to
he exactly alike, and it is therefore more probable,
that this is not another plant, but the. fame in a dif-
ferent It age of growth.
We ule the roots, our druggifts keep them, and
they are the principal ingredient in that famous pow-
der,. called from its being rolled up into balls, lapis
contrayerva. It is an excellent cordial and fudorific,
good in fevers and in nervous cafes, and againft indi-
geftions, cholics, and weaknefles of the ftomach. It
maybe taken in powder, or in tincture, but it is better
to give it alone, than with that mixture of crabs-claws
and other ufelefs ingredients, which go into the con-
trayerva-ftone. In fevers and nervous diforders it is
bed to give it in powder, in weaknefles of the fto-
mach it is belt in tindture. It is all'o an excellent
ingredient in bitter tinctures, and it is wonderful the
prefent practice has not put it to that ufe. All the
old prefcribers of forms for thefe things have put
fome warm root into them, but none is fo proper as
this ; the moft ufual has been the galangal, but that
has a inoft difagreeable flavour in tincture : The con-,
trayerva has all the virtues expedt.ed to be found in
that, and it is quite unexceptionable.
The Copal-Tree. Arbor Capalifera.
A large tree of Sopth-America. It grows to a.
great heighth, ftraight, 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 gt the ends; they are deeply cut in at the edges,
and if it were not that they are a great deal longer
in proportion to their breadth, they would be very
like thofe of the oak ; the flowers are moderately
large, and full of threads; the fruit is round, and of
a blood-red when ripe.
We ufe a refin which ouzes from the bark of large
trees of this fpecies in great plenty, and is called co-
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THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 131
tjnl ; it is of a pale yellow colour, fomewhat brown-
ilh, 5 and often colourlefe, and like gum-arabic; we
have a way of calling it a gum, but it is truly a le-
lin ; and the yellow pieces of it are fo bright and
tranfparcnt, that they very much refemble the purelt
amber.
It is good againft the whites, and againft weak-
nefles left after the venereal diieafe, but it is not fo
much ufed on tliefe occafions as it deferves. I It is
excellent for making varnifhes, and what is com-
monly called amber-varmjh, among our artifts, is made
from '"it. Amber will make a very line varnifh, bet-
ter than that of copal, or any other kind, but it is
dear.
We fometimes fee heads of canes of the colourlefs
copal, which feem to be of amber, only they want its
colour; thefe are made of the fame refill in the Eaft.
Indies where it grows harder.
Coral. Corallium,
A sea plant, ofthe hardnefs of a Hone, and with very
little of the appearance of an herb. The red coral, which
is the fort ufed in medicine, grows to a foot or more
in height, the trunk is as thick as a ipan’s thumb,
and the branches are numerous. It is faftened to the
rqcks by a cruft which fpreads over them, and is co-
vered all over with a cruft alfo of a coarfe fubftance
and ftriated texture. Towards the tops there are
flowers and feeds, but very fmall ; from thefe rife the
young plants. The feeds have a mucilaginous mat-
ter about them, \Vhich fticks them to the rocks. The
whole plant appears like a nak^d ftirub, wdthout leaves
or villble flowers.
It has been fuppofed lately that coral is made by
fmall infers, but this is 'an error. Polypes live in
coral as worms in wood, but thefe do not make the
trees, nor the otl
duced to a fine
ter coral. The plant-coral is to be rs-
powder, by grinding it on a marble,
I 2
■/
132 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL.
and then it is to be given to Hop purgings, to deftroy
acid humours in the (tomach, and to fweeten the
blood. They fuppofe it alio a cordial. Probably for
all its real ufes, chalk is a better medicine.
There are feveral forts of white coral, which have
been fometimes ufed in medicine, but all allow the
red to be better, fo that tl;qy are not kept in the
(hops.
Coralline. Corallina.
A little fea-plant frequent about our own coafts.
and of a fomewhat (tony texture, but not like the red.
or white coral. It grows to three inches high, and
is very much branched, and young (hoots arife alfo
from different parts of the branches ; there are no
leaves on it, nor viffble llowers, but the whole plant
is compofed of (hort joints. It is commonly of a
greenifhor reddiffi colour, but when it has been thrown
a time upon the fliores, it bleaches and becomes
white ; it naturally grows to (hells and pebbles. The
beft is the freftieft, not that which is bleached.
It is given to children as a remedy againft worms,,
a fcruple or half a dram for a dofe.
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Coriander. Coriandrum.
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A small plant, cultivated in France and Germany,,
for the fake of its feed. It is two feet high, and has
clufters of white or reddiffi flowers upon the tops of'
the branches ; the (talks are round, upright, and hol-
low, but have a pith in them; the leaves which grow
from the root have rounded tops, thofe on the (talks
are divided into narrow parts; the feeds follow two^
after each flower, and they are half round.
The feed is the only part ufed ; the whole plant,
when frefh, has a bad (inell, but as the feeds dry,
they become fweet and fragrant. They are excellent
to difpel wind, they warm and (trengfhen the fto-
mach, and aflift digeftion. It is good againft pains
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THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 133
: in the head, and has fome virtue in Hopping pur-
gings, joined with other things.
The Cornel-Tree. Cornas Mos.
A garden tree of the bignefs of an apple-tree, and
branched like one ; the bark is greyifh, the twigs
are tough ; the leaves are oblong, broad, and pointed,
of a fine green colour, but not lerrated at the edges j
the flowers are fmall and jell owifh, the fruit is of the
lignefs of a cherry, but oblong, not round ; it is red
ind flefliy, of an aftringent bark, and has a large ftone.
The fruit is ripe in autumn ; the flowers appear
^arly.
The fruit is the part ufed; it maybe dried and ufed,
he juice boiled down with fugar, either way it is
:ooling and moderately aftringent It is a gentle
deafant medicine in fevers with purgings.
There is a wild cornel-tree, ealled the female cor-
iel, in our hedges, a fhrub five feet high, with broad
eaves and black berries : It is not ufed in medicine,
n fome parts of the Weft-Indies they intoxicate fifli
vith the bark of a fhrub of this kind, by only putting
1 quantity of it into the water of a pond ; we have not
ried whether this of ours will do die fame.
Corn-Marigold, C'hryfanthenium SegeJlum.
\ very beautiful \vild plant growing in corn-fields,
vith large bluifh leaves, and full of flowers like ma-
igolds. It is two.feet high, the (talks are numerous,
ound, (tiff, tolerably upright, and branched ; the
eaves (land irregularly, and are long, very broad,
nd of a bluifh green ; they are fmalleft towards the
>afe, and larger at the end,, and they are deeply cut
n at the (ides. ,The flowers are as broad as a half-
rown, and of a very beautiful yellow ; they have a
lufter of threads in the middle. The root is fibrous.
I 3
I
*34 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
The flowers, frefli gathered and juft opened, com i 1
tain the greateft virtue. They are good againft all "
bbilrudlions, and work by urine. An infufion of I1*
them given in the quantity of half a pint warm,
three times a day, has been known to cure a jaundice,
without any other medicine; the dried herb has the
fame virtue, but in a lefs degree.
I] *
Costmary. Cojlus Hortorum.
. it
A garden plant, kept more for its virtues than its ' t it
beauty, but at prefent neglected. It grows a foot- fi
and a half high, and has clufters of naked yellow ti
flowers like tanfey. The ftalks are firm, thick, green, \
and upright; the leaves are oblong, narrow, of a pale v
green, and beautifully ferrated; the flowers confift c
only of deep yellow threads. * , ii
It was once greatly efteemed for ftrengthening the
ftomach, and curing head-achs, and for opening ob- a
ftructions of the liver and fpleen, but more feems tc ;
have been laid of it than it deferred. j
The Costus-Plant. Cojlus.
A n Indian plant, which bears two kinds of ftalks,-] /
one for the leaves, and the other for the flowers and b
feeds ; thele both rife from the fame root, and ofter a
near one another. 1
The leaf-ftalks are four feet high, thick, hollo# li
round, upright, and of a reddifh colour. b
The leaves are like thole of the reed-kind, long c
narrow, and pointed at the edges, and they are of u j
bluifli green colour. The ftalks which bear the a
flowers are eight inches high, tender, foft, round £
and, as it were, fealy. The flowers are fmall anc I 0
teddifti, and they Hand in a kind of lpikes, intermixed i |(
ivith a great quantity of fealy leaves. t
The root is the only part ufed ; it is kept by out j
druggifts ; it is oblong apd irregularly lliaped. It i-
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 1?$
r very good and fafe diuretic ; it always operates that
way, fometimes alfo by fweat, and it opens •obftruc-
tions of the vifcera. But unleis it be new and firm,
it has no virtue.
The Cotton-Tree. Goffyphim five Xylon.
A small fiirub, with brittle and numerous branches,
and yellow flowers. It does not grow more than four
feet high ; the leaves are large, and divided each
into five parts, and of a dulky green colour. The
flowers are large and beautiful; they are of the bell-
fafhioned kind, as broad as a half-crown, deep, .of a
yellow colour, and with a purple bottom ; the feed-
veflels are large, and of a roundifh figure, and they
contain the cotton with the feeds among it. When
ripe, they burft open into three or four parts.
The feeds are uied in medicine, but not fo much
as they deferve ; they^are excellent in coughs, and
all diiorders of the breaft and lungs ; they caufe ex-
pectoration, and are very balfamic and reftringent.
The Cotton-T histle. Acanfouim.
A tall and ftately wild plant, common by our way-
fides, and known by its great white prickly leaves
and red flowers. It is four or five feet high. The
leaves which grow from the root are a foot and a half
long, a foot broad, deeply indented at the edges, and
befet with yellowilh thorns ; they are of a whitith
colour, and feem covered with a downy matter of the
nature of cotton.' The ftalks are thick, round, firm,
and upright, and winged with a fort of leafy fub-
fiances which rife from thgm, and have the fame fort
of prickles that are upon the leaves. The ordinary
leaves upon the ftalks are like thofe which grow from
the root, only they are more deeply indented, and
more pricklv ; the flowers are purple, they Hand in
I 4
i3& THE USEFUL FAMILY-HEkBAL
|°ng prickly heads, and make a beautiful appearance*
T he root is very long, thick, and white.
The root is the part ufed, and that Ihould be frefli
gathered. It opens obftruclions, and is good again!!
the jaundice, and in droplies and other diforders ari-
fing from obftrudlions. It alfo moderately promotes
the menfes< It may be dried and given in powder
for the fame purpofes* But the virtues are much
lei's*
Couch-Grass. Gramen Caninum.
A very troublefome weed in fields and gardens, but
Very ufeful in medicine. Nature has made thofe
plants which may be moft ufeful to us the moft
common, and the mofi difficult to be removed.
Couch-grafs grows two feet high, and is a robuft kind
of grafs ; the ftalk is round and pointed ; the leaves
are grafly, but broad, and of a frefh green colour ;
the fpike at the top is like an ear of wheat, only thin
and flat. It confifts of ten row's of grains. The root
is white, flender, very long, and jointed, and it takes
frqlh hold at every joint ; fo that if but a piece is
left in pulling it up, it grows and increafes very
quickly.
The roots are ufed, and they are to be frelh taken
up and boiled. The decoffion is excellent in the
gravel and ftone, it promotes urine ftrongly, yet not
forcibly or roughly. Taken for a continuance, the
fame decoftion is good again!! obflmftions of the li-
ver, and will cure the jaundice.
Cowslip. Paratyjis.
A pretty wfild plant in oitr meadows. The leaves
are broad, oblong, indented, rough, and of a whi-
tifli green colour; thefialks are round, upright, firm,
thick, and dovmy ; they are fix or eight inches high,
and are naked of leaves. At the top of each fland a
ilL THE USEFUL F AMILY-HERk AL. *3 7
number of pretty yellow flowers, each upon a fepa-
rate foot-ftalk, and in its own feparate cup.
The flowers are the part ufed. 1 hey have been
celebrated very much againft apoplexies, palfies, and
other terrible difeafes, but at ptefent infuch cafes we
do not truft fuch remedies. They have a tendency
to procure fleep, and may be given in tea, or pre-
ferred in form of a conferve.
Cowslip of Jerusalem. Pulmonaria Maculata.
A low plant, but not without beauty, kept in gar-
dens for the credit of its virtues, which are indeed
more and greater than the prefent negletft of it would
have one to fuppofe. It grows to eight or ten inches
high ; the leaves are long and broad, hairy, of a
deep green, and fpotted with white fpots on the up-
per-flde, but of a paler colour, and not fpotted un-
derneath. The ftalks are flender, angulated, and
hairy, and have fmaller leaves on them, but of the
fame figure with thofe from the root. The flowers
are fmall and reddiih, and grow feveral in a duller at
the top of the ftalk. The root is fibrous.
The leaves are ufed, they fhould be gathered be-
fore the ftalks grow up, and dried ; they are excel-
lent in decodtion for coughs, fhortnefs of breath, and
all diforders of the lungs; taken in powder they flop
the overflowings of the menfes ; and when frefh
bruifed, and put into a new-made wound, they flop
the bleeding, and heal it.
Cow-Wheat. Crateogonum .
A common wild plant in our woods and thickets,
with narrow blackifh leaves, and bright yellow flow-
ers. It is eight or ten inches high. The ftalks are
fquare and flender, very brittle, weak, and very fel-
dom quite upright. The leaves are oblong and nar-
row, fometimes of a dufky green colour, but ofetner
T38 the useful family-herbal
purplifh or blackifh ; they are broadeft at the bafe.
and fmaU all the way to the point ; and they are
commonly, but not always, indented a little about
the edges. The flowers hand, or rather hang, all on
one fide of the ftalk in a kind of loofe fpike ; they
are fmall and yellow, and grow two together. The
feeds which follow thefe are large, and have fome-
thing of the afpect of wheat, from whence the plant
has its odd name.
Thefe feeds are the part ufed ; they are to be dried
and given in powder, but in fmall doles. They have
virtues which few feem to imagine ; they are a high
cordial and provocative to venery ; but if given in
too large a dofe, they occafion the head-ach, and a
Arrange giddinefs. I knew an inl'tance of a woman
who had boiled the frefli tops of the plant in. a large
quantity of water as a remedy for the jaundice, I
know not by what information, and having drank
this in large draughts, was as a perfon drunk and
out of her fenfes ; live complained of numbnefs in
her limbs, and feemed in danger of her life, but na-
ture recovered her after a few hours, w'ithout other
afliftance.
The Crab-Tree. Malas Sylveflris.
A common hedge-lhrub, and when in flower very
beautiful. The trunk is uneven, find the bark rough ;
the branches are knotty, the wood is firm, and the
bark of a dark colour *, the leaves are broad and
fhort, the flowers are large and reddifh, very beauti-
ful and fweet, and the fruit is a imall apple.
Verjuice is made from the crab, and it is a reme-
dy for the falling down of the uvula, better than
mofl other applications; it is alio good againft foie-
throats, and in all diforders of the mouth.
b
p
fin
p
ft
th
bf
dr
I
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
139
Cranesbill. Geranium Robertianum.
Cranesbill is a little herb very frequent under
hedges, and in uncultivated places : there are many
kinds of it, but that which has molt virtue, is the
kind called herb Robert, this is a pretty and regular-
ly growing plant. The (talks are a foot long, but
they feldom (land quite upright; they are round,
branched, and jointed, and are often red, as is fre-
quently the whole plant: The leaves are large, and
divided into a great number of parts, and they (land
upon long-footed (talks, two at every joint. The
flowers are moderately large, and of a bright red,
they are very confpicuous and pretty, the fruit that
follows is long and (lender, and has fome refemblance
of the long beak of a bird, whence the name.
The whole plant is to be gathered, root and all,
and dried for ufe; it is a molt excellent aftringent:
Scarce any plant is equal to it. It - may be given
dried and powdered, or in decodtion. It (tops over-
flowings of the menfes, bloody (tools, and all other
bleedings.
It is to be obferved that Nature feems to have fet
her (tamp upon feveral herbs which have the virtue
to (top bleedings; this and the tufan. The two bed
remedies the fields afford for outward and inward
bleedings, become all over as red as blood at a certain
feafom
The Garden-Cress. Najlurtium Hortenefe.
A common garden-plant raifed for falads. It is two
feet high: The (talk is round and firm, and of a
blu ifli green; the leaves are divided into ihgments,
and the flowers are fmall and white; but the full
grown plant is not feen at our tables; we eat only
the leaves riling immediately from the root. Thefe
are large, finely, divided, of a bright green, and
i& THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
fharp; crefle9 eaten in quantity are very good againft
the fcurvy. The feeds open obftrudtions.
Water-CRess. Najlurtium Aquaticum.
A wild plant common with us in ditches, and {hal-
low rivers. It is a foot high, the ftalks are round,
thick, but not very upright, of a pale green, and
much branched ; the leaves are of a frefh and bright
green, divided in a winged manner, and obtufe ; the
flowers are fin all and -white, and there is generally
leen a kind of fpike of the flowers, and feeds at the top
of the (talks.
The leaves are ufed, they may be eaten in the
manner of the garden-crefs, and are full as pleafant,
and they are excellent againft the fcurvy. The juice
exprefied from them has the fame virtue, and works
alfo powerfully by urine, and opens obftructions.
Sciatica-Cress. Iberis ,
A pretty wild plant, but not frequent in all parts
»f the kingdom. It is a foot high. The (talk is round,
firm, and upright, of a pale green colour. The leaves
are fmall, longifh, and of a pale green alfo, and the
flowers (land at the top of the branches, into which
the ftalk divides in its upper part, they are white and
little. The leaves that grow immediately from the
root, are four inches long, narrow, and ferrated about
the edges, and of a deep green.
The leaves are ufed, they are recommended great-
ly in the fciatica, or hip- gout; they are to be applied
externally, and repeated as they grow dry. The bed
way is to beat them with a little lard. It is an ap-
proved remedy, and it is ftrange that it is not more in
«fe.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 14*
Wart-Cresses, or Swines-Cresses.
CoroTiopiis Ruellii.
f
JSl little wild plant very common about our fields
and gardens. It Spreads upon the ground. The ftalks
are five or fix inches long, firm, and thick, but uiual-
ly flat on the earth, very much branched, and full of
leaves. The leaves that rife immediately from the
root, are long and deeply divided, and thofe on the
italks referable them, only they are fm alien they are
of a deep glofly green, and not at all hairy. The
flowers are fmall and white, they Hand at the tops of
the branches and among the leaves, the feed-veflels
are fmall and rough.
This is an excellent diuretic, fafe, and yet very pow-
erful. It is an ingredient in Mrs. Stephens’s medi-
cine, the juice may be taken, and it is good for the
jaundice, and againft all inward obftrudlions, and a-
gainft the feurvy ; the leaves may alfo be eaten '<&,
iglad, or dried and given in decofrian.
Cross-wort. Cruciata,
A very pretty wild plant, but not very common:
It grows a foot and a half high. The ftalks are fquare*
hairy, weak, and of a pale green. The leaves are
broad and lhort, they ft and four at every joint ftar-
fafhioned upon the ftalk. The flowers are little and
yellow ; they ftand in clufters round the ftalk at the
joints, riling from the infertion of the leaves. It is to
be found in dry places.
The whole plant is to be gathered when begin-
ning to flower, and dried. A ftrong decoction of it
is a good reftringent and ftyptic; it flops purgings*
even when there are bloody ftools, and overflowings
of the menfes.
H2 THE USEFUL FAMILY-IIERBAL. *
Crow-foot. Ranuculus.
A COMMON wild plant: there are feveral forts of it
but the kind ufed in medicine, is that molt common
in meadows, and called the common creeping crow-foot.
It grows a foot or more high, the ltalks are firm,
thick, branched, and of a pale green, but they
feldom Hand quite upright. The leaves on them are
few, and divided into narrow fegments; the flowers
are yellow, of the breadth of a {billing, and of a
fine fhining colour; they Hand at the tops of all the
branches; the leaves which rife from the root are
large, divided in a threefold manner, and often fpot-
ted with udiite.
Some are fo rafii as to mix a few leaves of this a-
mong falad, but it is very wrong; the plant is cauftic
and poifonous. They are excellent, applied ex--
ternally, in palfies and apoplexies, for they ad
quicker than cantharides in railing blifters, and are
more felt. It is a wonder they are not more ufed for
this purpofe, but we are at prefent fo fond of foreign
medicines, that thefe things are not minded.
There are two other kinds of crow-foot diftinguifh-
ed as poifons, though all of them are with fome de-
gree ofjuflice branded with this name; but the two
molt pernicious kinds are that called fpearwort, which
has long, narrow, and undivided leaves; and that
with very finall flowers and leaves lomewhat like the
divifions of thofe of fmallage. Thefe both grow in
watery places.
The Cubeb Plant.. Cubehce.
A clambering plant of the warm climates, but un-
known in this part of the world, but now defcribed
by thole who have been where it grows. The ftalks
are weak, angulated, and reddifh; the leaves are
broad and fhort, and the flowers finall, the fruit is of
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 143
he bignefs of a pepper-corn, but a little oblong, and
Trows on a long and fiend, er foot-flalk.
6 This fruit is the part ufed ; the druggifts keep it.
ft is a warm and pleafant fpice, good again it weak-
idles of the ftomach, in cholics, and in palfies, and
ill nervous diforders. But it is ieldom uied alone.
The Cucumber Plant.
Cucumis ^\kenjis.
A creeping draggling plant diffidently known.
The italics are a yard or two long, thick, but fpread
upon the ground, angulated and hairy. 1 he leaves
ire broad, deeply indented, and very rough, and of a
huifh green colour: The flowers are large and yel-
low. The fruit is long and thick; the feeds are ufed
in medicine, and the fruit ihould be differed to itand
till very ripe before they are gathered. They are
cooling and diuretic, good again it ftrangueries, and
all diforders of the urinary paflages; the belt way of
giving them is beat up to an emulflon with barley-
water.
The Wild Cucumber. Cucumis Afininus.
This, though called wild, is not a native of Eng-
land. It fpreads upon the ground in the manner of
the other cucumber, and its branches grow to a con-
fiderable length: they are thick, hairy, angulated,
and of a pale green, and tough. The leaves are
broad at the bafe, and narrow at the point, ferrated
round the edges, and of a pale green above, and
whitifli below. The flowers gre yellow, and mode-
rately large ; the ‘fruit is of an oval figure, hairy, and
full of juice. Care muft be taken in touching it
when ripe, for the fliarp juice flies out with violence.
The juice of the fruit is prefled out, and a thick
matter that lubfides from it is feparated and dried;
the druggifts keep this, and pall it elatherium, it is a
violent purgative, but littled ufed.
m THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Cuckow-Flower, or Lady’s Smock. Car darning
A very beautiful wild plant, frequent in our mea-
dows in fpring, and a great ornament to them. It
grows a foot high. The leaves which rife from the
root, are winged very regularly and beautifully, and
are fprrad in a circular manner, the ftalk is round,
thick, firm and upright. The leaves that grow on it
are fmaller, finely divided, and Hand fingly. The
flowers grow in a little clufter, on that fpike on the
top, and from the bottom of the leaves. They are
large, of a fine white, often tinged with a blufli of
red.
The juice of the frefli leaves is to be ufed; it is an
excellent diuretic, and is good in the gravel and all
fuppreflions of urine. It alio opens obftructions, and
is good in the jaundice and green- ficknefs; and a
courfe of it agaiiflt the feurvy.
Cudweed. Gnaphalium.
A common wild plant, but Angular in its appear-
ance. There are many fpecies of it. But that ufed
in medicine is the kind called the middle cudweed , a
herb impious. It has this laft name from the whimfi-
cal oblervation of the young flowers rifing above the
old ones, which is called the fon's growing above the
father. This cudweed is a little low plant, it feldom
rifes to a foot high. The ftalks are tough, firm,
’ white, flender, and upright; they are very thick, let
with leaves, which are fmall, oblong, white, and
pointed at the ends, and feldom lie very even. The
flowers are a kind of brown or yellowiih heads.
Handing at the tops and in the divifions of the ftalks.
The herb bvuifed and applied to a frefli wound flops
the bleeding; it maybe alfo dried and given in de- ,
codtion, in which form it is good againft the whites,
and w'ill often flop violent purgings.-
?1 »
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 14S
Cummin. Cuminum.
I A plant of the umbelliferous kind, cultivated in
£ every part of the Eaft for the value of the feed. It
grows a foot and a half high. The ftalk is round,
ftriated, green, and hollow. The leaves are large,
and very finely divided in the manner of thofe of
fennel. The flowers fland in large clufters at the tops
of the branches, and they are fmall and white, with
a blufh of red. The feeds are long and ftriated.
The feeds are ufed. Our druggifts 'keep them.
! They are of a very difagreeable flavour, but of ex-
: cellent virtues ; they are good again!! the cholic and
wind in thellomach; and, applied outwardly, they
will often remove pains in the fide. They mull be
bruifed, and a large quantity laid on.
The Black Currant. Ribefia Nigra.
This is a little fhrub, of late brought very univer-
fally into our gardens. It grows three or four feet
high. The branches are weak, and the bark is
i fmooth. The leaves are large and broad, and di-
vided in the manner of thofe of the common cur-
rants- but they have a ftrong fmell. The flowers
are greenifli and hollow. The fruit is a large and
round berry, black, and of a fomewhat difagreeable
tafle, growing in the manner of the currants.
The juice of black currants, boiled up with fugar
to a jelly, is an excellent remedy againft fore throats.
*
Long Cyperus. Cyperus longus.
A wild plant in our marfhes, fens, and other damp
places. It is a foot and a half high. The leaves are
a foot long or more, narrow, grafly, and of a bright
green colour, flat and (harp at the ends. The ftalk
is triangular dnd green ; there are no leaves on it,
146 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
except two or three fmall ones at the top, from
which there riles a number of fmall tufts or fpikes of
flowers. Thefe are brown, light, chaffy, and in all
refpetfts like thofe of the other water-graffes.
The root is ufed. It is long and brown, and when
dried, is ol a pleafant fmell, and aromatic warm tafte.
It fhould be taken up in fpring. It is good againft
pains in the head, and it promotes urine.
P-
,S;
Round Cyperus. Gyperus Rotundas.
jei
>P
A plant in many refpe&s refembling the other, but
a native of the warmer countries. It grows two foot
high. The leaves are very numerous, a foot and a
half long, narrow, of a pale green colour, fharp at
the point, and ribbed all along like thofe of grafs.
The (talk is triangular, and the edges are fharp; it is
firm, upright, and often purplifh, efpecially towards
the bottom. The flowers are chaffy, and they grow
from the top of the ftalk, with feveral fmall and fhort
leaves fet under them; they are brown and light.
The root is compofed of a great quantity of black
fibres, to which there grows at certain diftances
roundifh lumps. Thefe are the only parts ufed in
medicine. Our druggifts keep them. They are light,
and of a pleafant fmell, and warm fpicy tafte.
They are good in all nervous diforders ; they are
beft taken in infufion, but as the virtues are much
the fame with the other, that is beft, becaufe it may
be had frefher.
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The Cypress Tree. Cuprejfus.
A tree kept in our gardens, an evergreen, and An-
gular in the manner of its growth. It riles to twenty
or thirty feet high, and is all the way thick beiet
with branches. Thefe arc largeft towards the bot-
tom, and fmaller all the way up; fo that the tree ap-
pears naturally of a conic figure. The bark is of a
reddifh brown. The leaves are fmall and fhort, they
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THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 147
,over all the twigs like fcales, and are of a beautiful
jeep green. The flowers are fmall and lnconfidei-
Sle. The fruit is a kind of nut, of the bignefs of a
>nall walnut, and of a brown colour and firm fub-
jance. When ripe, it divides into feveral parts, and
ie feeds fall out.
The fruit is the only part ufed. It is to be ga-
lered before it burfts, and carefully dried and given
powder; five and twenty grains is the dofe. It
an excellent balfamic and ftyptic. It flops the
leeding of the nofe, and is good again!! fpitting of
j.ood, bloody-fluxes, and overflowing of the menles.
re are not aware how powerful a remedy it is; few
lings are equal to it.
D.
Common Daffodil. Narciffus.
wild Englifh plant, with narrow leaves and great
llow flowers, common in our gardens in its own
m, and in a great variety of lhapes that culture
s given it. In its wild ftate, it is about a foot
h. The leaves are long narrow, grafly, and of a
en, and they are nearly as tall as the ftalk. The
lk is roundilh, but fomewhat flatted and edged,
lie flower is large and Angle; it Hands at the top
I the ftalk, and by its weight prefies it down a little,
lie root is round and white.
|The frefti root is to be ufed, and it is very eafy to
. Ive it always in readinefs in a garden; and very
1 1 .fcful, for it has great virtues. Given internally, in
."Tmall quantity, it adts as a vomit, and afterwards
irges a little; and it is excellent again!! all obftruc-
Ins. The be!! way of giving it is in form of the
| l|ce prefled out with fome white-wine, but its prin-
K a
THE USE F LJ L F A MI LY-H e r b al.
cipal uJes are externally. The Eaftern nations have
a ^peculiar way of drying the thick roots of plants,
efpecially if they are full of a flimy juice as this is;
They put them to loak in water, and then hang them
over the Ream of a pot in which rice is boiling; aftei
this they firing them up, and they become in fonu
degree tranfparent and horny. It would be word
while to try the method upon this root and fom<
others of our own growth; which, becaufe of thi
flimy juice, we cannot well dry any other way; pro
bably this would lofe its vomiting quality whei
dried, and would ad; only as an opener of obftruc
tions, in which cafe it might be given in repeatet
doles ; for at prefent no body will be prevailed upoi
to take it often.
The frefli root bruifed and applied to frefli wound
heals them very fuddenlv. Applied to drains an
bruifes, it is alfo excellent, taking away the fwellin
and pain.
The Great Daisy. Beilis
major.
p
I";
A ee autiful and flately wild plant, which, if
were not frequent in our fields, would douhtlefs l
eileemed in gardens. It grows to a foot high. Tti
flalks are angulated flender, but firm and upright
The leaves are oblong, narrow, dented round tl
edges, and of a beautiful deep green. The flowe
Hand on the tops of the branches; they are whit
and an inch broad, very like the white China lta
wort fo much eileemed in our gardens. The root
flender.
The flowers are the part ufed ; they are to be g
thered when newly opened, and dried, and may a
terwards be given in powder or infufion: They a
good againft coughs and fhortnefs of breath, and
all diforders of the lungs; they are balfamic ai
flrengthening.
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THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL. 149
The Little Daisy. Beilis minor.
A pretty wild plant, too common to need much
iefcription, but too much neglected for its virtues.
The leaves are oblong, broad, and obtufe. The
(talks are three or four inches high, and have no
leaves. The flowers grow one on each ftalk, and arc
the breadth of a (hilling, and whitilh or reddifh.
The root is compofed of a valt quantity of fibres.
The roots frefh-gathered, and given in a Itrong
lecoction, are excellent againlt the fcurvy; the ufe
3f them mult be continued fome time, but the event
will make amends for the trouble. People give thefe
roots boiled in milk to keep puppies from growing,
jut they have no effedt.
Dandelion. Bens Leonis.
Another of our wild plants, too common to need
riuch defcription. The leaves are very long, fome-
ivhat broad, and deeply indented at the edges. The
[talks are naked, hollow, green, upright, and fix,
fight, or ten inches high ; one flower ftands on each,
which is large, yellow7, and compofed of a great quan-
tity of leaves, and the feeds which follow' this, have
1 dowmy matter affixed to them. The whole head
?f them appears globular ; the root is long, large, and
white; the whole plant is full of a milky juice, the
root molt of all ; this runs from it when broken, and
is bitterifh, but not difagreeable.
The root frefli gathered and boiled, makes an ex-
cellent decodtion to promote urine, and bring away
gravel. The leaves may be eaten as falad, when very
young, and if taken this way in fufficient quantity,
they are good againft the fcurvy.
Red Darnel. Loliuni rubrum.
A wild grafs, very common about way-iides, and di-
uinguifhed by its flubborn (talks and low growth.
K 3
ISO THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
It is not above a foot high, often much lefs. The
leaves are narrow, fhort, and of a dulky green. The
ftalk is thick, reddifh, fomewhat flatted and upright, j
The ear is flat, and is compofed of a double row ol
fliort fpikes : This as well as the ftalk, is often of a
purplifh colour. The root is compofed of a great
quantity of whitilh fibres.
The roots are to be ufed, and they are bell dried
and given in powder. They are a very excellent
aftringent, good againft purging, overflowing of the
menfes, and all other fluxes and bleedings; but the
lail operation is flow, and they mull be continued.
It is a medicine fitter, therefore, for habitual com-
plaints of this kind, than fudden illnefs.
There is an old opinion that the feeds of darnel,
when by chance mixed with corn, and made intc
bread, which may happen, when it grows in corn-
fields, occafions dizzinefs of the head, ficknefs of the
llomach, and all the bad effedts of drunkennefs:
They are alfo faid to hurt the eyes; but we have very
little aflurance of thefe effedls ; nor are they very pro-
bable. They properly belong to another kind oi
darnel, diftiriguifhed by the name of white darnel ,
which is a plant taller, and more common in corn-
fields than the red; but this is very much to be fuf-
pedted upon the face of the account. The ancients
make frequent mention of this kind of darnel, grow-
ing to their great diftrefs among the wheat; but by
the accidental hints fome have given about its height,,
and the fliape of its ear, they feem to have meant the
common dogs-grafs or couch-grafs, under that name;,
though others have feemed to underhand the diftinc-
tion. In this uncertainty, however, remains the mat-
ter about which particular kind of grafs was really
accufed of poflefling thefe bad qualities: But it is moll
probable, that they belong to neither; and thatFancy,
rather than any thing really known, gave birth to the
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THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 151
The Pate Tree. Palma Dattylifera.
A tree of the warmer countries, very unlike thofe
of our part of the world. The trunk is thick and
tall, and is all the way up of the fame bignefs ; 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 Hand a vaft quan-
tity of leaves, fome eredt and fome drooping, and
from the bofoms of thefe grow the flowers and the
fruit; but it is remarkable, that the flowers grow
upon the trees only, and the fruit on fome others. If
there be not a tree of the male kind, that is a flower-
ing tree near the fruit of the female, it will never na-
turally ripen. In this cafe they cut off bunches of
the flowers, and lhake them over the head of the fe-
male tree, and this anfwers the purpofe.
All plants have what may be called male and fe-
male parts in their flowers. The male parts are cer-
tain dully particles; The female parts are the rudi-
ments of the fruits. In fome plants thefe are in the
fame flowers as in the tulip. Thofe black grains
which dull the hands are the male part, and the
green thing in the middle of them is the female: It
becomes afterwards the fruit or feed-veffel. In other
plants, as melons, and many more, the male parts
grow in fome flowers, and the female parts in others,
on the fame plant: And in others, the male flowers
and the female grow upon abfolutely different plants,
but of the fame kind. This is the cafe in the date-
tree as we fee, and it is the fame, though we do
not much regard it in hemp, fpinage, and many
others.
The fruit of the date is the only part ufed. It is
as thick as a man’s thumb, and nearly as long, of a
iweet tafte, and compofed of a juicy pulp, in a ten-
der fkin, with a ftone within it. They are flrengthen-
K4
152 the useful family-herbal.
ing and fomewhat aftringent, but we do not much
ufe them.
Devil’s Bit. Succifa.
A wild plant in our meadows, with {lender Balks,
and globous flowers. It grows two feet high. The
{talks are round, firm, and upright, and divided into
feveral branches; They have two little leaves at each
joint. The flowers are as big as a fmall walnut, and
compofed of many little ones ; their colour is very
ltrong and beautiful. The leaves which grow from the
root are four inches long, an inch broad, obtufe, of a
dark green, and a little hairy, not at all divided, or
fo much as indented at the edges. The roots are
white, and compofed of a thick head, which termi-
nates abrubtly, as if it had been bitten or broken off,
and of a multitude of fibres. The devil, as old wo-
men fay, bit it away, envying mankind its virtues.
The leaves are to be gathered before the ftalks ap-
pear. They are good againft coughs, and the difor-
ders qf the lungs, given in deco&ion. The root dried,,
and given in powder, promotes fweat, and is a good-
medicine in fevers, but we negled it.
Dill. Anethum .
An unbelliferous plant kept in our gardens, princi-
pally for the ufe of the kitchen. The flalk is round,.
{Mated, hollow, upright, three feet high, and di-
vided into a great many branches. The leaves are
divided into numerous, narrow, and long parts, in
the manner of fennel, but they are not fo large.
The flowers are fmall and yellow ; they ftand in
clufters on the tops of the branches. The root is
long. The feeds of dill are good againft the cholic ;
and they are faid to be a lpecific againft the hiccough,
but I have known them tried without fuccefs.
Plate It
Dragons
feverfew
I
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 153
Dittander. Lepidium.
A TALL plant, with broad leaves, and little white
flowers; wild in fome places, and frequent in our
gardens. It grows a yard high. The ftalks are
round, firm, of a pale green, and very much branch-
ed. The leaves are large towards the bottom, fmaller
upwards, and the flowers {land in a kind of loofe
fpikes ; the lower leaves are beautifully indented,
the others fcarce at all : The feeds are contained in
little roundifli capfules, and are of a hot and pun-
gent tafte.
The leaves of dittander, frefh gathered and boiled
in water, make a decoclion that works by urine, and
promotes the menfes: They are alfo good to promote
the neceflary difcharges after delivery.
P itt any of Crete. Didlamnus Creticus.
A very pretty little plant, native of the eaft, and
kept by the curious in fome of our gardens. It has
been famous for its virtues, but they Hand more upon
the credit of report than experience. It is fix or
eight inches high, the ftalks are fquare, {lender, hard,
woody, and branched ; the leaves are fhort, broad,
gnd roundifli ; they Hand two at every joint, and
are covered with a white woolly matter; the flowers
are fmall and purple ; they grow in oblong and {len-
der and fcaly heads, in the manner of thofe of ori-
ganum ; and thefe heads are themfelves very beauti-
ful, being variegated with green and purple. The
whole plant has a fragrant fmell.
The leaves are ufed ; our druggifts keep them
dried. The old writers attribute miracles to it in the
cure of wounds; at prefent it is feldom ufed alone;
but it is good in nervous diforders, and it promotes
the menfes, and ftrengthens the ftomach.
i5+ THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
White Dittany. Fraxinella.
A very beautiful plant, native of many of th( i
warmer parts of Europe ; but with us kept only ir
gardens. It is three feet high, very much branched
and very beautiful ; the {talks are round, thick, firm
and of a green or purplifh colour ; the leaves {land
irregularly on them, and are like thofe of the alh-
tree, only fmaller ; the flowers are large and ele-
gant ; they are of a pale red, \vhite or ftriped ; and
they hand in a kind of fpikes at the top of the
branches. The whole plant is covered in the dim-
mer months with a kind of balfam, which is gluti-
nous to the touch, and of a very fragrant fmell.
This is fo inflammable, that if a candle be brought
near any part of the plant, it takes fire and goes oft'
in a flafh all over the plant. This does it no harm,
and may be repeated after three or four days, a new
quantity of the balfam being produced in that time.
The roots of this plant are the only part ufed, and
they are kept dried by the druggifts. They are com-,
mended in fevers, and in nervous and hyfteric cafes,
but their virtues are not great. I have found an in-
fufion of the tops of the plant a very pleafant and
excellent medicine in the gravel ; it works power-
fully by urine, and gives eafe in thofe cholicky pains
which frequently attend upon that diforder.
Sharp -pointed Dock. Lapathum Folio acuto.
A common plant, like the ordinary dock, butfome-
what handfomer, and diftinguiftied by the figure of
its leaves, which are fharp- pointed, not obtufe as in
that, and are alfo fomewhat narrower and longer.
The plant grows three feet high ; the {talks are eredt,
green, round, ftriated, and branched ; the leaves are
of a fine green, fmooth, neither crumpled on the
furface, nor curled at the edges, and have large ribs;
fa
jp<S
iik
fa
fa
i e!
i
HI
G
1
A
HI
P
V
K
a
a
1
w
c
i
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 155
the flowers are fmall, at fil'd greenifh, then paler,
and, laftly, they dry and become brown. The root
is long, thick, and of a tawny colour.
The root is the part ufed. It is excellent againfl
the fcurvy, and is one of the beft things we know
for what is called fweetening of the blood. It is
beft given in diet-drinks and decodions. Ufed
outwardly, it cures the itch and other foulnefs of
the fkin ; it fhould be beat up with lard for this
purpofe.
Great Water-Dock. Hydro lap athum Maximum.
This is the largeft of all the dock kinds ; they have
a general refemblance of one another, but this is
molt of all like to the laft defcribed in its manner of
growth, though vaftly larger. It is frequent about
waters, and is five or fix feet high ; the ftalks are
round, ftriated, thick, and very upright, branched
a little, and hollow. The leaves are vaftly large, of
a pale green colour, fmooth, and fharp at the point.
The flowers are fmall, and of a greenifh colour,
with fome white threads, and they afterwards be-
come brown. The root is large, long, and of a red-
difh brown.
It is a good remedy in the fcurvy. The root
contains the greateft virtues, and is to be given in
diet-drinks. The feeds of this, and all other docks,
are aftringent, and good againft purgings.
Garden-Dock, w/WMonks-Rhubarb. Lapathum
* • •
sativum, Patientia.
A tall plant, of the dock kind, a native of Italy,
and kept in our gardens for its virtues. It grows fix
or feven feet high. The ftalk is round, ftriated,
thick, upright, and firm. The leaves are very
large, long, and are pointed at the extremity : They
ftand upon thick hollowed fcot-ftalks ; and the main
|56 the useful family-herbal.
Ralk of the plant is alfo frequently red. The
flowers are like thofe of the other docks, greenilh
and white at firft, but afterwards brown ; but they
are larger than in almoft any other kind. The root
is very large, long, and divided ; the outer coat is of
a brownifli yellow ; within, it is yellow mixed with
red. T his is the part uled. It has been called
monks-rbubarb from its poflefling fome of the virtues
of the true rhubarb; but it poffefies them only in a
flight degree; it is very little purgative, and lefs |
aftringent: It works by urine, as well as (tool, and
is good in the jaundice, and other diforders ariling
from obftruflions.
There is another plant of the dock-kind called
bajlard rhubarb , kept in fome gardens, and miftaken
for this. The leaves of it are roundifh. It has the
fame virtues with the monks-rhubarb, but in a much
lefs degree, fo that it is very wrong to ufe it in its
place.
Dodder.. Cufcuta.
¥
fa
t
A very ftrange and Angular plant, but not uncom-
mon with us. It conlifts only of ftalks and flowers,
for there are no leaves, nor the leaf! refemblance of
any. The ftalks are a foot or two in length, and
they fallen themlelves to other plants ; they are of a
purpliih colour, as thick as a fmall pack-thread, and
conliderably tough and Arm. Thefe wind thern-
felves about the branches of the plants, and entangle
themfelves alfo with one another in fuch a manner,
that there is no end of the perplexity of tracing and
unfolding them. The flowers grow in little heads,
and are fmall and reddifli; four little feeds fucceed
to each of them.
Dodder is bell frefh gathered; it is to be boiled in
water with a little ginger and all-fpice, and the de-
cotftion works by ftool brilkly ; it alfo opens obftrue-
V
at
it
is
lo
i
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL. 157
tions of the liver, and is good in the jaundice, and
many other diforders arifing from the like caule.
The dodder which grows upon the garden-thyme,
has been ufed to be preferred to the others, and has
been fuppofed to poflefs peculiar virtues from the
plant on which it grows ; but this is imaginary :
Experience fliews it to be only a purge as the other,
and weaker. The common dodder is preferable to
it with us, becaule we can gather it frefh, the other
is imported, and we only have it dry ; and it often
lofes a great deal of its virtue in the hands of the
druggift.
Dog-Mercury. Cyn0cra7n.be.
A common and poifonous plant named here, not as
a medicine, but that people who gather herbs, for
whatever ufe, may guard againft it. It is common
under hedges, and in the earlier part of the year
makes a pretty appearance. People might be very
naturally tempted to eat of it among other fpring
herbs, for there is nothing forbidding in its afpect ;
and what is much worfe, the authors moft likely to
be confulted on fuch an occalion, might lead
thofe into it, whom they ought to have guarded
againft it.
It is about a foot high, and has but few- leaves,
but they are large. The ftalk is round, thick, whi-
tifh, pointed, and a little hairy, the leaves ftand
principally towards the top, four, five, or fix, fel-
dom more : They are long, and confidcrably broad,
lharp-pointed, notched about the edges, and a little
hairy. The flowers are inconfiderable : They ftand
in a kind of lpikes at the tops of the ftalks, and the
feeds are on fcparate plants, they are double and
roundifti. The herb has been from this divided in-
to two kinds, male and female, but they have in
earlier time given the diftinctions of the fex wrong.
I hole which bear the fpikes of flowers are the male
i5» THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
plants ; the others, notwithftanding any accidental
refemblance, 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 probably
many alia whom we have not heard of: Yet the
writers of Englifli Herbals fay nothing of this. Ge-
rard, an honcft and plain writer, but ignorant as
dirt, fays, “ It is thought they agree with the other
mercuries in nature.” Thefe other mercuries are eat-
able ; therefore, who would lcruple on this account
to eat alfo this. Johnfon, who put forth another
edition of this book, and called it Gerard emaculated ,
from the amending the faults of the original author,
fays nothing to contradict it : But after fome idle
obfervations upon other herbs of the fame name, but
V'ery different qualities, which yet he feems to fup-
pofe of the fame nature, leaves his reader to fuppofe,
that he meant equally any of the kinds of mercury,
for the purpofes he names ; and, like his predeceffor
Gerard, fuppoied them all to be alike ; thofe fafe,
and thofe poifonous. It is true, Mr. Ray, in his
Synoplis of the Britifh Plants, gives an account of it
as a poifon, and mult fufficiently warn all who read
him, from the herb : But who reads him ? His book
in which this is mentioned is written in Latin ; and
thofe w7ho want the information cannot read it.
This is not only the cafe in one or two particulars,
it is l'o in all. To fpeak generally: The books, which
contain real knowledge, ' are written in Latin, thro’
an oftentation of their authors to fliew their learn-
ing, or a pride in having them read in other nations
as well as here : and thofe we have in Englifli are
ignorant, defpiled by the perfons of judgment, and
fit only to millead. If they enumerate virtues, they
give them at random, or give too many falfe among
the true, that the reader knows not what to choole;
or their real ignorance mingles poifons with falads,
as we fee in the prefent inllance : Nor is any more
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 159
-egard to be paid to what they fay of herbs, from
;ertain great names they quote. Diofcorides and
jalen were indeed great phylicians ; but men like
hefe are not qualified to profit from their labours.
The names of plants have been changed fo often
ince their time, that we do not know what they
nean by feveral : And it is eafy for fuch fad profi-
cients as thefe to record of one plant what they fpoke
)f another: Befides, even in their belt Writings,
here is a great deal of error and folly, as may be
een in a quotation of this Johnfon’s from them, ad-
led to Gerard in this very chapter. Where fpeak-
ng of one of the kinds of mercury, diftinguifhed
ike this poifonous kind into male and female, he
ays, “ That the male kind conduces to the genera-
£ tion of boys, and the female of girls.” Such is
he matter, that a fuperiority in one of thefe authors
iver the other, qualified him to add to his book !
luch are the Englilh books that are extant upon this
iibjedt ! and fuch the direction offered to the chari-
able, confounding eatable herbs with poifons ! This
las been one great reafon of writing the prefent
look, that there may be one guide and direction at
eaft to be depended upon ; and this its author has
hought proper to fay at large upon the immediate
ecafion, rather than in a preface, becaufe there it
uuft have been accompanied with a needlefs repe-
ition, and perhaps would not have been obferved
»y many who may have recourfe to the book.
Dog-Tooth. Dens Caninus.
k
\ very pretty little plant, with two broad leaves,
nd a large drooping flower, common in Italy and
Germany, and frequent in our gardens. It is five or
ix inches high. The ftalk is round, flender, weak-,
nd greenifh towards the top, often white at the bot-
om. The leaves Hand a little height above the
; round ; they are oblong, fomewhat broad, of a beau-
160 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL;
tiful green, not at all dented at the sedges, and blunt
at the end ; they inclole the ftalk at the bafe. The
flower is large and white, but with a tinge of reddifh:
it hangs down, and is long, hollow, and very ele-
gant. The root is roundifli, and has fome fibres
growing from its bottom ; it is full of a flimy juice.
The frefii gathered roots are ufed, for they dr)
very ill, and generally lofe their virtues entirely:
they are good againft worms in children, and take t
furprifing and fpeedy effedt againft thofe violent
pains in the belly, which are owing to thofe crea-
tures. The belt way of giving them is in the ex-
prefled juice; or if children will not take that, the)
may be boiled in milk, to which they give very littlt
tafte. It is a powerful remedy, and a fmall dofe wil
take efFedl, efpecially of the juice, lo that it is bell tc
begin with very little, and as that is well borne, to in
creafe the quantity.
Dragons. Dracontlum.
A fine tall and beautiful plant, kept in gardens fo:|
its ufe in medicine, as well as for its appearance. 1
is four feet high. The ftalk is thick, round, anc
firm, perfectly fmooth, and painted on the furfacf
with feveral colours, purple, white, green, and others
The leaves are very large, and ftand on long foot
ltalks ; they are of a deep and ftrong green, ant
each is divided into feveral portions in the manne
of fingers. The flower is like that of the common
arum or cuckow-pint : It is contained in a hollov
green cafe, of a deep purple within, and the piftil i
ufuafly alfo of a deep purple; after this has fallen
appear, as in the arum, large red berries in a duller
The whole plant is of an acrid and infupportabl*
tafte.
The whole plant is to be gathered when in flower
and dried ; it may afterwards be given in decodtion
powder, or otherwife. It was vaftly efteemed foi.
i
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 161
malignant fevars, and in the fmall-pox, but it has
of late loft much of its credit, at prefent it is only
ufed in fome compofitions.
The Dragons-Blood-Tree. Sanguis Draconis
Arbor.
A very beautiful tree, native of the Canaries, and
fome other places. It is of the palm-kind, and one
of the handfomeft of them. The trunk is naked all
the way to the top, and there ftand on its fummit a
great quantity of leaves, long, narrow, and pointed
at the ends ; of a bluifti green colour, and not un-
like the leaves of our flags. The fruit is round, and
is of the bignefs of a walnut with the green rind
upon it.
The dragons-blood is a red friable reftn. Our
druggifts keep it : The beft is in fmall lumps ; there
is an inferior kind in cakes or maffes. It is procured
but cutting the trunk of this tree in the great heats.
There are alfo two other kinds of palm that afford
the fame refin. It is a very excellent aftringent. It
is ufeful in purgings and in the overflowings of the
menfes, in fpitting of blood, and all other occafions
of that kind. It may be given in powder.
Drop wort. Filipendula.
A very pretty wild plant, with tufts of whitifli
lowers, and leaves finely divided. It grows two
:eet high ; the ftalk is round, ftriated, upright, firm,
md branched ; the leaves are large, and divided in-
:o a great number of firm fegments ; they rife prin-
fipally from the root, and ftand on flender foot-ftalks.
ii There are few leaves on the ftalks, and they are
mall. The flowers are little, but they ftand in great
:i ufts at the tops of the branches : They are white on
in lie infide, and often reddifh on .the outfide. The
0ieeds are flattifli, and grow feveral together. The
L
162 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
root is compofed of a great number of fmall lumpi
faitcned together by filaments. This root is the part
mofl ufed; it is good in fits of the gravel,, for it
promotes urine greatly and fafely. For this purpofe
the juice fiiould be given, or a flrong decoction of
the frefii root. When dried it may be given in pow-
der to flop the whites and purgings • it is a gentle
and fafe aftringent.
There are feveral other plants called in Englifli
ciropworts, which are very different in their quali-
ties, and one of them is poifonous in a terrible de-
gree j this laft is called hemlock dropwort \ care muiL
therefore be taken that the right kind is ufed : But
this is fufficiently different from all the others ; the
flower is compofed of fix little leaves, and is full of
yellow threads in the middle ; the flowers of all the.
others are compofed only of five leaves each. They,
are all umbelliferous plants, but this is not ; the
flowers grow in clutters, but not in umbels :
They grow like thofe of the ulmaria or meadow-
fweet.
Duckweed. Lenticula.
A small green herb, confiding of tingle little round-
ifli leaves, which float upon the furface of the water,
and fend their roots into it for nourifhment, without
flicking them into the mud. It is the fmall green
herb that covers almolt all our Handing waters rrr
fummer. There are two other kinds of it, one with
finaller leaves and many fibres from each, anothei
with only one fibre from each leaf : Both thefe arc (
green all over ; and a third kind with larger leaves ;
which are purple underneath ; but all thefe have the
fame virtue, and it is no matter which is taken. The
juice is to be given ; and it is to be continued fevera. ,,
days. _ ji-
lt works powerfully by urine, and opens ob- .
THE USEFUL F AMIL Y- HERB AL. 163
ftru&ions of the liver : Jaundices have been cured
by it fingly.
Dwarf Elder. Ebulus.
A plant fo much refembling the common elder-
tree, that it may be eafily miftaken for it till exa-
mined. It grows four or five feet high ; the ftalks
are green, round, tender, and upright, and they
have very much the appearance of the young fhoots
of elder, but there is no woody part from whence
they rife ; the leaves are large, and compofed of fe~
veral pairs of others, as thofe of elder, with an odd
one at the end ; but thefe are longer than in the el-
der, and they are lerrated round the edges. The
flowers are fmall and white, but they Hand in very
large clutters or umbels, juft as thofe of the elder ;
and they are fucceeded by berries which are black
when ripe, but that is a condition in which we fel-
dom fee them, for the birds are fo fond of them,
they eat them as they come to maturity. The root
is white and creeping, and the whole plant dies down
every year to the ground.
It is wild in England, but not common. It
may be dried ; but the belt way of giving it is in
juice. This works ftrongly both by ftool and urine,
and has often cured droplies.
Dyers-Weed. Luteola *
A very Angular and pretty wild plant ; it grows on
dry banks and upon walls, and is known at fight by
its upright ftalks and very long fpikes of greenifli yel-
low flowers. It grows to- four feet or more in height.
The ftalk is thick, firm, channelled, and in a man-
ner covered with leaves : They are fmall in propor-
tion to the bignefs of the plant, oblong, narrow, and
pointed at the ends, of a yellowifh green colour, and
L 2
i64 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
not ferrated at the edges ; a tuft of the fame kind of
leaves, but fomewhat larger, furround the bottom of
the llalk. The root is long and white; the flowers
are imall, but very numerous.
The flowery tops of this plant dried, and given
in decodtion, are laid to be a remedy for the evil,
but the report is not eftabliflied by any known ex-
perience.
E.
Elder., Sa?nbucus.
Common wild Ihrub; it grows irregularly. The
or trunk is covered with a rough whitifh bark,
and the wood is firm, but there is a hollow within ;
this is fmallefl: in the largeft parts of the fhrub, but
it is never quite obliterated. The young Ihoots are
thick, long, and green ; they grow quick, and are
often a yard long before they begin to change co-
lour or grow woody. Thefe contain a large quan-
tity of pith, and their bark as they Hand becomes
brownifh, and their under furface woody. The
leaves are compofed of feveral pairs of others, with
an odd one at the end : The flowers Hand in vail
clutters, or umbels, and are fmall and white ; they
are fucceeded 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 fort to be yled,
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 165
The inner bark of the elder is a ftrong purge ;
and it has been known to cure droplies, when taken
in time, and often repeated. The flowers are made
into an ointment, by boiling them in lard till they
are almoft crifp, and then pouring it off; this is cool-
ing ; the juice of the berries is boiled down with a
little fugar, or by fome wholly without ; and this,
when it comes to the confidence of honey, is the fa-
mous rob of elder , good in colds and fore throats.
A wine is made of the elder berries, which has the
flavour of Frontigniac.
Elecampane. Enula Campana.
A tall and robufl plant, wild in fome parts of Eng-
land, but kept in gardens for the ufes of medicine ;
it grows five feet high, and the flower is yellow, and
very large ; the ftalk is round, thick, upright, very
robufl, and reddifli ; 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 fomething like the appearance of
a double fun-flower. They are two inches in dia-
meter, yellow, and very beautiful. The root is long
and thick, and is brown on the outflde, and white
within.
The root is the part ufed; we have it dried from
Germany ; but it is for molt purpofes better to take
that frefh out of the garden, which we have here.
Hardly any plant has more virtues. It is good in all
dilorders of the bread; and lungs, and it opens ob-
ftructions : It operates by urine powerfully, and alfo
by fweat ; and the juice of it will cure the itch, ap-
plied externally. Its greateft virtue, however, is
againft coughs, and for this purpofe it is belt taken
candied, provided that be well done. A little of it
may in this way be held almoft continually in the
mouth, and fwallowed gently, fo that it will take
L 3
iC6 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
effeft much better than by a larger dofe fwallowed
at once.
••
Elm. Ulmus.
A tall tree, native of our own country, and fuf-
licjently common in our hedges. It grows to a great
bignefs. The bark is brownifh, rough, and irregu-
lar ; the twigs are alfo brown, and very tough. The
leaves are fmall, broad, fhort, rough to the touch,
and finely indented about the edges, and they ter-
minate 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
feeds are flat.
The inner bark of the elm, boiled in water, makes
one of the belt gargles for a fore throat that can be
fupplied by the whole lift of medicines. It ftiould
be fweetened with the honey of rofes ; it is extremely
foft and healing, and yet at the lame time very
cleanfing.
There are two or three other kinds of elms com-
j
mon in garden hedges ; they are brought from other
countries, but the bark of the Englifh rough elm ig
preferable to them all, as a medicine.
Endive. Endivia.
A common garden-plant kept for falads. It grows
two feet high, and the flowers are blue, but we fee
it a tliouland times with only the leaves for once in
flower, and thefe the gardeners have the art of twill-
ing and curling, and whitening in fuch manner, that
they are fcarce to be known as belonging to the plant.
Naturally they are long and narrow, blunt at the end,
and deeply notched at the edges, and of a yellowilh
green colour ; the ftalks are round and firm, and the
leaves that grow on them are like thofe from the root,
but fmaller ; The flowers ftand at the tops of the
T'HE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 167
ftalks and brandies, they are blue, and in fliape and
ftru&ure like thofe of dandelion : They are very
beautiful.
The juice of endive may be taken with great ad-
vantages as medicine ; it cools the ftomach, and ope-
rates by urine very powerfully ; it alfo opens ob-
ftrudtions of the vifcera. It is good againft the jaun-
dice, and, conftantly taken for fome time, againft the
fcurvy.
Erin go. Eryngium.
A wild plant, which grows with us by the fea-fide,
and is kept alfo in gardens becaufe of its virtues. It
is prickly like a thiftle, and the whole plant appears
not green, but whjtifh. The ftalk is firm, woody,
round, ftriated, and thick, notvery upright, branched,
and fpread irregularly about. The leaves are ftnall,
and of a pale bluifh green, approaching to white ;
they are broad, oblong, and jagged and prickly.
The flowers grow in little heads at the tops of the
ftalks, and there ftands a circle of fmall leaves under
them. The flowers, feparately taken, are fmall, and
of a pale greenifh white, but the head of them is to-
lerably large. The root is long and flender, and of
a pleafant tafte.
This is the part ufed ; the beft way is to take
them candied ; they are good againft coughs, and
weaknefies of all kinds. They have alfo caufed no-
ble virtues as a diuretic, and are good againft the
jaundice ; for this laft purpofe, a decoclion made
from the frefli foots is beft. They are balfamic as
>vell as diuretic.
The Euphorbium Plant. Euphorbium.
A very ftrange plant, native of the hot countries,
and unlike every thing that is known in this part of
the world. It is ten or twelve feet high, and is of a
L 4
i68 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
folid thick body, of a triangular, or elfe a fquare
figure, as thick as a man’s leg, and is divided by
knots placed at diltances, fo as to feem made up of
feveral joints. The edges of the body are all befet
with very fharp prickles ; the plant itfelf is compofed
only of a pulpy foft matter, covered with a thick
rind, of a green colour ; it abounds with a milky
juice, but fo acrid, that there is no bearing a drop
of it a moment on the tongue. The plant often con-
lifts of one fingle Item, fuch as is juft defcribed, but
frequently it fends out feveral branches : Thefe are
naked in the fame manner as the main Item. All they
have, befide the prickles, are a kind of thin films,
or membranes, final], and growing from their bafes,
but the plant is altogether without leaves. The
flowers grow three together among the thorns ; and
the fruit is a veflel containing three feeds.
The gum which fweats out from this plantis ufed in
medicine ; it is yellowifii, and comes forth in fmali
drops ; its tafte is lharp and inlupportable ; it is a
violent purge, and is recommended againft dropfies,
but we fcarce ever prefcribe it, it is fo very rough ;
it is fometimes ufed outwardly among other things
applied to the feet in violent fevers. '
Eyebright. Euphrajia.
A very pretty low herb, common in our meadows,
with woody ftalks, and bright and little variegated
flowers. It grows fix or eight inches high. The
ftalks are round, thick, firm, and very hard ; the
leaves are flat, broad, and deeply indented at the
edges; and they are of a bright fiiining green. Ihe
flowers are little, and they are very bright ; their
ground colour is white, afid they are ftreakedandlpot-
ted with black, and fomc other da.k colours.
This plant has been always famous for dimnefsof
fight, but whether experience warrants the character
that is given of it is uncertain. The juice is very diuretic.
i ; : . . J * * j .. «
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 169
CC5S
F.
Fennel. Fceniculum.
A Common garden plant, kept for its life in the
kitchen, rather than its medicinal virtues. It grows
fix or eight feet high. The ftalk is round, hollow,
and of a deep green colour; the leaves are large, and
divided into a vaft number of fine flender fegments,
and they are alfo of a deep or bluifh green colour.
The flowers (land at the tops of the branches, and
are fmall and yellow; but there grow large clutters
of them together; the feed is fmall, dark coloured,
and ftriated, and is of a fliarp acrid tafte ; the root is
long and white.
The root is the part mod ufed; a decodion made
of it' with common water, and given in large quanti-
ties, works by urine, and is good againft the gravel,
land in the jaundice.
Sweet-Fennel. Fceniculum Dulce.
A garden plant very like the common kind, but of
a paler colour. It grows four feet high; the ftalk
is round, hollow, ftriated, upright, and branched;
and the leaves are large, and divided into a great
number of fine fegments, in the manner of thofe
of common fennel, but both thefe and the ftalks
are of a pale yellowifh green colour, not fo dark
as in the other kind. The flowers are yellowifh,
and ftand in fmall cluftcrs or umbels; the feeds fol-
low, two after each flower; and they are quite dif-
ferent from thofe of the common fennel, in fize, fhape,
colour, and tafte. They are long, flender, of a pale
colour, a little crooked, and deeply ftriated. Their
tafte is fweetifh, and a little acrid.
i;o THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
As the roots are the part moft ufed of the com-
mon fennel, the feeds are the only part ufed of this.
They are excellent in the cholic, and are ufed ex-
ternally, with fuccefs, in poultices to fwellings. The
feeds of the common fennel are ufed by fome, but
they are very hot and acrid. Thefe are preferable
for internal ufe.
Fennel-Flower. Nigella.
A singular and pretty plant kept in gardens. It
grows a foot and half high. The ftalk is firm,
round, ftriated, and upright, and hollow. The leaves
are divided into a multitude of fine flender parts like
thofe of fennel, only very fmall in comparifon, and
thence it had the Englifh name of fennel-flower ;
they Hand irregularly on the (talks, and are of a
pale green. The flowers (land at the tops of the
branches; they are Angular and pretty; the colour is
whitifh, and they are moderately large; the green
leaves about them give them a very particular
grace.
The juice of the plant, frefli gathered, is good foy
the head-ach ; it is to be fnuffed up the nofe, and it
will occaflon fneezing; inwardly taken it works by
urine, and is good in the jaundice.
Hogs-Fennel. Feucedanum.
A wild plant with divided leaves, and umbels of
yellow flowers, and thence bearing a remote refem-
blance of fennel. It grows two feet high ; the flalk
is round, ftriated, hollow, upright, and branched.
The leaves are like thofe of fennel, but the divifions
are much broader, and they run in threes. The
flowers are little and yellow, but the clufters of them
are large, and the feed 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 lingular appearance. The root
✓
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 171
s large, long and brown, and tins is the part ufed as
1 medicine. It is to be boiled in water, and the de~
;o6tion drank night and morning; it dilFoIves tough
rfilegm, and helps afthmatic people ; it alfo works by
irine, and promotes the menfes, and is good in all
jbftru&ions.
Foenugreek. Fcenum Gr cecum .
A. plant of the trefoil kind, but Angular in its man-
ner of growth, cultivated in fields in many places for
the fake of the feed. It is emolient. It grows a foot
and an half high; the Italics are round, ftriated, and
branched. The leaves are Ihort and broad: They
[land three upon every ftalk, as in the common tre-
foils, and are indented about the edges. The flowers
are white and fmall, and they refemble a pea-blof-
fom; the pods are flat, and in them is contained a
quantity of yellow feeds of an irregular figure, and
difagreeable fmell.
Male-Fern. Filix Mas .
A common weed growing at the roots of trees, and
in dry ditches. It has no ftalk for bearing of flowers,
but feveral leaves rife together from the root, and
each of thefe is in itfelf a diftindt plant. It is two
feet high, and near a foot in breadth ; the ftalk is
naked for fix or eight inches, and thence is fet on
each fide with a row of ribs or imaller ftalks. Every
one of which carries a double row of finaller leaves,
with an odd one gt the end; the whole together ma-
king up one great leaf, as in many of the umbellife-
rous plants.
On the backs of thefe finaller leaves, ftand the
feeds in round clufters ; they look brown and dully.
The root is long and thick, and the whole plant has
a difagreeable fmell. The root is greatly recom-
mended for curing the rickets in children. With
what fuccefs it would be hard to fay.
172 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Female-Fern. Filix Fcemina .
A tall and fpreading plant, common on our heaths,,
and called by the country people brakes. It grows
four feet high. The ftalks are round, green' and
fmooth ; the leaves are fet on each fide, and are fub-
divided. The whole may indeed be properly called
only one leaf as in the male-fern ; but it has more
the appearance of a number, becaufe it is fo ramofe.
The fmall leaves or pinnules which go to make up
the large one, are oblong, firm, hard, and of a deep
green colour, and they are fo fpread that the whole
plant is often three feet wide. On the edges of thefe.
little leaves Hand the feeds in fmail dully clutters.
But they are not fo frequent on this, as on the male-
fern, for Nature has fo well provided for the propa-
gation of this plant by the roots, that the feeds are
lefs neceffary, and where it is fo, they are always
produced more fparingly. A certain quantity of every
fpecies is to be kept up, but the earth is not to be
overrun with any.
The roots of female-fern, frefii gathered, and made:
into a decoclion, are a remedy againll that long and'
flat worm in the bowels, called the tape-worm, net
medicine deflroys them fo effectually.
Flowering-Fern. Ofmunda Regalis.
X here is fomething that at firft fight appears Angu-
lar in the manner of this fern’s flowering, but when
particularly examined, it is not different in any
thing material from the other. It grows three feet
high, and the leaves are very regularly conftructed,
and very beautiful; they are compofed in the man-
ner of the other ferns, each of feveral fmall ones,
and thefe are broader and bigger than in any of the
other kinds, not at all indented on the edges; and of
a biuifh green colour, and afterwards vellowifh.
V
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 173
Many leaves arife from the fame root, but only fome
•ew of them bear feeds. Thefe principally rife about
he middle, and the feeds Hand only on the upper
mrt: They cover the whole furface of the leaf, or
learly fo in this part, and the little pinnules turn
mind inwards, and fhew their backs rounded up.
Fhefe are brown, from being covered with the feeds,
md they have fo different an appearance from all
he reft of the plant, that they are called flowers.
The root is long, and covered with fibres. The plant
rrows in boggy places, but it is not very common
wild in England.
A decoction of the frefh roots promotes urine, and
)pens obftructions of the liver and fpleen ; it is not
much ufed, but I have known a jaundice cured by it,
taken in the beginning.
Feverfew. Matricaria.
A ommgn wild plant, with divided leaves, and a
multitude of fmall flowers like dailies; it grows about
farm-yards. The italic is round, hollow, upright,
branched, and ltriated, and grows two feet high. The
leaves are large, divided into many fmall ones, and
thofe roundifti and indented; they are of a yellowifh
green colour, and particular fmell. The flowers
ftand about the tops of the italics, they are fmall,
white round the edges, and yellowifh in the middle.
The root is white, little, and inconfiderable.
The whole plant is to be ufed; it is belt; frefti, but
it preferves fome virtue dried ; it is to be given in
tea, and it is excellent againft hyfteric diforders; it
promotes the meilfes.
The Fig-Tree. Ficus.
A shrub fufficiently known in our gardens. The
trunk is thick, but irregular, and the branches,
which are very numerous, grow without any fort of
i7+ THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERABL.
order. I he leaves are very large, and of a deep
blackilh green, broad, divided deeply at the edges
and full of a milky juice. The flowers are contain-
ed within the fruit. The fig-tree produces fruit
twice in the year ; the firlt fet in fpring, the fecond
towards September, but thefe laft never ripen with
us. The dried figs of the grocers, are the fruit of
the fame tree in Spain and Portugal, but they grow
larger there, and ripen better.
Our own figs are wholefome fruit, and they are
applied outwardly to fwellings with fuccefs ; 'they,
foften and give eafe while the matter is forminsr
within.
*
Fig wort. Scrophutaria.
A tall and regular growing wild plant, with fmali
deep purple flowers. It grows four feet high, and is
common in our woods and ditches, where there is
little water : There is another kind of it in wet
places, called alfo zvater-betony , which is to be di-
ilinguifhed from it by the round indentings of the
leaves; it alfo grows in water, or juft by it: The
right figwort, only loves fliade and dampnefs, but:
not abfolute wet. The ftalk is fquare, upright hol-
low, and very firm; the leaves itand two at each
joint, oppofite one to the other; they are large, broad,
at the bale, narrow at the point, and fharply indent-
ed ; they ftand on long foot-ftalks, and they have the
fh ape of the nettle leaf, but they are perfectly
fmooth, and of a finning colour ; they are fometimes
green, but often brown, as is alfo the whole plant.
The flowers are very finall and gaping, their colour
is a blackifii purple. The root is long, white, and
full of little tubercles, it fpreads a great way under
the furface.
The juice of the frefli- gathered root is an excel-
lent fweetener of the blood taken in finall doaes, and
for a long f:" A fr''TOtllor. The frefli roots bruifed
\
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 175
)i and applied externally, are faid alfo to be excellent
for the evil. They cool and give eafe in the piles,
( applied as a poultice.
The Fir-Tree, dbics.
A wild tree in Germany and many other parts of
Europe, but with us only kept in gardens. We have
no kind of the fir native. What is called the Scotch-
fir, is not a fir but a pine.
The fir-tree grows to a confiderable height, and
with great regularity. The trunk is covered with a
< rough and cracked bark, of a refinous fmell; the
leaves are numerous, and Hand very beautifully on
1 the branches. They ftand in two rows, one oppofite
1 to the other, and are oblong, but fomewhat broad
and flat. They are of a pale green, and of a whitifli
hue underneath. The tree is hence called the filver-
fir , and from the difpofition of the leaves, the yew-
leaved fir , for they grow as in the yew-tree. The
fruit or cones ftand upright; in this kind, they are
long, thick, and brown.
The tops of this kind are great fweeteners of the
blood, and they work powerfully by urine; xthey are
beft given in diet-drinks, or brewed in the beer,
which is commonly drank.
The Red Fir-Tree, or Pitch-Tree. Picea.
A tall tree, but not fo regular in its growth, or in
the difpofition of its leaves as the other. The trunk
is thick, the bark reddifh, and the wood foft ; the
branches are numerous, and they ftand irregularly;
the leaves are oblong, narrow, and fharp-pointed, and
they do not grow in two even rows, as in the other,
but ftand irregularly on the twigs ; the cones are
long, (lender, and hang downwards ; the whole tree
has a ftrong refinous fmell.
176 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
The tops of this arc boiled in diet-drinks againft
the feurvy as the other, but they make the liquor
much more naufeous; and not at all better for the
intended purpofes.
Pitch and tar are the produce of the fir-tree, as alfo
the Strafburg and fome other of the turpentines. The
larch-tree and turpentine-tree, furnifhing the others,
as will be feen in their places. The wood is piled in
heaps, and lighted at the top, and the tar fweats out
at the lower parts, i'his being boiled, becomes hard,
and is called pitch .
The turpentines are balfamic, and very powerful
promoters of urine, but of thefe more in their places;
The tar has been of late rendered famous by the wa-
ter made from it ; but it was a fafhionable remedy,
and is now out of repute again.
Sweet-Flag. Acorns, Calamus Aromciticus Diclus.
A common wild plant that grows undiftinguifhed
among the flags and ruflies, by our ditch fides. The
old phylicians meant another thing by calamus aro -
maticus: They gave this name to the dried ftalks of
a plant, but at prefent it is ufed as the name of the
root of this. The fweet flag grows three feet high,
but confifts only of leaves without a ftalk; they are
long, narrow, and of a pale green colour : Among thefe
there are commonly three or four in all refpects like the
reft, but that they have a clutter of flowers breaking
out at one fide, within five or fix inches of the top.
This is long, brown, and thick, and refembles a cat-
kin of a filbert-tree, only it is longer and thicker.
The root is long, flattifh, and creeping; It is of a
ftrong and rather unpleafant finell when frefh, but it
becomes very fragrant and aromatic in drying. Our
own has its value, becaufe we can have it frefh, but
the dried root is better had of the druggifts; they
have it from warmer countries, where it is more fra-
grant. 2
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 177
The juice of the frefh root of acorus is excel-
lent to promote the menfes, it works by urine mo-
derately, and gives no oftence to the itomach. 1 he
dried root is cordial and (udorific; it warms the
itomach, and is good againft indigeftions and fevers.
Common Acorus, or Yellow Flags.
Acorus Adulterinus.
A common plant in our ditches, and by river lides,
diftinguiftied by its blue-green, flag-like leaves, and
its large yellow flowers, which in (hap< elemble
;hofe of the. iris, or flower-de-luce. It grows hree
ar four feet high; the Italk is rounciiih, out a
ittle flatted, of a pale green, very ered, Arm, and
lot branched; it only fends out two or three - loots
ip wards from the bolom of the leaves; the leaves
ire a foot and a half long, narrow, fiat, and fnarp
it the edges ; the flowers ftand at the tops of the
talks, and are large and beautiful; the feeds are nu-
nerous, and are contained in large triangular vef-
els ; the root creeps.
The root of this is the only part ufed, fome have
confounded them with the true acorus-root, but
hey are called, by way of diftinction, falfd or baftard .
icorus ; they are not at all like them in fliape, co-
our, or qualities; they are of a reddifli brown, have
10 fmell, and are of an auftere tafte; they are an
excellent aftringent ; they Ihould be taken up in
pring and dried, and afterwards given in powder;
hey flop fluxes and overflowings of the menfes.
Flax. Linum.
\ very pretty, as a well as very ufeful plant, culti-
vated for the. fake of its feeds, as well as its (talks,
t is three feet high, the (talk is round, (lender, firm,
aid upright; the leaves are fmall, oblong, and nar-
ow, and they* ftand irregularly, but in great num-
M
i78 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
bers on it; toward the top the ftalk divides into
three or four fhort branches; and on thefe ftand the
flowers; they are large, and of a beautiful blue; each
of thefe is fucceeded by a roundifli leed-veflel, in
which are a number of feeds.
This feed is what is called linfeed . A tea made of
it is excellent in coughs and diforders of the bread
and lungs, and the feed bruifed is alfo good in cata-
plafms, and fomentations for fwellings; the oil drawn
from it is given in pleurifies and peripneumonies, with
great luccefs ; and it is alfo excellent in the gravel
and ftone.
Purging Flax. Linum Cutharticum.
I
A pretty little herb that grows abundantly in our j
hilly paftures, in parks and warrens. It is eight:
inches high; the ftalk is round, firm, and at the
top divided into finall branches; the leaves are
little, oblong, broad, and obtufe, and they ftand
two at each joint; the flowers are fmall and white,
and the whole plant has very much the afpedt of
fome kind of chickweed, but the feed-veflel being,
examined, it appears to be altogether of the flax,
kind; the root is fmall and thready.
This little plant is a ftrong but a fafe purge; the
country people boil it in ale, and cure themlelves of
rheumatic pains, and a great many other obftinate
diforders by it; they talk of it as a remedy for drop-
lies : Doubtlefs it is ufeful in all cafes where a ftrong
and brifk purgative is required.
Fleabane. Conyza.
A pretty wild plant frequent about damp places,
with whitifh leaves, and large yellow flowers in au-
tumn: It is two feet high; the ftalk is round and
eredt, very firm and ftrong, and is often of a reddifh
colour; the leaves are numerous, and ftand irregu-
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 179
larly ; they are above an inch long, moderately broad,
of a rough furface, and whitifh green ; the flowers
ftand at the top of the branches; they are broader
than a {hilling, and compofed of many narrow pe-
tals ; the whole plant has a difagreeable fmell.
It is difputed whether this kind of fleabane, or
another which is fraaller, and has globous flowers,
have the greater virtue, but mod give it for this.
The juice of the whole plant cures the itch, applied
1 externally ; and the very fmell of the herb is laid to
deflroy fleas.
F leawort. Pfyllium.
An herb of no great beauty, native of France, but
kept in gardens here. It has narrow leaves, and
inconfiderable flowers; it is a foot high; the ftalks
are weak, greenifh, and a little hairy; the leaves
Hand two or more at every joint, for that is uncer-
tain ; they are long, very narrow, and alfo fomewhat
hairy: There rife from the bofoms of thefe leaves,
long naked ftalks, on which Hand a kind offpikes of
little flowers, fomewhat like the fpikes of plantain,
only Ihorter; two feeds fucceed each flower, and
they are fmooth, blackifh, and of the lhape of fleas,
whence the name; there are many flowers in each
f head. A mucilage is made of the feeds to cool the
: threat in fevers.
• Flix-Weed. Sophia Chirurgorum.
A pretty wild plant, about our wafte places and
farm-yards, conspicuous for its leaves, if not much
fo for its flower. It grows two feet high; and the
ftalk is round, ered, very firm and ftrong, and not
much branched ; the leaves are moderately large,
I and 1110ft beautifully divided into numerous fmall
li Segments, long and narrow ; they ftand irregularly
i' upon the ftalks ; the flowers are fmall and yellow;
M 2
i8o THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
they Hand in a kind of fpikes at the tops of the
ftalks : they are followed by lhort pods; the whole
plant is of a dark green.
The feeds are the part ufed ; they are to be col-
- lecled when jail ripe, and boiled whole; the decoc-
tion cures the bloody-flux, and is good again!! the
overflowing of the menfes.
F lover-Gentle. Amaranthus.
A garden- flo aver. There are many kinds of it;
but that ufed in medicine, is the large one with
the drooping purple fpike. It grows to four feet
high; the ftalk is firm, round, and channelled, green
lometimes, but often red. The leaves are oblong
and broad, even at the edges, and pointed at the
ends; they are very large, and are often tinged with
red; the flowers are purple, and they grow in long
beautiful fpikes hanging downwards.
The flowers are the part ufed ; they are to be ga-
thered when not quite full blowm, and dried ; they
are good again!! purging and overflowing of the
menfes, in powder or decoflion.
Floveer-de-Luce. Iris.
*
A common flow7er in our gardens. The plant grows
three feet high ; the leaves are a foot and a half
long, narrow, flat, and in all refpecls like the leaves-
of ilags, and of a bluifh green; the ftalks are round,,
or a little flatted, thick, firm, upright, and of a greener
colour; the fknvers are lgrge, and of a deep blue;
the root, fpreads about the furface and is thick, and
of a brownifh colour, and marked with rings.
The juice of the frefh roots of this plant bruifed
with white-wine, is a ftrong purge, it will lometimes
alfo vomit; but that is not hurtful, it is a cure for
dropfies. Gordon, an old w-riter on pliylic, fays, if a
THE USEFUL F AMPLY- HERBAL. i 8 r
dropfy can be cured by the hand of man, this root
will effea it. 1 have found it true in practice.
Florentine Flower-de-Luce. Iris Florentinci.
A plant kept alfo in our gardens, but not fo fre-
quently as the former; it fcarce differs any thing
from the common flower-de-luce, except that the
flowers are white. The root fpreads in the fame
manner, and the leaves are flaggy. The (talk is two
feet or more in height, and the flower is as large as
that of the blue kind, and perfectly of the fame
form.
The root of this kind when diyed is fragrant;
the druggifts keep it: It is good again!! diforders of
the lungs, coughs, hoarfenefs, and all that train of ills;
and it promotes the menfes.
Fluellin. Elatine.
%
A low plant frequent in corn-fields, and confpicuous
for its pretty, though finall flower. The ftalks are
five or fix inches long, round hairy, weak, and trail-
ing upon the ground ; the leaves are little, hairy,
rounded, and placed irregularly ; the flowers are
very fmall, but they are variegated with purple and
yellow, both colours very bright; they have a heel
behind, and each hands upon a hairy foot-ftalk, ari-
fing from the bottom of the leaf.
There is another kind, the leaves of which have
two ears at their bafe, in other refpccls they are the
fame, and they have the fame virtues. The juice of
either is cooling and aflringent. It is given by the
country people in the bloodv-flux, and overflowing
of the menfes.
182 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Fools-Stones, Satyrium five Orchis.
A beautiful wild plant in our meadows and pa-
Itures in June. The leaves are long and fpotted,
and the flowers are purple. It grows ten inches high.
The leaves are fix inches long, and three quarters of
an inch broad, of a very deep green, with large and
irregular blotches of black in different parts. The
ftalk is round, thick, upright, Angle, and flefhy; it
has two or three fmaller leaves of the fame Agure,
and at the top ftand the flowers, in a fpike of an inch
and a half long ; they are not very large, and of a
ftiape different from the generality of flowers; their
colour is a deep and gloffy purple; butfometimes they
are white. The whole plant is juicy. The root
conflfts of two round bulbs, or two round lumps like
a pair of tefticles, and is white and full of a flimy
juice.
The root is the only part ufed. It is fuppofed to
be a ftrengthener of the parts of generation, and a
promoter of venereal defires; but with what truth
one cannot fay. Externally applied in cataplafms, it
is xcellent in hard fwellings. There are a great
many other kinds of orchis in our meadows, but only
this is ufed. The root called falep by our druggifts,
is brought from Turkey, and is the root of a plant of
this kind It is ftrength'ening and reftorative, good
in confumptions and all decays.
Fox-Glove. Digitalis.
A very beautiful wild plant in our paflures, and
about wood-fldes. The leaves are whitifh, and the
flowers large and red. It is three feet high. The
leaves are large, long, rough on the furface, pointed
at the ends, and ferated round the edges; the ftalks
are round, thick, firm, and upright, and of a white
colour ; the flowers hang down from the ftalk, in a.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 183
kind of fpike; they are hollow, red, large, and a little
fpotted with white; they are draped like the end 01
I1 the finger of a glove.
The plant boiled in ale, is taken by people of ro-
buft conftitutions, for the rheumatiim and other ftub-
born complaints; it works violently up w aids and
downwards ; and cures alio quartan agues, and, as is
faid, the falling-ficknefs. An ointment made of the
flowers of fox-glove boiled in May-butter, has been
long famous jn fcrophulous fores.
The Frankincense Tp.EE. Arbor Tburifera.
A large tree, as is faid, a native of the warmer
countries, but we know very little of it. dhofe who
defcribe it moil, only fay that the trunk Is thick, the
wood fpongy, and the bark rough. The leaves they
fay are narrow, and of a pale green; but as to the
flower and fruit, they are filent. Some fay it is
thorny.
All that we ufe is the dry refin, which is of a yel-
lowifh white colour, and flitterifh refinous tafle, and
ftrong fmell. Our druggifts keep this. Whatever
tree produces this, it is a noble balfam, diffolved in
the yolk of an egg, and made into an emulfion with
barley-water; it will do good in confumptions, when
almoft all other things fail. It were well if the com-
mon trifling practice in that fatal diforder, would
give way to the ufe of this great medicine.
*
French Mercury. Mercurialis Mas et Fcemina .
A wild plant, but not very frequent in England,
j confpicuous for little elfe than that it has the male
i flowers on fome plants, and the female flowers on
others, in the manner of fpinage, hemp, and fome
others, as has been explained already under the ar-
i tide Date-Tree. It grows ten inches high ; theftalks
are angular, green, thick, but not firm, and fiand but
M 4
i84 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
•
moderately upright ; the leaves are oblong, broadeft
in the middle, fharp at the point, ferrated at the
edges, and of a deep green colour. The female plants
produce two feeds growing together at the top of
a little fpike. The male produce only a l'pike
of dufty flowers, without any feeds or fruit at all.
But people commonly miftake the matter, and call
the female the male.
‘ A decoction of the frefli gathered plant purges a
little, and works by urine ; it is cooling and good
for hot conftitutions and overfulnefs. The dried
herb is ufed in decodtions for clyfters.
Fr.og Bit. Morfus Ranee.
A little plant, not uncommon on waters, with
round leaves, and fmall white flowers. It has been,
by the common writers, called a kind of water-lily ,
becaufe its leaves are round, and it floats upon the
water, but it is as diftindt as any thing can be, when
we regard the flower. Duckweed has round leaves, ,
and floats upon the water, and it might be called
water-lily for that reafon, if that were fuifleient. The
leaves are of a roundifh figure, and a dufky dark
green colour: They are of the breadth of a crown-
piece, and they rife many together in tufts, from the
fame part of the flalk. This (talk runs along at a
little diftance under the furface of the water, and
from it defeend the roots, but they do not reach
down into the mud, but play loofe like the fibres of
duckweed in the water. The flowers ftand fingly
upon flender foot-flalks; they are white, and compo-
fed of three leaves a piece, which give them a Angu-
lar appearance.
The frefh leaves are ufed in outward applications,
and are very cooling.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 185
Fumitory. Fumaria.
A pretty wild plant, with bluifh divided leaves,
and fpikes of little purple flowers, common in our
corn-fields in June and July. It grows ten inches
high. The ftalk is round, ftriated, of a pale green,
thick enough, but not very firm, or perfe&ly erecfl.
The leaves are large, but they are divided into a
vaft number of little parts, which are blunt and
rounded at the ends; their colour is a faint green.
The flowers are fmall and purple : They have a heel
behind, and a number of them ftand together in a
kind of fpike. The whole plant has little tafte.
The juice expreffed from this plant is excellent
agairflt the fcurvy. It opens obftru&ions of the vif-
cera, and is good againft the jaundice, and all other
difeafes arifing from obftructions.
The Furze-Bush. Genifla Spinofa.
^ wild bufh upon our heaths, and by road-fides,
too common to need much defcription. The ftem is
thick, tough, and of a whitifii colour, covered with
fragments of an irregular kind. The branches are
extremely numerous, and fpread in fuch a manner,
that when the plant is left to itfelf, it forms a kind
of globular or femi-globular tuft upon the ground.
The thorns are very numerous and very fharp, they
Hand as it were one upon another. The leaves are
little, and of a pale green, and they fall off fo quick-
ly, that, for a great part of the year, we fee the
fhrub without any. The flowers are yellow and
beautiful, and the feeds are contained in pods. The
root fpreads a great way, and is not ealily got up
■when the fhrub has once thoroughly fixed itfelf.
Every piece of it left in will fend up a new plant.
The root and the feeds are ufed, but neither
piucli. The feeds dried and powdered are aftrin-
i86
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
gent, and a proper ingredient in eledluaries, among
other things of that intention. The biyrk of the root
is ufed frefh taken up, and is to be given in infu-
fion : It works by urine, and is good againft the
gravel ; but we have fo many better things of our
own growth for the fame purpofe, that it is fcarce
worth while to meddle with it. It lofes its virtue
by drying.
The Galangal-Plant. Galanga .
A Wild plant in the eaft, which grows by waters,
and has fome refemblance to the generality of our
water-plants in its leaves and manner of growth. It
is two feet and a half high, and has white flowers ;
the roots fpread about the furface, and are of an ir-
regular fhape ; the leaves are a foot long, not half
an inch broad, fliarp at the point and at the edges ;
tire flalk is firm, thick, round, and of a purplifli
green; the flowers are fmall, and of a fnow white;
they confifl of a larger upper lip, and a fmaller ten-
der one, each divided into three parts ; the feed-
veffels are oblong, and have each three divifions con-
taining many feeds ; the roots have a very acrid
tafte, and are reddifh : As w’e have two forts of ga-
langal-roots at the druggifls, it might be expefled
there fhould be found two galangal-plants, but they
are both the roots of the fame.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 187
The lefler galangal is molt 11 fed : It is a warm and
fine ftomackic ; we put it in all bitter tinctures.
Head-achs, which arife from diforders in the fto-
mach, are greatly relieved by this root. What is
called Englijh galangal , is the root of the long cy-
perus, defcribed already in its place.
%
Garlic. Allium.
A plant kept in our gardens for its ufes in medi-
cine, and in the kitchen. It grows two feet and a
half high ; the leaves are broad, long, and of aftrong
green ; the ftalk is round, fmooth, and firm, upright,
and of a pale whitifh or bluifii colour ; the fiowers
are white and fmall, but they grow in a large tuft
at the top of the ftalk ; the root is white, or a little
reddifh ; it is compofed of a great number of bulbs,
or, as we call them, cloves, joined together, and co-
vered with a common fkin, and with fibres at the
bottom. The whole plant has an extremely ftrong
fmell, and an acrid and pungent tafte.
The root is to be boiled in water, and the decoc-
tion made into fyrup with honey ; and this is excel-
lent in afthmas, hoarfenefs, and coughs, and in all
difficulties of breathing.
Gentian. Gentiana.
A robust and handfome plant, native of Germany,
and kept with us in gardens. It grows two feet
and a half high/ The leaves that rife from the root
are oblong, broad, of a yellowilli green colour, and
pointed at the ends ; the ftalk is thick, firm, upright,
and browmfh or yellowilli. At every joint there
ftand two leaves like the others, only fmaller ; and
towards the tops at every joint alfo, there ftand a
number of flowers : 1 hefe are fmall, yellow, v.'ith a
gyeat lump in the middle, which is the rudiment of
tne feed-vefiel, and a great quantity of yellow threads
i S 8 THE USEFUL F AMIL Y-HERABL.
about it. The root is large, long, and often divided.
It is of a brownifli colour on the outfide, and yellow
within, and is of a very bitter tafle.
The root is ufed ; our druggifls keep it dry : It is
the great bitter and Homachic of the modern prac-
tice. Garlian-root, and the peel of Seville oranges,
male: the common bitter tinctures and infuflons : Be-
iide llrengthening the ftomach, and creating an appe-
tite, thefe open obftructions, and are good in molt
chronic diforders. The powder of gentian will cure
agues.
Germander. Chcimcedrys.
A little plant, native of many parts of Europe,
but with us kept in gardens. It grows a foot or
more in height, but rarely Hands quite upright. The
{talks are fquare, green, and a little hairy; the leaves
Hand two at each joint; they are oblong, deeply in-
dented at the edges, of a firm fubHance, green on the
upper-iide, but hairy underneath. The flowers are
fmall and purple, like the flowers of the little dead-
nettle. They Hand in clutters about the upper joints
of the Halks, and appear in July.
Germander is an herb celebrated for many virtues.
It is laid to be excellent againH the gout and rheu-
matifm : However that be, it promotes urine and the
menfes, and is good in all obflrudtions of the vifcera.
The juice is the belt w7ay of giving it, but the in-
fuflon is more frequent.
Water Germander.’ Scordium.
A little mean-looking plant, wild in fome parts
of England, but kept in gardens alfo for its virtues.
The Halks are fquare, hairy, of a dufky green, and
fo weak, that they feldom Hand much up. They
are eight or ten inches long. The leaves are fhort,
broad, and indented about the edges, but not {harp-
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL‘. 189
ly, or deep as thofe of the other germander : They
are of a fort of woolly foft appearance and touch, and
of a dulky deep green colour. The flowers are very
fmall and red, and they Hand at the upper joints of
the ftalks, in little parcels together. The whole
plant has a ftrong and difagreeable fmell.
The whole plant is to be ufed freflr or dried. It
has be<?n celebrated greatly as a fudorific, and for
its virtues again!! peftilential fevers, but it is now
little ufed.
Ginger. Tjinziber.
An Eaft-India plant, found alfo in other places, and
Aery Angular in its growth. It produces two kinds
of ftalks, the one bearing the leaves, and the other
only the flowers. The fir!! grow two or three feet
high, and are themfelves compofed in a manner of
the lower parts of leaves, fo that they feem to be
only bundles of leaves rolled together at the bot-
tom. Thefe are long, narrow, and in fome degree
refemble the leaves of our common flags ; the other
ftalks are tender, foft, 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 fpike;
thefe are fmall, in fhape like thofe of our orchis,
and of a mixed colour, purple, white, and yellow.
The root fpreads irregularly under the furface.
The root is the only part ufed : We have it dry
at the grocers ; but the belt way of taking it is as
it comes over from the Eaft-lndies. It is a warm
and fine ftomachic, and difpeller of wind ; it aflifts
digeftion, and prevents or cures cholics. It is alfo
an excellent addition to the rough purges, to pre-
A'ent their griping in the operation.
I90 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Gladwyn. Xyris Spatula fottida.
A wild plant of the iris kind, of no great beauty,
but not without its virtues. The root creeps about
the furface, like that of the common flower-de-luce.
The leaves are a foot long, narrow, and fharp-
pointed, and of a ftrong and very peculiar fmell ;
the ftalks are round, firm, upright, and of a bluilli
green ; the flowers are like thofe of the common
flower-de-luce, but fmaller, and of a very dull co-
lour. There is a little purple in the upper part of
flower, and there are fome veins and ftreaks in the
lower ; but the reft is of a dull dead hue, between
grey and brown, and they have a faint and bad
fmell.
The- juice of the root promotes urine, and the
menfes. The dried root, in powder or infullon, is
good againft all hyfteric diforders, faintings, and
pains. Outwardly, the frefli root is faid to be an
excellent remedy for fcrophulous fwellings ; but this
we mull take upon truft.
Glasswort. Kali.
A common wild plant on the fea-coafts of many
parts of Europe, but not a native of our country ; it
is called cochleated kali , from the form of its feed-
vefiels, which are twifted in the manner of a fnail’s
fli ell. It grows to a foot and a half in height. The
ftalk is round, thick, flefhy, and brittle ; the leaves
are few, and they ftand irregularly; they are oblong
and blunted at the ends, and of a bluifh green co-
lour ; the flowers are fmall, inconnderable, and
yellow.
The juice of the frefli plant is faid to be an excel-
lent diuretic; but we have no opportunities of know-
ing its virtues here. Some fay the feed- vefiels have
the fame virtue, and give them in infuflon ; but we
I
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 191
have better remedies of the fame kind of our own
growth. The whole plant is burnt lor its fixed fait,
which is ufed in making glafs.
A common wild plant, diftinguifhed in our mea-
dows by its narrow and frefh green leaves, and the
long leaves of the cup about its yellow flowers. It
grows a foot and a half in height ; the leaves are
very narrow ; they are broadeit at the bafe, and
fmaller all the way to the point ; the ftalk is round,
thick, firm, very upright, and towards the top di-
vided into two or three branches ; the flowers Hand
at the extremities of the ftalks ; they are of a beau-
tiful pale yellow, very large, and furrounded by a
cup, compofed of long and narrow green leaves,
which, for the greateft part of the day, are clofed
over it, fo that it feems only in bud ; the feeds are
winged with a fine white down, in the manner of
thofe of dandelion, and when ripe they ftand upon
the tops of the branches, in a round head, in the
fame 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 expoled to the air, becomes
yellow and thick like cream.
The root is ufed. It is fo pleafant in tafte, that
it may be eaten in the manner of carrots, and other
roots at table, but it exceeds them all in its qua-
lities. It is an excellent reftorative, and will do
great fervice to people after long illnefles : The belt
way of giving it for this purpofe, is to boil it firft in
water, and then cutting it to pieces, boil it again in
milk, which is to be rendered palatable in the ufual
way ; it becomes thus a moll excellent medicine in
the form of food. / ;
Goats-Beard. Tragopogon.
192 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Goats-Rue. Gcriega .
A tall plant, native of Italy, but kept with us in
gardens. It grows a yard high. The ftalks are
round, ftriated, hollow, not very firm or ftrong, and
of a pale green colour ; they are very much branched,
and not altogether upright ; the leaves are long and
large •, each is compofed of feveral pairs of fmaller
leaves, with an odd one at the end of the rib ; thefe
are oblong, narrow, and of a yellowilh green colour,
thin, and not at all indented at the edges ; the flowers
are fmall, and of a bluifli and whitifh colour ; they
Hand a great many upon the fame pedicle in a droop-
ing pofture.
The whole plant is ufed. It is to be gathered
when juft come to flower, and dried, and afterwards
given in infufton : This gently promotes lweat, and
is good in fevers ; fo much is true of the virtues of
this plant, but much more has been faid of it.
Golden-Rod. Virga aurea.
A very pretty wild plant, with tufts of yellow
flowers, frequent on our heaths in autumn. It is
two feet high. The ftalk is firfn, ered, round, and
hairy ; the leaves are long, broadeft in the middle,
indented at the edges, rough on the furface, hairy,
and of a ftrong green colour ; the flowers are fmall,
and of a bright yellow, but they grow together in a
fort of thick and fhort fpikes, fo that they are very
confpicuous ; the root is long, brown, and of an au-
ftere tafte, as is alfo the whole plant.
The root taken up in fpring and dried, is an ex-
cellent medicine given in powder for purgings, and
for overflowing of the menfes, bloody ftools, or any
other hemorrhage whatfoever. The whole plant has
been at all times famous as a vulnerary or wound
herb, given in decodions.
/
Plate ill
THE USEFUL F AMIL Y-HERB AL. 193
Gold of Pleasure. Myagrum.
A very pretty plant, common in many parts of
England, and known at fight by the vaft quantity
of feed-veflels. It is two feet high ; the ftalk is
round, thick, firm, upright, and toward the top has
a great many branches, all Handing upright ; the
leaves Hand irregularly, and are not numerous ; they
are long, not very broad, and of a pale green ; they
are indented about the edges, and furround the ftalk
at the bafe ; the flowers are little and white ; the
feed-veflels are fhort and roundifh, and they Hand
in vaft quantities, forming a kind of fpikes all the
way up to the tops of the branches, with a few
flowers at the fummit.
The frefh tops of the plant are to be ufed before
it is run to feed. An infufion of them fweetened
with honey is excellent for lore throats and ulcera-
tions of the mouth. The feeds yield a great quan-
tity of oil on prefling, and they are fo plentiful, that
it might feem worth while to cultivate the plant for
them ; the oil is pleafant and well tailed.
The Gourd. Cucurbita.
A large plant of the melon or cucumber kind, kept
in gardens. The ftalks are ten or twelve feet long,
thick, angular, rough, and hairy, but unable to
fupport themfelves upright : They trail upon the
ground, or climb upon other things. The leaves are
very large and broad, indented deeply, rough, and
)f a blackilh green. The flowers are large and bell-
faftiioned, white and downy on the infide, and not
dtogether fmooth on the out furface.
The fruit is large, and has a hard firm Hi ell on the
jutfide, and is flefliy and juicy within, with feeds in
:he manner of the melons ; thefe are flat, and of an
ftdong lhape, and hard.
N
194 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
/
Thefe feeds are the only part ufed : They are cool-
ing and diuretic ; they have this virtue in much the
fame degree with cucumber and melon feeds, and
are given with them in emulfions.
The Bitter Gourd, called Bitter Apple.
Colocynthis.
A native of the Eaft, and of fome other warm coun-
tries, kept in our curious gardens, and affording the
famous drug called coloquintide. It is a fmall plant
of the gourd-kind. The llalks are thick, angular,
hairy, and of a pale green ; they cannot fupport
themfelves, but have a number of tendrils growing
from them, by which they lay hold of every thing
they come 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- j
of melons. The fruit is a round gourd, of the big-
nefs of the largeft orange. The bark is hard, and
the inner part fpungy, with feeds among it Thefe
are flat, hard, and of an oval figure.
The fruit is the part ufed they take off the outer
fliell, and fend the dried pulp with the feeds among
it : but thefe are to be feparated afterwards, and the
pulp ufed alone. It is a very violent purge, but it
may be given with proper caution, and it is excel-
lent againft the rheumatifm, and violent habitual
head-achs. Thefe rough purges will reach the caufe
of diforders that the common gentle ones would not
touch, and the prefent practice denies the ufe of
many of the bcft medicines we know.
! (
Gout-Wort. Pcidagrara Herba Gerrardi, 1
■ f
A common wild plant over-running our gardens, 0
and when once it has taken root, very difficult to be a
got out again. It grows two feet high. The leaves- j
which rife from the roots are large, and they are
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 19s
compofed each of feveral fmaller, fet on a divided
rib, in the manner of thofe of angelica, of which
they have fome refemblance. They are of a pale
green colour, and are oblong and indented at the
edges. The (talks are round, upright, and a little
branched ; they are (lender, ftriated, and green ; the
leaves on thefe are fmaller, and conlift of fewer
parts than thofe that rife from the root. The flowers
are little and white, and they hand in Email round
clulters ; each is fucceeded by two flat feeds. The
root creeps.
The root and frefli buds of the leaves are both
ufed, but only externally ; they are excellent in fo-
mentations, and poultices for pains, and the plant has
obtained its name from their lingular efficacy againfl
the pain of the gout, but it is not advifeable to do
any thing in that dilorder ; the warm applications of
this kind are of all others the leaft dangerous. I
have known a quantity of the roots and leaves boiled
foft together, and applied to the hip in the fciatica,
keeping a frefli quantity hot to renew the other as it
grew cold, and I have known good effe&s from it.
Its ufe fhould not be confined to this pain alone : It
will fucceed in others.
Gromvel. Lithofpermon.
A wild plant of no great beauty, but diftinguifhed
by its feeds, which are hard, glofly, and refemble fo
many pearls as they Hand in the open hulk. The
plant grows a yard high. The ftalk is round, thick,
firm, very upright, and branched; the leaves are
oblong, not very broad, rough and hairy, of a deep
blackilh green colour, and placed irregularly ; the
flowers are fmall and white : When they are fallen
off the cups remain, and contain thefe finning, and-
as it were ftony feeds. The plant is frequent about
hedges.
N 2
196 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
The feeds are the only part ufed : They work
powerfully by urine, and are of great fervice in the
gravel, and all other obltrudtions ; they are bed
given in powder, with a great deal of barley-water
at the fame time.
Ground-Pine. Chamcepitys.
A very lingular little wild plant, of a molly appear-
ance, and relinous fmell : It grows four inches high ;
the llalks are hairy, and feldom Hand upright ; the
leaves are very clofe fet, and the young llioots which
grow from their bofoms perfectly obfcure the Italk ;
it feems a thick round tuft. Thefe leaves are lliort,
narrow, and divided into three parts at their ends,
and they Hand two at every joint of the Italk :
They are rough and hairy like the Italk. The
flowers are little and yellow, and they Itand at the
joints.
The whole plant is ufed, and it has great virtue :
It is to be ufed dry in powder or infulion. It works
Itrongly by urine, and promotes the menfes. It opens-
alfo all obltru6tions of the liver and fpleen, and is-
good in the jaundice, the rheumatifm, and molt ot
the chronic diforders.
Groundsel. Erigeron Jive Senecio.
A common weed in our gardens, and upon walls,-,
with little yellow flowers, and downy feeds: It grows
eight inches high ; the Italk is round, flelhy, tole-
rably upright, and green or purplifli ; the leaves an
oblong, broad, blunt, and divided at the edges
The Howlers are fmall and yellow, they grow in j
fort of long cups at the tops of the llalks anc
branches.
The juice of this herb is a gentle and very gooc
emetic. It caufes vomiting without any great irri
TPIE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 197
tation or pain ; and it is alfo good for cutaneous foul-
neifes applied outwardly.
The Guaiacum-Tree. Guaiacum.
, O
A great tree, native of the Weft-Indies, and to be
feen in fome of our curious gardens. The fruit is
very large, and the branches are numerous; the
leaves are fmall, each is compofed of two or three
pair of fmaller ones, with no odd leaf at the end of
the rib. Thefe are fliort, broad, roundifh, and of a
dufky green colour , the flowers are fmall and yel-
low, but they grow in large clufters together, fo that
the tree, when in bloom, makes a very pretty ap-
pearance.
The bark and wood are the only parts of the tree
ufed ; they are given in decocftion, to promote fweat,
and fo cleanfe the blood ; they are excellent againft
the rheumatifm, fcurvy, and all other diforders
which arife from what is called foulnefs of the blood ,
but they muft be taken for a confiderable time ; for
thefe effects cannot be produced at once.
What is called gum guaiacum is the refin poured
from this tree ; it is very acrid and pungent, and ip
the rheumatifm, and many other cafes, is to he pre-
ferred to the wood itfelf.
198 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL.
iTrnt
H.
Hares-Ears. Bupleuron Latifolium.
A
Common wild plant in fome parts of Europe,
but kept here in gardens. It is two feet or more in
height. The leaves are long and broad, of a ftiff
fubftancej and fomewhat hollowed, which gives them
the appearance of a long and hollow ear, from
whence they are named ; they are.of a whitifh green
colour, and the ribs upon them are high. There is
a fort with narrow leaves, but the broad-leaved kind
is to be ufed in medicine. The ftalks are round,
upright, ftriated, and toward the top branched. The
flowers are little and yellow, and they ftand at the
tops of the branches in fmall umbels. The root is
long and thick, and has many fibres.
The young Ihoots of the leaves which grow from
the root are efteemed exceedingly, in places where
they are native, for the cure of frefli wounds. They
cut two or three of thefe off clofe to the ground,
and without bruifing them, firft clofing the lips of
the wound, they lay them on, one over the other,
making a kind of comprefs : They then bind them
on with linen rags, and never take off the drefiing
for three days, at the end of which time, in molt
cafes, they only find a fear ; the cure being per-
fected. This is the lubftance of a pompous account
lent lately to a perfon of difti action with fome leaves
of the herb. There is no doubt of the truth, and
h
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 199
the furgeons will very well underftand the nature of
the cure : The difcovery, however, is not new, for
the herb has always been reckoned among the vul-
nerary plants ; and fome have pretended that it will
fingly cure the king’s evil, but that is not to be ex-
pected ; at the fame time it may be proper to ob-
ferve, that we do not want plants for the fame ufe
in England ; we have the tutfan, which is to be
applied in the fame manner, and has the fame ef-
fect ; clowns all-heal, and many others named in
itheir places.
Hares-Foot. Lagopus.
\
Pl common little plant, lingular in the tuft, which
contains its feeds, and whence it has its name, but
not fo much regarded as it ought to be for its
virtues. The ftalks are numerous, round, flender,
and fpread upon the ground ; each is divided into
a number of lelfer branches. The leaves are fmall,
oblong, narrow, of a pale green colour, and hairy ;
and they ftand three together in the manner of the
trefoils. The flowers are fmall, and of a faint red ;
they ftand feveral together in a fhort fpike, and the
cups which receive them at the bafe are downy ;
jthis gives the Angular afpedt of hairinefs to thefe
: heads, and their foftnefs to the touch.
The whole plant is to be ufed dried. It is an ex-
cellent aftringent. It Hops the overflowings of the
menfes, and the whites, and is good againft bloody
1 fluxes and purgings of all kinds. The belt way of
taking it is in a ftrong decoction, which mull be con-
tinued fome time.
Harts-Toncue. Phyllitis Lingua Cervma.
A wild plant of the fern kind, that is confiding
■only of leaves without a ftalk, the flowers and feeds
ajbeing borne on the backs of them * but it has no re-
[ N 4
200 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
femblance to the ordinary ferns in its afped. Each
leaf of harts-tongue is a feparate plant, but there rife
many from the fame root. The foot-ftalk is five
inches long, the leaf an inch and a quarter broad,
largeft at the bottom, and fmaller to the top, ufually
fimple, but fometimes divided into two or more parts
at the end. It is of a beautiful green at the upper-
fide, fomewhat paler underneath, and the foot-ftalk
runs all along its middle in form of a very large rib.
The feed-veflels are difpofed in long brown ftreaks on
each fide of this rib, on the under part of the lea£
and they are more confpicuous than in mod of the
fern-kind. The plant grows in old wells, and in
dark ditches, and is green all the year.
It is not much ufed, but deferves to be more
known. It is an excellent aftringent, the juice of
the plant, taken in fmall quantities, and for a con-
tinuance of time, opens obftrudions of the liver and
fpleen, and will cure many of the moft obftinate
chronic diftempers.
Hartwort. Sefeli.
A tall, robuft, and handfome plant, native of the
Alps, but kept in our gardens. It grows five or fix
feet in height : The ftalk is round, thick, ftriated,
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 yellowifh green ; the flowers
are fmall and white, but they ftand in great tufts or
umbels at the tops of the ftallcs, the feeds follow two
after each flower, and they are oblong, broad, and.
edged with a leafy border ; they are of a dark co-
lour, a ftrong fmell, and acrid tafte.
The feeds are the only part ufed ; they promote
the nienfes, and the neceflary difcharges after delb
very, and are an excellent warm and cordial me-
dicine ; they work alfo gently by urine, and cure
TH E USEFULFAMI L Y-H E R B A L. 20 1
Irbolicky pains; they are to be given in powder or
infufion.
I A shrub too common in our hedges to need much
dcfcription. '1 lie trunk is irregular, and feldom
ftraight, the branches are Itrong, tough, and thorny,
and the leaves of a glofly green, and beautifully di-
Ivided. The flowers are white and beautiful ; the
fruit is fmall.
The flowers and the dried fruit are ufed in medi-
cine ; they have the fame virtue, they work by
urine, and are good in the gravel, and all complaints
'' that kind: But there are fo many better things
r the fame purpofe at hand, that thefe are not
it is frequent about old walls and in farm-yards, and
Is diflinguifhed by its long fpikes of pods, which
ire lodged clofe upon the Italk. It grows two feet in
■jeight ; the {talk is round, firm, upright, but not al-
ways quite ftraight, and a little branched ; the leaves
ire of a pale green colour, hairy, oblong, and deeply
ndented at the edges; the flowers are fmall and
Lellow, and they commonly ftand at the tops of
l ong fpikes of pods, which have been flowers before
I hem.
The whole plant is ufed ; an infufion of it frefli is
he belt way of taking it. This diffolves tough phlegm,
ind is excellent in afthmas, hoarfenefles, and other
! omplaints of the breall. This Ample infufion, made
jnto a fyrup with honey, alfo anfwers the fame pur-
hofe, and keeps all the year.
Hawthorn. Sfnna alba.
Smuch regarded,
Hedge-Mustard. Ery/imum.
A very common wild plant, and of no great beauty;
202 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Hemlock. Cicuta.
A large, tall, and handfome umbelliferous plant,
frequent in our hedges. It grows to fix feet in
height, the ftalk is round, firm, hollow, and upright;
it is of a dark green, and often ftained with purple
and yellow. The leaves are very large, and divided
into very fine and numerous partitions ; the flowers
are fmall and white, and Hand in large clufters on
the tops of the ftalks ; the feeds are roundifh. The
whole plant has a ftrong difagreeable fmell, and has •
been called poifonous.
The roots are excellent in poultices for hard fwell?
ings.
Hemp. Cannabis.
Hemp is a tall plant, of a coarfe afpecl, cultivated
in fields for its fialk. It grows five teet high, and
is a robuft plant ; the italk is thick and rigid ; the
leaves are numerous ; they are large, and each com?
pofed of fix or feven fmaller ; tliefe qre difpofed in
the manner of fingers, and are of a deep green co- • ,
lour, rough, narrow, and ferrated at the edges.
The flowers in hemp grow in fome plants, and the
feeds on others. The flowers are inconfiderable
and whitifh, the feeds are large, roundifh, grey, and
have a white pulp within. The root is fibrous.
The feeds are ufed in medicine ; an emulfion made i
of them cures the jaundice.
Hemp Agrimony. Kupatorium Caitnabinum .
A tall plant growing by waters, with tufts of I
red flowers and leaves, divided in the manner of'
tliofe of hemp. It grows five feet high, the ftalk is
round, thick, reddifti, and very upright ; the leaves
are large, of a pale green, and fingered ; they ftand
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 203
two at each joint, the flowers grow in bunches as big
as a man’s fift, on the tops of the branches, and are
of a bright red.
' The root frefli gathered and boiled in ale, is ufed
in fome places as a purge, it operates ftrongly, but
without any ill effefl, and dropfies are laid to have
ibeen cured by it fingly.
Black Henbane. xHyofcya?nus niger.
A common wdld plant, of a dilrnal afped: and difa-
greeable lmell. The farm-yards and ditch banks in
moft places are full of it-, it grows two feet high; the
Iftalk is thick, round, hairy, and clammy to the touch;
but not very upright; the leaves are large, long, and
broad, deeply ferrated at the edges of a bluifh green
colour, hairy and clammy to the touch, and leaving
a difagreeable fmell upon the hands; the flowers are
large, and ftand in rows on the tops of the branches,
which often bend down ; they are of a ftrange yel-
owifli brown colour, with pure veins; the feeds are
numerous and brown.
The feeds are ufed ; the reft of the plant is eftecm-
ed poifonous ; they are given in frnall dofes againft
the bloody flux, and it is faid with great fuccefs ; I
have not known it tried.
White Henbane. Hyofcyamus albus.
A native of Italy and Germany, kept in our gar-
dens: It is a foot high, and has lbmething of the af-
pect of the black ‘henbane, but not fo difmal : the
ftalk is round, thick, and of a pale green; the leaves
are large, broad, but fhort, and a little indented at
the edges; they are of a yellowilh green, and fome-
what hairy; the flowers are fmall and yellow, and
the feeds are whitifh.
The feeds of this kind are preferred to thofe of the
Other, as lefs ftrong in their effeds, but if any harm
204 THE useful family-herabl.
■would happen from the internal ufe of the others,
fhould have known it, for they are generally fold for
them.
Good King Henry. Bonus Henricus.
A common wild plant, called alfo by fome Englijh
mercury , by way of diflindion from the other, which
is called French mercury , and has been defcribed al-
ready. This grows a foot high; the (talk is round
and thick, but rarely Hands quite upright; it is
greenifh and purplifh, and is covered with a kind of
grey powder, unduous to the touch. The leaves are
large, broad, and of the fhape of an arrow-head ; they
Hand on long ftalks, and are of a pale green above,
and greyifh underneath, being there covered with
this grey powder ; the flowers are inconfiderable ;
they are of a greenifh yellow, and they Hand in long
fpikes at the tops of the branches; the plant is com-
mon in farm-yards.
The young flioots are eaten as fpinage; the juice
of the whole plant works gently and well by urine ; ;
and the dried herb is ufed in decodions for clyflers.
The Hermodactyl Plant. Hertnodattylus.
'I
A beautiful plant having more the afped of a gar-
den-flower, but it is common wild in the Eafl. The
root is round! fh but flatted, and indented at bottom,
and fmaller at top. The leaves are large and broad;
they are fharp at the point, and of a deep green co-
lour. The flowers are large, and of a whitifh co-
lour veined and flriped with purple; this is the befl
account we have received of the plant, but part of it
comes with lefs authority than one would wifh to
things of this kind. This root is dried and fent
to IIS.
It is a gentle purgative, but it is lefs ufed at this
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 205
' X
time than many others. It has been in more repute,
perhaps with reafon.
Holyhock. Malva Arborea.
A common garden-flower. It grows eight feet high;
the ftalk is round, firm, hairy, and upright; the
leaves are large and roundilh, ot a deep green, hairy
and cut in at the edges; the flowers are very large,
red, white, or purple, and Hand in a kind of long
fpike. The root is white, long, and thick, and is of
aflimy nature, and not difagreeable tafie.
This is the part ufed, a deco&ion of it operates by
urine, and is good in the gravel ; it has the lame
virtue with the mallow and marfhmallow, but in a
middle degree between them, more than the mal-
low, and not fo much as the other, nor is it fo plea-
ifant.
Honewort. Selinam. Sii Folis.
A common plant in corn-fields, and dry places, with
extremely beautiful leaves from the root, and little
umbels of white flowers. It has its Englilh name
from its virtues. Painful fwellings. are in fome parts
of the kingdom called bones , and the herb, from its
ilingular effedt in curing them, has received the name
of honewort , that is hone-herb.
The root is long and white; there rife from it
early in the fpring, half a dozen or more leaves,
jwhich lie fpread upon the ground in an elegant
(manner, and are all that is generally obferved of the
plant. The ftalks do not rife till the end ot fum-
«mer, and thefe leaves decay by that time, fo that
•they are not known to belong to it. Thefe leaves are
■eight inches long, and an inch and a half in breadth:
riThey are compofed each of a double row of fmaller
•leaves, fet on a common rib, with an odd leaf at the
lend ; thefe are oblong, tolerably broad, and indented
206 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
in a beautiful manner. They are of a frefli green
colour; they are the part of the plant molt feen, and
the part to be ufed, and they are not eafily con-
founded with thofe of any other plant, for there is
l'carce any that has what are nearly fo handfome.
The italk is two feet high, round, hollow, upright,
but not very firm and branched toward the top.!.
The leaves on it are fomewhat like thofe from the
root, but they have not the Angularity of thofe
beautiful and numerous fmall ones; the flowers are
little and white, and the feeds are fmall, flattifh,
liriated, and two of them follow every flower.
The leaves are to be ufed ; they are to be frefli
gathered, and beat in a marble-mortar into [a kind
of pafte; they are to be laid on a fwelling that is
red, painful, and threatens to have bad confequencesjj
and they difperfe it. The application mull be fre-
quently renewed, and there are thofe who fpeak of
its curing the evil.
Honey- Suckle. Periclymenum.
A beautiful wild fhrub. The trunk is feldora
more than an inch thick; the branches are very long
and Render, of a reddifli colour, brittle, and all of
the fame bignefs. The leaves Hand in pairs; they
are broad, fhort, blunt, of a dark dead green colour.
The flowers grow in little clulters; they gre long,
Render, tubular, and very fragrant, the berries arc
red. 1
The frefli leaves of honey-fuckle given in decoc-
tion, are good againft obftrudtions of the liver and
fpleen ; they work by urine, and they are alfo a good
gargle for a fore throat.
PIoneywort. Cerinthe.
A juicy plant frequent wild in many parts ol t
Europe, but with us kept in gardens. It has its
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL'. 207
name from the fweet tafte of the flowers. Almoft
all flowers have a drop of honey juice in their bot-
tom: This is indeed the real fubftance of honey, for
the bees only pick it out and get it together: The.
hollow flowers in general have more ol it, or it is
little preferred in them than others, but fcarce any
in fo great a degree as this plant named from it. It
is two feet high, when kept erect, but if left to itfelf,
it is very apt to lean upon the ground. The llalk is
pound, thick, juicy, and tender; the leaves are large,
[jblong, broad; they furround and inclofe the ftalk
pt their bafe ; they are of a bluifli green colour, fpot-*
ted or clouded irregularly with white, and they are
mil of a fort of prickles. The flowers grow at the
<:ops of the flalks, feveral together among the clutters
bf leaves; they are hollow, oblong, and very wide,
bpen at the mouth, their colour is yellow, variegated
vith purple in the middle, and they have a very
oretty appearance.
The frefh gathered tops of the plant are to be
ifed ; an infulion of them is cooling, and works by
irine. It is good again It fcorbutic complaints, and
n the jaundice.
The Hop Plant. Lupulus ,
climbing plant, with very long flalks, common
n our hedges,, and cultivated alio in many places.
The flalks are roundilh, rough to the touch, and of a
mrplifli colour often, fometimes only green. The
paves are very large, of a roundilh figure, deeply in-
.ented, of a dark green colour, and very rough alfo
a the touch. The fruit is fufficiently known.
A decoction of frefh gathered hops is good againft
he jaundice; and the powder of hops dried in an
ven, has been often known to cure agues, but upon
his there is no ablolute dependence.
208 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
White Horehound. Marrubium album.
A white hoary plant, with little flowers in tufts
round the ftalks, frequent in dry places in many
parts of the kingdom. It grows fixteen inches high.
The ftalks are iquare, and very robuft, hairy, pale
coloured, and upright. The leaves ftand two at each
joint, they are fhort and broad, blunt at the ends,,
and widely indented at the edges, of a rough furface,
and white colour. The flowers are white, and the
points of their cups are prickly.
The beft part of the plant, for medicinal ufe, is
the tops of the young (boots, a decodion of thefe
made very ftrong, and boiled into a thin fyrup with
honey, is excellent againft coughs, hoarfenefies of
long (landing, and all diforders of the lungs. The
fame decodion, if taken in large dofes, and for a con-
tinuance, promotes the menfes, and opens all ob-
ftrudions.
Black Horehound. B allot e.
A common wild plant, of a difagreeable fmell, thence * ;
alfo called by fome {linking horehound. The ftalks ;
are fquare, the leaves grow two at every joint, and
are broad, fhort, and of a blackifh green colour, but :
in fhape not unlike thofe of the white kind. v The
flowers ftand in clufters round the ftalk at the joints,
as in the other, but they are red. The whole plant:
has a diftnal afped. The root is fibrous.
The plant is to be ufed frefh and dried, and it has
more virtue than molt imagine. It is to be given in
form of tea, it promotes the menfes, and is fuperior to
moft things as a remedy in hyfteric cafes, faintings, :
convulfions, and low-fpiritednefs, and all the train
of thofe diforders.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 209
Horsetail. Equifetum Segetale.
, A common and yet very lingular wild plant, fre-
Iquent in our corn-fields, and compofed of branches
only, without leaves, there are alio many other kinds
of horfetail. It is a foot or more in height, and is
extremely branched ; the {talk is round, blunt, ridged,
and angulated, and compofed of joints. It is hollow,
■weak, and feldom fupports itfelf tolerably upright.
The branches are of the fame flruclure, and they are
again branched; they grow feveral from every joint
of the main ltalk, and have others again, though in
lefs number, growing from their joints. The whole
plant is of a green colour, and when bruifed, not of a
very agreeable fmell.
The whole plant is to be ufed, and it is bed frefli ;
though it retains a great deal of its virtue dried.
Given in decodlion, it flops overflowings of the
menfes, and bloody flools, and applied externally, it
immediately flops the bleeding of wounds, and heals
them.
Hounds Tongue. Cynoglojfum.
A tall and Angular looking plant, frequent by our
way-fides, and diflinguifhed by its large whitifli leaves,
and fmall purple flowers, as alfo by the particularity
of its fmell, which has been fuppofed to refemble
that of a kennel of hounds. It is two feet and a half
high. The flalk is angulated, firm, and upright:
The leaves are long, confiderably broad, of a pale
whitifli or bluifli green colour, fharp at the points,
1 and not at all ferrated at the edges. The flowers are
I fmall and of a deep purple: They grow along the
[! tops of the branches, and are followed by rough
> feeds.
The root is the part ufed: It is long, thick, and
i brown, but whitifli within ; it is balfamic and aflrin-
O
2io THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
gent. Given in decodtion, it is excellent againft coughs
ariling from a thing fliarp humour. Dried and pow-
dered, it is good againft purgings, and flops the over-
flowings of the menfes.
Great Houseleek. Sedum majus.
A plant fufficiently known, as well by its particu-
lar manner of growing, as for its place of growth. It
forms itfelf into clufters of a roundifh figure, thefe
are compofed of leaves, which are largeft toward the
bottom, and fmalleft at the end; they are very thick
and juicy, broad at the bafe, fharp at the point, flat
on the upper-fide, a little rounded on the under, and
fomewhat hairy at their edges. The ftalk grows to ten
inches high, it is very thick, round, and juicy, up-
right, of a reddilh 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 afterwards
becomes a clufter of feed-vcffels.
The leaves are the partufed; they, are applied ex-
ternally in inflammations, and are very ufeful, when
cooling things may be employed. The juice is alfo
cooling and aftringent taken inwardly, but it is rare-
ly ufed. Some praife it greatly for the inflamma-
tions of the eyes.
There is another kind of houfeleek, very unlike
this in form, but of the fame virtues, this is called the
lejfer houfeleek ; the Italics are round, final], and red-
difh, and grow fix inches high ; the leaves are long
and rounded, not flat as other leaves are; and the
flowers are white, and ftand in kind of tufts, like
Umbels at the tops of the ftalks. This grows on old
walls, and the tops ofhoufes like the other.
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. in
The Least Housleek, or Wall-Pepper.
Sedum minimum Acre.
.A common plant on old walls, of kin to the pre-
ceding, but very different both in face and virtues.
The root is little, from this grow abundance of ftalks ;
they are round, weak, and unable to fupport them-
felves; they fpread every way about, and are iix
inches in length. The greateft part of every ltalk is
covered with leaves, fo that it appears a green fub-
ftance, of the thicknefs of ones little finger; thefe
leaves are fliort and thick; they are of a fine green co-
lour, and are broad at the bale, and fliarp at the point.
The flowers are little, and of a bright yellow ; they
grow in great numbers, from the tops of thefe
branches, and are of the fhape of thofe of common
houfeleek, and rounded by fuch feed-veflels.
The juice of this kind of houfeleek is excellent a-
5ainft the fcurvy and all other difeafes arifing from
what is called foulnefs of the blood. It is faid that a
continued courfe of it will cure the king’s evil: but
we want experience to fupport this.
The Hypocist. Hypocijlus.
A very lingular plant, native of the Grecian iflands,
md of fome of the warmer parts of Europe. It is
ive inches high, and of a lingular figure. It does not
^row in the earth at large as other plants, but to the
root of fome fpecies of ciftus; as mifletoe grows to
:he branches of trees. The flalk is thick and flefhy,
md is often twice as large toward the top as at the
lottom. It is whitifh, or yellowifh, or purplifh, and
las a parcel of fliort and broad fkinny films, byway
)f leaves upon it. The flowers grow at the top with
eaves of the fame kind among them ; they are large
md beautiful, and are fucceeded by fruits of a
roundifli figure, in which is a quantity of glutinous
0 2
1 12 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL.
✓
liquor, and with it the feeds, which are very fmalIF
and of a brownifh colour.
We u(e the hardened juice of the fruit; it is eva-
porated over the fire to a thick confidence, and then
is of a black colour, like the common liquorice-juice,
called Spani/lj liquorice. The druggids keep it in this
date; it is good in violent purgings, with bloody
{tools, and in overflowings of the menfes: It is to be
given in an ele&uary, with conlerve of red rofes
Hyssop. Hyjfopus-.
A very pretty garden-plant, kept for its virtues. It
grows two feet high ; the dalles are fquare, robud, up-
right, and of a pale green colour ; the leaves dand
two at each joint; they are long, narrow, pointed at
the ends, and of a bright green colour ; the dowers ■
are fmall, and they dand in long fpikes at the tops of
the branches ; they are of a beautiful blue colour.
The whole plant has a drong, but not difagreeable j
fmelh
Hyfiop is to be gathered when jud beginning to
flower, and dried : The infufion made in the manner
of tea, is not unpleafant, and is the bed way of taking
it: It is excellent againd coughs, hoarfenefles, and
obdrudions in the bread. A drong infuflon made
into a fyrup with honey is excellent for the fame
purpofes, mixed with an equal quantity of oil of al-
monds.
Hedge-Hyssop. Gratiola.
i
A little plant kept in our gardens. It grows to a
foot in height; the dalks are fquare, flender, and not
very robud ; the leaves are long, narrow, and fliarp-
pointed; they dand two at every joint; the flowers
are long, moderately large, and yellow; they grow
from the bofoms of the leaves, and are hollow, and :
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 213
only a little divided at the ends : They are fomewhat
like foxglove-flowers.
A decodion of the frefti plant is an excellent purge,
but it works roughly; it is good againfl: dropfies and
jrheumatifms; and the jaundice has been ortcn cured
-by -it flngly.
I Jack by the Hedge. Alliaria.
A Spring plant of a confpicuous figure, frequent in
our hedges. The ftalk is round, thick, firm, upright,
and of a pale green, three feet in height, and very
flraight ; the leaves are large, broad, and fhort, of a
•figure approaching to roundifh, but fomewhat point-
ed at the ends, and notched at the edges; they are of
a pale yellowifh green colour, and Hand on long
foot-ftalks; the flowers are little and white; they
Hand ten or a dozen together at the tops of the
branches, and are followed by long pods.
The frefli leaves, eaten as falad, work by urine
powerfully, and are recommended in dropfies; the
juice of them boiled into a fyrup with honey, is good
to break tough phlegm, and to cure coughs and
hoarfeneffes.
The Jacinth, or Hyacinth. Hyacinthns vulgaris.
The common fpring plant our children gather with
their cowflips and May-flowers, and call blue bells ,
03
V
2i4 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
The root is white and roundifh; the leaves are nar-
row, and long like grafs, but of a deep green colour,
and fmooth furface; the ftalks are round, upright,
and fmooth; 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 ufed.
It abounds in a flimy juice, but it is to be dried,
and this mud be done carefully, the decoction of it
operates well by urine ; and the powder is balfamic,
and fomewhat ftyptic. It is not enough known.
There is hardly a more powerful remedy for the
whites.
The Jalap Plant. Jalcipium.
A climbing plant, native of America, and not yet |
got into our gardens. The root is long, irregularly
lhaped, and thick ; the ftalks are round, tpugh, and
firm, but flender and unable to fupport themfelves:
They grow to ten or twelve feet in length, and wind
among bullies ; the leaves are oblong, broadeft to-
ward the bafej of a dulky green, and not dented
about the edges; the flowers are large, and of the
lhape of a bell, and their colour is purplifh or white,
The feed-veflel is large and oval.
The root is the part ufed, and druggifts fell it
Given in powder with a little ginger to prevent it:
griping, it is an excellent purge. A ftrong tin&ure
of it made in brandy, anfwers the fame purpofe; ib
is good in dropfies, and is in general a fafe and cs* \
cellent purge.
Jessamin. Jaftninum.
i
I"
A common llirub in our gardens, and a great orna
nient to them. It does not well fupport itfelfj !•
that it is commonly nailed againft walls. The trunl
is covered with a greyilh bark; The young flioot
i'ii
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
215
are green; the leaves Hand two at each joint, 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 ftalk, and they are of a very delicate and fra-
grant fmell, thefe are fucceeded by berries, which
ripen in the warmer countries.
The flowers are the part ufed. Pour a pint of
boiling water upon fix ounces of the frefh gathered
and clean picked flowers of Jeflamin; let it ftand
twelve hours, then pour it off, add honey enough to
make the liquor into a thin fyrup, and it is an ex-
cellent medicine in coughs.
Rose of Jericho. Rofa Hicracontea.
A little woody plant, named a rofe from nothing
but its fixe, and its manner of folding itfelf up, by
bending in the tops of the branches, fo that it ap-
pears hollow and roundifh. We are accuftomed to
fee it dry, and in that condition, it is always thus
drawn together. It is of the bignefs of a man’s fife,
and is compofed of a quantity of woody branches,
interwoven with one another, and all bending inward.
When it is put into warm water, it expands and be-
comes flattifh, but on drying if, acquires the old form
again.
It is in reality, a kind of thlafpi, or treacle mil-
liard, but of a peculiar woody texture. The root
is long, and pierces deep into the ground; there
grow from this eight or ten ftalks, which fpread
themfelves upon the ground, in a circular manner, as
we fee the ftalks of our birds-foot, and many other
I little plants. Thefe ftalks are thick and woody, and
about four inches in length ; they lie upon the
ground toward the bafe, but lay turned up a little at
1 the tops, and each of them has a number of branches.
O 4
216 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
The leaves are long, narrow, and of a pale green ;
they are very numerous, and they Hand irregularly.
The flowers are fmall, and white like thofe of our
fhepherds-purfe. The feed veflels are fmall, and
contain feveral feeds like thofe of the common treacle
muflard.
This is the appearance of the plant, as it grows
very frequent in the warmer climates; and thus it
has nothing lingular in it, while in its perfection of
growth, hut after a time, the leaves decay and fall
off, and the flalks as they dry, in the heat, draw up
more arid more, till by degrees they get into this j
round figure, from which warm water will expand
them, but they recover it again as they dry.
This is the real hiftory of that little land of treacle
muflard, which is called the rofe of Jericho , and con- j
cerning which fo many idle, as well as ftrange things !
have been faid. Our good women have many ways j
of trying many experiments with it, by way of de-
ciding future events, but nothing can be fo foolifh.
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 itjwili be more quick or more
How, according to the condition of the plant. Where
it is to be had frefh, it does not want medicinal vir-
tues. The young fhoots are good in infufioii again!!
fore throats, but we have the plant without its leaves,
and in reality, little more than a flick; fo that it
would be idle, to expeft any good in it.
The Jesuits Bark-Tree. Arbor Peruviana.
A small tree, native of South-America, which has
not yet got into our gardens. The trunk is as thick
as a maids leg, and its bark grey. The branches
are numerous and irregular, and their bark is of a •'
browner colour, but with the fame tinge of grey.
The leaves are long and large, three inches in length'
I
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL. 217
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 fmall, and
their colour is a pale purple : They Hand in great
cluflers together; they are long; hollow, and open
at the end, where they are a little divided. The
fruit is a dry capfule, of an oblong figure.
The bark is the part ufed. Befides its certain
efficacy againfl: agues and intermitting fevers, it is
an excellent ftomachic and aftringent ; nothing is
better to ftrengthen the appetite ; and in overflow-
ings of the menfes, and all other bleedings, it is
of the greatefl: efficacy. It is belt given in powder.
The tin&ure is to be made in brandy, but it is not
nearly fo good as the fubflance, when it is given for
diforders of the ftomach ; the bell way is to pick fine
pieces of the bark and chew them.
Jews-Ears, Auricula; Ju da.
A kind of fungus, or, as the common phrafe is, of
toads-ftool, growing upon old elder-trees. It is a-
bout an inch and a half long, and generally an inch
broad, and is fomewhat of the lhape of an ear. It
grows by a broad bale to the bark of the tree, and
from this it gradually fpreads into a flat hollow fub-
ftance, with feveral ridges in it, running irregularly,
whence it is luppofed to have the refemblance of the
ear moll perfectly. Its colour is a pale grey on the
outfide, it is darker within, and there run feveral
ribs along it. It is to be dried. Boiled in milk, it
is recommended greatly in fore throats and quincies.
Thefe remedies of the vulgar have come originally
from phyficians, and they commonly have fomething
to fupport them. The Jews-ear is at this time out
0 *ePLlte> but that feems owing to fophiflrication.
1 hey commonly fell under the name of it another
fungu->, that grows to a great bignefs, overfpreading
2
218 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
wood, in damp places. They get it off the water-
pipes at the New-River-Head at Iflington, to fupply
Covent-Garden market.
The St. Ignatius’s Bean. Taba Sancli Ignatii.
A plant common in the Weft-Indies, and very ill
called a bean, being truly a gourd. The name bean
was given to the feeds of this plant before it was
known how they were produced, and fome have con-
tinued it to the plant. It grows to a great height,
when there is a tree to fupport it, for it cannot
fupport itfelf. It has a llalk as thick as a man’s arm,
angulated, light, and not firm. The leaves are very
large, oblong, and undivided, and they have the ribs
very high upon them : They are broad at the bafe,
and grow narrower to the point, and are of a deep
green colour. The flowers are very large, and of a
deep blood red ; at a diftance they have the afpect
of a red-rofe. The fruit is large and roundifh ; it
has a woody fliell, and over that a thin fkin, bright
and fliining ; within there are twenty or thirty feeds ;
they are of the bignefs of a fmall nutmeg when we
fee them ; they are roundifh, and very rough upon
the furface ; each is of a woody fubftance, and when
tailed, is of the flavour of citron feeds, but extreme-
ly bitter and naufeous. The colour is moilly grey or
brownilh.
Thefe feeds are what we ufe 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
molt powerful remedies, when in ill hands, are na-
turally the mod dangerous ; the powder given in a
fmall dole occafions vomiting and purging, and of-
ten, if the conllitution be tender, convulfions ; it is
much better to give it in tinclure when no fuch ef- (
fedts happen from it. It is of an excellent eflecfl a-
gainfl nervous complaints : It will cure the falling
licknefs, given in proper dofes, and continued for a
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 219
j long time : The tin&ure is the beft for this purpofe.
Some have given the powder, in veryfmall quantities,
I againft worms, and that with fuccefs ; its extreme
i bitter makes it very difagreeable, and the tafte con-
;j tinues in the throat a long time, whence it occafions
> vomiting. We negled; it very much at prefent, be-
i caufe of its roughnefs, but it would be better we
1 found the way of giving it with fafety. There are
i gentler medicines, but none of them fo efficacious : It
r will do fervice in cafes that the common methods do
) not reach.
St. John’s Wort. Hypericum.
, A robust and pretty plant, frequent in our paftures,
l and other dry places. The height is a foot and a
( half ; the (talk is round, thick, firm, and very up-
s right, and divided towards the top into feveral branches ;
I the leaves are Ihort and blunt at the points ; they are
of a bright green colour, and, if held up againlt the
light, they feem to be full of pin-holes ; the flowers
j grow in abundance on the tops of the branches ; they
j are large, and of a bright and beautiful yellow,
f full of yellow threads, which, if rubbed upon the
i hand, ftain it red like blood. The fruit is a dry
S feed-veffel.
The part ufed is the flowery tops of the plant, juft
.]■ as they begin to ripen. A decodlion of thefe works
i powerfully by urine, and is excellent againft the
i gravel, and in ulcerations of the ureters. The fame
] tops, frefh gathered and bruifed, are good for
J wounds and bruifes ; they flop bleeding, and ferve
i as a balfam for one, and take off blacknefs in the
i pther.
I
2*o THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
The Jujube-Tree. Zizyphus.
A tree of the bignefs of our plum-trees, and not
unlike them in fhape. The bark is grey on the
trunk, and brown on the branches ; the leaves are
moderately large, and each is compofecfof a number
of fmaller ones, fet on each lide of a middle rib, but
not oppofite to one another, and with an odd one at
the end ; thefe are oblong, obtufe, and ferrated round
the edges, and the odd leaf at the end is the largeft
and longeft ; the flowers are fmall and yellow ; the
fruit is oval, and of the bignefs of a moderate plum;
it has a foft fubftance on the outfido, and a ftone
within, which is large and long; and pointed at both
ends.
The fruit is ufed. It was at one time brought
over to us dried, but we fee little of it now ; it was
efteemed balfamic, and was given to cure coughs,
and to work by urine.
The White Stock July-Flower.
Lucoium album.
A robust garden-plant, kept for its flowers, which
Art variegates and makes double. It grows two or
three feet high. The ftalk is thick, firm, round,
and of a greyifli colour; the leaves are long, narrow,
hairy, and whitifh; the fialks which bear the flowers
are alfo of a whitifh green, and tender. The
flowers are as broad as a Ihilling, white, and fweet-
fcented. j
The flowers are the part ufed, and they are to be
frefh gathered, and only juft blown. A tea made
of them is good to promote the menfes, and it ope-
rates alfo by urine. An ointment is to be made
by boiling them in hogs-lard, which is excellent for
fore nipples.
THE USEFUL FAMILY -HERBAL. ' 221
The Juniper Shrub. Juniperus.
A common fhrub on our heaths. It grows to no
great height in England, but in fome other parts
of Europe, rifes to a confiderably large tree. The
bark is of a reddifh brown; the branches are tough;
the leaves are longifh, very narrow, and prickly at
the ends ; the flowers are of a yellowifh colour, but
: fmall and inconfiderable ; the berries are large, and,
when ripe, blackilh ; they are of a flrong, but not
difagreeable fmell, and of a fweetifh, but refinous
I tafte. The leaves are of a faint bluifh green co-
lour.
The berries are the part molt ufed. We have
them from Germany principally. They have two
excellent qualities, they difpel wind, and work by
urine, for which reafon they are excellent in tbofe
cholics which arife from the gravel and done. W ith
thefe is alfo made the true geneva ; but the liquor
our poor people drink under that name is only malt
Ifpirits and oil of turpentine.
Ivy. Hedera.
A very common fhrub, crawling about old trees,
or upon old walls; it fometimes runs upon the ground
for want of fuch fupport, but then it rarely bears
any fruit ; the trunk is thick, brown, and covered
with a peculiar roughnefs ; the branches are nume-
rous and brittle ; the leaves have a ftrange variety of
lhapes, oblong, angular, cornered, or divided. The
flowers hand in little round clutters, and they are
fmall and inconfiderable; they are fucceeded by large
berries ; the leaves upon the young fhoots that bear
the flowers are always oblong ; thofe on the trunk
are angulated. They are all of a deep gloflv
green.
t
222 THE USEFUL F AMIL Y-HER ABL.
The leaves and berries are both ufed, but neither
much. A decoction of the leaves dellroys vermine in
childrens heads, and heals the l'orenefs that attends
them. The berries are purging; an infufion of them
will often work alfo by vomit, but there is no harm
in this : They are an excellent remedy in rheuma-
tifms, and pains of all kinds, and, it is faid, have
cured dropiies ; but this is perhaps going too far.
The ivy in the warm countries fweats out a kind
rcfm, which has been ufed externally at fome times,
on various occalions ; but at this time it is quite un-
known in practice.
K.
Kidney-wort. Umbilicus veneris .
Ax Very lingular plant, which grows on old walls :
in fome parts ol England. It is eight inches high, j
and is diltinguilhed at fight by a duller of round j
leaves which grow about the flalk; the root is round- %
i Qi, and its fibres grow from the bottom ; the leaves .]
Hand on longifh and thick foot-ftalks, which are, ex- ■
cept in the lovveft of all, inferred not at the edges o ]
the leaf, but in the middle; thefe are round, thick,
flelhy, and indented about the edges ; the llalk whict*
bears the flowers is round, thick, and towaids t eB
ton divided into two or three branches ; on thele '
o;row the flowers in a kind ot fpi' es ; they are ob-1
long, hollowifli, and of a greeniih white colour,
2
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 223
_ The leaves are the part ufed. Externally, they
are cooling, and good againft pains. They are ap-
plied, bruifed, to the piles with great fuccefs. The
juice of them taken inwardly operates by urine, and
is excellent again 11 ftranguries, and good in the gra-
vel and inflammations ol the liver and fpleen.
Knap-weed. Jacea.
A very common wild plant, with dark-coloured
longilh leaves, and purple flowers, like thofe of the
thillles. It is two feet high ; the ftalks are roundilh,
but ribbed ; they are of a pale colour, very firm and
ftrong, upright, and divided into branches ; the
leaves are long, and of the fame breadth ; thofe
which grow immediately from the root are but little
jagged or cut at the edges ; thofe which Hand upon
:he ftalk are more fo; the flowers are large; they
(land in lcaly heads, one of which is placed at the
:op of every branch ; and at a dillance they have
'omething of the appearance of the flowers of thirties,
rut when examined nearer, they are more like thofe
)f the blue-bottle. The flowers themlelves are of a
bright red, and large.
The young plant is ufed frefh : A decodlion of it
|s good againft the bleeding of the piles, againft
oofenefles with bloody ftools, and all other bleed-
ngs. A flight infufion is recommended againft fore
hroats, to be ufed by way of gargle. There are fo
nany of thefe gently-aftringent plants common in
•ur fields, as yarrow, and the like, that lefs refpeft
s to be paid to one of lefs power in the fame way.
Cnap-weed may be very properly added to decoc-
ions of the others, but it would not be fo well to
ruft to its effetfts fingly.
224 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
i
Knot-Grass. Polygonum.
A most common wild plant in our fields, pathways,
and hedges : There are two or three kinds of it, but
they pretty much refemble one another in form, and
in virtues; the largeft is the beft. The (talks of this
are ten inches long, round, jointed, and of a du(ky
green ; the leaves are of an oval form, of a bluifli
green colour, and not indented at the edges ; the i
italics lie upon the ground, and one of thefe only
grows at each joint; the flowers are fmall and white, j
but with a tinge of reddifli ; the feed is Angle, black,
and three-cornered.
It has been obferved before, that Providence has
in general made the moil common plants the mod
ufeful. A decoction of knot-grafs roots, italks, and
leaves, is an excellent aftringent. It (tops bloody
(tools, and is good againit all bleedings, but in par-
ticular it is a remedy againit the bleeding-piles, and.
againft the overflowing of the menfes.
I'lalc IV
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 225
L.
The Gum-Lag Tree. Laca Arbor.
A Tree of the bignefs of our apple-tree, frequent
n the Eaft, 'but not yet known in Europe. The
runk is covered with a rough reddifh bark \ the
)ranches are numerous and tough ; they have a
moother rind, of a colour inclining to purple ; the
eaves are broad, and of a whitifh green on the up-
ier-fi.de, and of a lil very white underneath ; the
lowers are fmall and yellow ; the fruit is of the big-
lefs of a plum, and has in it a large (tone ; the
>uter or pulpy part is of an auftere, and not very a-
p'eeable tafte.
The gum-lac is found upon the branches of thi9
ree, but it is pretended by fome, that a fort of flies
lepoflt it there, and on other lubitances ; and that it is
l kind of wax ; however, there are perfons of credit
vdio fay they have obtained it by cutting the branches
>f this tree, and a like lubltance from the branches
)f the feveral kinds of jujubes to which this belongs,
n the hot countries. Probably the flies get it off
his tree, and lodge it for their purpofes upon flicks
tnd other fubftances, as we fee it.
Our druggifts have three kinds of this refin, for it
s ill called a gum. The one they call the Jtick-lac, be-
:aufe it is brought in round flicks ; the other feed-lac
n fmall lumps, and the other J bell-lac , which is thin
md tranfparent, and has been melted , of this refln
P
.226 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
the fealing-wax is made with very little alteration
more than the colouring it, which is done by means
ol cinnabar or coarfer materials. Taken inwardly,
gum-lac is good again!! obftru&ions of the liver;
it operates by mine and fweat, and is good in moffc
chronic cafes arifing from fuch obftruflions.
Ladies Mantle. Archimilla.
A very pretty little plant, native of fome parts o:
England, but not very common wild ; the leaves art
numerous and very beautiful ; they are broad, and
of a roundifb figure, but divided deeply into eight
parts, and each ofthefe elegantly- indented about the
edges ; they are of a yellowifli green colour, nearh
as broad as the palm of ones hand, and they fianci
upon foot-ftalks of an inch or two in length ; tht
ftalks grow from the midlt ; they are round, a little
hairy, eight inches long, not very upright, and of a
pale green colour ; the flowers ftand in confiderablt
numbers at their tops ; they are fmall, and of a
greenifh colour, but have a great many yellow threads,
in the middle. The root is long, thick, and dark-,
coloured.
The root is the part molt valuable ; a decoction or
it frefh taken up is an excellent remedy for the over-
flowings of the menfes, for bloody-fluxes, and al'
other bleedings. Dried and powdered it anfwers
the fame purppfe, and is alfo good again!! commoi
purgings. The good women in the North of Eng-
land apply the leaves to their breads to make then'
recover their form after they have been iwelled with
milk. Hence it has got the name of ladies mantle.
The Larch-Tree. Larix.
.
A moderately tall, and in fummer a very beauti-
ful tree, but though one of the refinous kind, and it
many refpecls approaching to the nature of the fit*
/
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 227
and pine, it lofes its leaves in winter : It is 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 brownifh colour, with a tinge of
reddilh ; the leaves are an inch or more in length,
extremely Render, and ol a bluilli green colour, and
they grow in little chillers on different parts of the
branches; the flowers are inconiiderable; the fruit is
a cone, but very fmall ; 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 turpentine
is produced from it; and this liquid refin contains
them all in perfedtion; they cut the trunk of the
tree deep in the heat of fummer, and the refin flows
out. This works powerfully by urine, and is a noble
balfam; it is good againit the whites, and to flop the
running that often remains from a clap after all the
virulence is removed; but in this cafe it muft be
given cautioufly.
Larks-Spur. Delphinium
A common flower in our gardens, but not without
ts virtue. It grows a yard high ; the ftalks are round,
ipright, firm, and of a pale green ; the leaves are cut
nto a multitude of long, narrow, and very fine divi-
10ns, and are of a deep green colour, and the flowers,
vhich grow in long fpikes at the tops of the branches,
ire naturally blue, but often red or white; they are
noderately large, and have a kind of fpur behind.
The leaves are filed ; they muft be boiled frefli in
vater, and the decoction is good againft the bleeding
files. It flops the hemorrhage, and at the fame time
,ools the body, whereas too many of the reftringent
nedicines are heating.
P2
228 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Lavender. Lavendula.
A common plant in otir gardens, native of the j
warmer parts of Europe; it is of a fhrubby nature in
the Item, but the reft is herbaceous. It grows a yard
high. The trunk or main Item, is thick, woody, :
firm, and covered with a whitifh bark; the young ;
fhoots from this are tender and greenifh, and on t
thefe ftand the leaves ; they are long, narrow, of a
pale green colour, and ftand two at each joint; the
italks which bear the flowers, are fquare, green, and !
naked; the flowers ftand in fnort fpikcs or ears;
they are fmall, blue, and very fragrant ; the cups of
the flowers are whitifh.
Thefe flowers are the part nfed ; they are good a-
gainft all diforders of the head and nerves; they'
may be taken in the form of tea ; the famous fpirit
of lavender, called palfy-drops , and the fweet laven-
der-water are made with them. The fpirit of la-
vender, called palfy-drops , is thus made beft.
Put into a fmall ftill a pound of lavender-flow el’s,
and five ounces of the tender tops of rofemary, put
to them five quarts of common molafles fpirit, and a
quart of water: Diftil oft' three quarts, put to this
cinnamon and nutmegs, of each three quarters of an
ounce, red fanders-wood, half an ounce ; let thefe
ftand together a week, and then ftrain off the fpirit.
The lavender-water is thus made: Put a pound of
frefh lavender- flowers into a ftill, with a gallon of
molafles fpirit, and draw off five pints. This is la-
vender-water.
Lavender Cotton. Abrotonum fcemina.
A little (hrubby plant, frequent wild in Italy, but
with us kept in gardens. It grows two feet or more
in height; the item is whitifh; the (talks growing
from it are tough and firm, of a whitish colour alfo.
TH E USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 229
and very numerous; the leaves are oblong, (lender,
of a fquare fliape, and indented ; they are alio whitifh,
and of a ftrong fmell; the (talks which fupport the
flowers are long and naked; they are round, oi a
greenilli colour, and each has at its top a (ingle
flower, which is yellow and naked, and of the bignefs
of an horfe-bean.
The leaves are the part ufed; they are bed frefh
gathered; they are to be given infufed in water a-
gainft worms ; they are a difagreeable medicine, but
a very efficacious one; they alio promote the menfes,
and open obitructions of the liver ; they have been
recommended greatly in the jaundice.
Spurge Laurel. Laureola.
A wild little (hrub, of a Angular afpedt, and of con-
siderable virtues ; it is three feet high; the (tern is
half an inch thick, and divides into a great many
branches; the bark is ofabrownifh colour, and they
are not very (Irong; the leaves (land at the tops of the
branches; they are long, narrow, and of a bright
and fine green; they are of a Arm fubflance, and are
mot indented at the edges; the flowers are very (mall
and inconflderable, they are green, with fume yel-
low threads, and have a fweet fmell; the berries are
fmall, roundifli, and black.
The leaves are a powerful remedy again A the
dropfy, but they are fo violent, they mud be given
with caution; a fmall quantity of a (light infuflon
of them in water, works by vomit and (tool in a
(powerful 'manner* It is not every constitution that
lean bear fuch a medicine.
The Leek. Porrum.
Ac cm mon plant in our kitchen gardens; it grows
three feet high; the (talk is round, green, and thick;
the leaves are large, long, and of a deep green, and
P 3
230 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. *
the flowers grow in a round clutter at the top of the
ttalk; they are of a purplifh colour, with a tinge of
green ; the root is white, oblong, thick, and roundilh,
with fibres at the bottom.
An inlufion oi the roots of leeks made in water,
and boiled into a fyrup with honey, is;good againft
afthmas, coughs, and obflruchons in the breatt and
lungs. It anfwers the lame purpofes with fyrup of
garlic, and will agree with fome who cannot bear
that medicine.
The Lemon Tree. Ltmonia victius.
A shrub, native of the warmer countries, and fre-
quent in our grecn-houles, very beautiful and fra-
grant; the trunk is moderately thick, and covered '
with a brown bark; the branches are numerous, irre-
gular, and befet with prickles; the leaves are large,
and very beautiful, of an oval figure, and fet upon a :
naked ttalk ; they are of a beautiful green, and re-
main on the tree all winter ; the flowers are large
and white, of a thick firm fubttance, and very fra- }
grant fmell; the fruit we are fufficiently acquainted
with; its lhape is oblong, and its rind of a pale yel-;
low colour, it has a part like a nipple at each end ;
its fmell is very fragrant, and its juice four.
The peel and the juice of the fruit are ufed; the
peel is ftomachic and warm; it is a good ingredient in
bitter infufions. The juice made into a fyrup with
twice its weight of fine fugar, is excellent for fweet- 1
ening juleps and drinks in fevers; and, mixed with
fait of wormwood, it flops vomitings.
Leadwort. Dentillaria five Plumbago.
A little plant, native of fome parts of Europe, and
kept in our gardens. It is two feet high ; the rtalks
are flender, tough, and weak, hardly able to fupport
themfelves upright; the leaves are of a pale bluifli
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 231
green colour, oblong, not very bread, and they fur-
round the ftalk at the bafe; the flowers are red; they
are, fingly, very fmall, but they Hand in thick, oblong
clutters, on the tops of the Italics, and each is fucceed-
ed by a Angle feed, which is very rough, and Hands
naked.
The dried root is to be ufed; a piece of it put into
the mouth, fills it with a great quantity of rheum, and
is often an almoft inftantaneous cure for the head-
ache It alfo cures the tooth-aeh in the fame manner
as pellitofy of Spain does: It is more hot and acrid,
than even that fiery root.
The Indian-Leaf Thee. Malabathrum.
,A tall and beautiful tree of the Eaft-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 difpofed with lets regularity ;
fthe wood is brittle, and the young fhoots are of a pale
brown; the leaves are large, nine inches long, and
feven in breadth, and not at all indented; the flowers
Hand in clutters, on the tops of the branches ; they
are fmall and greyifli, and the fruit is of the bignefs
of our red currant. It is common in the mountain-
ous parts of the Eaft. \
Thefe leaves are the parts ufed, we have them
dried at the druggifts, but they commonly keep them
till they are decayed. It is an aromatic medicine;
it ftrengthens the ttomacli, and is good in nervous
Sdiforders.
Lentile. Lens.
A kind of little pulfe, fown in fields, in fome parts
of England. It grows a foot and a half high, but
docs not ftand very upright. The ftalk is angulated,
ot a pale green, and branched; the leaves are like
thofe of the common pea : They conflft each of fe-
p4
232 TI-IE u s e f u l F AMILY-H e r b al.
veral pairs of fmall ones, fet on a rib, and there is a
tendril in place of an odd leaf at the end. Thefe
fmall leaves are of a pale green colour, and oval fhape.
The flowers are white and fmall, but in fliape like a
pea-blofTom; they Hand iingly on long ftalks; the
fruit is a pod of a fiattifh fliape, in which there ge-
nerally are two feeds, alfo a little flatted, and of the
bignefs of a fmall pea.
1 he fruit is ufed : It is ground to powder to make
into poultices for fwellings, but it is not much re-
garded.
Lettice. Lattuca.
A common plant in our kitchen-gardens, which we
eat raw. When it rifes to flower it is two feet and a
half high. The ftalk is round, thick, firm, very up-
right, and of a pale green ; the leaves are oblong, .
broad, and fomewhat waved at the edges; the flowers
Hand on the tops of the ftalks, and are of a pale yel-
low; the feed is winged with a light white down.
The juice of lettice is a good medicine to procure
fleep, or the thick ftalk eaten will ferve the fame pur-
pofe. It is a good method to put thofe into, who
require a gentle opiate, and will not take medi-
cines.
Wild Lettice. Laciuca Sylvejlris major.
A common plant in our hedges, and having fome re-
femblance to the garden lettice in its flowers, though
not in its manner of growth. It is fix or leven feet
high. The ftalk is thick, round, very upright,
branched, and of a pale vellowifli green colour; the
leaves at the bottom are very large, a foot long, and
five inches broad, and of a pale green colour; thofe
higher up the ftalks are fmaller; they are deeply in-
dented at the edges, and either thefe, the ftalk, or
any other part of the plant being wounded, there flows
i
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 233
,ut a milky juice, which has the fmell of opium, and
ts hot bitter tafte: The branches are very numerous,
nd the flowers are alfo very numerous, but they are
mail and of a pale yellow.
This is a plant not introduced into the common
nactice, but very worthy of that notice. I have
mown it uied in private families, with great fuccefs.
fyrup made from a ftrong infufion of it, is an ex-
;ellent anodyne; it eafes the molt violent pain in
:holics, and other diforders, and gently difpofesthe
5erfon to deep. It has the good effedt of a gentle
)piate, and none of the bad ones of that violent me-
licine.
i
The white Lily. Lilium album.
K tall, fragrant, and beautiful garden plant. It
;rows four or five feet high ; the Italk is round, green,
hick, firm, and very upright; a great many leaves
'urround it at the bottom, and a great many grow
ipon it all the way : Thele are of the fame fhape,
ong, narrow, and frnooth, and of a pale green upon
:he ftalk, and deeper green at the root. The flowers
Hand on the divifions of the top of the ftalk ; they are
arge, white, and compofed as it were of a quantity
jf thick fcales.
The roots contain the greateft virtue ; they are ex-
cellent, mixed in poultices, to apply to dwellings.
The flowers poffefs the fame virtue alfo, being emol-
lient and good again!! pain. An oil is made of the
flowers fteeped in common oil of olives ; but the frefh \
flowers are much better in the ieafon; and the root
may be had frefh at all times, and it pofieffes the
fame virtues.
1
Lily of the Valley. Lilium Convallium.
A very pretty little plant, but fo different from the
former, that one would wonder how it came to be
1 , . .
234 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
called by any part of the fame name. It is fix or
eight inches high. The leaves are large, long, and
broad, of a deep green colour, and full of very thick
ribs or veins. The ftalks are weak, flender, angular,
and green; they bend towards the top, and on each
there Hands, or rather hangs, a row of white flowers;
they are roundifh, hollow, and of a delicate and
pleafing fmell; thefe are fucceededby berries, which
are red when they are ripe.
The flowers are ufed. A tea made of them and
drank for a conftancy, is excellent againlt all ner-
vous complaints, it will cure nervous headachs, and
tremblings of the limbs : A great deal too much has
been laid of this plant, for people call it a remedy for
apoplexies and the dead palfies, flut though all this
is not true, enough is to give the plant a reputation,
and bring it again into ufe.
The Water-Lily. Nympbaa alba.
A large and elegant plant, the broad leaves of
which we fee floating upon the furface of the water
in our brooks not unfrequently ; and in the autumn
large white flowers among them. The root of the
plant is very long, and extremely thick, and lies bu-
ried in the mud; the leaves rife fingly one on each
ftalk; the ftalks are round, thick, and of a fpungy
fubftance, having a white pith in them; and the
leaves alfo are thick and fomewhat fpungy; they are
of a roundifh figure, and they lie flat upon the fur-
face of the water ; the flowers Hand upon Angle foot-
ftalks, ariling like thofe of the leaves feparately from
the root, and being like them, light, round, glofly,
and full of a white pith; the flowers are large and
white, and have fome yellow threads in the middle;
the feed-velfel, is large and roundifh, and the feeds
are numerous.
The root is the part ufed, and it is belt frefh, and
given in a flrong decodion. It is a powerful remedy
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 235
in the whites, and in thofe weaknefles left after ve-
nereal complaints; it is alfo good againft violent pur-
gings, efpecially where there are bloody ltools. There
are other kinds of water-lily in our ditches, particu-
larly a large yellow flowered one, whofe roots poflefs
the lame virtues with the others, but in a lei's de-
gree.
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 re-
gularity; the leaves are fhort, broad, of a figure ap-
proaching to round, but terminating in a point, and
ferrated about the edges; the flowers grow on long
yellowifh ftalks, with a yellow oblong, and narrow-
leaf upon them ; they are themfelves alfo of a yel-
lowilh white colour, and extremely delicate and
fweet fmell. The fruit is roundifh and fmall; the
flowers are the only part ufed ; they are good againft
giddinefs of the head, tremblings of the limbs, and
all the other lighter nervous disorders; they are beft
taken as tea.
The Liouid-Ameer Tree. Succimnn liquid um.
A very beautiful tree of the American iflands,
which we have brought of late into our gardens; it
grows fifty feet high, and the branches are numerous,
and difpofed with a tolerable regularity. The leaves
are large and very beautiful ; they are bread, and are
divided much in the manner of the leaves of our
maple-tree, but much more beautifully; they are of
a glofify green, and the tips of the boughs have a fra-
grant fmell; the flowers are greenilh and fmall; the
fruit is of the bignefs of a fmall walnut, roundifh and
rough upon the furface, with feveral feeds within.
We ufe a refin which runs from the trunk of
this tree in great heats; it. is of a reddifh colour, fofit,
and extremely fragrant, nearly a perfume; it is an
236 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
excellent balfam, nothing exceeds it as a remedy fbi
the whites, and for the weaknefies left after venera)
diforders; it is alfo good in diforders of the lungs:;
and it works by urine, and dillodges gravel. There
was a cuftom at one time of mixing it among per-
fumes, but of late it has been neglected, and is growr,
fcarce.
The Liqjjid-Storax Tree. Sty rax liquida Arbor.
A large tree, fo much we hear of it, is native ol !
the Eaft-Indies, but very ill delcribed to us. We arc-
told the leaves are large, and the flowers fragrant,
but of what form no body has told us, or what is the
fruit. All that we ufe is a liquid refin of a very pe-
culiar kind, which we are told is obtained by boiling
the bark, and the young flioots of the tree in water :
the relin fwims at the top, and they feurn it ofF and
Itrain it, but it will not all pafs through. It is from
hence that we fee two kinds ; the one finer, thinner,
and purer, the other thicker and coarfer ; this laft
kind is more common than the better fort, and it is-
generally ufed.
It is a balfam of the nature of the turpentines; and
is good againlt the whites, and the weakneffes that
follow veneral diforders. Some have ufed it alfo in
difeafes of the lungs, but it has never been in great
repute on thole occafions. It is fometimes put into
ointments intended for old ulcers; and it is faid to be.
ufed this way with great fuccefs.
Liquorice. Glycyrrhiza.
A rough looking plant, cultivated in many places
for the fake of the root. It is a yard high or more.
The ftalk is round, firiated, and branched; the leaves
are long and large, each is compofed of a great many
pairs of fmaller, Handing on a middle rib, with an
odd one at the end; thefe are of an oval figure, ol a
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 237
dufky green colour, and they are clammy to the
touch. ° The flowers are very fmall and blue, they
Hand in long fpikes, riling from the bofvns of the
leaves. The feeds are contained in pods; the root
is the part, ufed ; and its virtues are very great. It is^
bell frelh taken out of the grouud, the fvV'eetnefs of
its tafte renders it agreeable, and it is excellent a-
gainft coughs, hoarfeneffes, and Ihortnefs ot breath.
It alfo works gently by urine, and is of fervice in ul-
cerations of the kidneys, and urinary paflages, acting
there as in the lungs at once, as a detergent and bal-
famic.
The belt way of taking it is by fucking or chewing"
the frelh root: But it may be taken in infulion, or
in the manner of tea. 1 he black fubftance, called
liquorice-juice and Spani/h liquorice , is made by eva-
porating a ftrong decodfion of this root. But the
frelh root itielf is better.
Noble Liverwort, or Hepatica. Hepatica Nobilis.
A common garden-flower, which makes a very pret-
ty figure in fpring, and is little regarded, except as
an ornament in our borders; though it is not with-
out confiderable virtues. The leaves are fupported
each on a fingle foot-ltalk, white, llender, and red-
dilh; they are near an inch broad, and of the fame
length, and divided each into three parts ; the flowers
rife early in the fpring, before thefe appear: They
alfo Hand fingly on long foot-ftalks, and are mode-
rately large and blue, with a greenifli head in the
middle ; the root is fibrous.
An infulion of the leaves of this plant is good a-
gainft obfiructions of the liver and fpleen; it works
gently by urine, and is a good medicine in the jaun-
dice, taking it in time.
2-p THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Green Liverwort. Lichen vulgaris.
%
A common low plant, compofed wholly of leaves |'
which fpreacl themfelves on the ground, and are of £ £
beautiful green colour; authors refer it to the kinds i
of mofs. It grows on old walls, in wells, and othei i
damp places. The leaves are oblong, blunt, and thin i
they fpread one over another, and take root where- <
ever they touch the ground ; they often cover a fpace £
of a foot or more in one duller. This is all that is £
ufually feen of the plant; but in fpring when the
place and the weather favour, there rife up among,
thefe leaves certain long and llender llalks, on the
tops of which Hand imperfedt flowers, as they are
called, final!, roundifh, and refembling the heads of
little mufhrooms.
The whole plant is ufed, and it is bell green and
frefh gathered. It is to be given in a ftrong decoction.
It opens obftrudtions of the liver, and works by
urine. It is good againft the jaundice, and is an ex-
cellent medicine in the firft itages of confumptions.
It is not nearly fo much regarded as it ought to be.
It is alfo ufed externally for foulnefs of the fkin.
Grey Ground-Liverwort.
Lichen cinerus Terrejlris.
A plant very common by our dry wood-fides, and
in paftures, in fome degree refembling the laft de-
fcribed, but differing in colour, and in its fructifi-
cation. This confifts alfo entirely of leaves ; they
are of a bluifli grey colour on the outfide, and of a
whitifh grey underneath. They are two inches long,
and an inch and a half broad; and grow in clutters
together, often they are lefs diflinct, and therefore
appear larger. Thefe do not fend up any ftalks, to
bear a kind of flowers in heads. The tips of the
leaves turn up, and are reddifh, and in thefe parts
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 239
are contained the feeds. The whole plant feeras dry
and faplefs.
The whole plant rs ufed, and it has been of late
very famous. Its efficacy is againft the bite of a mad
dog; it is mixed with pepper, and the perfon is at
the fame time to bathe in the fea. There have been
inftances of its fuccefs, when given to dogs, but per-
haps no cure was ever performed upon a human
creature, when this terrible difealed had arifen to
any height. Bleeding and opium are the prefent
pradice.
T h e L o g wo 0 d - Tree . Arbor Campechiana .
A tree native of the fouthern parts of America, the
wood of which has been ufed in dying, longer than
in medicine, but is very ferviceable in the latter ca-
pacity. The tree is large, and makes a beautiful ap-
pearance ; the branches are numerous, and they fp read
with a fort of regularity; the leaves are compofed
each of feveral pairs of fmaller, fet on the two fldes of
a common rib, with an odd one at the end; the
flowers are of the lhape of pea-bloffiorns, but they
are yellow; the pods which lucceed them, are very
large, and the boughs of the tree are very thick fet,
with ffiarp thorns of a reddifli colour.
We ufe only the heart of the wood, which is of a
deep red colour. It is of an auftere tafte, but with
fomething of fweetnefs in it at lait, in this it re-
fembles greatly what is called Japan earth , and it re-
enables that drug alfo in virtues. It is a very power-
ill medicine to Hop fluxes of the belly, and overflow-
lowings of the menfes. The bed way of giving it
is in form of an extract, which is to be made by
soiling down a ftrong decodion of wood to the con-
fluence of honey. In this form it will keep a long
time, and is always ready for ufe.
240 THE USEFUL F AMIL Y-IIERABL.
Purple Loosestrife. Lyjimachia purpurea.
A wild plant, that decorates the Tides of ditches and
rivers, and would be an ornament to our gardens. It
grows to three feet high, and is very regular; the
Italic is fquare, hairy, and generally of a reddilh co-
lour; the leaves Hand two at each joint, and they are
long and narrow ; of a dufky green, and a little
rough; the flowers Hand in very long fpikes at the
tops of the ftalks, and are large, and of a ftrong pur-
ple colour; the fpikes are often a foot or more in
length ; the feed is very little and brown.
The leaves are ufed ; they are a fine halfam for
frelli wounds, and an ointment is to be made oi
them boiled in lard, which is alfo cooling and deter-
five, but it is not a fine green colour.
Yellow Loosestrife. Lyjimachia lutea.
A wild plant not uncommon in our watery places, r
but, for its beauty, very.worthy a place in our gardens.
If it were brought from America, it would be called
one of the molt elegant plants in the world. It is-
four feet high ; the ftalks are rigid, firm, upright,
and very regular in their growth ; a little hairy,
and toward the tops divided into feveral branches.
The leaves are as long as ones finger, and an inch
and a half broad in the middle, and fmall at each
end; they are a little hairy, and of ayellowilh green.
The flowers are large, and of a beautiful yellow
they grow feveral together on the tops of the
branches. The feed-veflels are full of fmall feeds.
The root dried and given in powder is good againft
the whites, and againft bloody fluxes, overflowings
of the menfes, and purgings : It is aftringentand bal-
l’amic. The young leaves bound about a frefh wound
flop the bleeding, and perform a cure in a 'fhort
time. ■»-
-2
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 241
Lovage. Levifticum.
A taIl plant of the umbelliferous kind, kept in our
gardens for its ufe in medicine, i he ftalk is round,
thick, hollow, and deeply ftriated or channelled ;
the leaves are very large, and they are each corn-
poled of a number of fmaller ; thefe are fet on a di-
vided Italic, and are fhort, broad, and- indented at
the edges; the flowers are lmall and yellow, the feed
is ftriated, the root is brown, thick, and divided, and
the fibres from it are numerous; it is of a hot aro-
matic tafte.
The roots, frefh dug, work by urine, and are good
againft the jaundice. The feeds have the fame ef-
fect alfo, and they difpel wind. The dried root is a
udorific, and is good in fevers.
Tree Lungwort. Mufcus Pulmotiarius .
\ broad and large kind of mofs, in form fomewhat
efembling the green and grey liverwort, but bigger
han either ; it grows on the barks of old oaks and
>eech-trees, but is not common. It is principally
bund in large woods. Each leaf, or feparate plant,
5 eight or ten inches long, and nearly as much in
ireadth, of a yellowifh colour, and of a fubftance
efembling leather ; it is divided deeply at the edges,
nd is rough, and full of high veins at the furface.
ct the feafon of flowering there alfo appear certain
, nail red heads, which contain the feeds for a new
l tcceflion of plants.
This plant is not fo much known as it deferves to
e. It is an excellent aftringent ; a ftrong decodlion
f it flops the overflowings of the menfes, and all o-
ler bleedings ; it is remarkable againft a fpitting of
lood, and hence it has got into general ufe in con-
lmptions, but that not fo properly. It may be given
1 powder, but the other way is better,
cl
T H E U S E F U L F A M I LY-H E R B A L.
The Lupine. Lupinus fativus albus.
I here arc many lupines kept in gardens, but the
belt kind for ufe is the white-flowered; it grows to
4 yard high, the ftalk is round, thick, firm, and of
a pale green ; the leaves Band on long foot-flalks,
and are each eompofed of feven, eight, or nine long
narrow ones, difpofed in the manner of fingers ; thefe
are alfo of a whitifh green colour. The flowers are
large and white, of the ftiape of a pea-bloflom ; the
pods are hairy ; a decoction of the feeds of lupines
drank in the manner of barley-water, not only works
by urine, but is good to bring down the menfes, and
open all obftruftions. It is excellent in the begin-
ning of conlirmptions, jaundices, and droplies, but
when thofe dileafes are advanced to a height, more
powerful remedies are to be employed. A decoction
made very ftrong is good to waflr the heads of chil-
dren that have breakings out upon them, they cleanfe
and difpofe them to heal.
i
Golden Lungwort. Puhnonaria aarea. j
A tall, erecft, and beautiful plant, of the hawk-
weed kind, with yellow flowers and very hairy leaves;
it is frequent in the mountainous parts of Europe,
and we have it wild in fome places in England upon
walls, and in very dry places, but with us it is not
common.
It is two feet high, the leaves are large and oblong,
they grow half a dozen, or thereabout, immediately
from the root, and have thick foot-flalks ; they are
oblong, broad, of a deep and often of a purplifti
colour, and are extremely hairy, the baits being
long, white, and fet fo thick, that they give it aa
afpe£t of woollinefs ; the ftalk is round, flender, to-
lerably firm, upright, of a purplifh colour, and alfo
“THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 243
hairy ; the leaves on it are fmaller than thofe from
the root, but like them in fliape, and they are in the
fame manner very hairy; the flowers are not very
large, but they are of a beautiful yellow, and they
have the more Angular afpedt, as the plant has fo
much whitenefs ; the feeds are winged with a white
down.
The young leaves riling from the root are the part
ufed. They are of the fame nature with thofe of
coltsfoot, but they poflefs their virtues in a much
greater degree. In many other parts of Europe,
where the plant is more common, it is a conftant
medicine in difeafes of the lungs, in coughs, afthmas,
and the firft ftages of confumptions : It is belt given
in form of a ftrong infufion ; and I have known it
tried here with more fuccefs than could be expedted
from fo Ample a remedy in cafes of fuch confequence.
It is fparce wild, but it is eaflly propagated in gar-
dens. Let but one plant of it ripen its feeds, and
leave them to the chance of the winds, and the
garden, the walls, and neighbouring places will ne-
ver be without a fufficient fupply of it for all pur-
pofes.
244 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL,
M.
Mace. Macis.
The fpicc we call mace is the covering of the Hone
or kernel of a fruit, within which is the nutmeg-
The tree will therefore more naturally be defcribed
under the article nutmeg ; but it may be proper to
fay here, that the fruit of it is large and roundifh,
and has fomewhat the appearance of a peach, being
of nearly its bignefs : The outer part is more like
the green rind of a walnut than the flefh of a peach :
Within is the nutmeg, contained in a hard Ihell,
and on the outfide of that fhell is laid the mace, in a
kind of thin, divided, yellowifh leaves. It is of a
foft and unctuous nature, and very fragrant, more fo
than the nutmeg itfelf.
Mace is a noble fpice ; it warms and ftrengthens
the ftomach, and is good againft pains in the head,
arifing from faults there : It is alfo good againft cho-
lics, and even outwardly applied will take effect.
The mace bruifed may be ufed for this purpofe, or
its oil by expreftion.
Madder. Rabia Tinclorum.
A rough and unhandfome plant, cultivated for the
fake of its root, which is ufed by the dyers, and alfo
in medicine. It is a foot and a half high ; the ftalk
is fquare and weak ; the leaves ftand fix or eight at
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 245
every joint, difpofed ftar-fafhioned, and they aic of
a dufky green colour, and very rough ; they feel al-
moft prickly ; the flowers are little and yellow, and
they grow from the boforns of the leaves, the loot is
long, Render, and of a red colour.
A decodtion of the ffefli roots of madder works
gently by urine, but it very powerfully opens obftruc-
tions of the liver and fpleem It is very good againft
the gravel and jaundice.
The True Maidenhair. Adiantum verum.
A very beautiful plant, of the fern-kind, but exceed-
ing the ordinary ferns very much in delicacy. The
ftalks are fmall, black, and glofly ; each divides to-
wards the top into a great many branches, and on
thefe Hand the fmaller leaves, which make up the
complete one, or the whole plant ; (for in this, as
in the fern, every leaf is an entire plant) thefe are
fhort, blunt, rounded, and notched very beautifully
and regularly at the edges, and they are of a pale
green colour ; the feeds are fixed to the edges of the
under-fide of the leaves, in form of a brown powder.
The whole plant is ufed : Our druggifts have it from
France.
A decodtion of the frefli plant is gently diuretic,
and opens obftructions, efpecially of the lungs ; but
as we cannot eafily have it frefh, and it lofes a great
deal of the virtue in drying, the belt expedient is to
ufe the fine fyrup of capellaire, which is made of an
infufion of the plant when in its perfection, with fine
JNarbonne honey. We fuppofe this is a trifle, but bar-
ley-water fweetened with it is one of the belt known
Remedies for a violent cough.
A
246 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
\ * *
English Maidenhair. Trichomanes.
A very pretty little plant, of kin to the true maiden-
hair, and frequently ufed in its place ; but this is
very wrong, for its virtues are no greater, and it is
unpleafant. It grows eight inches high, and each
leaf, as in the reft of the fern-kind, is an entire plant.
This leaf conftfts of a vaft number of fmall ones, fet
on each fide a middle rib, and they are very ftiort
and obtufe, of a roundifh but fomewhat oblong figure.
The ftalk is flender, black, and fhining, and the little
leaves are of a bright and ftrong green colour ; the
feeds are lodged as in the reft, in form of a brown
duft, on the under part of thefe leaves.
The plant grows frequently on the fides of old
wells, and on damp walls, and it is ufed entire. A
fyrup made from an infufion of it is the belt fhift we
could make for the true French capillaire ; but that
is fo eafy to be had, that no fuch fhift is neceflary ;
An infufion of the dry plant may alfo be ufed.
White Maidenhair. Adiantum album.
A very little plant of the fern-kind, and of the na-.
ture of the two others juft defcribed. Some will be
furprized at the calling it a very little plant, having,
feen leaves a foot long, fold in Covent-Garden under
that name ; but this is an impofition : They fell a
kind of water-fern under this name. The real white
maidenhair is not above two inches high. The
ftalks are very flender, and of a whitifh green, not
black as in the others. The leaves are divided into
a great many fmall parts, and at firft fight they have
fome refemblance of the leaves of rue. The feed?
are contained in brown lumps behind the leaves, co-
vering the greateft part of the furface.
This is not uncommon in old walls : It has the
fame virtues with the others againft coughs, and a
THE USEFUL F AMIL Y- HERB AL. 247
deco&ion of it is alfo ftrongly diuretic, and good
againft the gravel, and all ftoppages of urine.
Black Maidenhair. Admntum nigrum.
Another of the fmall plants of the fern-kind, and
more .-of the ftiape and form of the common ferns than
any yet defcribed. It is like the common fern of
the divided kind, -only very fmall. It grows to eight
,or ten inches high. The llalks are thick, black, and
glolFy ; the leaves are very beautifully divided into
a great many parts.; thefe are Ihort, of a dark fhining
green, and deeply notched at the edges, and they
•terminate in a fharp point, not blunt, as fome of
thofe already mentioned. The feeds lie on the edges
of the under part of the leaves, in form of a brown
dull. It is not uncommon by wmod-fides, and in
fhady lanes.
A decocftion of it works powerfully by urine, and
it has the fame virtue with the reft in the cure of
coughs.
Of thefe four, for they poftefs the fame virtues,
the preference is given to the firft defcribed, or true
kind ; next, to the Englilh maidenhair ; and in de-
feeft of both thefe, to the black land. The white
maidenhair is preferred to any againft the gravel,
and in fuppreflion of urine ; but for the common ufe
in coughs and hoarfenefies, it is the leaft efteemed
of all.
There is another plant called by the name of
maidenhair, which is yet to be defcribed ; it makes
one of what are commonly called the five capellery
herbs, but it is fo diftinft from the others, that it is
belt kept feparate. They are all kinds of fern: This
is a fort of mofs.
24B THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Golden Maidenhair. Adiantum ciureuvi.
A little upright plant, but confidered as a mofs,
one of the large It of the kind. It grows four or five
inches high when in perfection. The lower part of
the (talk is covered, for an inch or more, with thick,
Ihort, narrow leaves, fharp at the point, and of a
dufky green colour : Thefe Hand in fuch clufters,
that they quite hide the ftalk ; from the top of thefe
rife the pedicles fupporting the heads ; they are na-
ked three or four inches high, flender, and of a
brownifh, reddifh, or blackifli colour : The head
upon the fummit of thefe is fingle, fquare, and is co-
vered with a woolly cap, of the figure of an extin-
guifher, which falls off when the head is entirely
ripe : This head is full of a fine duft.
The plant is frequent in boggy places, and is to
be ufed entire. Some talk of its being good in
coughs, but the more frequent ufe of it is exter-
nally. They boil it in water, and wafh the head
with it to make the hair grow thick.
The Common Mallow. Malm.
A wild plant, every where about our hedges, fields,
and gardens. It is one among many inftances that
God has made the molt ufeful plants the moft com-
mon. The mallow grows three or four feet high ■
the ftalk is round, thick, and ftrong ; the leaves are
roundifh, but indented and divided at the edges j
the flowers are numerous, large, and red ; the root
is long and white, of a firm tough fubftance, and not
difagreeable tafte.
The whole plant is ufed, but the root has moft
virtue. The leaves dried, or frefh, are put in de-
coclions for clyfters, and the root may be dried, for
it retains a great deal of virtue, but it is beft frefli,
and fhould be cholen when there are only leaves
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL. 249
growing from it, not a (talk. It is to be boiled in
water, and the decoction may be made very itrong,
for there is nothing difagreeable in the tafte : It is to
be drank in quantities, and is excellent to promote
urine, and take off the (trangury. It is good alfo in
the fame manner againft (harp humours in the bow-
els, and for the gravel.
There is a little kind of mallow that has whitifh
flowers, and lies flat upon the ground. This is of a
more pleafant tafte than the common mallow, and
has the fame virtues. A tea made of the roots and
tops of this is very agreeable to the tafte, and is ex-
cellent for promoting the difcharges t>y urine.
Marsh-Mallow. Althcea.
, # -» t • ►
l \ tal;l wild plant, of the mallow-kind, frequent
with us about fait marfhes, and the (ides of rivers
where the tides come. It grows to four feet in
height ; the (talk is round, upright, thick, and fome-
what hairy ; the leaves are large, broad at the bafe,
fmall at the point, of a figure approaching to trian-
gular, and indented round the edges ; they are of a
whitifh green colour, and foft to the touch like vel-
vet ; the flowers are large and white, with fome-
times a faint blufti of reddifh. They are of the
fame fize and fhape with thofe of the common
mallow.
The root is mod ufed. It is white, long, and
thick, of an infipid tafte, and full of a mucilaginous
juice. Boiled in water, and the deco&ion made
ftrong, it is excellent to promote urine, and bring
away gravel and fmall (tones ; it alfo cures ftrangu-
ries, and is good in coughs. Its virtues are the
fame with thofe of the common mallow, but in a
greater degree.
*5°. THE USEFUL F AMIL Y-HERABL.
Vervain Mallow. Alcea .
A very beautiful plant, both in its flower and man-
net ot growth, common in paftures, and worthy to
be cheri fhed in our gardens. It grows two feet
high. The (talks are round, moderately thick,
a little hairy, and very upright ; the lower leaves
are rounded, and divided (lightly at the edges; thofe
on the (talk are cut into very fmall parts, and in a
very beautiful manner; the flowers are of a very
bright red, and are three times as large as thofe of
the common mallow, and very beautiful ; the feeds
are difpofed in the fame circular manner as in the
common mallow ; the root is white.
The root is the part ufed ; it has the fame virtue
with that of the common mallow, but in a lefs de-
gree. The leaves alfo have the fame virtue, and are
very pleafant taken in tea.
Musk-Mallow. Bamia Mofchata.
A plant not unlike the vervain mallow in its afpedfy
but a native only of the hotter countries. It is two
feet high ; the ftalk is (ingle, round, thick, hairy,
and upright ; the lower leaves are roundifh, only in-
dented a little at the edges ; the upper ones are di-
vided into five parts pretty deeply ; the flowers are
of the fhape of thofe of the common mallow, and are
large, but their colour is yellow ; the feed is con-
tained in a long hufk, or cafe, and is of a kidney-
like lhape, and of a fweet perfumed fmell.
The feed is the only part ufed, and that very rare-
ly. It is laid to be good againft the head-ach, but
we feldom meet with it frefh enough to have any
virtue.
!
(
C
j
a
«
n
ti
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 251
Mandrake. Mandragora.
A plant, about which there have been a multitude
of errors, but in which there is in reality nothing fo
lingular as pretended. There are, properly fpeak-
ing, two kinds of mandrake, the 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 fame, 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 gardens, but they grow there as freely
as if native.
The mandrake has no ftalk. The leaves rife im-
mediately from the root, and they are very large :
They are a foot long, four inches broad in the mid-
dle, and of a dulky green colour and bad fmell. The
flowers Hand upon foot-ftalks of four inches high,
Render, and hairy, and riling immediately from the
root. Thele flowers are large, of a dingy purplilh
colour, and of a very bad fmell ; the fruit which
follows is of the bignefs and fhape of a fmall apple,
or like a fmall pear, according to the male or female
kind : This is yellow when ripe, and is alfo of a very
bad fmell. The root is long and thick ; it is largeft
at the head, and fmaller all the way down : Some-
times it is divided into two parts, from the middle
downwards, if a (lone have lain in the way, or any
lother accident occafioned it ; but ufually it is Angle.
This is the root which is pi&uredto be like the human
form ; it is, when Angle, no more like a man than
a carrot or a parfnip is, and when by fome accident
jt is divided, it is no more like than any other root
which happens to have met the fame accident. Tliofe
roots which are fliown about for money, and have
the head, limbs, and figure of a human form, are
made lo by art, and they feldom ufe the real man-
23* THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL,
drake-root for that purpofe ; they are often made of
white briony-root, fometimes of angelica; the peo-
ple cut them into this fhape, and put them into the
•ground again, where they will be fometimes in part
covered with a new bark, and fo look natural. All
the ltory that they Ihriek when they are pulled up,
and they ule a dog to draw them out of the ground,
becaufe it is fatal to any perfon to do it, and the like,
are idle, falfe, and groundlefs, calculated only to
furprife ignorant people, and get money by the Ihew.
There is nothing lingular in the root of the man-
drake; and as to the terms male and female, the two
kinds would be better diftinguifhed ;by calling the
one the broader leaved mandrake, with round fruit ,
and the other the narrower leaved mandrake, with
oval fruit. There are plants which are feparately
male and female, as hemp, fpinach, the date-tree,
and the like ; but there is nothing of this diltindion
in the mandrakes. 1
The frefh root of mandrake is a violent medicine; 1
it operates both by vomit and ftool, and few confti- 1
tutions 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 lleepy quality, tho’
not ftrong. The leaves are ufed in fomentations and -
poultices to allay pains and fwellings, and they do P
very well.
Moll of the idle ftories- concerning the mandrake I
have taken their origin from its being named in ferip-
ture ; and from the account there given of it, fome
have imagined it would make women fruitful ; but 1
this plant does not feem to be the thing intended by 1
the Word, nor has it any fuch virtues. What the
vegetable is which is named in the feripture, and
Iranllated mandrake, we do not know.
THE USEFUL FAMIL'Y -HERBAL. 25$
S WEE t-M AR j 0 r am . Ma rjorcinci.
A common garden-plant, of no great beanty, but
kept for the fake of its virtues and ufe. It is a foot
high. The ftalks are firm, upright, and a little-
hairy ; the leaves are broad, fhort, and fomewhat
hairy, of a pale green colour, and not indented at
the edges, and of a line fmell. At the tops of the
branches Hand a kind of foft fcaly heads, three quar-
ters of an inch long, and from thefe grow the flowers,
which are fmall and white. The feeds are very
fmall, and the root is fibrous. The whole plant has
a fine fmell.
The whole plant is to be ufed frefh } and it is belt
taken by way of infulion. It is good againfl: the
head-ach and dizzinefs, and all the inferior order of
nervous complaints ; but they talk idly who call it a
remedy for apoplexies. It gently promotes the
menfes, and opens all obftructions. The dried herb
may be given for the fame purpofe in powder, but
.t does not fucceed fo well.
Wild-Marjoram. Origanum.
\ wild plant, frequent about way-fides in many
daces, but fuperior to the other in beauty and in
virtues. It very well deferves a place, on both ac-
ounts, in our gardens. It grows a foot and a half
ligh. The ftalk is firm, very upright, a little hairy,
nd of a purplifli brown colour, extremely regular
n its growth. The leaves are broad and fhort, of
I he bignefs of one’s thumb-nail, and of a dark green
olour ; two Hand at every joint, and they have long
oot-ftalks. The flowers grow on the tops of the
ranches j there Hand on thefe long fcaly heads, of
beautiful form, and purple colour ; and from dif-
ferent parts of thofe arife the flowers, which are little.
2
254 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
but of a beautiful red colour. The whole plant has
a fragrant fmell, and an aromatic tafte.
The frefli tops of the herb are to be ufed. They
are bed taken in infuiion. They llrengthen the fto-
mach, and are good againft habitual cholics. They
are alfo good in head-achs, and in all nervous com-
plaints •, and they open obftru£tions, and are good in
the jaundice, and to promote the menfes. Chymifts ;
fell what they call oil of origanum, but it is com- 1
monly an oil made from garden-thyme ; it. is very
acrid : A drop of it put upon lint, and laid to an 1
aching tooth, often gives eafe.
Cretic-Marjoram. Origanum Creticum.
A beautiful plant, of the wild marjoram kind, j
frequent wild in the eaft, and kept in our gardens.
It grows a foot high. The ftalks are fquare, upright,
and brown ; the leaves are oblong and broad ; they
are of a whitifh colour, and Hand on long foot-ftalks:
There grow fcaly heads at the tops of the branches,
as in the other kinds, and from thefe burft out the
flowers, which are little and white.
The tops are the part ufed ; our druggifls keep
them dry ; but they generally have loft fo much of
their virtue, that the frelh tops of our own wild
marjoram, or the dried ones of the laft feafon, are
better.
Marigold. Calendula.
A plant too common in our kitchen-gardens to
need much defcription. It is a foot high. The
ftalks are thick, angulated, and not very upright ;
the leaves are long, narrow at the bafe, and broader
toward the end ; the flowers are large and yellow,
and they ftand at the tops of the branches. The
whole plant is of a pale bluifh green colour, and feels
clammy. The root is fibrous.
I
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 255
A tea made of the frefli -gathered flowers of mari-
gold, picked from the cups, is good in fevers : It
gently promotes perfpiration, and throws out any
thing that ought to appear on the (kin.
The Mastic-Tree. Lentifcus.
\
A native of the warmer countries, but not uncom-
mon in our gardens. It grows to the bignefs of our
apple-trees, and is as irregular in the difpolition of
its branches. They are covered with a greyiffi bark,
and are brittle. The leaves are compofed, each of
about four pairs of fmall 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 fide; they
are oblong, narrow, and pointed at the ends ; the
flowers are little and yellowifh, and they grow in
tufts. The fruit is a bluifli berry.
We ufe the refin which drops from the wounded
branches of this tree. The tree itfelf is common in
France and Italy, but it yields no refin there ; we
have that from Greece : It is whitifh, hard, and in
little lumps. It is good for ail nervous diforders, and
acts as a balfam. There is fcarce any thing better
for a fpitting of blood, or in the firft ftage of a con-
fumption : It is alfo good againfl the whites, and in
the gleets after gonorrhceas. Some have a cuftom
of chewing it, to preferve the teeth and fweeten the
breath.
Herb-Mastic. Marum .
A pretty little plant, native only of the warmer
climates, but common in our gardens. It is a foot
high, and the ftem and principal branches are fhrub-
by or woody in their texture ; the fmaller (hoots are
whitifh; the leaves grow two at each joint; they are
little, oblong, and pointed, of a pale colour, and fra-
grant fmell like maftic, refinous, and very agreeable.
l
256 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
At the tops of the Italics Hand a kind of downy or
hairy fpikes or ears, of a peculiarly odd appearance,
and from out of thefe come the flowers, which are
little and white. The root is finall.
The whole plant is ufed dry. It may be given in
infufion, or in powder : It is a good ftrengthener of
the ftomach, and an aftringent. It flops the over-
flowings of the menfes : The powder of the tops is
belt given for this purpofe in red wine, a fcruple for
a dole.
Syrian Mastic: Thyme. Marum Syriacum.
A beautiful little plant, native of the warm coun-
tries, but not unfrequent in our gardens. It grows
a foot high. The ftalks are brittle, Render, and
whitifn ; the leaves ftancl two at each joint ; they
are fmall, in fliape very like thofe of thyme, and of
a pale green colour on the upper-fide, and white and
hoary underneath ; the flowers are fmall and red ;
they grow in a kind of little fpikes, or oblong clutters,
at the tops of the flalks, and have hoary white cups.
The whole plant has a very penetrating but pleafing
fmell, and an aromatic tafte. Cats are fond of this
plant, and will rub it to pieces in their fondnefs. It
is good for all diforders of the head and nerves. It
may be given in powder, but the molt common way
to take it is in fnuff.
Masterwort. Imperatoria.
A plant of no beauty, kept in our gardens for its
virtue. It grows two feet high. The ftalks are
round, ftriated, hollowed, upright, not very ftrong.
T he leaves are each compofed of three fmaller ; they
are of a dark green colour, blunt at the points, and
indented about the edges ; the flowers are fmall and
white ; they ftancl in little umbels at the tops of the
branches. The roots are long, brown, divided, of
a ftrong fmell, and a Iharp aromatic tafte.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 257
The root is the part ufed: It is good in fevers, in
diforders of the head, and of the ftomach and bowels.
It is belt taken up frefh, and given in a light infu-
fion ; it promotes fweat, and is a better medicine for
that purpofe than moft of the foreign roots kept by
druggifts.
Maudlin. Agerdtum.
A common plant in our gardens, not without beauty,
but kept more for its virtues* It is a foot high. The
ftalk is round, upright, firm, fingle, and of a pale
green ; the leaves are very numerous, and they are
longifli, narrow, and ferrated about the edges ; the
flowers are fmall and naked, confiding only of a kind
of thrums, but they Hand in a large clufter together
at the top of the ftalk, in the manner of an umbel.
The whole plant has a pleafant fmell.
The whole is ufed frefh or dried, but it is beft
frefh gathered. An infufion of it taken for a conti-
nuance of time is good againft obftru&ions of the li-
ver : It operates by urine.
Stinking-Mayweed. Cotula Fcetida.
A common wild plant in corn-fields and wafte
grounds, with finely divided leaves, and white flowers
ike dailies. The ftalk is round and ftriated ; the
terb grows a foot high ; the leaves are like thafe of
hamomile, only of a blacker green, and larger y
he flowers ftand ten or a dozen near one another at
die tops of the branches, but they grow feparate,
tot in a clufter. The whole plant has a ftrong
mell.
The infufion of the frefh plant is good in all hy-
'djleric complaints, and it promotes the menfes. The
lerb boiled foft is an excellent poultice for the piles.
R
258 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL,
. * f , * ■ . r> . , ,
Meadow-Sweet. Ulniaria.
A wild plant, frequent about the fides of rivers,
with divided leaves, and beautiful tufts of white
llowers. It is four feet high. The dalle is round,
ftriated, upright, firm, and of a pale green, or fome-
times ot a purple colour. The leaves are each com-
poled of about three pair of fmaller, fet on a thick
rib, with an odd leaf at the end ; they are of a fine
green on the upper-fide, and whitilh underneath, and
they are rough to the touch ; the flowers are fmall
and white, but they Hand fo dole, that the whole
clufter looks like one large flower. The feeds are fet
in a twilled order.
An in full oil of the frefli tops of meadow-fweet is
an excellent l’weat, and it is a little allringent. It
is a good medicine in fevers, attended with purge-
iitgs. It is to be given, a bufon once in two )
hours.
The Mkchoacan Plant. Mechocicanci. ;
A climbing plant, native of the Weft-Indies. It j
is capable of running to a great height when it can
be fupported : It will climb to the tops of tall trees, f
The ftalks are angulated, flender, green, and brittle ; ■'
and when broken, they yield a vaft quantity of an ,
acrid milky juice. The leaves Hand finglv ; they f
are broad and not very long, and of a beautiful lhape, 5
terminating in a point. The flowers are large, and ;
of the fhape of a bell ; theyiare of a deep purple on ^
the infide, and of a pale red without; and the feed-
veflels are large, as are alfo the feeds. The root is
whitilh, and very thick. pj
The root is the .part ufed : Our druggifts keep it
dry. It is in flices, and is whitilh and brittle. It is ,,t
an excellent purge, but there requires a large dofc ^
to w'ork tolerably ; this has occafioned its being much
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 259
lefs ufed than worfe medicines that operate more
ftrongly, and can be taken with lefs difguft ; but it
is to be lamented that fo little ufe is made of it.
The Medlar-Tree. Mefpilus.
A common tree in our gardens. It is of the bignefs
of an apple-tree, and grows in the fame irregular
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 bloffoms are
large and white ; the fruit is roundifh, and open at
the bottom ; and, till very much mellowed, is of an
, auftere tade.
A drong decodtion of unripe medlars is good to
flop violent purgings. The feeds work by urine,
and ate good againfl the gravel ; but there are fo
many more powerful things at hand they are fel-
dom ufed.
Me li lot. Melilotus.
A common wild plant, with three leaves at a joint,
and long draggling fpikes of yellow flow’ers. It is a
foot and a half high, or more. The ftalk is weak,
flender, green, and ftriated ; the leaves are oblong,
and blunt at the ends •, they are ferrated round the
edges, and of a bright green colour ; the dowers are
fmall, and of the diape of the flowers of tares, but
little ; and there follows each a roundifli pod, rough
and green. The whole plant has a Angular but not
difagreeable fmell, and the leaves are the food of
: fo many infedts, that they are commonly gnawn to
pieces.
The frefh plant is excellent to mix in poultices to
; be applied to fwellings. It was once famous in a
plaider ufed for drefling of bliders, but the apothe-
260 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL.
caries ufed to play fo many bad tricks to imitate the
green colour it was cxpefted to give, that the plaifter
is now made without it.
The Melon. Melo.
a
A trailing herb, with yellow fiow'ers, and large
fruit, well known at our tables. The plant grows to
eight or ten feet long, but is not ereft; the (talks are
angulated, thick, and ot a pale green •, the leaves are
large and broad, fomewhat roundifh, and not deeply
divided, as in mod of the creeping plants of this fort.
There are tendrils on the (talk 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
lefs on the furface, containing feeds, with a juicy
matter within.
The feeds are the part ufed: They are cooling,
and work by urine: They are belt given in an emul-
lion beat up with barley-water : This is" a good drink
in fevers given warm.
The Mezereon Shrub. Mezereum.
A very pretty (lirub, native of many parts of Eu-
rope, and frequent in our gardens. It is four feet
high, and very much branched; the branches (land
irregularly, and they are very tough and firm ; the
leaves are oblong and narrow; they grow in cluflers
from certain little fwellings on the bark; the flowers
arefmall and fed; they are hollow, and are fucceed-
ed by oblong berries, which are black when ripe;
the root is woody and creeping, and the plant is not
eafily deftroyed, when once well eftabliflied.
The bark of the root, or the inner bark of the
branches, is to be ufed ; but it is a violent medicine,
and mult be given with great caution, in fmall doles,
and only to thofe who have (trong conflitutions: It
will caufe vomiting, and bloody ftools to people that
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 26r
are tender, or to any, in a large dofe; but to robuft
people, it only a£ts as a brifk purge: It is excellent
in droplies, and other ftubborn diioideis; and the
belt way to give it is in a light infulion.
Millet. Millium.
A plant of the grafs-kind, large, upright, and not
without its beauty. It is four feet high. The flalk
is round, hollow, jointed, thick, and firm ; the leave:
are long and broad, of a pale green, and hairy; the
flowers and feeds grow at the top of the (talk, in a
vaft duller, fo heavy that the head ufually hangs
down: They are altogether of the grafs-kind. 1 he
flowers are inconliderable, and the feeds fmall, hard,
and white.
The feeds are ufed fometimes in the manner of
barley, to make a drink, which is good in fevers,
and again!! heat of urine; it is alio a little aftringent.
The gipiin is eaten alfo as barley.
Milkwort. Polygala.
A common little plant upon our heaths, and in dry
paltures, with numerous leaves, and blue or white
flowers, (for this is a variety, and caufed by acci-
dents) difpofed in.loofe fpikes. ' The root is long, and
divided into feveral parts; the Italics are very nume-
rous, and very much branched; they are fiender and
weak, and they fpread themfelves upon the ground,
forming a little green tuft. There is great variety in
the appearance of the plant, belide what has been al-
ready named in the colour of the flower; nor is that
indeed the only variation there: So that it has been
divided into two or three kinds by fome writers, but
as all thefe will rife from the fame feed, and only are
owing to the foil and expofure, the plant is without
doubt the fame in every appearance, and its virtues
are the fame in which ever Hate it is taken. When
R 3
262 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
it grows in barren places, the {talks are not more
than three or four inches in length, and the leaves
are very numerous, fliort, and of an oval figure. The
fio .vers are in this cafe fmall and blue, fometimes
whitifh, ftriated with blue, and fometimes entirely
white. When the plant grows in a fomewhat more
favourable foil, the leaves are oblong, and narrow,
pointed at the ends, and of a beautiful green; the
{talks are five or fix inches long, and the flowers in
.this cate are commonly blue, and this is the molt or-
dinary ftate of the plant. When it grows in very fa-
vourable places, as upon the damp fide of a hill,
where there are fprings, and among the tall grafs,
then its leaves are longer, its {talks more robuft and
more upright, and its flowers are red. Tfiefe are
the feveral appearances of this little plant, and it is
all one in which of them it is taken. The root is
often of a confiderable thicknefs, and Angle, but it is
more ufually divided and fmaller; it is whitifli, and
of a difagreeable acrid tafte.
This plant had pafled unregarded as to any medi-
cinal ufe, till Dr. Tennent brought into England the
fenega root, famous in America againlt the effects
of the bite of the rattlefnake, and found here to be
of fervice in pleurifies: But when it was found, that
this was the root of a kind of milkwort, not very
different from our own, we tried the roots of our own
kind, and found them eftedhial in the fame cafes. As
to the poifonous bites of a ferpent, they are fo un-
common here, that we need not regard that part of
the qualities ; but we find it good in the other dif-
order, and in all difeafes in which the blood is thick
and fizy. The frefh root is beft, but it has not its full
virtue except in fpring, when the ftalks are juft
fhooting out of the ground, for this reafon it is raoft
proper to take it up at that time, and dry it for the
fervice of the year. When frefh, it is beft given in
infufion: 'But when dried, it is kept in powder.
1
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 263
Spear-Mint. Mentha vulgaris
'
A COMMON plant in our gardens, and of frequent
ly ijfe in the kitchen. It is two feet high; the (talks
; arp fquare, (ingle, upright, firm, and of 3. pale green;
c, tjip leaves Hand two at a joint ; they are long narrow,
ie of a blackiih green, ferrated at the edges, and (harp-
pointed; the (lowers are fmall and purple; and they
•. (land in long fpikes, in a beautiful manner. The
whole plant has a fragrant fmell, and a plcafant aro-
^ inatic tafte.
The whole plant is ufed, frefli or dried, and is ex-
cellent againft diforders of the ftomach. It will (top
vomiting, and create an appetite; it is belt given in
, the fimple diitilled water, well made, or elfe in the
form of tea. The frefli herb bruifed, and applied
outwardly to the ftomach, will (top vomitings.
1 ' ' ; v; ' '
Water-Mint. Mintha Aquatica.
A common wild plant of the mint-kind, not fo much
regarded as it deferves. It is frequent by ditch (ides.
It is a foot and half high. The ftalks are fquare,
upright, firm, and ftrong, and generally of a brown
colour; the leaves are broad and fhort; they (land
two at a joint, and are of a brownifii, or deep green
colour, fomewhat hairy, and ferrated about the
edges; the flowers are larger than thofe of common
mint, and are of a pale red colour; they (land in
round thick clufters at the tops of the ftalks, and
round the upper joints. The whole plant has a (Irong
fmell, not difagreeabje, but of a mixed kind between
that of mint and penny-royal; and the tafte is (Irong
and acrid, but it is not to be called di (agreeable.
A diddled water of this plant is excellent again ft
cholics, pains in the ftomach and bowels, and it will
bring down the menfes. A (ingle dole of it often
qures the cholic. The ufe of peppermint has ex-
R 4
«■*- *
264 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
chided this kind from the prefent pra&ice, but all
three ought to be ufed. Where a fimple weaknefs of
the ftomach is the complaint, the common mint
fhou! d be ufed; when cholicky pains alone, the pep-
permint; and where fupprefiioris of the menfes are
in the cale, this wild water-mint: They may all be
given in the way of tea, but a fimple water diddled
from them, and made fufficiently drong, is by much
tjie mod efficacious.
Peppermint. Mentha Piperata.
A plant kept in our gardens, but much more re-
fembling the wild mint lad defcribed, than the fpear-
mint, both in form and qualities. It grows two feet
and a half high. The dafk is fquare and firm, up-
right, and of a pale green ; the leaves dand two qt
each joint : They are broad, not very long, of a dark
green, and ferrated deeply at the edges. The flowers
grow in thick fpikes, but not very long ones; they
qre large, and of a pale red. The whole plant has
an agreeable quick fmell, and a hote tade like pepper,
but not difagreeable.
The whole plant is ufed frefh, or dried; but the
beft way is to give the diddled water. Jt. cures the
cholic often almod indantaneoudy, and it is good
againd the gravel.
Long- leaved Wild Mint. Menthajlrum.
A singuler wild plant, of the mint-kind, but not
without its beauty. It is two feet high, and grows
with great regularity. The dalk is fquare, firm, and
of a pale green, very upright, and at the top full of
young fhoots; the leaves are long and narrow ; they
are of a whitifh green, deeply indented about the
edges, and pointed at the ends: The flowers dand in
fpikes at the tops of the young fhoots; they are pale,
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 265
J
f
t
1
red, and large, and very numerous. The whole
plant has a flrong fmell.
The whole plant is ufed frefh or dried, and is to be
given in ivay of tea, for the diddled water is difa-
greeable. It drengthens the domach, and promotes
the menfes. It is in this latter refpedt a very valu-
able medicine, but the ufe of it mud be continued
fome time.
The Myrtle. Myrtus.
A little dirub very beautiful in its manner of
gitewth, a native of Italy, but common in our gar-
dens. The trunk is covered with a rough brown
bark; the branches are numerous, dender, tough,
and reddidi ; the leaves are very beautiful ; they are
fmall, diort, of a dne green, pointed at the ends, not
ferrated at the edges, and they dand in great num-
bers, and in a beautiful order upon the branches.
The dowers dand on diort foot-dalks ; they are large,
white, and full of threads; the fruit is a round black
berry, as large as the bigged pea, and has a crown at
the top; the leaves when bruifed have an extremely
fragrant fmell; the dirub will bear our climate bet-
ter than is imagined; there are in fome places hedges
of it dve or dx feet high, that dand the winters,
without the lead hurt.
The leaves and berries of the myrtle are ufed;
they are cordial and adringent. A drong infudon
of the frefh leaves is good againd a flight purging,
ftrengthening the domach, at the fame time that it
removes the complaint. The dried leaves, powdered,
are excellent againd the whites. The berries are
good againd bloody duxes, overflowings of the menfes,
and in fpitting of blood.
266 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Mis let oe. Vifcus.
A singular plant, native of our own country, but
growing not on the earth as other herbs, but upqn the
branches of trees ; on which it makes a very confpi-
cuous figure. It grows two feet high, and its branches
are fo numerous, and fpread in fuch a manner, that
the whole plant is as broad as tall, and appears a
round yellow tuft of that diameter, quite unlike tc
the tree on which it grows, in fruit, leaves, and bark.
The main Item is half an inch diameter, the branches
divide always by two’s, and they eafily break at the
joints or divifions. 'ffie bark is throughout of a
yellowifh colour, though with fome mixture of green
on the young f hoots; the leaves are alfo yellowifh;
they grow two at each joint : They are flefliy, ob-
long, narrowed: at the bottom, and broader toward
the top. The flowers are yellow, but they are fmall
and inconfidevable ; the fruit is a white berry, round,
and of the bignefs of a pea ; this is full, of a tough,,
clammy juice.
The leaves of mifletoe, dried and powdered, are
a famous remedy for the falling-ficknefs. They are
good in all nervous diforders, and have been known
to perform great cures taken for a continuance of;
time.
The Indian Myrobalan-Tree.
Myrobalanus Indica.
A tree native of the warmer climates, and not yet
got into our gardens. It grows to twenty feet high.
The branches are numerous, and very irregularly
difpofed ; the leaves are long and narrow ; the flowers
are white, and like the blofToms of our plum-trees;
and the fruit refembles a plum, oblong, and flefliy,
with a long ftone or kernel, but the fruit is generally
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 267
i
gathered before the ftoue hardens, fo that it feems to
have none.
We ufed to have the fruit brought over, and it was
given as a purge, but at prefent none regard it. There
are alfo four others of the fame kind, the names oi:
which we fee in books of medicine, but the fruits
are not to be met with, nor is it much lofs, for we
have better things to anfwer their purpofes. They
were called the citrine , chebule belleric , and emblec •
myrobalanus; they are alfo ufed as purges, but common
fena is worth them all.
;$
Moon wort. Lunaria.
■?
)
2
l
A very Angular and very pretty plant, frequent in
fome parts of the kingdom, but in mod very fcarce.
It grows fix inches high; and confifts of the ftalk,
one leaf, and the flowers. The ftalk is round, firm,
and thick; it is naked to the middle, and there grows
the leaf, which is compofed as it were of feveral pairs
of fmall ones, or rather is a whole and Angle leaf di-
vided deeply, fo as to refemble a number of fmaller;
thefe are rounded and hollowed, and thence came its
name of moonwort ; from the bafe of this leaf, the
ftalk is continued up an inch or two, and then rife
the clufters of flowers and feeds; thefe are very fmall,
and like duft, of a brown colour. The leaves of
inoonwort dried and given in powder, ftop purgings,
and the overflowings of the menfes. The frefh plant
bruifed and laid to a cut, flops the bleeding, and
heals it in a day or two.
Hairy Tree-Moss. Vfnea.
A very Angular plant, of the mofs-kind, frequent in
our large forefts, but rare elfewhere; it grows to the
branches or old oaks and bullies, and hangs down
from them in long firings. The tufts of it are often
a foot long, and in the whole two or three inches
268 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
thick; they are compofed of a great quantity of Balks
and branches, the laigeit not bigger than a large
pack-thread; thefe are of a grey colour, and an
compofed of a foft bark, and a firm white fibre with-
in; this bark is often cracked, and the branches ap-
pear jointed; the fmall fibres of the plant refemblt
hairs: On the larger grow at certain feafons, little
hollow brown bodies. Thefe contain the feeds, but
they are too minute to be diftinguifhed fingly. The
whole plant is dry and faplefs as it grows, and has
not the leaft appearance of leaves upon it.
The powder of this mofs, is an excellent aftringent;
it is to be dried in an oven, and beat in a mortar: The
white fibres will remain, when the foft part has gone
through the fieve ; they are of no ufe ; the other has all
the virtue. It is good againft the whites, againft
overflowings of the menfes, and bloody fluxes, and
again A fpitting of blood ; it defer ves to be much more
regarded, than it is in the prefent pra&ice. The dofe
is half a dram.
I
Cup Moss. Mvfcus Pyxidatus.
A common little plant on ditch banks, by wood;
fides, and in dry barren places. It confifts of a thin
coat of a leafy matter, fpread upon the furface of the
ground, and of a kind of little cups rifing from it.
The leafy part is dry and without juice, divided into
feveral portions, and thefe irregularly notched ; it is
grey or greenifli on the upper-fide, and whitifh unT
derneath. The cups are half an inch high. .They
have each a thick Item, and an open mouth, *and ra-
ther refemble a clumfy drinking-glafs, than a cup.
They are of a grey colour, often with fome odd mix-
ture of green, of a dufky furface, fometimes they
grow one from the edge of an .her, up to the third
or fourth ftage: They ’nave alfo many other acciden-
tal varieties ; and fometimes they bear little brown
lumps, which are fuppofed to contain the feeds.
the USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 269
The whole plant is to be ufed ; it is to be taken
frelh from the ground, Ihook clean, and boiled in
water, till the decoclion be very ftrong ; then there is
to be added as much milk as there is of the liquor,
i and it is to be fweetened with honey. It is an ex-
cellent medicine for childrens’ coughs: It is recom-
mended particularly in that called the chincough.
Common Ground-Moss. Mufcus Terrejlris vulgaris.
'■ A pretty but very fmall plant. It creeps on the
; ground, or rifes in tufts two or three inches high, ac-
cording to the place. The ftalks are very flender,
but they are thick covered with leaves, and their
branches are difpofed in fuch a manner, that they in
fome degree refemble fern. The leaves are very
fmall, of a triangular fhape, and of a bright green ;
they Hand loofely on the lower parts of the ftalks,
but on the upper, they lie clofe and cover them. It
very rarely produces its feeds; but when it does,
there rife naked and very flender pedicles an inch
long from the bofoms of the leaves, and at the top of
each of thele, Hands a little oblong head, of a brown-
illi red colour, covered with a cap like an extinguifh-
er in ftiape, and full of fine green duft.
The whole plant is ufed ; it is to be dried and
powdered, and is given with fuccefs againft over-
flowings of the menfes, and all bleedings; it is alfo
good againft the whites.
Moss of an Human Skull.
Mufcus ex Cranio Humano.
T here is not any particular kind of mofs that grows
upon the ‘human fkull, nor does any mofs by grow-
ing upon it acquire any particular virtues, whatever
fanciful people may have imagined. In England,
we commonly ufe the mofs juft defcribed, when it
happens to run over an human fkull, that has been
27a THE USEFUL F AMILY-HERABL.
laid by accident, or has been laid on purpofe in its
way : In other places, they life the fort of white mofs,,
that grotos upon our old applcs-trees. Both thefe are
in their own nature aitringents, but they are as good
if taken from trees, or off the ground, as if found
upon thefe bones. They have been luppoled good
agai'nft diforders of the head, when gathered from
the Ik till, but this is all fancy.
MoTher-of-T hyme. Serpyllum „
A common wild little plant, but very pretty, very fra-
grant,! and of great virtues. It grows in little tufts by
way fides, and on dry hillocks ; the ftalks are round,
flender, reddifh, and fix or eight inches long, but they
do not Hand upright; the leaves are very fmall, and
of an oval figure; they grow two at each joint, and
they are fmooth, and of a bright green ; the flowers
are of a pale red, and (land in little tufts at the tops
of the ftalks; the whole plant has a very fragrant
.fmell, and an aromatic and agreeable tafte.
It is a better medicine in nervous cafes, than moft
that are ufed ; the frefh plant or dried, may be drank
as tea; it is very agreeable to the tafte, and by a con-
tinuance will cure all the common nervous diforders.
The nightmare is a very troublefome difeafe, and
often puzzles the phyfician, but it will be perfectly
cured by a tea made of this plant.
t
Motherwort. Cardiaca.
A tall and not unhandfoitie wild plant. It grows
wild about farm-yards, and in dry places. It is a
yard high ; the ftalk is fquare, thick, upright, and
firm; the leaves ftand on long foot-ftalks, two at each
joint; they are divided into three parts., the middle
one being the longeft, and are deeply indented at the
edges ; of a dark green colour, and bad fmell ; the
flowers are of a pale red; they grow in a kind of
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL* £71
prickly cups, from the bofoms of the leaves, furfoiind-
ing the ftalks ; the root creeps, arid is whitifh.
The whole plant may be ufed dried, but the tops frefh
cut are bed; they are to be given in a ftrong infulion
or deco&ion; it is good againft hyfteric complaints,
and it promotes the menfes; it is famous for curing
the palpitation of the heart, when that arifes from an
hylteric caufe: For there are palpitations which no-
thing can cure.
Mouse-ear. Pilofelta.
An exceeding pretty little plant, with whitifh leaves,
and large bright yellow flowers, frequent on our
ditch-banks; the leaves grow in little duffers, and
are longifh and broad, of a dark green on the upper-
fide, but white underneath, and fo much of the un-
der part is ufually feen, that the whole looks whitifh ;
the ftalks trail upon the ground, and take root at
every joint; the leaves have long hairs upon them;
the ftalks w'hich fupport the flowers rife Angle; they
are hairy, they have no leaves, and each bears only
one flower; this ffands on the top, and is large,
fomewhat of the form of the dandelion-flower, but of
a beautiful pale yellow^.
The feeds are- winged with down, and the ftalks,
when broken, yield a milky juice, but in no great
quantity. The plant has fcarce any fmell, but an
aultere bitterifh tafte.
A decoction of the frefh gathered herb is excel-
lent againft the bleeding of the piles; and the leaves,
boiled in milk, may be applied externally: It is good
alfo in the overflowings of the menfes, and in all
other bleedings, and in the whites,
272 T-ffiT USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Mug wort. Artemifm.
A tall and not unhandfomc plant, frequent on ditch
banks, having divided leaves and flowers like thofe of
wormwood. It is a yard high or more ; the ftalk is !
round, ftriated, often purpiilh, firm, upright, and
branched; the leaves Hand irregularly upon it; they
are large, and compofed of a number of fmall parts, t
which are fharply indented and pointed; they are oi
a dufky green on the upper-fide, and white under- i
neath ; the flowers are little and brownifh ; they t
Hand in fmall tufts all along the upper parts of the
branches, but they Hand upright, whereas thofe of
wormwood 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 mugwort are to be ufed frefh or
dried; they are bell given in infufion, and they are
excellent to promote the menfes, and againft all the
common hyfleric complaints.
The Mulberry-Tree. Moms.
A large and irregularly 'growing tree, common, in I
our gardens. The branches are numerous and fpread-
ing ; the leaves are very beautiful, large, broad,- of a
bright green, pointed at the end, and delicately fer-
rated round the edges; the flowers are fmall and in-
confiderable ; the fruit is fufficiently known ; it is
large, oblong, juicy, and compofed of a great number
of fmall granules: It is ufually black when ripe; but
there is a kind with white fruit.
The bark of the root of the mulberry tree frefh ta-
ken off and boiled in water, makes an excellent de-
coction againlt the jaundice; it opens obflructions of
the liver, and works by urine. A very pleafant fyrup
is made from the juice of the ripe fruit, with twice
the quantity of fugar; it is cooling, and is good for
lore mouths, and to quench thirit in fevers.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. - . .273-
White Mullien. Verb af cum album. ' - "
[ A tall and ftately wild plant, lingular for its white
‘ leaves and long fpike of yellow flowers, and fre-
‘ quent on our. ditch banks, and in dry places. It
' grows fix feet. high; the leaves riling from- the root,
1 are a foot long, as broad as one’s hand, lharp-pointed,
! ferrated about the edges, and covered with a white
' downy or woolly matter; the llalk is thick, firm, and
1 very upright, and is covered with fmaller leaves of the
fame kind : the flowers are yellow, and large ; they
[ Hand in fpikes, of two feet long, three or four only
1 opening at a time; the feeds are fmall and brown;
5 the root is long- and lhaggy.
The leaves are ufed, and thofe are belt which grow
‘ from the root, when there is no llalk; they are to be
: given in decodlion againfl: the overflowings of the
; menfes, the bloody-flux, the bleeding of the piles,
and fpitting of blood, boiled in milk; they are alfo
excellent by way of poultice to the piles, and other
painful fweilings.
Mustard. Sinapi.
A c o'M mon rough-looking plant, wild in many places,
but kept alfo in gardens for the fake of the feed. It
grows a yard high. The llalk is round, fmooth,
thick, and of a pale green ; the leaves are large and
of a coarfe green, deeply indented, and placed irre-
gularly ; they hang down, and have a difagreeable
afpedl ; the flowers are fmall and yellow, they grow
in great numbers on the tops of the branches, and the
pods of the feed follow them. The whole plant is of
an acrid pungent tafle. The root is white.
The feeds are the part ufed ; what we call mil-
liard is made of them, and it is very wholefome ; it
llrengthens the llomach, and procures an appetite.
The ieed bruifed, and taken in large quantities,
S
274- 'J'HE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
M’orks by urine, and is excellent againft rheumatifms
and the (curvy. it alfo promotes the menfes. Laid
upon tlie tongue it will lometiines reftore fpeech in
m pallies.
Tre a c l e~ M u s tar d. Thlafpi Difcordis.
A utile wild plant, with- broad leaves, white
flowers, and flat pods, common in dry places. It is
eight inches high ; the flalk is round, and ftriated y
the leases, aie oblong and broad, of a pale green co-
lour, and dentated round the edges. They grow
irregularly on the (talks, and have no foot-flalks.
The flowers are very fmall ; a little tuft of them
(lands at the top of the (talk, and the pods follow
them, fo that the uiual appearance, when the plant
is in flower, is a fhort fpike of the pods, with a little
clufter of flowers on the top ; the pods are large, j
flat, roundifh, and edged with a leafy border ; the
feeds are fmall, brown, and of a hot tafte. The feed
is the part ufed, but our druggifts generally fell the
feeds of the garden-crefs in the place of it. It is
not much regarded.
Mithridate Must arid. Thlafpi Incam Folio.
A little wild plant, common in corn-fields. It
is of a foot high ; the (talks are round, firm, upright,
and not much branched ; the leaves are long, nar-
row, a little hairy, and of a dufky green ; the flowers
are fmall and white, and the pods which follow them |
are roundifh and little, not flatted as in the former
kind, nor furrounded with a foliaceous edge. The |
leaves grow very thick upon the (talk, and each ha?
as it wrere a couple of little ones at the bafe.
The feed of this is ufed alfo, at leaft in name, for
the crefs-feed ferves for both :• The matter is not |
great, for they feem to have the fame virtues, and j
neither is minded, except as ingredients in compo-
fitions.
the Useful. family-herbal*. 275
The Myrrh-Tree. Myrrh cl*
A tf.ee concerning which we have but very imper-
fect accounts, and thofe not well warranted for ge-
nuine. Ali that we hear of it is, that the branches
are numerous, and have thorns on them ; that the
leaves are oblong, broad, and of a llrong fmell, and
that the bark of the trunk is rough, and of a greyifh
colour.
The giim-refin, called myrrh , is certainly procured
from fome tree in the hot countries, but whether
this be a true defcription of that tree there is no cer-
tainty. The gum itfelf is a very great medicine; it
opens all obftrudtions of the vifcera, is good in con-
fumptions, jaundices, and dropiies, and is excellent
for promoting the menfes, and afiifting in the natu-
ral and necelfary difcharges after delivery : It is to be
given in powder, the tincture diflolves it but imper-
fectly ; but this is excellent againft diforders of the
teeth and gums.
S 2
276 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Sweet Nave'w. Nap as .
A Plant kept in fome gardens, and not unlike th.- 1
common turnip in its afpecft and appearance. I
grows a yard high. The ftalk is round, fmooth, am ,
of a pale green ; the leaves hand irregularly on it 1
and they are oblong, broad at the- bale, where the;
lurround the ftalk, and narrower all the way to th
point ; the leaves which grow from the root aremucl
larger, and deeply cut in at the fides,. and they are al
of a pale or bluifh green colour ; the flowers are final
and yellow, and the pods are long ; the feed is roum
and black ; the root is white and large, and has th
tafte but not the round fhape of the turnip, for it i .
rather like a parfnip.
The feeds are ufed, but not much. A decodtio 1
of them is faid to promote fweat, and to drive an
thing out to the ikin, but it does not feem to deferv
any great regard.
Wild N a ye w. B uni as.
Phe plant v7hich produces what we call rape-feec
and in fome places cole-feed. Though wild on ou
ditch-banks, it is fown in fome places for the fake t
its feed, from which an oil is made for mechanic!
purpofes. The plant is two or three feet high, th
ftalk is round, upright, fmooth, thick, firm, and c
J
C
is
IC
re
x
D
it
T H E U SEFUL FAMILY- HERB A p. 277
a pale green ; the lower leaves are long and narrow,
very deeply divided at -the edges, and of a pale or
bluifh green colour \ thole on the (talk are of the
fame colour, but fmail, narrow, and little divided y
the flowers are fmail, and oi] a bright yellow ; ther
pods are long, and the feeds are round, large, and
black, they are of a fomewhat hot and (harp taife ; the
feeds are ufed for the fame purpofes ' as the other?>
and are fuppofed to have more virtue, but probably
neither have much.
'
Colic Nard. Nardus Celtic a.
A little plant of the valerian-kind, frequent in
many parts of Europe, but not a native of England.
It is fix or eight inches in height ; the (talks are
round, ftriated, and greenifh ; the leaves at the bot-
tom are oblong, narrow at the bafe, and rounded at
the end, and of a yellowifh green colour; thofe on
the (talks ftand in pairs, thfey are fmail and deeply-
cut ; the flowers (land in a little clufter at the top
of the (talk ; they are (mail and white, the root is
long, (lender, and creeping.
The root is the part ufed ; our druggifts keep it
dry. It is bed taken in infufion. It operates by-
urine, and in fome degree by fweat, but that very
moderately. It is recommended in fevers and in the
jaundice.
Nettle. Urtica , 1
A plant too common to need much defcription. It.
is three feet high. The (talks are angulated and
rough ; the leaves are large, and of a beautiful fhapc,
regularly from a broad bafe diminifliing to a fliarp
point, and nicely ferrated round the edges ; the co-
lour of thefe, and of the ftalks, is a dufky green,
and they are both covered with a kind of prickles,
which eafily make their way into the (kin, and
s 3
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL.
have at their bafe a hollow bag of fharp juice, which
gets into the wound, occafioning that fwelling, in-
flammation, and pain that follows. The naked eye
may diftinguifh thefe bags at the bottom of the
prickles on the {talk of a full-grown nettle, but a
microfcope {hews them all over. The flowers of the
nettle are yellowifh, little, and inconfiderable, the
feeds are fmall and round, the root is long and creep-
ing.
The juice of the nettle is good againfl overflow-
ings of the menfes. The root is to be given in in-
fufion, and it works powerfully by urine, and is ex-
cellent againfl: the jaundice.
The Roman Nettle. Urtica Ramana.
A wild plant of the nettle-kind, but not common.
It is two feet high. The {talks are round, and of a
deep green colour. The leaves are large, and of a
deep green alfo, broad at the bafe, narrow to the
point, and deeply ferrated. The flowers are t fmall
and inconfiderable ; the fruit is a round ball as big'
as a large pea ; it {lands on a long foot-ftalk, and is
of a deep green colour, and full of fmall brown feeds..
All the plant is covered with the fame fort of prickles
as the common nettle, but they are Ihorter and finer;,
they are filvery white at the tips, and have the fame
bag of liquor at the bafe, and they fling very terri-
bly, more a great deal than the common nettle.
The feeds are the part ufed. They are good a-
gainft coughs, fhortnefs of breath, and hoarfenefies ;
the feeds of the commou nettle are commended for
this purpofe, but thefe arc greatly preferable. The
beft way of giving them is in the manner of tea,
fweetened with honey.
I
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 279
Common Nightshade. Solatium wig are.
J| Pi. wild plant that over-runs gardens, and all other
i cultivated places, if not continually weeded out. _ It
lj grows two feet high. I he ftalks are roundifh, thick,
but not very ere<ft or ftrong, and ot a duiky green.
I The leaves are broad and roundilh, but they . termi-
[ nate in a point. They are of. a dark green colour,
| and Hand on foot-ftalks. The flowers grow in little
I clutters, ten or a dozen in a bunch ; they are white,
\ with a yelowilh centre, and they are fucceeded by
u round black berries.
The leaves are ufed frefh, and only, externally.
| They are very cooling, and are applied, broiled, to
:i inflammations, fcaids, burns, and iroublefcme erup-
| tions on the fit in.
Deadly Nightshade. Solatium Lcthale.
It may feem flrange to mix a poifon among medi-
Icines, but a part of this herb has its ufes. This is a
wild plant of a dull and difmal alpedt. It grows five
feet high. The (talks are angulatcd, and of a deep
I green ; the leaves are very large, broad, and flat,
I and they are alfo of a dull dead green ; the flowers
I Hand flngly on long foot-ftalks ariiing froip the po-
| fom pf the leaves, and they have alfo the fame dif-
fi nial afpect ; they are large, hollow, and hang down.
On the outflde they are of a duiky colour, between
I brown and green, and within they are of a very deep
purple ; thefe are fucceeded by berries of the bignefs
of cherries, black and fhining when ripe, and full
of a pulpy matter, of a fweetifli and mawkifti tafte ;
the root is long ; the berries are fatsfl ; children have
often eat them and perifhed by it. The leaves ex-
ternally applied are cooling and foftening ; they are
good againft the ringworm and tetters, and again!!
hard fwellings ; they have very great virtue in this
S 4
280 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
refpedl, but the plant fliould be kept out of the way J
ot children, or never fullered to grow to fruit, as the i
leaves only are wanted.
The Nutmeg-Tree. Nux Mofchata.
A tall fpreading tree, native only of the warm cli- 1
mates : The trunk is large, and the branches are nu- j
merous and irregular ; the bark is of a greyifh co- |
lour, and the wood light and foft ; the leaves are U
large, long, and fomewhat broad ; they are not un- |
like thofe of .the bay -tree, but bigger, and are of a u
beautiful green on the upper-fid;e, and whitifh un- | j
derneath ; they ftarid irregularly, but often fo near- j;
ly oppolite, that they feem in pairs, as we fee in the I ,
leaves of Tome of our willows. The blofiom is of the I j;
fhape and bignefs of that of our cherry-tree, but its 1 i
colour is yellow ; the fruit which fucceeds this is of I
the bignefs of a fmall peach, and not unlike it in the L;
general form ; when cut open there appears firfh the I 5
flefhy coat, which is a finger thick, and of a rough I?
tafte, then the mace fpread over a woody fhell, in I
which is the nutmeg. We often have the whole |a
fruit fent over preferved,
■ The nutmeg is" an excellent fpice, it ftrengthens I;
the ftomach, and alfifts digeftion. It will flop vo-r | (
mitings, and is good againft the cholic ; when roafted |<
before the fire, and mixed with a fmall quantity of j
rhubarb, it is the bell of all-remedies againft purge-, l;
ings.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 2S1
. The Oak. J^iiercus.
A Noble and ftately tree, native of our country,
and no where growing to fo great perfection. It is
very tall, and though irregular in the difpolition of
its branches, that very irregularity has its beauty ;
the trunk is Very thick ; the branches are alfo thick,
and often crooked ; the bark is brown and rough ;
the leaves are large, oblong, broad, and deeply cut in
at the edges, and they are of a fhining green ; the
flowers are inconsiderable ; the fruit is the acorn,
well known. Galls are produced upon the oak, not
as fruit, but from the wounds made by an infect.
The bark of the oak is a very powerful aftringent,
it flops purgings and overflowings of the menfes.
Given in powder, a decoCtion of it is excellent for
the falling down of the uvula, or, as it is called, the
falling of the palate of the mouth. Whenever a very
powerful aftringent is required, oak-bark demands the
preference over every thing: If it were brought from
the Eaft-Jndies it would be held ineftimable.
The ScARLET-Oak. Ilex,
A shrub not much regarded on its own account, but
from the infeCt called ktrmes , which is found upon
it, and has fometimes been fuppofed a fruit of it :
The fhrub thence obtained its name of the fcarlet-
Qak. It grows only iix or. eight feet high. The
28* THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
branches are tough, and covered with a fmall greyiflt
bark ; the leaves are an inch long, three quarters of t
an inch broad, of a figure approaching to oyal, fer-
rated about the edges, and is a little prickly ; the 1
flowers are fmall and inconfiderable ; the fruit is an i
acorn like that of the commoq oak, but finaller, :
Handing jn its cup • the Iterates, or fcarlet grain, is
a fmall round fubftance of the bignefs of a pea, of a
fine red colour within, and of a purplifh blue with-
out, covered with a fine hoary dufi, like a bloom |
upon a plpm. It is an infect at that time full of ‘
young. When they intend to preferve it in its own '
form, they find ways of deftroying the principle of ;
life within, elfe the young come forth, and it is fpoiled. [
When they exprefs the juice, they bruife the whole
grains, and fqueeze it through a hair-cloth ; they
then add an equal weight of fine fugar to it, and fend ■
it over to ns under the name of juice of kermes ; r
this is ufed in medicine much more than the grain
itfelf.
It is a cordial good againft faintings, and to drive '*
out the fmall-pox, and for women in child-bed. It '
fupports the fpirits, and at the fame time promotes i
the neceflary difcharges.
Ci
tl
Oak of Jerusalem. Botrys.
A little plant, native of the warmer countries, and
kept in our gardens, with leaves which have been
fuppofed to referable thofe of the oak-tree, whence
it got its name, and fmall yellowilh flowers. The
ftalk is a foot and a half high, roundifh, angulated
a little, or deeply flriated, and of a pale green ; the
leaves are of a yellowilh green, and of a rough fur-
face ; they are oblong, fomewhat broad-pointed at
the ends, and deeply cut in on the fides ; the flowers
Hand in abundance of long fpikes on the tops of the
branches • they are very fmall and inconfiderable.
h
it
k
tl
rc
V
eo
Pi
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. a&3
The whole plant has a pleafajit fmell, particularly
the young Ihoots which are to bear the flowers.
The frelh plant is to be ufed, and it it is belt ta-
ken in the manner pf tea, or in infufion. It is good
in afthmas, hoarfenefs, and coughs, apd it promotes
the menl'es and difcharges after delivery.
The Olive-Tree. Olea.
* • ' - .1
A large tree, native of the warmer parts of Europe
and the Eaft. The trunk is thick and rough ; the
branches are numerous, and Hand irregularly; their
bark is grey and fmooth j the leaves are longilh and
broad, of a deep green on the upper-fide, and whitifli
underneath, and of a firm texture ; the flowers
are fmall and yellow, the fruit is of the bignefs of a
fmall plum, but of a longer (hape, and has a very
large ftone within.
The oil is the only produce of this tree ufed in
medicine, it is prefled out of the fruit, and is excel-
lent in diforders 'of the lungs, and againft cholics and
fioppages of ufine ; but in the latter cafes the oil of
fweet-almonds, frelh prefled, is preferable, and for
the firft linfeed oil ; fo that oil of olives, or, as it is
called, falad oil , js feldom ufed in medicine, unlefs
thefe others cannot be had.
T he Onion, Cepa.
A common plant in our gardens, known at light by
its hollow tubular leaves. It grows two feet and a
half high. The leaves are long, rounded, of the
thicknefs of a man’s finger, and hollow ; the ftalk is
round alfo, and has at the top a round duller of little
flowers ; thefe are of a mixed purplilh and greenifh
colour, and of a llfong fmell, as has the whole
plant.
284 THE USEFUL’ EAMIEY-HERABL.
The- root is.. -the parfufed ; .it is rbundilh, and
compofed of a great multitude of coats .laid, one over
another. A fy rap made of the juice of. onions and
honey is excellent for an afthrfia. ' "• ' : '
..... . . #. '
• i. t . , 4 } ■
The Opopon ax Plant. Gp'opo'naxr ■- •
A large and robuft plant, of which ..we have but
imperfect defcriptions. ' It is' a native of the Eaft,
and has not been brought into Europe. It is faid to
be eleven or twelve feet high ; the Italic round, thick,
and hollpw, the leaves very large, and each com-
pofed of a vaft nimiber of fmaller fet upon a divided
ilalk. The flowers, we are informed, Hand in very
large round drifters at the tops of the ftalks, and that
the feeds are broad, brown, and of a ftrong lmell,
jftriated on the furface, and flattifh. The foot is faid
to be long’ and large, and full of an acrid and milky
juice.
We ufe a kind .of refln which is faid to be collected
from this root after it has been wounded, to. make it
flow in fufficient quantity : But’ the whole account
comes to us very imperfedt, and upon no very found
authority, however it feems probable.
The refin is browniih or yellovyilh, and in final!
pieces. It is an excellent medicine agaanft ner-.
vous complaints ; and particularly againft diforders
-of the head. It works by urine, and promotes the
menfes, and has a tendency to operate, though very
gently, by ftool. It is not fo much ufed as it de-
ferves to be. I have experienced excellent effects,
from it.
The Orange-Tree. Aurantia Malus.
A beautiful and valuable tree, native ot Spain,
Italy, and the Eaft. It grows to. a confiderable big-,
nefs, and its branches fpread irregularly. The
bark of the trunk is brown and rough, that of
riatc V.
OvracK, or Arracli , 3?. 6*3. Common Ocpine
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL. 285
the branches is fmooth and greyifli. The leaves
are large and very beautiful ; they are oblong and
moderately broad, and the foot-italic has an edge
of a leafy matter on each fide, giving it a heart-
like appearance. The flowers are white, large,
fragrant, and very beautiful. The fruit is enough
known.
The four -or Seville orange is the kind ufed in
medicine, but the peel of this more than the juice
or pulpy part. * A pleafant fyrap is made of Seville
orange-juice, by melting in it twice its weight of
the fineft fugar ; and a fyrup equally pleafant, tho’
of another kind, is made of an infufion of the
peel: But the great life of the peel is in tinc-
ture or infufion as a ftomachic. It is for this pur-
pofe to be pared off very thin, ' only the yellow part
being ufeful, and to be put into brandy or wine, or
to have boiling water poured on it frefli or dry.
If a little gentian and a few cardamon-feeds be
added to this tindlure, or infufion, it is as good a
bitter as can be made ; it prevents ficknefs of the
Itomach and vomitings, and is excellent to amend
the appetite.
Orpine. . Telephum.
A very beautiful wild plant, of a foot high, or
more,* with frefh green leaves and tufts of bright
red flowers, common in our hedges in autum in
many parts of England. The ftalk is round and
fleiliy } the leaves are oblong, broad, and indented
round the edges, and their colour is a bluifli green.
The flowers are fmall, but they are very beautiful ;
the root is white and thick \ the whole plant has a
flefhy appearance, and it will grow, out of the
ground, a long time, taking its nourifhment from
the air.
rim juice of orpine is good againlt the bloody -
flux : Fhe belt way of giving it is made into a thin
286 THE USE FtfL FA'MIL Y-HER B At.
fyrup, with the fineft fugar, and with the addition?
of fome cinnamon.
Ox-Eye; Buphthalmum.
A very beautiful 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 ftalk is. round;
firm, and branched ; the leaves are numerous ; they
are divided each into a multitude of fine fegments,
fo that at a diftance they fome what referable the
leaves of yarrow, but they are whitiih. The flowers
are large and yellow, they fomewhat referable a ma-
rigold in form, and they ftarid at the tops of the
branches.
The frefh herb is ufed ; they boil it in ale, and
give it as a remedy for the jaundice j it works by
urine.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERB At 2B7
R
Palma Christi. Ricimis.
A Foreign plant, kept in our gardens more for
Its beauty than ufe. The Item is thick, and looks
woody toward the bottom. It grows fix feet high,
and on the upper part is covered with a fort of
mealy powder, of a bluilh colour. The leaves are
large and very beautiful ; they are fomewhat like
thofe of the vine, but they are divided deeply into
feverl or more parts, which are alfo fharply ferrated
at the edges, and they Hand upon long foot-ftalks,
which are not inferted at the edge, but in the mid-
dle of the leaf. The flowers are fmall ; they growr
in bunches toward the top of the plant. The feeds
grow upon the trunk of the plant in different places :
Three are contained in hulks, and they have over
them feverally a hard fhell.
The kernels of thefe feeds are the part ufed, but
they are very little regarded at prefent. There ufed
to be three or four kinds of them kept by the drug-
gifts under different names, but nobody now minds
them : They are very violent in their operation,
which is both upwards and downwards, and have
been given in dropfies and rheumatifms.
1
The Oily Palm-Tree. Palma Oleofa .
A very beautiful tree, native of Africa and Ame-
rica. It grows moderately high. The trunk .is
288 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
naked all the way to the top, where the leaves grow
in vaft quantities : They are long and narrow, and
the foot-ftalks on which they hand are prickly. The
flowers are fmall and mofly ; the fruit is of the big-
nefs of a plum, oblong and flattifh, and is covered
over with a tough and fibrous coat. From this fruit
the natives exprefs what they call palm-oil : It is a
fubftance of the confidence of butter, and of a plea-
lant, though very little tafte.
This oil is the only produce of the tree ufed; they
eat it upon the fpot, but we apply it externally a-
gainft cramps, ftrains, pains in the limbs, and weak-
nefies; but we feldom meet with it frefh enough to
be fit for ufe ; and at prefent it has given place to .
the famous opodeldoc, and to feveral other things ;
which have the fame qualities in a much greater de- /
gree.
tr » • . . . ; .
. ■"•••• ]
Panic. PaniciWh
A very lingular and pretty plant of the grafsTcind, ,
cultivated in fome parts of Europe. The ftalk is (
very thick and firm, round, jointed, and a yard high, r
The leaves are grafiy, but they are large and broad; ^
the flowers and feeds are contained in a long eai'j j*
which is broad and flat; it is compofed of fevera: ]E
fmaller ears, arranged on the two lides of the ftalk : , ^
thefe fpikes are hairy ; the feed is round, and is mucl |
like millet, only fmaller.
The feed is the only part ufed. It is good againft
fharp. purgings, bloody - fluxes, and fpitting o ,
blood. •, ... ’ • •
The Pariera Brava. Pariera Brava.
A climbing flirub of South-America, the root o ^
which has lately been introduced into medicine. I '
grows to twelve or fourteen feet in height, if ther
be trees oribulhes to fupport it, elfe it lies upon th
i
t'HE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 289
ground, and is fhorter. The ftalks are woody, light,
and covered with a rough bark, which is continually
coining off in lmall flakes ; the leaves are large and
broad ; the flowers are fmall, and of a greenifh co-
lour, and the berries are round, and, when ripe,
black ; the root is large, woody, and very long and
creeping.
The root is ufed. It is of a brownifh colour,
rough on the furface, and woody, but loofe in its
texture. It is to be given in infufion. It is an ex-
cellent medicine in the gravel, and in fupprefiions
of urine, as alfo in the quinzy, and in pletirifies and
peripneumonies. It works the moft powerfully, and
the moft fuddenly, by urine, of any medicine ; and
is fo excellent in forcing away gravel and fmall
ftones, that fome have pretended it a remedy for the
ftone, and faid it would diffolve and break it. This
is going too far ; no medicine has been found that
has that effect, nor can it be fuppofed that any can.
Great good has been done by thofe medicines which
the Parliament purchafed of Mr. Stephens, more
than, perhaps, by any other whatfoever, in this ter-
rible complaint ; but they never diffolved a large and
hard ftone. Indeed, there needs no more to be al-
lured of this, than to examine one of thofe ftones ;
it will not be fuppofed, any thing that the bladder can
bear, will be able to diffolve fo firm and folid a fub-
ftance.
Parsley. P etrofelinum.
A very common plant in our gardens, ufeful in the
kitchen, and in medicine. It grows to two feet in
height. The leaves are compoled of many fmall
parts ; they are divided into three, and then into a
multitude of fub-divifions ; they are of a bright
green, and indented; the ftalks are round, angulated,
or deeply ftriated, llender, upright, and branched ;
'the flowers are fmall and white, and they Hand in
Targe tufts at the tops of the branches; the feeds
I
5190 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
are roundifh and ftriated \ the root is long and
white.
The roots are the part ufed in medicine. A ftrong
decodlion of them is good againft the jaundice. It ope-
rates powerfully by urine, and opens obftructions.
Parsley-Piert. Percicier.
A little wild plant, common amongft our corn, and
in other dry places, with fmall pale leaves, and hairy
drooping ftalks. It does not grow to more than three
or four inches in length, and feldom ftands well up-
right. The ftalks are round and whitifh ; the leaves
Hand irregularly ; they are narrow at the bafe, and
broad at the end, where they are divided into three d
rounded parts ; the flowers are very fmall ; they
grow in clufters at the joints, and are of a greenifh
colour. The feed is fmall and round. The root is 0j
fibrous.
The whole plant is ufed ; and it is belt frefh. An
infufion of it is very powerful againft the gravel.
It operates violently, but fafely, by urine, and it
opens obftrudlions of the liver ; whence it is good j,r
alfo in the jaundice. There is an opinion in
many places of its having a power of diflolving
the done in the bladder, but this is idle : There
is, however, a great deal of good to be done in
nephritic cafes, by medicines which have not this
power.
Tl
Macedonian Parsley. Petrofriinum Macedonicum.
*
A plant kept in fome of our gardens. It is two tf|C
feet high. The ftalk is (lender, branched, and hairy ; the
the leaves are compofed'of many parts, and thofe are ^
fmall and rounded ; thofe on the upper-part of the ^
ftalk are more finely divided ; the flowers are fmall. ^
and white, like thofe of common parfley, and they
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 291
Rand, like them in cl lifters on the tops of the ftalks ;
the feeds are fmall, fomewhat hoary, and of a dulky
colour. , „ . . ,
The feed is ufed, and it is beft given in powder.
It operates powerfully by urine, and it is good againft
ftoppages of the menfes, and in the gravel and cho-
lics, arifing from that caufe. It is alfo recommended
againft the dropfy and jaundice.
\
Wild Parsnip. Pajiinaca Sylvejiris.
A wild plant, common about our road-fides. - It is
three feet high. The ftalk is ftraight, upright, round,
ftriated, and yellowifh. The leaves are compofed of
many broad divifions, and refemble thofe of the gar-
den-parfnip, but they are fmaller ; the flowers are
little and yellow ; they grow at the tops of the ftalks
in large rounded tufts, and the feeds are flat, and
of an oval figure; the root is long, white, and well
tailed.
The root is to be ufed. A ftrong decodion of
■ it works by urine, and opens all obftrudions. It
: is good againft the gravel and the jaundice, and will
: bring down the menfes.
The Pavana Shrub.
Pavana .
A shrubby plant of the Eaft Indies, of a beautiful,
as well as Angular afpect. It is fix ar feven feet high.
I The Item is woody, firm, and naked almoft to the
;op ; the leaves grow upon long foot-ftalks, and they
all rife nearly together at the upper part of the Item ;
lk they are large, of a rounded figure, and divided at
. the edges pretty deeply into feveral parts ; their co-
jK lour is a deep green ; the flowers are fmall, and of a
freenilh colour ; the fruit is of the bignefs of a hazel
ut ; the wood is not very firm, and when cut, yields
ftUp- milky juice, of a very difagreeable fmell.
T 2
292 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
'Flic wood and the feeds are ufed ; and they hav<
both the fame violent operation by vomit and ftool
but the wood given in infufion, and in a moderate
dole, only purges, and that, though brilkly, with
out any danger. It is good in dropfies, and in othe:
ftilbborn diforders, and is excellent again!! rheuma
tic pains. Some recommend it as a fpecific againf
the fciatica. The feeds are what are called gram
tiglia ; but though much fpoken of by fome writers ■
they are at this time very little ufed in the jfhops.
The Peach-TreE. Perfica Malus.
A tree very frequent again!! our garden-walls ^
The trunk is covered with a brown bark ; th»
branches grow irregularly; the leaves are beautiful ;;
they are long, narrow, and elegantly ferrated at th< j?
edges; the bloffoius are large, and. of a pale red
the fruit is too well known to need much defcrip |
tion : It confifts of a foft pulpy matter, covered by
hairy fkin, and inclofing a hard itone, in which is : '
kernel of a pleafant bitter tafte.
The flowers are to be ufed. A pint of water is tc< ‘‘
be poured, boiling hot, on a pound weight of peach
bloflbms ; when it has flood four and twenty hours
it is to be poured off through a fieve, without fqueez .
ing, and two pound of loaf-fugar is to be diflolvei
in it over the fire ; this makes an excellent fyrup fo j1!
children. It purges gently, and fometimes will malt-
them puke a little. They have fo frequent occafioi
for this, that people who have children have conti ’~
nual ufe for it.
Pellitory of the Wall. Parietana.
A wild plant frequent on old walls, with weal F
branches and pale green leaves. It grows a foo
high, but. feldom altogether ered. The fialks an "
round, tender, a little hairy, jointed, and often put ‘
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 293
plifli ; the leaves ftand irregularly on them, and are
an inch long, broad in the middle, and fmaller at
each end ; the flowers ftand dole upon the ftalks,
and are frnall and inconfiderable, of a whitilh green
colour when open, but reddifh in the bud.
The whole plant is ufed, and it is beft frefli. An
infufion of it works well by urine. It is very fer-
viceable in the jaundice, and is often found a pre-
lent remedy in fits of the gravel, the infufion being
taken largely.
f
Pellitory of Spain. Pyrethrum.
A very pretty little plant kept in our gardens. It
is eight inches high. The ftalk is round and thick;
the leaves are very finely divided, fo that they re-
ferable thofe of the chamomile, but they are of a pale
green, thick, and- flefliv, and the ftalk is purple ;
the flowers ftand at the tops of the branches, and arc
very pretty ; they are of the Iliape and fize of the
^reat daify, or ox-eye, white at the edges, yellow in
he middle, and red on the back or underfide ; the
root is long, and fomewhat thick, of a very hot
:afte.
The root is ufed : We have it at the druggifts.
[ts great acridnefs fills the mouth with rheum 011
■ shewing, and it is good again!! the toothach. It is
v ilfo good to be put into the mouth in palfies, for it
' vill, fqmetimes alone, by its ftimulation, reftore the
1 mice,
iti
Penny-Royal. Pukgium.
\ wild plant, creeping about on marfhy places, with
ittle leaves, and tufts of red flowers at the joints.
Fhe ftalks are a foot long, round, and often of a
• eddifk colour ; the leaves are fmall, broad, and
)ointed at the ends, and of a pale green colour ; the
-■ lowers ftand round the joints in thick clufters : they
294 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
are like thofe of mint, and of a pale red, and the
cups in which they Hand are green, and a little hairy.
1. he whole plant has a flrong penetrating fmell, and
an acrid but not difagreeable tafle.
1 he whole plant is ufed, frefh or dried ; but that
which grows wild is much llronger than the larger
kind, which is cultivated in gardens. The fimple
water is the bell way of taking it, though it will do
very well in intufion, or by way of tea. It is excel-
lent againit floppages of the menfes.
Black-Prpper. Piper nigrum.
An eaflern plant, of a very lingular kind. It grows ,
fix or eight feet in length, but the llalks are not able
to fupport themfelves upright; they are round, green,
jointed, and thick, and when they trail upon the
ground, roots are fent forth from thefe joints ; the
leaves are large, of an oval figure, of a firm fubflance.
and ribbed highly ; they Hand on fhort pedicles, one
at each joint; the flowers are fmall and inconfider-
able ; they grow to the flalk ; the fruit fucceeds..
which is what we call pepper ; they hang upon £
long flalk, twenty, or forty together; they are greer
at firft, but when ripe they are red ; they grow
black and. wrinkled in drying. The largefl and leaf!
wrinkled on the coat are the bell grains.
The fruit is ufed, and it is excellent againfl al.
coldnefles and crudities upon the flomach ; it givei
appetite in thefe cafes, and alfifls digeilion; it isalfc
good againfl dizzinefles of the head, and againfl ob
ilruclions of the liver and fpleen, and againfl cholics
We are apt to negle6l things as medicines that wf
take with food ; but there is hardly a more powerfu
fimple of its kind than pepper, when given fingly
and on an empty flomach.
tii
aii
»(
&
aoi
I fit
Ipe
I *c
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 295
White Pepper. Piper album .
T he common white pepper we meet with is made
from the black, by l’oaking it in fea-water till it
fwelis, and the dark wrinkled coat falls off; but this,
though the common, is not the true white pepper ;
there is another kind which is natural, and has no
afiiftance from art. The white pepper plant has
round, thick, and whitilh ftalks ; they lie upon the
ground, and have large joints ; at each joint hands
a lingle leaf, which is long and narrow, (harp at the
end, and ribbed ; the flowers grow on little flalks,
hanging down from the joints ; they are fmall and
yellow ; the fruit is round ; at firft green, and when
ripe, white ; which is gathered and dried for ufe.
This fruit is ufed. The common white pepper is
milder than the black ; that is, it is black pepper,
which has loll a part of its virtue : This poflefles all
the qualities of the other, and yet it has not fo fharp
,a tafle.
The Long Pepper Plant. Piper longum.
An American plant, in fome degree refembliqg the
other peppers, in its general growth, but not at all in
its fruit; the ftalk is round, thick, jointed, and of a
deep green colour: It is not able to fupport itfelf, but
climbs upon bullies; the leaves are long and narrow j
they Hand one at each joint, upon long foot-ftalks;
the flowers grow upon the outfide of the fruit; they
are fmall and inconfiderable; 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 fpiral lines,
and divided into cells within, in each of which is a
lingle feed.
This has the fame virtues with the common black
pepper, but in a lefs degree; it is not fo hot and
acrid, and therefore will be borne upon the llomach
T 4
29e THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
when that cannot. It is excellent to affift digeftion.,
and prevent cholics.
The Jamaica Pepper-Tree. Piper Jamaicenfe.
An American tree, in all refpects .different from the.
plants which produce the other kinds of pepper, as is
alfo the fruit altogether different. It fhould not be
called pepper ; the round lhape of it was the only
thing that led people to give it fuch a name. The
Jamaica pepper-tree is large and beautiful; the trunk
is covered with a fmooth brown bark; the branches
are numerous, and they are well covered with leaves ;
the tree is as big and high as opr pear trees; the
leaves are oblong and broad, of a fnining green co-
lour ; they grow in pairs, and they hand on long,
pedicles; the flowers, grow only at the extremities of
the branches; they hand a great many together, and
are fmall; the fruit which luc coeds, is a berry, green,
at firli, and afterwards becoming of a reddifh brown,
and in the end black; they are, when ripe, full of a,
, pulpy matter, furrounding the feeds; but they are
dried, when unripe, for opr ufe. - "
The fruit thus gathered and dried in the fun, is
what we call Jamaica pepper, piamenta , or allfpice.
It is an excellent fpice; it ftrengthens the ftomach,
and is good againll the cholic. The belt way to
take it is in powder, mixed with a little fugar ; it will
prevent vomiting, and licknefs after meals, and is one
of the bell known remedies for habitual cholics.
\ i • * * • *
Guinea Repper. Capjicum. ,
A common plant in our gardens, diftinguilhed by its
large fcarlet pods. It grows a foot and a half high.
The ftalk is angnlated, thick, and green, tolerably
erefl, and branched; the leaves Hand irregularly,
and are longiih, pretty broad, and of a deep green
colour; the dowers are moderately large and white*
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 297
•with a yellow head in the middle: They grow at the
divifions of the branches; the fruit follows, and is
an inch and a half long, an inch thick, and biggeft
at the bafe, whence it grows fmaljer to the point:
The colour is a fine red, and its furface is fo fmooth,
that it looks like poll fired coral : It is a fkin containing
a quantity of feeds.
The fruit is the part ufed. Held in the mouth,
it cures the toothach, for its heat and acrimony
are greater than in pellitory of Spain, and it fills the
mouth with water. Applied externally, bruifed,
and mixed with honey and crumbled bread, it is good
for a quinfy.
4
Periwinkle. Vinca Pervinca.
A very pretty creeping plant, wild in fome places,
but kept in gardens alfo. The ftalks are numerous,
and a foot or more in length, but they do not Hand
upright; they are round, green, and tough, and ge-
nerally trail upon the ground; the leaves are oblong,
broad, of a fhining green colour, fmooth on the fur-
face, and placed two at each joint; the flowers are
large and blue: They are bell-fafhioned, and Hand
on long foot-italks ; the fruit fucceeding. Each is
compofed of two longilli pods; each containing feve-
ral feeds.
The whole plant is ufed frefli. It is to be boiled
in water, and the deeo&ion drank with a little red
wine in it. It flops the overflowings of the menfes,
and the bleeding of the piles.
Spelt, or St. Peter’s Corn. Zea.
A plant of the corn-kind, refembling barley fewn
in fome parts ot Europe, but not much known i;i
England. It grows a foot and a half high ; the ftalk
is round, hollow, jointed, and green ; the leaves are
grafiy, but broad. At the tops of the flalk Hands an
29S the USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
ear like that of barley, but fmaller and thinner, tho*
with long beards; the grain is not unlike barley in
iliape, or between that and wheat, only much fmaller
than either.
The feed or grain is the part ufed, it is fuppofed to
be ftrengthening and in fome degree aitringent, but
we know very little of its qualities, nor are they
confiderable enough to encourage us to inquire after
them.
Pimpernel. Anagallls Flore rubro.
A pretty little plant common in corn-fields and
garden-borders. The ftalks are fquare, fmooth, green,
but not very upright; they are five or fix inches
long; the leaves ftand two at each joint, and they are
of an oblong figure, confiderably broad in the mid-
dle, and pointed at the end ; the flowers ftand lingly
on long ilender foot-ftalks; they are fmall, but of a
moft bright fcarlet colour.
The whole plant is ufed; and the beft method of
giving it, is in an infufion, made by powering boil-
ing water upon it frefh gathered: This is an excel-
lent drink in fevers; it promotes fweat, and throws
out the fmall-pox, mealies, or any other eruptions:
The dried leaves may be given in powder or a tea
made of the whole dried plant, but nothing is fo well
as the infufion of it frefh ; thofe who have not feen it
tried this way do not know how valuable a medicine
it is.
There is another kind of pimpernel, perfedfly like
this, but that the flowers are blue ; this is called the
female , and the other the male pimpernel, but the red
flowered kind has moft virtue.
The Pine Tree. Pinus.
A large and beautiful tree, native of Italy, but kept
in our gardens. We have a wild kind of pine in the
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 299
North, called Scotch fir, but it is not the fame tree ;
the trunk of the true pine, is covered with a rough
brown bark, the branches with a fmoother, and more
reddifh; the leaves are long and flender, and they grow
always two from the fame bafe, or out of the fame
fheath ; they are of a bluifh green colour, and are a
little hollowed on the inlide ; the flowers are fin all
and inconfiderable, they ftand in a kind of tufts on
the branches; the fruit are cones of a brown colour,
large, long, and blunt at the top. Thefe contain be-
tween the fcales certain white kernels of a fweet tafte,
and covered with a thin fliell.
Thefe kernels are the part ufed, and they are ex-
cellent in confumptions, and after long illnefs, given
by way of reftorative. An emulfion may be made by
beating them up with barley-water, and this will be
of the fame fervice with common emulfions for heat
of urine.
The Wild Pine-Tree. Pinus Syhejiris.
A. tree native of many parts of Germany, very much
refembling what is called the manured pine, or Amply
the pine before defcribed. 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
fmoother; the leaves are very narrow, and fhort, they
grow two out of a cafe or hulk, as in the other, and
are of a bluifh green colour; they differ principally
in being Ihorter ; the flowers are yellowilli, and, like
the others, very fmall and inconfiderable; the cones
are fmall, brown, and hard, and fharp at the tops;
they contain kernels in their fhells, among the fcales
as the other; but they are fmaller.
The kernels have the fame virtues as thofe of the
other pines, but being little, they are not regarded.
The refln which flows from this tree, either natural-
ly, or when it is cut for that purpofe, is what we call
3oo THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
common turpentine . It is a thick {jubilance like ho-
ney, of a brownifh colour, and very ftrong and difa-
greeable fraelh
When this turpentine has been diftilled, \.o make
oil of turpentine, the refin which remains, is what we
call common rejin , if they put out the fire in time, it
is yellow refin; if they continue it longer, it is black
refill. They often boil the turpentine in water,
without diltilling it for the common refin; and when
they take it out half boiled for this purpofe, it is
what we call Burgundy pitch. And the whitifh re-
fin, which is called thus or frankincenje , and is a
thing quite different from olibanum, or the fine in-
cenfe, is the natural refin flowing from the branches
of this tree, and hardening into drops upon them. It
does not differ much from the common turpentine in
its nature, but is lefs offenfive in fmell.
The feveral kinds of pitch, tar, and refin are
principally ufed in plaiders and ointments. The tur-
pentine produced from this tree alfo, and called com-
mon turpentine, is principally ufed in the fame man-
ner, the finer turpentines being given inwardly.
Thefe are procured from the turpentine-tree, the
larch-tree, and the filver fire. The yellow refin and
the bark are fometimes taken inwardly in pills, and
they are very good ajpinfl: the whites, and the run-
nings after gonorrhoeas ; but tor this purpole it is
better to boil fome better fort of turpentine, to the
confiftence, and give it.
Piony. Pcconia.
A flower common in our gardens, but of great ufe
as well as ornament. The common double piony, is
not the kind ufed in medicine : I his is called t\\e, fe-
male piony, the tingle flowered one, called the male
piony, is the right kind. This grows two or three
feet high. The ftalk is round, flriated, and branch-
ed; the leaves are of a deep green, and on each com-
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERABL. 3 01
t)ofed of feveral others; the flowers are very large*
and of a deep purple, with a green head in the mid-
dle. When they are decayed, this head fwells out
into two or more feed-vefl'els, which are whitifli
and hairy on the outfide, and red within, and lull ot
black feeds; the root is compofed of a number of
longifli or round ifli lumps connected by fibres to the
main fource of the ftalk; thefe are brown on the
outfide, and whitifh within.
The roots are ufed; an infufion of them pro-
motes the menfes. The powder of them, dried, is
good againft hyfteric and nervous complaints. It is
particularly recommended againft the falling-fick-
nefs.
The Pistachia-Tree. Pijlachia.
A tree common in the Eaft; the trunk is covered
with a brown rough bark; the branches grow irre-
gularly, and their bark is reddifh ; the leaves are each
compofed of feveral pairs of fmall ones; thefe arc
oblong, broad, and of a beautiful green colour, and
firm texture. The flowers grow in tufts; they arc
white and fmall; the fruit which fucceeds is what
we call the Pijlachia nut ; it is as big as a filbert,
but long and lharp-pointed, and is it covered with a
tough wrinkled bark. The fhell within this is woody
and tough, but it ealily enough divides into two parts,
and the kernel within is of a greenilh colour, but co-
vered with a red Ikin. It is of a fweet tafte.
The fruit is eaten, but it may be corflidered as a
medicine, it opens obftruclions of the liver, and it
works by urine. It is an excellent reftorative to be
given to people wafted by confumptions, or other
long and tedious illnefles.
P it c h Tree . Pice a.
A tree of the fir-kind, and commonly called the
red fir. It is a tall tree of regular growth ; the bark
302 THE USEFUL F AMIL Y-HERBAL.
of the trunk is of a reddifli brown, and it is paler on
the branches; the leaves are very numerous, fliort,
narrow, and of a drong green ; they hand very thick,
and are (harp, or almod prickly at the extremities ;
the flowers are yellowifh, and mconliderable ; and
the fruit is a long and large cone, which hangs
down, whereas that of the true fir-tree, or the yew-
leaved fir hands upright.
The tops of the, branches and young (hoots are
ufed: They abound with a rdin of the turpentine-
kind ; they are bed given in decodtion, or brewed
with beer; they are good againd the rheumatifm
and feurvy; they work by urine, and heal ulcers of
the urinary parts.
Pitch and tar are produced from the wood of this
tree; the tar fweats out of the wood in burning, and
the pitch is only tar boiled to that confidence. To
obtain the tar, they pile up great heaps of the wood,
and fet fire to them at top, and the tar fweats out of
the ends of the lower, and is catched as it runs from
them.
Burgundy pitch is made of the refin of the wild
pine-tree, which is common turpentine boiled in wa-
ter to a certain confidence, if they boil it longer, it
would be refin, for the common refin is only this
turpentine boiled to a hardnefs.
The Ammoniacum Plant. Ammoniacum .
A tall plant, native of the Ead, and very imper-
fectly deferibed to us. What we hear of it is, that
it grow7s on the fides of hills, and is five or fix feet
high; the dalk is hollow and driated, and painted
with various colours like that of our hemlock ; the
dowers, we are told, are fmall and white, and dand
in great round cluders at the tops of the dalks ; the
leaves are very large and compofed of a multitude of
fmall divifions : One circumdance w'e can add from
our own knowledge to this defeription, and it gives
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HE RBAL 303
great proof of the authenticity of the reft ; this is,
that the feeds are broad, flat, ftriated, and have a fo-
lianous rim, as thofeof dill. We could know by thefe
which are found very frequently among the glim,
that it was a plant of this kind which produced it:
So that there is great probability that the reft of the
defer iption, which has been given us by thofe who
did not know w7e had this confirmation at home, is
true. Thefe feeds often appear very fair and found.
I have caufed a great number of them to be Town,
but they have never grown. Though one of the
fagapenum feeds grew up a little when fown among
them : It would be worth while to repeat the expe-
riment, for fome times it might fucceed.
We ufe a gum, or rather a gum refin, for it is of a
mixed nature between both, which is procured from
this plant, but from what part of it, or in what man-
ner we are not informed; it is whitifh, of an acrid
tafte, with fome bitternefs, and is an excellent medi-
cine. It is fuperior to all other drugs in an afthma,
and is good to promote the menfes, and to open ob-
ftrudions of all kinds. The beft way of giving it is
diffolved in hyfTop water. It makes a milky folution.
It is ufed externally alfo in plaifters for hard fwellings,
and pains in the joints.
Broad-leaved Plaintain. Plantago major.
A common plant by our way-fides, with broad fiiort
leaves, and long {lender fpikes of brown feeds. The
leaves rife all from the root, for there are none upon
the ftalk ; they are of a fomewhat oval figure, and
irregularly indented at the edges, fometimes fcarce at
all ; they have feveral large ribs, but thefe do not
grow fide-ways from the middle one, but all run
length-ways, like that from the bafe of the leaf to-
ward the point; the ftalks grow a foot high, their
lower half is naked, and their upper part thick fet,
firft with fmall and inconfiderable flowers, of a
V 2
§<M- THE USEFUL F AMlLY-HERBAt.
grecnifh white colour, and afterwards with feeds
which are brown and fmall.
This is one of thofe common plants, which have
fo much virtue, that Nature feems to have made them
common for univerfal benefit- The whole plant is to
he u fed, and it is bell frefli. A decodtion of it in wa-
ter, is excellent againft overflowings of the menfes,
violent purgings, with bloody bools and vomiting of
blood, the bleeding of the piles and all other fuch
diforders. The feeds, beaten to a powder, are good
againb the whites.
There is a broad-leaved plantain with fhort
flowery fpikes, and hairy leaves, this has full as much
virtue as the kind already defcribed : The narrow-
leaved plantain has lefs, but of the fame kind.
Plowmam’s Spikenard. Baccharis Monfpelienftum.
A tall robub wild plant, with broad rough leaves,
and numerous fmall yellowifh flowers, frequent by
road-bdes, and in dry paflures. The plant grows
three feet high. The balks are round, thick, upright,
and a little hairy; the leaves are large, broad from
the root, and narrower on the balk, they are blunt at
the points, and a little indented at the edges; the
flowers grow on the tops of the branches,- fpreading
out into a large head from a Angle bem; they are
little and yellow : The feeds have down flxed to them;
the root is brown and woody, the whole plant has a
fragrant and aromatic fmell.
The leaves and tops given in decodlion, are good
againb inward bleedings; the root dried and powder-
ed, is a remedy for purgings, and is good againb the
whites.
PoLEY MOUNTAIN. PoBuffl M(j Jit (17111711.
A pretty plant, native of the warmer parts of Eu*
rope, and kept in our gardens. It is ten inches high.
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL. 305
The ftalks are fquare and whitiffi ; the leaves are
oblong and narrow, of a white colour, and woolly
fu'r face ; they Hand two at a joint, and they are in-
dented at the edges; the flowers are fmall and white;
they grow in a kind of woolly tufts at the tops ot
the branches.
The whole plant is ufed ; it is bell dried ; given in
infufion; it promotes the menfes, and removes ob-
itru&ions of the liver ; hence it is recommended
greatly in the jaundice; it operates by urine.
Candy Poleymountain. Poliitm Creticum.
A little plant of a woolly appearance, native of
the Grecian iflands, and kept in fome gardens. It
grows about fix inches high; the ftalks are fquare,
white, weak, and feldom upright; the leaves ftand
two -at each joint; they are narrow, oblong, and not
at all indented at the edges; they are of a white
woolly afpect, and of a pleafant fmell; the flowers
are fmall and white, and they grow in tufts at the
tops of the ftalks ; their cups are very white.
The whole plant is to be ufed dried ; it operates
very powerfully by urine, and is good againft all hy-
I fteric complaints, .but it is not to be given to women
with child, for it has fo much efficacy in promoting
I the menfes, that it may occafion abortion.
Polypody. Polypodium.
I A small plant of the fern-kind. It is a foot high,
and confilts only of a Angle leaf. Several of thefe
commonly rife from the lame root, but each is a fepa-
rate and entire plant; the ftalk is naked for five
inches, and from thence to the top ftand on each fide
la row of fmall, oblong, and narrow fegments, re-
sembling fo many fmall leaves, with an odd one at
;he end; the whole plant is of a bright green colour,
|but the backs of thefe divifions of the leaf, are at a
U
306 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
/
certain feafon, toward autumn, ornamented with a
great number of round brown fpots, thefe are the
feeds ; thofe of all ferns are carried in the fame man-
ner. The root is long, (lender, and creeps upon the
furfuce of old (lumps of trees among the mofs. The
root is ufed, and it is bed frefh, it is a fafe and
gentle purge, the bed way of giving it is in decoction,
in which form it always operates glfo by urine. It
is good in the jaundice and dropdes, and is an ex-
cellent ingredient in diet-drinks againd the feurvy,
but befides thefe confiderations, it is a fafe and good
purge, on all common occalions.
The Pomegranate Tree. Granatus.
A common wild tree in Spain and Italy, kept with
us in gardens. It grows to the bignefs of our apple-
trees', the branches fpread irregularly; they have a
reddidi brown bark, and have here and there a few
thorns; the leaves are numerous; on the extremities
of the branches they are fmall, oblong, narrow, and
of a fine green ; the dowers are large, and of a beau-
tiful deep red ; the fruit is as big as a large apple,
and has a brown woody covering; it contains within
a great quantity of feeds, with a fweet and tart juice
about them.
The rind of the fruit is ufed; it is to be dried
and given in decocdion: it is a powerful adringent;.
it Hops purgings and bleedings of all kinds, and is
good againd the whites.
The Wild Pomegranate-Tree. BalauJUa.
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. I he
leaves are oblong, fmall, and of a bright green, and
they are fet in clullers towards the endot the blanches.
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THE tJSEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 307
fhe flowers are beautiful, they are double like arofe,
and of a fine purple.
The flowers are the part of the wild pomegranate
ufed in medicine, our driiggifts keep them and call
them halciujlines ; they are given in powder or de-
coftion to flop purgings, bloody ftools, and overflow-
ings of the menfes. A ftrong infufion of them cures
ulcers in the mouth and throat, and is a good thing
to wafli the mouth for faftening the teeth.
The Pompkin. Pepo.
A very large and ftraggling plant, cultivated by our
)oor people. The Italics are very long and thick,
)Ut they lie upon the. ground; they are angulated
md rough; the leaves are extremely large, and of a
•oundifh figure, but cornered and angulated, and
hey are of a deep green colour, and rough to the
ouch; the flowers are very large and yellow, of a
ell-like fliape, but angulated at the mouth, and the
uit is of the melon-kind, only bigger and round;
f a deep green when unripe, but yellow at laft ; in
lis, under the flefliy part, are contained many large
at feeds.
The poor people mix the flefhy part of the fruit
ith apples, and bake them in pies. The feeds are
ccellent in medicine; they are cooling and diure-
|c ; the bed way of taking them is in emulfions,
ade with barley-water; they make an emulfion as
ilky as almonds, and are preferable to them, and
the cold feeds in ftranguries arid heat of urine.
The Black Poplar. Populus nigra.
tall tree, frequent about waters, and Of a very
autiful afpeft. The trunk is covered with a fmooth
liile bark; the branches are numerous, and grow
th a fort of regularity; the leaves are fhort and
pload, roundifli at the bafe, but ending iri a point;
U 2
3o8 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
they are of a glofiy fliining green, and Band on long
foot-Balks; the flowers and feeds are confiderable •
they appear in fpring, and are little regarded.
The young leaves of the black poplar are excel-
lent mixed in poultices, to be applied to hard painful
fwellings.
The White Poppy. Papaver album.
A tall and beautiful plant, kept in our gardens, e J
native of the warmer climates. It grows a yard and
half high. The Balk is round, fmooth, upright, and .
of a bluifh green ; the leaves are very long, conflde’r-
ably broad, and deeply and irregularly cut in at the
edges; they are alfo of a bluiih green colour, anc
Band irregularly on the Balk; the flowers are very
large and white, one Bands at the top of each divi-
Bon of the Balk, when they are fallen, the feed-veflel
or poppy -head, grows to the bignefs of a large apple
and contains within it a very great quantity of final
whitifli feeds, with feveral fkinny divifions.
When any part of the plant is broken, there flow
out a thick milky juice, of a Arong, bitter, and ho
tafle, very like that of opium* and full as difa
greeable.
The heads are ufed with us, and fometimes the
feeds. Of the heads boiled in water, is made tho
fyrup of diacodium. The heads are to be dried fo
this purpofe, and the decoclion is to be made as flronj
as poflible, and then boiled up with fugar ; the feed
are beaten up into emulflons with barley-water, an<
they are good againfl Branguries, and heat of urine
they have nothing of the fleepy virtue of the fyrups
nor of the other parts or preparations of the poppy
Syrup of diacodiam, puts people to fleep, but gently
and is fafer than opium or laudanum.
Opium is nothing more than the milky juice of thi
plant concreted, it is obtained from the heads : The;
cut them while upon the plant in the warmer coun
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 309
tries, and the juice which flows out of the wound,
hardens and becomes opium ; they make an inferior
kind alfo, by bruifing and fqueezing the heads.
Laudanum is a tindture of this opium made in wine.
Either one or the other is given to compofe people to
fleep, and to abate the fenfe of pain, they are alfo cor-
dial and promote fw eat ; but they are to be given
with great care and caution, for they are very power-
ful, and therefore they may be very dangerous medi-
cines. It is good to flop violent purgings and vomit-
ing, but this mull be effected by imall doles carefully
given. The prefent practice depends upon opium
and bleeding, for the cure of the bite of a mad dog:
But it is not eafy to fay, that any perfon ever was
cured, who became thoroughly di {tempered from that
bite. One of the ftrongeft inftances we have known,
was in a perfon at St. George’s Hofpital, under the
cure of Dr. Hoadley, there was an appearance of the-
fymptoms, and the cure was effected by this me-
thod.
Black Poppy. P apaver nigrum.
A tall and fine plant, but not fo elegant as the
former. It is a yard high. The {talk is round, up-
right, firm, and fmooth, and toward the top divides
into fome branches. The leaves are long and broad,
of a bluifh green colour, and deeply and irregularly
cut in at the edges, d he flowers are large and Angle;
they are of a dead purple colour, with a black bottom.
The heads or feed-vefiels are round, and of the big-
nefs of a walnut. The feed is black.
A fyrup of the heads of this poppy, is a flronger
foporific than the common diacodium, but it is not
tiled. "The gentlenefs of that medicine is its merit:
When fomething more powerful is ufed, it is better
to have recoil rfe to opium or laudanum.
Ua
3r0
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL,
Red Poppy. Papavtr erraticum..
A common wild plant in our corn-fields, distin-
guished by its great fcarlet flowers. It is a foot high.
I he ftalk is round, flender, hairy, of a pale green, and
branched ; the leaves are long and narrow, of a dulky
green, hairy, and very deeply, but very irregularly
indented; the flowers are very large, and of an ex-
tremely bright and fine fcarlet colour, a little black-
iih toward the bottom; the head is fmalf, not larger
than a hori'e-qean, and the feeds are fmall, and of 3
dark colour; the whole plant is full of a bitter yel-
lowish juice, which runs out when it is any where
broken, and has fomething of the fmell of opium.
The flowers are ufed. A fyrup is made from them
by pouring as much boiling water on them as will
juft wet them, and after a night’s Handing, ft rain-
ing it off”, and adding twice its weight of fugar: This
is the famous fyrup of red poppies. It gently pro-
motes fleep. It is a much weaker medicine than the
diacodium. It is greatly recommended in, pleurifies
and fevers; but this. upon no good foundation. It
is very wrong to depend upon Such medicines : It
prevents having recourfe to better.
The Primrose. Primula veris.
A very pretty and very common fpring-plant. The
leaves are long, considerably broad, of a pale green,
and wrinkled on the furface : They grow immedi-
ately from the root in considerable numbers. The
Stalks which fupport the flowers am Single, flender,
four or five inches high, a little hairy, and have no
legves on them : One flower Hands at the top of
each, and is large, white, and beautiful, with a
yellow Spot in the middle. The root is fibrous and
whitiih.
The root is ufed. The- juice of it fnufted up the
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 311
nofe occafions freezing, and is a good remedy againft
the headach. The dried root, powdered, has the
fame eftedt, but not fo powerfully.
Privet. Ligujlrum.
A little wild fhrub in our hedges. It grows four
feet high ; the Italics are (lender, tough, and cover-
ed with a fmooth browrn bark ; the leaves are ob-
long and narrow ; they are fmall, of a dufky green
colour, broadeft in the middle, and placed in pairs
oppofite to one another, and they are of a fomewhat
firm fubftance, and have no indenting at the edges ;
the flowers are white and little, but they (land in
tufts at the ends of the branches, and by that make
a good appearance ; the fruit is a black berry ; one
fucceeds to every flower in the clufler.
The tops are ufed, and they are beft when the
flowers are juft beginning to bud. A ftrong infufiqn
of them in water, with the addition of a little ho-
ney and red wine, is excellent to wadi the mouth
and throat when there are little fpres in them, and
>vhen the gums are apt to bleed.
Purs lain. Fortulaca.
A common plant in our gardens, and of a very An-
gular afpedt : We have few fo fucculent. It grows
a foot long, but trails on the ground ; the ftalks are
round, thick, and flefliy, of a reddilh colour, and
very brittle ; the leaves are fhort and broad ; they
are of a good green, thick, flefliy, and broad, and
blunt at the end ; the flowers are little and yellow ;
they (land among the leaves toward the tops of the
ftalks •, the root is fmall, fibrous, and whitifh.
Purflain is a pleafant herb in falads, and fo
wholefome, that it is pity more of it is not eaten :
It is excellent againft the fcurvy. The juice frefh.
U 4
312 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
prefled out with a little white-wine works by urine,
and is excellent againft ftranguries and violent heats*
and alio againft the fcurvy.
The Quince-Tree. Cydonia.
A Common tree in our gardens, of irregular
growth ; the trunk is thick, and has a brown bark ;
the branches are numerous, draggling, and fpread-
ingg the leaves are roundifh, of a duiky green on
the upper-fide, and whitiih underneath ; the flowers
or blofloms are large and beautiful, of a pale fleih
colour ; the fruit is of the fhape of a pear, and has
a large crown : It is yellow when ripe, and of a
pleafant frnell ; it§ tafte is auftcre, but agreeable ;
the feeds are foft and mucilaginous.
The fruit and feeds are ufed.. The juice of the
ripe quince, made into a fyrup with fugar, is excel-
lent to flop vomiting, and to ftrengthen the ftomach.
The feed boiled in water gives it a foftnefs, and mu-
cilaginous quality, and it is an excellent medicine
for fore mouths* and may be ufed to foften and
moiften the mouth and throat in fevers.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HER ABL. 313
t-
The Radish. Raphamis .
A Common plant in our gardens, the root of which
is eaten abundantly in fprihg. In this date we lee
a long and llender root, of a purple or fcarlet co-
lour, (for there are thefe varieties) mingled with
white, from which grow a quantity of large rough
leaves, of a deep green colour, and irregularly di-
vided : Amidlt thefe, in fummer, riles the ffcalk,
which is a yard high, round, and very much branched.
The leaves on it are much fmaller than thofe from
the root ; the dowers are very numerous, finall, and
white, with fome fpots of red ; the pods are thick,
Jong, and fpungy.
The juice of the radilh-roots frefh gathered, with
a little white-wine, is an excellent remedy againlt
the gravel. Scarce any thing operates more fpeedily
by urine, or brings away little itones more fucccis-
fully. 4
Horse-Radish. Rnphanus Rujlicanus.
A plant as well known in our gardens as the other,
and wild alio in many places \ the root is very long,
and of an exceedingly acrid tafte, fo 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 little indented at the edges :
Sometimes there are leaves deeply cut, and divided,
3 H THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
but that is an accidental variety ; the ftalks are a
yard high ; the leaves on them are very fmall and
narrow, and at the tops Hand little white flowers in
long fpikes ; thefe are followed by little feed-veflels.
The plant feldom flowers, and when it does, the
feeds foarce ever ripen. It is propagated fufficiently
by the root, and wherever this is the cafe, nature is
lefs careful about feeds.
The juice ofhorfe-radifh-root operates very power-
fully by urine, and is good againft the jaundice and
dropfy. The root whole, or cut to pieces, is put
into diet-drink to fweeten the blood and the eating
frequently, and in quantities, at table, is good againft
the rheumatifm.
Ragwort. Jacobcea.
A wild plant, very common in our paftures, and
diftinguifhed by its ragged leaves and clufters of yel-
low flowers. It is two feet high. The ftalk is ro-
buft, round, ftriated, and often purplifh ; the leaves
art divided in an odd manner into feveral parts, fo
that they look torn or ragged ; their colour is a dark
dufky green, and they grow to the ftalk without any
foot-ftalk, and are broad and rounded at the end.
The flowers are moderately large and yellow, and
the tops of the branches are fo covered witn them,
that they often fpread together to the breadth of a
plate. The whole plant has a difagreeable fmelln
The root is fibrous, and the feeds are downy.
The frefh leaves are ufed ; but it is beft to take
thofe that rife immediately from the root, for they
are larger and more juicy than thofe on the ftalk :
They are to be mixed in poultices, and applied out-
wardly as a remedy againft pains in the joints ; they
have a furpriling eftedt. It is laid,, that two or
three times applied, they will cure the fciatica, or
nip-gout, when ever fo violent.
\
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 3*5
The Raspberry-Bush.
A little flirub, common in our gardens, but wild
alfo in fome parts of the kingdom ; the ftalks are
round, weak, tender, of a pale brown, and prickly;
the leaves are each compofed ot five otheis ; they aie
large, of a pale green, indented about the edges,
and hairy ; the flowers are little, of a whitifli co-
lour, with a great quantity of threads in the mid-
dle ; the 'fruit is the common rafpberry, compofed
like the blackberry of feveral grains ; it is folt to
the touch, and of a delicate talle ; the colour varies,
for white ones are common.
The juice of ripe rafpberries, boiled up with fu-
gar, makes an excellent fyrup. It is pleafant, and
agreeable to the ftomach, good againft ficknefies and
retchings.
The Rattlesnake-Root Plant. Senega.
A small plant, native of America, with weak ftalks,
little leaves, and white flowers; it grows a foot high;
the ftalks are numerous, weak, and round, few of
them ftand quite upright, fome generally lie upon
the ground ; the leaves ftand irregularly ; they are
oblong and fome what broad, and of a pale green ;
the flowers are little and white; they ftand in a kind
of loofe fpikes at the tops of the ftalks, and perfectly
refemble thofe of the common plant we call milkwort ,
of which it is indeed a kind : The whole plant has
very much the afpedt of the taller kind of our Englilli
milkwort; the root is of a Angular form ; it is long,
irregular, flender, and divided into many parts, and
thefe have, on each lide, a kind of membranous
margin hanging from them, which makes it diftincl
I in its appearance froir) all the other roots ufed in the
I fhops.
316 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
We owe the knowledge of this medicine originally
to the Indians ; they give it as a remedy againlt the
poifon ot the rattlefnake, but it has been extolled,
asr pofTeffing great virtues. Dr. Tennant brought it
into England, and we received it as a powerful re-
medy againlt pleurifies, quinzies, and all other dif-
eafes where the blood was fizy ; it was faid to dif-
lolve this dangerous texture better than ail other
known medicines, but experience does not feem to
have warranted altogether thefe effedts, for it is at
prefent neglected, after a great many and very fair
trials.
When this remedy was difcovered to be the root
of a kind of polygala, which difcovery was owing to
the gentleman who brought it over, and with it
fome of the plant, for the infpection of the curious.
The roots of the Englifh polygala were tried ; thofe
of the common blue or white flowered milkwort, for
that variety is purely accidental, and they were found
to have the fame effects ; they were given by fome
in pleurifies with great fuceefs. It was laid at that
time they had lefs virtues than the fenega-root, tho’
of the fame kind ; but it mull be remembered, the
virtues of the fenega-root were then fuppofed to be
much greater than they really were. The novelty
adding to the praife.
The Common Reed. Arundc ,
A tall water-plant, fufficiently known. The ftalkst
are round, hard, jointed, and fix or eight feet high;
the leaves are long and broad, but otherwife like
thofe of grafs, of a pale green colour, and highly
libbed; the flowers are brown ard chaffy, and Hand
in prodigious numbers at the tops of the llalks, in a
kind of panicle ; the roots are knotty and jointed,
and fpread vaftly.
The juice of the frefh roots of reeds promotes the
menfes powerfully, but not violently. It is ah ex-
-
■+
*
*
Dale VI
THE USEFUL
FAMILY-HERBAL.
3i7
cellent medicine: It works by urine alfo ; and is good
againift ftranguries and the gravel.
Prickly-Restharf.ow. Anonis Spinofa.
A little, tough, and almoft fhrubby plant, com-
mon in our dry fields' and by road-fides. It is a
foot high. 'The ftalks are round, reddifh, tough,
and almoft woody ; the leaves are numerous ; they
ftand three on every foot-ftalk, and grow pretty
clofe to the ftalk ; there are leveral fhort and fharp
prickles about the ftalks, principally at the inlertions
of the leaves. The leaves are of a dulky green, and
ferrated about the edges ; the flowers are fmall and
purple ; they ftand among the leaves towards the
tops of the ftalks, and are in fhape like pea-blofloms,
but flatted ; each is followed by a fmall pod ; the.
root is white, very long, tough, and woody.
The root is to be taken up frefli for ufe, and the
bark feparated for that purpofe. It is to be boiled
in water, and the decocftion given in large quanti-
ties* It is good againft the gravel, and in all ob-
ftrudtions by urine ; and it is alfo good in the drop-
fy and jaundice.
Riiapontic. Rb aponticim, Jive Rha.
■v
A tall robuft plant, native of Scythia, but kept in
many of our gardens. It grows four feet high. The
ftalk is round, ftriated, an inch thick, fometimes
hollow, and very upright ; the leaves are large and
broad ; thofe 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. fmall and white * they ftand in cluf-
ters at the tops of the ftalks, and are fucceeded by
triangular feeds.
The root is the part ufed, and that is what the
Antients ufed, under the name of rha. It is of the
£i8 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
nature of rhubarb, but different in this, that it is
lefs purgative, and more aftringent ; for this reafon
there are many purpofcs which it would anfwer much
better. We have it at the druggifts, but there is no
depending upon what they fell, for they feldorn keep
it genuine.
Rice. Oryzct.
A very common plant in the Eafl, fown in the fields
for the fake of the feed or grain. It grows four feet
high ; the ltalk is round, hollow, and jointed ; the
leaves are long and gralfy, and of a pale green co-
lour, but they are broader than thofe of any of our
kinds of corn ; the flowers are inconfiderable ; the
feeds or grains are contained in bulhes of a brown
colour, each having a long beard to it, ufually curl-
ed 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 thofe who have habitual purgings
or loofenefles ; it is to be eaten any way for this pur-
pofe, only it mult be continued, and it will do more
than all the medicines in the world. The rice-milk
is excellent for this purpofe.
Garden-Rocket. Eruca Sativa.
A common plant in our gardens,- two feet high, and
very ereeft ; the ftalk is round, and of a deep green
the leaves are oblong, confiderably broad, of a deep
green colour, and divided at the edges ; the flowers
are moderately large, and of a whitifti colour, veined
with purple, and they Hand in a long fpike at the top
of the ftalk. The pods are long and flender.
Some people are fond' of rocket as a falad-herb,
but it is not very pleafant. It works by urine, and
is good againft the feurvy. A ftrong infulion of the
THE USE FUL FAMILY- HERBAL. 3f9
leaves made into a fyrup is good againft coughs ; it
caufes expectoration, and eafes the lungs.
The Dog-Rose, or Wild Rose. -
Cynojbatus, five Rofa Sylvejlris.
A common bufh in our hedges. The (talks or (terns
are round, woody, and very prickly. The leaves
are compofed each of feveral fmaller ; thefe (land in
pairs on a rib, with an odd one at the end ; and they
are fmall, oblong, of a bright glofly green colour,
and regularly indented at the edges; the flowers are
lingle, large, and very beautiful ; there is fomething
Ample and elegant in their afpedt that pieafes many,
more than all the double rofes raifed by culture ;
they are white, but with a blufli of red, and very
beautiful ; the fruit that follows thefe is the common
hip, red, oblong, and containing a great quantity of
hairy feeds.
The fruit is the only part ufed ; the pulp is fepa-
rated from the (kins and feeds, and beat up into a
confer ve with fugar. This is a pleafant medicine,
and is of fome efficacy againft coughs.
Tho’ this is the only part that is ufed, it is not the
only that deferves to be; the flowers gathered in the
bud, and dried, are an excellent aftringent, made
more powerful than the red rofes that are commonly
dried for this purpofe. A tea, made ftrong of thefe
dried buds, and fome of them given with it twice
a day in powder, is an excellent medicine for over-
flowings of the menfes, it feldom fails to effeCt a
cure. The feeds feparated from the fruit, dried and
powdered, work by urine, and are good againft the
gravel, but they do not work very powerfully.
Upon the branches of the flirub there grow a kind
of fpungy fibrous tufts, of a green or reddifti colour;
they are called bedcgua?'. I hey are caufed by the
wounds made by inleds in the (talks, as the galls
are produced upon the oak. - They are aftringent,
.320 THE 'USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
imd may be given in powder againft fluxes. They
arc laid to work by urine, but experience does not
warrant this.
t * *
The Damask Rose. Rofa Dmnafcena.
A common flirub in our gardens, very much re-
fembling that in our hedges kilt mentioned. It grows
five or fix feet high, but the ftalks are not very
ftrong* or able to fupport them (elves; they are round,
and befet with Iliarp prickles; the leaves are eacheom-
pofed of two or three pairs of fmaller ones, with an
odd one at the end ; they are whitifli, 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 extremely fweet fmcll ; the
fruit is like the common hip.
The flowers are ufed. The beft way of giving
them is in a fyrup made thus. Pour boiling water
upon a quantity of frelh-gathered damafk rofes, juft
enough to cover them, let them ftand four and
twenty hours, then prefs oft' the liquor, and add to
it twice the quantity of fugar; melt this,' and the
fyrup is completed. It is an excellent purge for
children, and there is not a better medicine for grown
’ people who are fubje&i to be coftive. A little of it
taken every night will keep the body open continu-
ally : Medicines that purge ftrengly bind afterwards.
Role-water is diftilled from this kind.
A common llirub alfo in our gardens. It grows ten
or twelve feet high, but is not very able to fupport
ltfelf upright. The ftalks are round, prickly, and !
very much branched ; the leaves are ol a dufky :i
green, each compofed of feveral pairs of fmaller, ,i
until on nrlrl ralP at flip pnrl • flip flnWfTfi 31’e foilie- .1
The White Rose. Rofa alba .
t
it
at
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 321
the fame form; and their colour is white, and they
have lefs fragrance than the damalk.
The flowers are ufed. They are to be gathered
in the bud, -and ufed frefli or dry. A flrong infu-
flon of them is good againft overflowings of the
rnehfes, and the bleeding of the piles.
The Red Rose. Rofa rubra.
1
Another Ihrub common in our gardens, and the
leaft and lovveft of the three kinds of rofes. The
ftalks are round, woody, weak, and prickly, but they
have fewer prickles than thofe of the damalk-rofe ;
the leaves are large, they are compofed each of three
or four pair of fmaller, which are oval, of a dulky
green, and ferrated round the edges ; the flowers are
of the fhape and fize of thofe of the damalk-rofe,
but they are not fo double, and they have a great
quantity of yellow threads in the middle. They
are of an exceeding fine deep red colour, and they
have very little fmell. The fruit is like the com-
mon hip.
The flowers are ufed. They are to be gathered
when in bud, and cut from the hulks without
[the white bottoms, and dried. The conferve of
red rofes is made of thefe buds prepared as for the
drying ; they are beaten up with three times their
weight of fugar. When dried, they have more
virtue ; they are given in infulion, and fometimes
in powder, againft overflowings of the menfes,
and all other bleedings. Half an ounce of thefe
dried buds are to be put into an earthen pan, and a
pint of boiling water poured upon them after they
have flood a few minutes, fifteen drops of oil of vi-
triol are to be dropped in upon them, and three
drams of the fineft fugar in powder is to be added at
the fame time, then the whole is to be well ftirred
X
322 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
about and covered up, that it may cool leifurely ;
When cold, it is to be poured clear off. It is called
tintlure of t ofts. It is clear, and of a fine red co-
lour. It ftrengthens the flomach and prevents vo-
mitings, and is a powerful as well as a pleafant re-
medy again ft all fluxes.
The Rose- Wood Tree. Rhodium.
There are two kinds of wood known under the
name of rofe-wood , the one from the Eaft, which?#
when frelh brought over, has a very fragrant fmell,
exceedingly like that of the damalk-rofe, and from
the wood is diftilled the oil, which is fold under the
name of ejfence of damajk-rofe ; we have no account
of the tree which affords this. The other rofe-w'ood
is the produce of Jamaica, and has very much of
the fragrant fmell of the eaftern kind, but it is not
the fame ; the tree which produces this is fully de-
feribed by that great naturalifl Sir Hans Sloane, in
his Hiftory of the Ifland of Jamaica. The tree
grows twenty feet, or more, in height, and its trunk
is very thick in proportion ; the leaves are each com-
pofed of three or four pairs of fmaller, thefe ftand at
a diftance from one another on the common fialk 5
the flowers are little and white, and they grow in
cluflers, fo that at a diftance they look like the
bunches of elder flowers. The fruit is a round berry
often, each of the bignefs of a tare. The wood of
this tree is lighter, paler coloured, and of a 1
grain than the Eaftern rofe-wood. o°^er
„ The wood is faid to be good in nervous diforders*
hut we feldom make any ufe of it.
Rosemary. Rofmarinus.
A pretty ftirub, wild in Spain and France, and
kept in our gardens. It is five or fix feet high, but
weak, and not well able to fupport itlelf. The
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 323
mink is covered with a rough bark ; the leaves Hand
very thick on the branches, which are brittle and
Render ; they are narrow, an inch long, and thick,
and they are of a deep green on the upper-ilde, and
whitilh underneath ; the flowers Hand at the tops oi
the branches among the leaves ; they are large and
very beautiful, of a greyifh colour, with a fomewhat
reddifh tinge, and of a very fragrant fmell. Rofe-
mary, when in flower, makes a very beautiful ap-
pearance.
The flowery tops of rofemary, frefh-gathered, con-
tain its greateft virtue. If they are ufed in the man-
ner of tea for a continuance of time, they arc excel-
lent againft head^-achs, tremblings of the limbs, and
all other nervous difordersv. A conferve is made of
them alfo, which very well anfwers this purpofe :
But when the conferve is made only of the picked
flowers, it has lefs virtue. The conferve is bell made by
eating up the frefh-gathered tops with three times
heir weight of fugar. , The famous Hungary water
s made alfo of thefe flowery tops of Rofemary. Put
wo pound of thefe into a common Hill, with two gal-
ons of molafles fpirit, and diftil off one gallon and a
int. This is Hungary water.
Rosa Solis, or Sundew. Rofa Solis.
very Angular and very pretty little plant, com-
on in boggy places on our heaths. It grows fix or
:ven inches high ; the leaves all rife immediately
•om the root; they are roundifli and hollow, of the
readth of a filver twopence, and placed on foot-
alks of an inch long ; they are covered in a very ex-
aordinary manner with long red hairs, and in the
lidft of the hotted days they have a drop of clear
quor Handing on them ; the flalks are Render and
Maked; at their tops Aand little white flowers, which
v re Succeeded by leed-veffels, and of an oblong form,
t,e* " X 2
324 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
containing a multitude of fmall feeds. The root is
fibrous.
J- whole plant is ufed frefh gathered. It is
cfieenied a great cordial, and good again!! convul-
sions, hyfteric diforders, and tremblings of the limbs,
but is not much regarded.
Rhubarb. PJmbarbarum.
is triangulated ; the root is thick, long, and often
divided toward the bottom, of a yellow colour veined
with purple, but the purple appears much more,
plainly in the dry, • than in the frefh root.
The root is ufed : Its virtues are fufficiently known, |
it is a gentle purge, and has an after-aftringency.
It is excellent to ftrengthen the ftomach and bowels, j
to prevent vomitings, and carry off the caufe of cho-
lics ; in the jaundice alfo it is extremely ufeful.
Rhubarb and nutmeg, toalled together before the fire,
make an excellent remedy again!! purgings. There
is fcarce any chronic difeafe in which rhubarb is not
ferviceable,
The rhapontic monks rhubarb and falfe monks
rhubarb 4II approach to the nature of the true rhu-
barb ; they have been deferibed already in their fe-
veral places.
A tall, robufl, and not unhandfome plant, a na-
tive of many parts of the Eaft, and of late got into
our gardens, after we had received many others falfely
called by its name.
It grows to three feet in height. The ftalk is
round, thick, ftriated, and of a greenifii colour, fre-
quently ftained with purple. The leaves are very
large, and of a figure approaching to triangular ;
they are broad at the bafe, fmall at the point, and
waived all along the edges ; thefe Hand on thick hol-
lowed foot-ftalks, which are frequently alfo reddifh; j
the flowers are whitifh, fmall, and inconfiderable ;
they Hand at the tops of the ftalks in the manner of
dock-flowers, and make little more figure ; the feed I
A
do
th<
fin
THE USEFUL F AMILY- HERB AL. 325
Rue. Ruta.
A pretty little Hi rub, frequent in our gardens. It
grows three or four feet high. The Item is firm,
upright, and woody, very tough, and covered with
a whitifh bark ; the branches are numerous, and the
young fhoots are round, green, and fmooth ; the
leaves are compofed of many finaller divifions, they
are of a blue green colour, and flefhy fubfiance, and
each divifion is fiiort, obtufe, and roundifh ; the
flowers are yellow, not large, but very conlpicuous ;
they have a quantity of threads in the centre, and they
are fucceeded by rough feed-veflels.
Rue is to be ufed frefh-gathered, and the tops of
the young fhoots contain its greatefl: virtue ; they are
to be given in infulion ; or they may be beaten up
into a conferve with three times their weight of fu-
gar, and taken in that form. The infufion is an ex-
cellent medicine in fevers, it raifes the fpirits, and
promotes fvveat, , drives any thing out, and is good
again!! head-achs, and all other nervous diforders
which attend certain fevers. The conferve is good
again!! weaknefies of the ftomach, and pains in the
bowels. It is pleafant, and may be taken frequently
by people fubjecl to hyfteric diforders with great ad-
vantage.
Rupture-wort. Herniciria .
A little low plant, wild in fome parts of the king-
dom, but not common, and kept in the gardens of
the curious. It grows three or four inches long, but
the ftalks lie on the ground : Many grow from the
hime root, and they lpread into a kind of circular
figure. T. hey are flender, round, jointed, and of a
pale green ; the leaves are very fmall, and nearly of
an oval figure ; they ftand two at each joint, and
3*6 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL.
me alio of a pale green ; the leaves are very finall,
the root is very long, but not thick.
The juice of the frelh-gathered herb, externally
applied, has been much celebrated againlt ruptures':
Perhaps without any great foundation. An infufion
of it, taken inwardly, works by urine, and isvery good
againlt the gravel, and in the jaundice.
Saffron*. Crocus.
A Very pretty plant, of the fame kind with what
are called crocus's in our gardens. It is planted in
fields in forne parts of England, and yields a very
profitable kind of produce. The flowers of this
plant appear in autumn, but the leaves not till fome 1
time after they are fallen. Thefe flowers have, pro-
perly fpeaking, no Italic ; they rife immediately from 1
the root, which is roundilh, and as big as a large 1
nutmeg, and they Hand a little way above the fur- i
face of the ground ; they are of a purplilh blue, 1
and very large ; the lower part is covered with a g
ikinny hulk. I11 the centre of thefe, Hand thrge
llamina, or threads, with yellow tops, which are
ufelefs ; but in the midlt between thefe riles up what
is called the pijlil of the flower. This is the rudi- \
merit of the future feed-vefiel, it is oblong and whi- ar
tifh, arid at its top feparates into three filaments ;
thefe are long, and of an orange-lcarlet colour ; thefe
three filaments are the only part of the plant that
it tiled, they are what we call fajfron. They are &
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 327
carefully taken out of the flower and prefled into
cakes, which cakes we fee under the n&me of Englijh
faff r on, and which is allowed to be the belt in the
world.
The leaves are long and grafiy, of a dark green co-
lour, and very narrow, d hey are of no ufe.
Saffron is a noble cordial.
Bastard Saffron. Garthomus.
A plant in its whole afpeft as unlike to that which
produces the true faffron as one herb can be to ano-
ther, but called by this name becaufe of the yellow
threads which grow from the flowers. It is of the
thiftle kind, two feet and a half high, and very up-
right. The ftalk 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 Rand at the tops of the branches ; they
confift of roundifli, fcaly, and prickly heads, with
yellow flowers growing from among ft them : Thefe
are like the flowers in the heads of pur thiftles, but
narrower and longer.
Thefe flowers are ufed by the dyers in fome parts
of Europe. The feed is the part taken into the fhops:
It is longifh, covered, and white with a hard cover-
ing. It is to be given in infufion, which works both
by vomit and ftool, but not violently. It is gooda-
gainft rheumatifms and the jaundice.
Sagapenum-Plant. Sagapenum.
A large plant, native of Perfia and the Eaft Indies,
and defcribed but imperfe&ly to 11s ; however, fo
that we have confirmation that the defcription is au-
thentic, if not fo finifhed in all its parts as we could
wifli. It grows upon the mountains, and is eight
feet high ; the leaves are very large, and are cora-
X 4
328 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
pofetl of a great multitude of little parts, which are
fixed to a divided rib, and are of a bluifh green co-
lour, and? when bruifed, of a ftrong fmell. The
ftalk is thick, ftriated, round, hollow, and upright;
purplilh toward the bottom, but green upwards ;
the leaves which Hand on it are like thofe which rife
from the root, only fmaller ; the flowers are little
and yellowifh ; they Hand in very large umbels at
the tops of the {talks, each of them is fucceeded by
two feeds ;' thefe are flat, large, brown, and ftriated;
the root is long, thick, of a yellowifh colour, and of
a diiagreeable fmell. T his is the account we have
from thofe who have been of late in the Eaft ; and
there is a great deal to confirm it. We find among
refin, which is brought over to us, pieces of the ftalk,
and many feeds of the plant : Thefe agree with the
defcription. I procured fome of the feeds picked
out of fome fagapenum, by young Mr. Siffon, to be
flowed with all proper care at Lord Petres, whofe
principal gardener was an excellent perfon at his bu-
iinefs, and with them fome feeds of the ammoniacum
plant, picked alfo out of a large quantity of that
gum. Thofe of the ammoniacum plant all perifhed.
From the fagapenum feeds, though more than an
hundred were flown, we had only one plant, and
that periftied by fome accident very young; but what
we faw of the leaves gave credit to the account given
of the plant by Mr. Williams, who told us he had
feen it in Perfia. Thefe are curious parts of know-
ledge, and they are worth profecuting by thofe who
have leifure : The fuccefs of this experiment fhews
the poftibility of raifing fome of thofe plants at home,
which we never have been able to get truly or fully
defcribed to us.
Wc ufe a gum refin obtained from the roots of this
plant, by cutting them and catching the juice ; we
call this, when concreted into lumps, fagapenum.
We have it either finer m final! pieces, or coarfer in
mafies ; it is brownifh with a call; of red, and will
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 329
grow foft with the heat of the hand ; it is difagree-
able both in fmell and tafte, but it is an excellent
medicine. It is good for all diforders of the lungs
arifing from a tough phlegm, and alfo in nervous
cafes. It has been found a remedy in inveterate
head-achs, after many other medicines have failed.
It is one of thofe drugs too much neglected by the
prefent practice, which encourages the ufe of others
that have not half their virtue ; but there are falhions
in phyfic, as there are in all other things.
Red Sage. Salvia Hortenfis.
The common fage of our gardens. It is a kind of
fhrubby plant a foot or two high, and full of branches.
The Item is tough, hard, woody, and covered with a
brown rough bark ; the fmaller branches are rcddifh,
the leaves are oblong and broad • they hand on long
foot-ftalks, and are of a Angular rough furface, and of
a reddifh colour; the flowers grow on {talks that rife
only at that feafon of the year, and Hand up a great
deal above the reft of the furface of the plant ; they
are large and blue, and are of the figure of the dead
nettle flowers, only they gape vaftly more. The
whole plant has a pleafing fmell. The leaves and
tops are ufed, and they are heft frefii ; the common
way of taking them in infufion, or in form of what
is called fage-tea, is better than any other ; they are
cordial, and good againft all difeafes.of the nerves;
they promote perfpiration, and throw any thing out
which ought to appear upon the fkin. The .juice of
fage works by urine, and promotes the menfes.
Sage of Virtue. Salvia minor.
Another fhrubby 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 bufhy ; the ftem is
woody, tne branches are numerous, the leaves are
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL.
oblong, narrower than in common fage, and of a
whitifh green colour: There is often a pair offmall
leaves at the bale of each larger. The flowers grow
in the iarpe manner as in the red fage, but they are
fmaller. The whole plant has a pleafant fmell.
The green tops are uled, and their virtues are
much the fame with thofe of the former, but they are
lefs. It got into ufe from an opinion that the other
was too hot, but this was idle.
Wood-Sage. Salvia Agrejlis.
A wild plant, common in woods and hedges, with
leaves like fage, and fpikes of fmall flowers. It
grows two feet and a half high. The ftalk is, fquare,
Arm, flender, and upright ; the leaves Hand two at
each joint ; they are fomewhat fliorter and broader
than thofe of fage, of a green colour, and ferrated
about the edges ; the flowers are numerous and very
fmall ; they Hand in long fpikes, and are of a green-
ifh yellow colour, with fome red threads in them.
'I'he plant has a Angular fmell, with fomething of
the garlic flavour, but that not ftrong.
The tops are to be ufed frefli. Made into an in-
fufion they promote urine and the menfes; the juice
of them drank for a continuance is excellent againft
rheumatic pains.
The Salep Plant. Orchis Orientalise
A very pretty plant, of the nature of our common
orchis, native of the Eafl, but growing to a greater
height, and producing larger roots than with us, tho'
it feems very nearly allied to what we call the tall
female orchis, with large flowers, which is frequent
in our meadows. It grows in damp ground, and is
a foot high. The ftalk is round, juicy, and tender;
the leaves are eight inches long, and not an inch
broad, of a dark green colour, and alfo juicy ; the
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 33?
flowers ftancl at the tops of the flalk, in a fpike of
two inches long ; they are moderately large, and of
a pale red colour; the root is compofed of two round-
i'fh bodies, of the bignefs of a pigeon’s egg, and of a
white colour, with fome fibres.
We ufe the root, which we receive dry from Tur-
key. They have a peculiar method of curing it :
They make it clean, and then foke it four and twen-
ty hours in water ; after this, they hang a quantity
of it in a coarfe cloth over the fleam of a pot in which
rice is boiling ; this foftens it, but it gives it a fort
of tranfparence, and qualifies it for drying; thefe
juicy roots otherwife growing mouldy. When they
have thus far prepared it, they firing it upon a thread,
and hang it in an airy place to dry ; It becomes
tough as horn, and tranfparent. This is a practice
common in the Eafl, with the roots they dry for ufe,
and it would be well if we would pradtife it here :
The fine tranfparent kind of ginfeng, 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 ef-
fects of this falep, but we do not know how to dry
them. If we tried this method it nflght fucceed, and
in the fame manner our own fields and meadow's
might afford us many medicines, vyhich at prefent
we purclrafc at a great price from the fartheft parts of
the earth.
1 he dried root is the part ufed ; and it is an excel-
let reftorative to be given to perfons wafted with long
illneffcs : Ihe heft way is to put a fmall quantity of
it in pow’der into a bafon of warm water, which it
inftantly turns into a jelly, and a little w’ine and fu-
gar are to be added. The Turks ufe it as a pro-
vocative to venery : They take it diffolved in water,
with ginger and honev.
332 THE useful FAMILY-HERBAL.
Samphire. Crithmum Maritimum.
A plant not uncommon about fea-coafts, with much
of the appearance of fennel, only not fo tail : Some
have called it fen-fennel. Jt is two feet high. The
leaves are large, and divided in the manner of thofe
ot fennel into (lender and fmall parts, but they are
thick and ilefhy. The (talk is round, hollow, ftri-
ated, and a little branched; the flowers are fmall
and yellow, and they Hand at the tops of the flalks
in great clufters, or umbels, in the manner of thofe
,ol fennel. The whole plant has a warm and agree-
able tafte, and a good fmell. -
The leaves are ufed frefh, but thofe which grow
immediately from the root, where there is no ltalk,
are beft : They are pickled and brought to our ta-
bles ; but they are often adulterated, and others
things pickled in their place. The juice of the frefh
leaves operates very powerfully by urine, and is good
againft the gravel and (tone, againft fuppreflions of
the menfes, and the jaundice.
Sanicle. Sanicula.
A pretty wild plant, common in our woods, and
diftinguifhed by its regular leaves and fmall umbels
of flowers. It grows a foot and a half high. The
leaves are numerous, and they all rife immediately
from the root. They Hand on long foot-ftalks, and
are very confpicuous. They are of a roundifh fliape,
but cut in fo as to appear five-cornered, ferrated about
the edges, and of a very deep glofly green colour and
fhining lurface. The (talk is flriated, upright, and
naked : On its top grows a little round duller of
flowers : They are fmall and white, and each is fuc-
ceeded by two little rough feeds. The root is
fibrous.
THE USEFUL F AMILY-HERABL. 333
The leaves are ufed. A. ftrong decoction of them
is good againft the overflowing of the menfes, and the
bleeding of the piles. It has been vaftly celebrated
for the cure of ruptures, but that is idle.
The Sarsaparilla Plant. Sarfaparilla.
A plant of the climbing kind, native of the warmer
countries. The ftalks run to ten or twelve feet in
length, but are weak, and fupport themfelves among
bullies ; they are whitifh, angular, and ftriated, and
are full of fmall 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-fide, and white under-*
neath, firm in their texture, and very glofiy ; the
flowers are little and yellowifh ; the berries are black,
round, and of the bignefs of a fmall pea ; the root is
very large and flender.
The root is ufed ; our druggifls keep it ; they fplit
it it in two. It is brown on the outfide, and white
within, and its tafte is infipid. It is fuppofed to have
great virtues, but they are not perfectly eftablifned.
They have been at times difputed, and at times fup-
ported. Given in decoction, it promotes fweat and
urine. It has been efteemed good againft the fcurvy,
and famous in the cure of the venereal difeafe. It is
in general accounted a fweetener of the blood.
The Sassafras-Tree. Snffhfras.
A beautiful tree, native of America, and to be
met with in fome of our gardens. It grow's twenty-
five or thirty feet high ; the trunk is naked till it
comes near the top ; the branches grow near toge-
ther, and fpread irregularly ; the leaves are of two
kinds ; thofe on the older parts of the twigs are ob-
long and pointed, fomewhat like bay-leaves ; and
thofe on the tops of the branches are larger, broader,
and divided into three parts, like the leaves of maple,
2
334 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL.
or they carry fome refemblance of the fmaller leaves
ot the fig-tree. The flowers are fmall and yellow ;
the fruit are berries like bay-berries; the wood is of
a reddifh colour and perfumed fmell.
1 he wood is ufed. Our druggifts receive it in
logs, and cut ii out into fliavings. The wood of the
root is heft, and its bark contains molt virtue of all.
It is beft taken in infufion by way of tea, for it is
very pleafant : It promotes fweat, and is good againft
the fcurvy, and all other foulneffes of the blood. It is
a confiant ingredient in diet-drinks againft the vene-
real difeafe.
Savine. Sabina i ;
A little garden ftirub, green all the winter.
The trunk is covered with a reddifh brown bark; the
branches are numerous, and ftand confufedly; the
leaves are final 1, narrow, of a dark green colour, and
prickly ; the flowers are very fmall, and of a yel-
lowifh colour ; and the fruit is a fmall berry, of a
black colour when ripe, and covered with a bluifti
duft like the bloom of a plum.
The tops of the young branches are ufed. They
are beft frefh, and given in the manner of tea.
They very powerfully promote the menfes ; and, if
given to women with child, will frequently caufe a
mifcarriage. The country people give the juice
mixed with milk to children, as a remedy againft
worms : It generally works by ftool, and brings
worms away with it.
Summer-Savory; Satureia Hortenfis.
A common little plant in our kitchen-gardens. It
is ten inches or a foot high. The ftalks are nume-
rous, and very hard, and woody toward the bottom.
The leaves are oblong and narrow ; they ftand two
at each joint, with a quantity of young ones in their
335
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL.
bofoms. The flowers grow on the upper parts of the
Halts among the leaves; they are white, with a little
tinge of bluifh or reddifh. The whole plant has a
pleafant fmell, and an agreeable tafte.
The whole plant is ufed. An infulion of it, drank
in the manner of tea, is good againft cholickv
pains, and it opens obftrudions, and promotes the
menfes.
There is another kind of favory, with more woody
ftalks, called white)' -favory : This has much the fame
virtues.
The Red Saunders Tree. Santalum rubrum.
A tree, native of the Weft-Indies, but of which
we have feen nothing but the wood, and have re-
ceived very imperfect defcriptions; they fay it grows
{forty feet high ; that the leaves are fmall, but many
net near together; their colour is a dulky green, and
{their fubftance thick and flefhy ; the flowers are like
{pea-blofloms, and the fruit is a pod containing three
hr four feeds. This is all we have been informed
Concerning the tree, and part of this by hearfay
pnly.
| The wood is ufed. It is of a deep red colour. It
|s aftringerit, and is good againft violent purgings
and overflowings of the menfes : For the former pur-
nofe, it is beft given in powder in fmall dofes ; and
For the latter, it is given in decoction ; but it is not
much ufed.
The Yellow and White Saunders Tree.
Santalum Jiavium et album.
P* beautiful tree, native of the Eaft-Indies. It
brows forty or fifty feet high, and is very much
branched. The leaves Hand two or three pairs upon
i (talk, in the manner of thofe of the lentilk, and
, |re n°t unlike thofe of that tree in Ihape ; they are
33^ THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
of a dark green colour, fmall, oblong, and flefliy ;
the flowers are moderately large, and of a deep dufky !
blue ; the, fruit is a berry of the bignefs of a large
red cherry, which is black when ripe ; the wood is
white in the outer part, and yellow at the heart, and
thefe two parts are kept feparate, and were long fup-
pofed the woods of two different trees ; they^have
the fame fmell and tafte, only that the yellow has
them both in greateft perfection ; and in the fame
manner their virtues are the fame, but the yellow
is fo much fuperior, that the white deferves no no-
tice.
The yellow faunders is beft taken in the manner
of tea ; it is this way not unpleafant, and is cordial,
good againft diforders of the nerves and hyfteric com-
plaints, and opens obftruclions ; it alfo gently pro-
motes perfpiration, and works by urine.
r
C
White Saxifrage. Saxifraga alba.
A very pretty plant in our meadows, diflinguiflied
by the regular fliape of its leaves, and its white
fnowy flowers. It grows ten inches high, the ftalk.
is round, thick, firm, upright, and a little hairy ;
the leaves are of a pale green colour, and flefliy fub-
ftance ; they are of a roundifh figure, and indented C1;
about the edges, and they ftand upon long foot-
ftalks ; the flowers are large and white ; they grow
in confiderable numbers on the tops of the ftalks ?
the root is compofed of a parcel of fmall white or . f
reddifh granules. ,a
The root is ufed, and thefe fmall parts, of which d
it confifts, have been ufed to be called by ignorant
apothecaries fax if rage-feed. It is diuretic, and good
againft the gravel. The roots are beft frefti, and the
beft way of giving them is in decodtion.
• 4
• i i j
* ! %
\
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 337
Meadow Saxifrage. Sefeli Pratenfe.
A wild plant alfo, but though known by the fame
Englilh name with the other, very different in form
and flower. It grows to more than two feet in
height. The ftalks are round, deeply ftriated, of a
dark green colour, and confiderably branched ; the
leaves are large, but they are divided into a multi-
tude of fine narrow fegments; the flowers ftand at
the tops of the ftalks in little umbels or round clu-
fters, and they are fmall and yellow ; the root is brown,
long, and flender, and is of an aromatic and acrid
tafte.
The root is ufed: It is bed; frefh taken up. Given
in a ftrong infufion; it works powerfully by urine,
and brings away gravel; it alfo eafes thofe cholics,
which are owing to the fame caufe.
Scabious. Scabiofa.
A common wild plant in our corn-fields, diftinguifh-
ed by its tall round ftalks, and round blue flowers.
It grows to three feet in height; the leaves rife prin-
cipally from the root, and they lie fpread upon the
ground; they are oblong, and irregularly divided at
he edges; they are of a pale green, hairy and rough
0 the touch; the ftalks are round, upright, hairy, of
he fame pale green colour, and they have a few
eaves on them, placed two at a joint; fhefe are more
eeply divided than thofe on the ground. The
lowers ftand at the tops of the branches; they are of
deep blue colour, and each is compofed of a num-
er of fmaller flofucles, colleded into a head; the
oot is long and brown.
The leaves growing from the root, are to be ga-
ered for ufe before the ftalks appear. They are
eft frefh. A ftrong infufion of them is good againft
hmas anddifficulty of breathing, and the fame infu-
4
3j8 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL,
lion made into a lyrup is good again!! coughs: the
Ilowers arc laid to be cordial, and an infufion of then
to promote fweat, and carry off fevers, but this i.
Id's authentic, the juice externally applied is good
again!! foulnefs of the !kin.
The Sc ammony Plant. Scammonia.
A. climbing plant, native of the Eaftern parts of the
world. The ftalks are numerous, green, (lender, ant
angulated; they are five or fix feet long, but unable
to fupport themfelves without the help of bufties; the
leaves Hand irregularly, and not very .clofe to one
another ; they are of a triangular figure, and brigh
green colour, and they Hand upon long foot ftalks
the flowers are large and bell-falhioned ; they refem
ble very much thole of our common little bind-weed
being whitifh, but they oftener have a yellowift
than a reddifh 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 i
runs out in (hells; and this when it has concreted in
to a hard mafs is the fcammony we ufe.
It is a rough purge, but a very powerful and ufe
ful one: It is good again!! the rheumatic pains, anc
will reach the feat of many diforders that a contmoi
purge does not affedl. However, it is feldom givei
alone: And a great misfortune is, that the compo
fitions made with it are never to be perfeelly de
pended upon, becaufe there is fo much difference ii
feveral parcels of fcammony, that they feem liardlj
the fame medicine, fome are fo very ftrong, and font'
fo weak.
Garden Scurvy-Grass. Cochlearia Hortenfis «
A common wild plant about our fea-coafts, but kep
alfo in gardens for its virtues: It is afoot high: Ih
ftalks are round, weak, and green; the leaves tha
fife from the root, make the moil ccnfiderable ap
TUE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 339
pfearance; they ftand in a large tuft, and are of a
roundifh figure, and a bright green colour, tender-,
fificy, and fupported on long and flender foot-ftalkst
There are but lew leaves on the (talks, and they are
not fo round as thofe from the roo'L but are a little^
angular and poirt'ted; the flowers (land at the tops ot
the (talks, in little clutters; they are white, (mail,
and bright; they are lucceeded by ilrort roundifh.
leed-veflels.
The frelh leaves are ufed, and the bed way of all
is to drink the expreffed juice of them; this is excel-
lent againft the fcurVy, and all other foulnefles ot the
blood. It may be mixed with Seville-orange juice to
make it pleafent, and fliould be taken every day for
fix weeks or two months together in fpring.
Sea Scurvy-Grass. Cochle aria Marina-.
A common plant alfo about our ,fea-coafts, and by
the fides of rivers where the tide comes. The leaves
are not fo numerous as thofe of the other, and they
are oblong, of a reddifh green colour, pointed at the
ends, and indented at the edges in an irregular man-
ner ; they are confiderably larger than thofe of gar-
den feurvy-grafs, and more flefiiy ; the (talks are
eight or ten inches high; they are tender, round,
and (triated ; they have few leaves on them, but the
flowers are fmall and white, and ftand in clufters at
the tops of the (talks, .as in the other. The leaves
are to be ufed frefh gathered, or their juice is to be
taken. Their virtues are the fame as thofe of the
other. But it is the general opinion that they are
greater, though the tafte be not lb agreeable.
The Sebesten Tree. Nyxa^Jive Sebeften.
A tree of the bignefs and form of our common
plum-tree, and producing a fruit not altogether un-
like it, 1 he trunk is covered with a rough bark:
12
34o THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL.
the branches grow irregularly and are crooked, and
are generally To (lender toward the ends, and fo full
of leaves that they bend downward ; the leaves are
broad and fhort; the flowers are white, fmall, and
fweet feented; they ftand in tufts br clufters, and the
cup in which they ftand, remains and inclofes the
fruit. This is fomewhat like a plum, and has a ker-
nel in the fame manner: Its fhape is oblong, and the
pulpy part of it is fo tough and clammy, that being
beaten up with water; it makes good birdlime.
This fruit is the part ufed ; it is fent over to us
dried in the manner of a prune : It ufed to be a con-
fidant ingredient in decodtions for coughs and difor-
ders of the lungs, but it is now difregarded.
/
Self-Heal. Prunella .
A little wild plant common about way-fides, with
dark green leaves, and fhort tufts of blue flowers. It
grows fix inches high ; the ftalk is fquare, and a little
hairy ; the leaves ftand in pairs upon it, but there are
feldom more than two or three pair, the great quan-
tity of them rife immediately from the root ; they are
oblong, broad, blunt at the point, and not at all in-
dented at the edges; the flowers are fmall, they ftand
in a kind of fhort fpikes or heads; the cups of them
are often purplifh ; the root is fmall and creeping, and
full of fibres; the juice of felf-heal is aftringent; it
is good againft purgings, with very fharp or bloody
ftools, and againft overflowings of the menfes. The
dried herb made into an infufion, and fweetened
with honey, is good againft a fore throat, and ulcers
of the mouth.
The Sena Shrub. Sena.
A little fhrub, three or four feet high, native of
the Eaft. The trunk is. covered with a whitifh and
rough bark ; the leaves are compofed each of three
pair of fmaller, difpofed on a common rib, with an
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 341
odd one at the end : They are oblong, narrow, and
fharp-pointed, of a fmooth furface, a thick fubftance,
of a pale green colour, and not indented at the edges.
The flowers are like a pea-bloffom in fhape, but they
are yellow, marked with purple veins. T. he pods ore
Ihort and flat, and the feeds are fmall and brown.
We have the dried leaves from the Eaft; the
druggifts keep them ; they are given in infufion, 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-feeds, or fome other warm medicine
into the water.
Bastard Sena. Colutea.
A common fhrub kept for ornament in our gardens.
The trunk is not very robufl, but it keeps upright,
and is covered with a whitifli rough bark; the leaves
are compofed each of feveral pairs of fmaller, fet on a
common rib, with an odd leaf at the end ; but they are
rounder, and broader, in proportion to their length,
than thole of the true fena; the flowers are yellow;
they are but fmall, but they hang in long bunches,
and are fucceeded by pods, which look like bladders,
of a greenifh colour.
The leaves are ufed, fome give an infufion cf them
as a purge, but they are very rough : They work both
upwards and downwards, and are only fit for very ro-
bufl; conflitutions. For fuch as can bear them, they
are good againfl: rheumatic pains.
The Senega Tree. Scnica.
A tree frequent in the Eaft, and named from a
gum which it affords, and which is brought in great
quantities into Europe. The tree is large and fpread-
ing, its trunk is .-covered with a rough bark, its
branches with a ffnoother, of a pale brown, and they
are very full of thorns.
y3
342 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
The leaves are large, and they are compofed of
many fmaller fet in pairs, very beautifully and evenly
about a common rib, with an odd one at the end of
each rib: 1 hey are oblong, and of a beautiful green.
The flowers are white, and of the fhape of a pea-
blolTom ; the fruit is a large and flat pod jointed or
divided into feveral parts with feeds in them; the
tree is of the Acacia kind, in many things very like
that which produces the gum Arabic; and the guru
which is obtained, from it, is in the fame 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 ufe
a great deal of it. It is in large lumps of the bignefs
of an egg; rough on the furface, but glofly and
imooth when broken, and of a pale brown colour.
It is as eafily and intirely diiTolved in water as gum
Arabic, and has the fame virtues. It is very feldom
called for by name in medicine, but it is neverthelefs
often ufe cl, for the druggifts have a wray of breaking
the lumps to pieces, and putting them among the
gum Arabic; they may be diftinguifhed by their
brown colour, the true gum Arabic being white; or
yellowifh, if coloured at all, and never having any
brown in it: Some pick thefe brown pieces out, but,
upon a feparate trial, they are found to be' fo perfect-
ly of the fame nature, that it is a needlefs trouble.
The Right Service Tree, Sorbus Legitimci.
i\ tree wild in forne 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
fcanil very irregularly. The leaves are each compo-
fed of feveral pairs of fmaller, fet on ft common rib, •
with an odd one at the end ; thefe are long, narrow, (
gnd ferrated, fo that they have fome refemblance of
the aih-tree. The flowers are not large.; they arc
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 343
white, and Hand in clufters. Each is fticceeded by
a fruit of the fhape of a pear, and of the bignefs of
fome pears of the fmaller kind ; thefe are green, ex-
cept where they have been expoied to the fun, where
they are fometimes reddifh ; the tafte is very plea-
fant, when they are ripe.
The unripe fruit is ufed; they prefs the juice, and
give it againft purgings, but it is little known.
The Common Service Tree. Sorbus vulgaris.
A large tree and very beautiful, its growth being
regular, and the leaves of an elegant fhape:, the bark
of the trunk is greyifh, and tolerably fmooth; on the
branches it is brown ; the leaves are fingle, large, and
of a rounded figure, but divided into five, fix, or
feven parts, pretty deeply, and ferrated round the
edges; they are of a bright green on the upper part,
and whitifh underneath; the flowers are little and
yellowifh, and they grow in clufters; the fruit is
fmall and brown when ripe; it grows in bunches.
The unripe fruit of this fervice is excellent againfl
purgings, but it can only be had recourfe to when in
feafon, for there is no way of preferving the virtue
in them all the year.
hep herds -Purse. * Burfa Pajloris.
The moft common almoft of all wild plants, over-
running our garden-beds, and court-yards. The
leaves fpread upon the ground, and are long, fome-
what broad, and more or lefs indented at the edges,
for in this there is great variation: The ltalks
are round, upright, and eight or ten inches high;
they have few leaves on them; the flowers ftand at
the tops in little clufters, and they are fmall and
white ; below there is commonly a kind of fpike of
the feed-veftels ; thefe are fhort, broad, and of the
figure of a bag, or pouch, and are divided a little at
344 THE USEFUL F AMILY-HEIRB AL.
the end; the feeds are fmall and yellowifh, and the
roots white.
I he juice of fhepherds-purfe is cooling and aftrin-
gent; it is good againft purgings, with (harp and
bloody ftools, againft the bleeding of the piles, and
the overflowings of the raenfes.
Skirret. S if arum.
A plant kept in our kitchen-gardens. It grows
three or four feet high. The ftalk is round, hollow,
ftriated, and fomewhat branched; the leaves are
each compofed of three or five fraaller, two or four
fet oppofite, and one at the end; they are oblong,
ferrated at the edges, and fliarp-pointed ; the end
leaf is longer than the others; the flowers are little;
they Hand in round clufters on the tops of the
branches ; the root is of a Angular form : it is com-
pofect of feveral long parts like carrots ; they are of a
goodtafte, and fome people eat them at their tables.
A decoclion of them works by urine, and is good
againft the gravel. The roots boiled in milk, are ap
excellent reftorative to people who have fuffered long
illnefles.
The Sloe Tree. Prunus Sylvejlris.
' The common low fhruh in our hedges, which we
call the black thorn. It is a plum tree in miniature.
It grows five or fix feet high ; the trunk and
branches are all covered with a dark purplifh or
blackiih bark; the leaves are roundifti, and of a good
green, elegantly dentated about the edges ; the
flowers are fmall and white; the fruit is a little plum,
of a very auftere tafte when unripe, but pleafant when
mellow.
The juice exprefled from unripe floes, is a very
good remedy for fluxes of the belly. It may be boil-
ed down to a firm confiftence, and will l'o keep the
THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL. 3*5
whole year. We ufed to find this dried juice kept
by druggifts under the name of German acacia, but:
they negledt it.
Smallage. Apium.
A common wild plant, about ditch-fides, with the
appearance of celery. Thefe are very numerous
and large. The (talks rife two feet and a half in
height, and is round, finooth, ftriated, and branched.
The leaves on it are like thofe from the root, compo-
fed of many final!, parts, which are broad and in-
dented, but they are fmaller. The flowers (land in
little umbels at the divifions of the branches : They
are final!, and of a yellowifii white. The feeds are
fmall and ftriated. The roots are long, not very
thick, white, and of a ftrong, but not difagreeable
tafte.
The roots are mod ufed; a ftrong infufion of them
fre(h gathered, works brifldy by urine. It is good
againft the gravel, and in jaundices and other difeafes
arifing from obftrudtions in the liver and fpleen.
The feeds dried are good againft the cholic, and
ftrengthen the ftomach.
The Colurine-wood, or Snake-wood Tree. •
Lignum Colubrinum.
A tall tree of the Eaft, irregular in its growth, but
not without beauty. The bark is rough and brown;
the leaves are large, broad in the middle, oblong,
and (harp at the point. They are of a deep green co-
lour, and firm fubftance ; the flowers are fmall ; they
grow in clufters upon the branches, not at their ex-
tremities, but in different parts of them ; the fruit is
large, and much of the fliape of a walnut; it is yel-
low when ripe, and contains a great many round flat
feeds. Thefe are exactly of the fhape and form of
what we call nux vomica ; but they are not half fo
]fig. Some have, for this reafon, fuppofed the real
346 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
mix vomica to be the I ruit of this tree; but it is pro-
duced by another of the fame genus. The wood of
the fmaller branches is ufed; this is what we called
lignum colubrinum, adder-wood, and fnake-wood. It
is famous in the Eaft, for curing fevers, and deftroy-
ing worms; they alfo fay it is a remedy againft the
bites ot ferpents, and hence comes its name. We
have been tempted to give it in fome cafes; but it
feems better fuited to the conftitutions of the people
among whom it grows, than to ours: It brings on
convulfions, if given in too large a dofe, or if too
frefh. It loofes its lfrength by degrees in keeping;
but I do not know how it can be pofiible to deter-
mine what dofe to give of fuch a medicine..
* V
Sneezewort, Ptarmica.
A very pretty wild plant, with daily-like flowers, and
narrow dentated leaves. It grows two feet high. The
ftaik is round, firm, upright, and but little branched ;
the leaves are very numerous, and they Hand irregu-
larly; they are an inch or more in length, and very
narrow, rough to the touch, and of a bright green;
the flowers Hand at the tops of the ftalks, fo that they
form a kind of round head, they are lefs than dailies,
and their leaves broader.
The leaves of lneezewort, dried and powdered,
taken by way of fnuff, are excellent againit the
headach. The roots dried are almoft as fiery as pel-
litory of Spain, and they cure the toothach in the
fame manner. A piece held in the mouth, fills it
with rheum in a minute.
Solomon’s Seal. Polygonntum.
A pretty plant, wild in fome places, and frequent in
gardens. It grows a foot and half high. The ftaik
is round, ftriated, and of a pale green, naked half
.-way up, and from thence to the top ornamented
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL- 347
with large oval leaves of a pale green, blunt, fmooth,
ribbed, and not at all indented at the edges. The
liowers- hang from the under part of the balk; they
are fmall 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 furface of the ground.
The root is the part tiled: It is commended ex-
tremely, for an outward application againft bruifes.
The root dried and powdered, is good againft pur-
gings, with bloody bools, and the frefh root, beat up
into a conferve with fugar, againlt the whites.
j Sopewort. Saponaria.
A wild plant, but not very common. It is two feet
high. The balk is round, thick, jointed, and of a
pale green; the knots are large; the leaves band two
at each joint; they are of an oval figure, and dark
green colour; fmooth, not dentated at the edges, and
full of large ribs; the flowers band in a kind of chi-
llers at the tops ; they are white or reddilh, and not
very large; the root is knobbed, and has a great
many fibres running from it; it is of a difagreeable
mawkiih talle.
The root is ufed, and it Ihould be frefh taken up,
a decoction of it opens obbructions, and promotes
urine and perfpiration. It is an excellent fweetener
of the blood.
Sorrel. Aceiofa.
A common plant in our meadows, with broad and
oblong leaves, ftriated balks, and reddilh tufts of
flowers. It is a foot and half high. The balk is
round, not very firm, upright, and little branched;
the leaves are of a deep green, angulated at the bafe,
blunt at the point, and not at all indented about the
edges; the flowers band on the tops of the balks, in
the manner ol thole, of decks, of which forrel is in-
348 THE USEFUL F AMIL Y-HERBAL.
deed a fmall kind.. They are reddifh and hufky, the
root is fmall and fibrous, the whole plant has a four
tafte.
1 he leaves eaten as a falad, or the juice taken, are
excellent againft the fcurvy. The feeds are aftrin-
gent, and may be given in powder for fluxes. The
root dried and powdered is alfo good againft purg-
ings, the overflowings of the menfes, and bleed-
ings.
There are two other kinds of forrel nearly of kin
to this, and of the fame virtue : One fmall, called
JJjeeps-forrel, common on dry banks ; the other large,
with broad leaves, called garden-forrel , or round-
lecived forrel: This is rather preferable to the com-
mon kind. Befides thefe, there is a plant called in
Englifh a forrel, fo different from them all, that it
, niuft be defcribed feparately.
Wood-Sorrel. Luiula.
A very pretty little plant, common about our wood-
fides, and diftinguilhed by its bright green elegant
leaves and pretty flowers ; the leaves rife in confi-
derable numbers from the fame root ; they ftand
three together upon feparate, long, and very flender
foot-ftalks, of a reddifh colour, each is of a heart-
like fhape, the broad and indented part hanging
downwards, and the three fmaller ends meeting on
the fummit of the ftalk ; the flowers are whitifh,
tinged with purple, very bright and delicate, they
ftand alfo on Angle ftalks, and rife immediately on
the root ; the feed-veffels are large, and, when ripe,
they burft afunder with the leaft touch, and the feeds
fly about ; the root is fmall and irregular.
The leaves are ufed; they are to be frefh gathered,
their root is very agreeably acid, and the juice of
them makes a pretty fyrup ; the leaves alfo, beat up
with three times their weight of fugar, make an ex-
cellent conferve ; they are good to quench thirft in
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THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 351
fevers, and they have the fame virtue with the other
igainft the fcurvy and in fweetening the blood.
a
Southernwood. Abrotanum Mas.
A hrubby plant, native of many parts of Europe,
but kept in our gardens ; the ftein is woody and
tough, and is covered with a brown bark ; the leaves
are divided into fine flender parts, and are of a pale
green, whitifh colour, and Arong fmell ; the Rowers
are fmall and yellowifh, they grow in great numbers
on the top of the flalk, and are naked, and,of a rough
appearance j the feeds are longifh, and of a pale
brown.
The tops of the young branches are ufed : A deco<5tion
of them is good againft worms, but it is a very dif-
agreeable medicine. Beaten into a conferve, with
three times their weight of fugar, they are not very
unpleafant, and they are in this form good againlb
nervous diforders, and in all hyReric complaints.
Sowthistle. Sonchus Afper.
A common weed in our gardens, and about our
houfes. It is three feet high ; the flalk 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 fome-
what like thofe of dandelion, and ftand in a kind of
fcaly cup ; the feeds have down affixed to them \
the root is long and white.
The leaves are to be ufed frefli gathered ; a flrong
infuflon of them works by urine, and opens obftruc-
tions. Some eat them in falads, but the infuflon has
more power. There are three or. four other kinds of
fowthiftle common in fome places with this, and
I
»
353 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
they have all the fame virtues, but this lias them
molt in perfection.
Speedwell. Veronica Mas.
A commom little plant in our dry paltures, and ori
heaths. The ftalks are fix or eight inches long ; the
leaves are fhort, and of an oval figure ; the ftalks
are not upright ; they trail along the ground, only
riling at thin upper parts • the leaves are of a pale
green colour, a little hairy, and dentated at the
edges ; the flowers are fmall and blue, they grow in
flender fpikes, arifing from the bofoms of the leaves ;
the root is fmall and fibrous.
The whole herb is ufed, and it is bed frefli. An
infufion of it drank in quantities works by urine, and
opens all obftrudtions; it promotes the menfes. There
was an opinion lately that this plant would cure the
gout. The dried leaves picked from the ftalks were
fold in our markets, and people made a tea of them.
The opinion was fo prevalent, that the plant was in
a manner deftroyed for many miles about London ;
but, like all other things that want truth for their
foundation, it came to nothing.
Spignel. Meum.
A wild plant, not altogether unlike fennel. It grows
two or three feet high. The ftalks are round, ftri-
ated, and branched ; the leaves are large, and di-
vided like thofe of fennel, but into narrower and
finer parts, and they are of a very dark green co-
lour ; the flowers little and white, but they Hand
in clufters at the tops of the ftalks, and are confpi-
cuous by their numbers ; the root is long and brown,
and there are always a quantity of filaments at the'
head of it like hairs r thefc are the fibres of the ftalks
of former leaves.
3
r
i
Iblbacco
Spurge Jjaurcl
Srnmuea Crefiei t
Spleenwort
TVasel
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 351
The root is ufed, and it is befl frefli taken up. An
infufion of it is an excellent medicine in the gravel ;
it alfo opens obltrudtions, and promotes the menfes ;
the root dried, and given in powder, flrengthens the
llomach, creates an appetite, and is good againll the
cholic.
Spin age. Spinachia.
A. common herb in our kitchen-gardens. It grows
two feet high, the ftalk is round, thick, and juicy ;
the leaves are broad, and cleft at the bafes, fo that
they referable a broad arrow head ; the flowers are
inconfiderable, the feeds grow on other plants of the
fame kind, and are rough and prickly ; the root is
white and oblong.
The leaves are eaten at our tables, but their juice
may very well be recommended as a medicine. It
works by urine, and is good againll the gravel. The
leaves eaten frequently keep the body open.
Spleenwort. AJpVsniufn .
A singular plant, of the nature of the ferns, blit
not like any of them in form ; the root is fibrous ;
from this the leaves rife in great numbers together,
each being a diftindt and feparate plant; they are nar-
row, and five inches long, deeply indented on each
fide, but very irregularly, and covered on the under
part with fmall feeds. When they firfh grow from
the root they are folded inward, fo that only the un-
der part appears, and they have a very peculiar af-
pedt, more like fome infedt than the leaf of a plant.
It grows on old walls, and is green all the winter,
but has moll virtue in fpring.
The whole plant is ufed. It is bell given in infu-
lion, and mult be continued for fome time : It opens
all obltrudtions of the liver and fpleen, and is excels
lent in d Borders arifing from that caufb. They fay
352 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL.
the powder of the dried leaves cures the rickets, but
this wants proof.
Indian Spikenard. Nardus Indica.
An Eaft India plant, of the grafs-kind, with trian-
gular Italics, and yellowifh flowers. It refembles not
a little that common yellow tufted grafs, which is
frequent in our meadows in fpring. It is fix or
eight inches high. The leaves are long, narrow,
and of a pale green ; they are very numerous, and
itand in a thick tuft, almoft growing together at the-
bales’; the ftalks rife among thefe, they are naked,
triangular, and of a pale green colour ; the flowers
Hand in tufts, of the bignefsof an horfe-bean ; on the
tops of the ftalks they are blackifh, but ornamented
with yellow threads, which give the whole a yel-
lowifh appearance. This is the plant, fome famples
of which have been of late brought over as the In-
dian fpikenard, and there is reafon and authority for
fuppofing they are fo. The tops of the roots have
that fort of tuft of hairy matter which we call Indian
fpikenard growing to them, and it is of the nature of
the hairy top of the fpignel root, owing to the fibrec
of decayed leaves. Breynius alfo calls the plant,
which alfo affords the Indian fpikenard, a kind of
Cyperus grafs.
The tuft of fibres at the tops of the root ef this
plant, is what we call Indian fpikenard ; they are
brown, flattifh, matted together, and of a pleafant
fmell ; they are good in diforders of the nerves and
hylteric cafes, but fo many better medicines are at
hand, that this is rarely ufed.
Sponge. Spongia.
A sea plant of a very lingular kind and form ; it
has neither leaves, ftalks, nor branches, nor has it
the colour or afpedt of our ordinary plants ; it more
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THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 3 53
approaches to the nature of the mufhrooms than of
any other of the vegetable kinds ; it grows to the
focks, and fwells out into an irregularly fhaped mafs
of matter, full of holes, of a yellowilh colour, and
retaining a great deal of water, which is eafily prefled
out, and is received again on dipping it again in the
wet. It is of a round ifh figure, and fometimes hol-
low. Sponge* in the fhape of a funnel, is frequently
feen, and has been delcribed as a particular ipecies,
but this is only an accident in the growth.
It would be very imprudent to fwallow fponge in
its natural form; but calcined, it is of excellent fer-
vice to fweeten the blood, and is good againlt the
fcurvy dnd the evil : Great care is to be taken in the
burning it. It muft be made brittle and fit for pow-
dering, but if it be calcined too long, .all the vola-
tile parts will be driven off, and it will be worth
nothing.
Great Spurge. Efula major.
w e havd many kinds of fpurge wild in England,
and fome of them large enough, but this ufed in
medicine is a different ipecies. It is native of Ger-
many, and is kept in our gardens. It grows a yard
high, the ftalk is round, thick, reddilh, and divided
into branches ; the leaves are numerous, and Hand
irregularly; they are narrow and of a pale green,
land are broadeft at the end ; the flowers are little,
land of a pale yellow, but the feed-vefiels are large,
land make a confpicuous figure on the tops of the
Ibranches ; the root is very thick and long ; it con-
pifts of a firm heart covered with a thick rind. The
kvhole plant, when broken, affords a milky acrid
(uice.
The bark of the root is ufed dry, and even in that
tate it is very rough in its operation. It works by
ffool and vomit, and is good in the rheumatifna and
Z
354 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
dropfy, but it is not every conftitution that can bear
the ufe ol fijch remedies.
The lesser Spurge. Efula minor.
A lesser plant than the former, but fufficiently ro-
buft ; it is a native of the fame part of the world,
but is common in our gardens. It is a foot high.
The leaves are longifti and very narrow, but rounded
at the end ; the ftalks are thick, round, and red ;
the flowers are lmall and yellow, and the feed-vef-
fels large and three-cornered. The whole plant is
full of a fharp milky juice, but mod of all the root.
The bark of the root is ufed. It works by vomit
and ftool as the former, but though with lefs vio- I
lence, yet too rough for molt coniltfutions. It is
good in the rheumatifm.
Squill. S cilia.
A very common plant by the fea-fide in Italy, and
other parts of Europe, but not native of this coun- 1
try. It grows a yard high, and when in flower is I
very beautiful ; the ftalk is thick, round, fleffiy, and I -
^green, or elfe reddifh ; the flowers are white ; they I ^
are final!, but they have their beauty. They ftandlf1
in a long fpike down a third part of the ftalk ; the
leaves are very large and long, they are of a deep I Ci
green colour, and grow immediately from the root : di
the root is round, and of a pound weight ; it is com-. Sr
pofed like an onion of many coats, one over another I ari
and is full of an acrid flimy juice; the colour is white J
or red, and they call it the white or red fquill. I
The root is ufed dried or infufed in vinegar o* i r°o
wine, and that afterwards made into a fyrup withl
honey. Thefe three preparations are called the win. I tall
of f quills, vinegar of f quills, and oxymel of fquill s pill
they are all good againft afthmas, and difficulty o I
breathing. The oxymel is moll given for this pur.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 355
pofe, the vinegar caufes vomiting, and cleanfes the
ftomach ; the wine of fquills works by urine, and is
good againft the jaundice and dropfy.
Star- wort. After Aticus.
A common wild plant in many parts of Europe and
in the Grecian iflands, but not here : We have it in
gardens ; it is a foot and a half high j the ftalk is
round, hairy, and branched, the leaves are oblong,
moderately broad, and rounded at the ends, and of
a dulky green ; the flowers are yellow and large ;
they referable the marigold ; it is Angular that there
{land fome leaves under this flower difpofed in rays
like a Aar ; the root is long.
The frefh leaves are ufed, and that only exter-
nally. Bruifed, and laid on as a poultice, they are
a cure for buboes, and other hard fwellings. The
plant is called alfo ingunialis, from its peculiar effect
in diflipating buboes of the groin.
The Star-Thistle. Calcitrapa.
A wild plant on our heaths, but not very common.
It is two feet high, and extremely branched ; the
ftalks are round, hard, and whitifh ; the principal
leaves rife from the root, and are difpofed in a cir-
cular manner on the ground ; they are oblong, and
divided along the Ades quite to the middle-rib ; there
are fome fmaller on the ftalk, but few ; the flowers
are numerous ; they are red, and of the form of the
flowers of thirties ; they grow out of a fcaly and
thorny head ; the feeds are winged with down j the
root is oblong.
The root is ufed ; a ftrong infuflon of it is excel-
lent againft the gravel, and is good alfo in the
jaundice, ft opens obftructions, and works by urine.
Z 2
35& THE USEFUL F AMILY- HERB AL.
The Starry-Headed Anise-Tree.
Anijum Stellatum.
A tall and very beautiful tree, native of the Eaft,
and much elleemed there. The trunk is covered
with a thick bark; the branches are irregular and
ipreading ; the leaves are very large and beautiful,
they aFe compofed each of ten or twelve pair of others
fet on a common rib, with an odd one at the end ;
they are longilh, broad, ferrated at the edges, and
pointed at the ends, and are of a beautiful pale green
colour, and of a fragrant fmell when bruifed, fuch as
that we perceive in the young leaves of the walnut-
tree, but with a mixture of fomewhat aromatic ; the
flowers Hand at the tops of the branches, on di-
vided pedicles, they are white and very fragrant. The
fruit is of a Angular figure, of the fhape of a ftar,
and of a woody fubftance; it is compofed of five or
more rays, and in each is a Angle fmooth brown feed ;
thefe have the fmell of anifeeds, and thence have
been called by the name, for there is not the lead
refemblance between the plants which produce the
two, one being a fmall herb, and the other a large
and Ane tree.
The fruit is only ufed, and we fometimes fee it at
the druggifts ; if the prefent practice, encouraged it,
we might have it common enough ; and it is one of
thofe drugs which we negleft, while we are fond of
fuch as do not deferve the diftindfion. It is an ex-
cellent medicine againft coldnefs of the ftomach, eho-
lics, and thofe head-achs which arife from indigef-
tion. It alfo works powerfully by urine, and with
it poflefles all the virtues of anifeed and many others,
and even thefe in a very fuperior degree ; it has not
its difagreeable flavour. An oil drawn from it by!
diftillation is fweet and excellent ; it has all the vir-
tues of our oil of anifeed, but not its difagrceablc
tafte, and it does not congeal like it in cold weather.
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THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 357
Staves- Ac re. Staphis Agria.
A very pretty plant, native of Italy, and kept in
our gardens. It is two feet and a half high ; the
ftalk is round, thick, firm, and upright, and a little
hairy ; the leaves are of a roundilh figure, but di-
vided deeply into feven parts, and thefe ferrated at
the edges ; they are large, and of a deep green, and
Rand on long foot-ftalks ; the flowers are of a deep
blue, large, and very like the flowers of lark-fpur •
they grow in a fpike at the tops of the ftalks ; the
feed-veflels are notched, and the feeds rough.
The feeds are ufed. Some venture to give them
inwardly, in lmall dofes, againft the rheumatifm,
and the venereal difeafe. They operate by vomit
and flool, and bring a great quantity of water from
the mouth. The powder of them is moft ufed to
kill vermin, by fprinkling it on childrens heads that
have been kept uncleanly.
Golden Stoechas. Stcechas Citrina,
A pretty plant, native of the warmer parts of Eu-
■ope, and kept in our gardens. It is a fhrubby herb,
wo feet high, and keeps its leaves all the year ; the
tern is woody ; the leaves Hand thick on the lower
>ranches, and they are longilh, narrow, and whitifh,
fpecially on the under-lide ; the flowers are yellow,
nd Hand at the tops of the ftalks ; they are dry and
hafify, and may be kept for a long time. The whole
lant has an agreeable fmell when rubbed between
■he fingers.
;|i The leafy ftalks are ufed, their tops are belt, and
irofe frefn-gathered : An infufion of them works by
trine, and opens obftrudions ; it is good in jaun-
; zices and obftrudtions of the menfes.
I I here is another plant called Arabian Stcechas, or
wrench lavender. It has been deferibed already under
^ 3
3$8 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
the head of lavender, to which it belongs, for it is
altogether different from this plant.
The Storax Tree. Sty rax Arbor.
A small tree, native of the Eaft, and fome parts of
Europe, but in Europe it yields none of the refin we
call Jlorax\ we have it in fome gardens ; it is twenty
feet high ; the trunk is covered with a brown bark ;
that on the branches is grey iff \ the leaves are of a
browniff or a dulky green on the upper-fide, and
whitiff underneath ; the flowers are white and large,,
the fruit is like a nut, roundifh and little, and is co-
vered with a woolly coat ; three of the flowers grow
together ufually, and are fucceeded by three of
thefe.
We ufe no part of the tree, but a refinous fub-
ffance which is produced from it. This is kept at
the druggifls, and is reddiff, and of a fragrant fmell,
but very foul. It is good in all difeafes of the breaft'
and lungs, being an excellent balfam. It is alfo good
in all nervous and hyfteric complaints, and it pro-
motes the rnenfes.
Strawberry Plant. Fragaria.
A very common little plant both in our woods and
gardens. The leaves Hand three upon each ftalk,
and they are large, broad, fharp at the point, and
ferrated about the edges ; the flalks trail upon the
ground, and take root at the joints 5 the flowers are
white, they hand four or five together upon a long
foot-flalk riling from the root, and without any veins;
they are white, and moderately large ; the fruit is
well known. When ripe it is red, and oi an agree-
able tafle. ■ ' • :
The frefh leaves are ufed ; an infulion of them is a
good liquor to wafh a fore mouth or throat with ; taker
large quantities it works by urine, and is good
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Rgainft the jaundice.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 359
Succory. Cichoreum.
A common plant in our gardens. It is near a yard
high, but of no great beauty. T he ftalk is round,
•ftriated, thick, green, and ftrong; the principal leaves
grow from the root, they are long, narrow, and
deeply indented, and are of a bluifti green, and hairy;
thole on the {talks are fmajler, and have no foot-
ftalks ; the flowers are of the lhape of thofe ol dan-
delion, but they are blue ; the feed is winged with
down; the flowers grow to the lides of the {talks,
not at the tops, as in dandelion ; the root is long and
brown on the furface ; it is full of a milky juice, and
white within.
The root is ufed ; an infufion of it opens obftruc-
tions; it is good againft the jaundice. A decodtion
of the whole plant, frefh gathered, works powerfully
by urine, and is good againft the gravel. It alfo
gently promotes the menfes.
The Sugar-Cane. Arundo Scicchcirifera.
A kind of reed, native of the Eaft and Weft Indies,
of the Canary lllands, and of fome other places, and
cultivated in all our plantations. It is eight or ten
feet high. The ftalk is round, hollow, hard, jointed,
and upright ; it is very like that of a common reed,
only fo much thicker ; the leaves are like thofe of the
reed, but vaftly' larger, and the flowers are in the
fame manner, dry, brown, and chaffy, but the chi-
ller of them is a yard long ; the roots are long, creep- v
ing, and jointed in the manner of the ftalk. In very
hot countries the fugar will fweat out at the cracks
i of the {talks, and {land in form of a bright powder ;
this is native fugar, and is what the ancients meant
when they talked of honey growing upon reeds. We
prefs out the juice, and boil it to the confidence of
X 4
360 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
brown fugar, which is afterwards refined, and be-
comes the white powder, or loaf-fugar.
It were idle to talk of the virtues of fugar, its ufes
are fufficiently known, and are very great.
/
Sumach. Rhus.
A shrub, native of warmer countries, but common
in our gardens. It is of a lingular appearance. It
does not grow to more than ten or twelve feet high ;
the wood is brittle, and the bark is brown ; the
leaves are long and very beautiful, each conlifls of a
great many pairs of fmaller leaves, with an odd one
at the end ; thefe are iingly, oblong, and of a dark
green, and ferrated at the edges ; the flowers are
white, they grow in very large, thick, and long clu-
flers, and are fucceeded by flat feeds, hairy, and
roundifh, and of an auftere aftringent tafte. There
are feveral other kinds of fumach in the gardens of
the curious, fome of them much more beautiful,
but this is the kind that is to be preferred for its me-
dicinal virtues.
The feeds, dried and powdered, flop purgings, and
the overflowings of the menfes. The frefh tops have
alfo great effe6l in flrengthening the ftomach and
bowels •, they are bell taken in infufion. The bark
of the root has the fame virtue, but the feeds have it
in the greatefl degree.
Swallow-wort. Afclepias.
A common plantin gardens, but native of the warmer
climates. It is two feet high. The ftalks arc round,
{lender, of a dark colour, and jointed ; the leaves
are large and longifh, and of a deep green ; they
Hand two at each joint. The flowers arc fmall and
white, and each is fucceeded by two pods growing
together ; the root is fibrous and fpreaaing.
The useful family- herbal. 36c
The root is ufed; an infufion of it frefli is good
ngainft the jaundice ; it works by urine, and opens
obftru&ions. Dried and given in powder, it operates
by fweat, and is good in levers.
T.
The Tacamahac Tree. Tacamahacca.
A Large and beautiful tree, native of the Eaft, and
of America. It is fifty or fixty feet high. The bark
is brown on the trunk, and greyifh on the branches.
The leaves are large and longifh, (harp-pointed, and
dentated at the edges ; they are of a dulky green on
the upper-fide, and brownifh underneath. The
(lowers are inconfiderable and yellowifii ; the fruit is
imall and round ; the buds of the tree are very fra-
grant ; a brown kind of refin blues trom them,
which (licks to the fingers, and this has that pleafant
imell.
W e ufe no part of the tree, but a refin which is
produced from it. The druggifts keep this. It is
brown, fome of it is in grains, and fome in a mafs.
It is ufiid only externally ; a plainer made of it, fpread
on leather, is applied to the forehead again!! the head-
ach, and to the navel in hyfteric cafes, but it does not
feem to have much efficacv.
J
I he Tamarind-Tree. Tamarindus.
A very pretty tree, native of both the Eaft and Weft
Indies, and kept in many of our gardens. The trunk
362 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
is covered with a pale-coloured rough bark, the
branches with a finoother. Flie leaves are each com-
pofed of a great many pairs of fmaller, difpofed on a
common rib, with no odd one at the end. They
are fmall, oval, and of a very pale or whitifh green.
The flowers are large and very pretty, they are part
yellow and part white, the white leaves of them often
Rained with red ; they (land in cluflers half a dozen
together ; the fruit is a flat pod, broad, brown, and
hard ; thefe contain a pulpy lubftance, and the feeds
a ftringy matter with them; the pulp, firings, and
feeds, are brought over to us, and the pulp is fepa-
rated for ufe : It is of a pleafant acid tafle, and is a
gentle and excellent purge ; it works alfo by urine;
it is good in the jaundice. The pulp is ufeful a:fo
to cool the mouth, and quench third in fevers. It
is not much ufed lingly as a purge.
Tamarisk. Tamari/cus „
A little tree, frequent wild in France, and kept
in our gardens : It grows, however, much larger in
Its native climate than here. The bark is brown on
the trunk, and paler on the branches, and the young
fhoots are red and very {lender ; the leaves are very
beautiful, they are of a fine bright green, delicately
divided into fmall parts, and regular ; the fiow'ers are
very fmall and red, but they fland in fpikes, and very
clofe together ; and as four or five of thefe fpikes
alfo often fland together, they are very confpicu-
ous ; the feeds are fmall, and lodged in a downy
fubftance.
The bark is ufed dried, and the tops of the branches
frelh. ; both have the fame virtue ; the one is befl in
decoction, the other in a light infufion, made in the
manner of tea ; either is good to open obftrudtions.
They promote the menfes, are good in the jaundice,
and, it is laid, againfl the rickets.
CJ he USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL. 363
Tansy. Tanacetum.
A common plant in our gardens. It is a yard high.
The ftalks are round, firm, upright, and of a pale,
green ; the leaves are large, oblong, broad, and very
beautifully formed ; they are each composed of fieve-
ral pairs of fmaller, fet on each fide of a common rib,
with an odd leaf at the end ; thefe are narrow, long,
pointed, and ferrated at the edges ; the flowers ft and
in large clufters at the tops of the ftalks, and they
are roundifh, yellow, and naked ; the root is a du-
ller of large creeping fibres. The whole plant has
a ftrong fmeft.
The leaves are to be ufed frefti gathered ; a ftrong
infulion of them opens obftru&ions, it works power-
fully by urine, and gently promotes the menfes; the
flowers dried, powdered, and mixed wfith treacle,
are a common medicine for worms, and they vifibly
deftroy them.
y . . . i i ; V • ’
Wild Tansy. Argentina.
J\ common wild plant about our way-fides, and a
great ornament to them. It rifes to no height.
The ftalks creep upon the ground, and take root at
the joints, but it is eafily diftinguifhed by its filvery
leaves and yellow flowers ; the ftalks are round and
reddifh ; the leaves rife from thefe ; they are very
large, and each compofed of a great many pair of
fmaller, fet on both fides of a common rib, with an
odd one at the end; they are of the fhape, and much
of the fize of the leaves of tanfy, and the fmaller
leaves of which they are compofed are oblong, nar-
row and ferrated, but they are of a moil beautiful
colour, a fine filvery green on the upper-fide, and a
perfed filvery white on the under ; the flowers Hand
pn ftiort foot-ftalks, and are large and yellow7, fome-
3-<H THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
what like the flowers of the crow-foots, but more
beautiful.
The leaves are ufed • a ftrong infufion of them is
given with fuccefs againft the bleeding of the piles
and bloody ftools; and made lefs ftrong and fweetened
a little with honey, it is excellent for a fore throat.
The women ufe it alfo to take away freckles, but this
feems idle.
Tarragon. Dracunculus.
A common plant in our gardens. It is two feet
high. The ftalk is round, upright, firm, and green ;
the leaves are very numerous, and Hand irregularly ;
they are longifh and very narrow, and of a deep green
colour ; the flowers are little and greenilh, in form
like thofe of wormwood, they Hand in fpikes at the
tops of the ftalks. The whole plant has a ftrong
imell, fomewhat like fennel.
An infufion of the frefh tops works by urine, and
gently promotes the menfes.
Tea. Ihea.
A shrub, native of the Eaft, and cherifned there
. with great care. It is fix or feven feet high. The
branches are Render, the leaves are numerous, ob-
long, ferrated round the edges, and fharp-pointed ;
the flowers are as big as orange-flowers, and white ;
they ftand in a very fmall cup ; the fruit is dry, and
of thebignefs of a nut, containing one, two, or three
cells.
All the> kinds of tea are the leaves of this fhrub,
they only differ as they are gathered in different
itates, the bohea tea is gathered when the leaves are
in the bud, and more heat is ufed in drying it. The
feveral forts of green are got from the young fhoots
or older branches, in fpring, in fummer, or in au-
The useful family-herbal. 365
tumn, and dried with different degrees of care, ac-
cording to their value.
Good green tea, drank moderately, flrengthens the
flomaeh, and aflifis digeftion ; it is good againft fick-
neffes, and will prevent the cholic : But when bad
tea is drank, and a great deal of it, nothing is more
pernicious. Bohea tea is more aflringent, and it is
reiterative and {lengthening : This fhould be drank
with cream, but with only a moderate quantity of
fugar.
Teazle. Dipfacus Syhejlris .
A tall and {lately plant, common by road-fides,
with large bur-like heads, and little red flowers,
growing out of them. It is fix feet high. The ftalk;
is fingle, thick, white, and very ftrong ; the leaves
grow two together, encompafling the ftalk at their
; bafe, and make a hollow there, which will hold wa-
ter : They are prickly on the under-part along the
rib. The heads are as big as an apple, and fome-
what oblong : They are of a pale colour. The root
is long.
The root is ufed : it is bitter, and, given in infu-
fion, ftrengthens the ftomach, and creates an appe-
tite. It is alfo good againft obftructions of the liver
and the jaundice : People have an opinion of the
water that ftands 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 ufed in drefling of
cloth, the virtues are the fame, and they differ very
little in their general form.
Blessed Thistle. Carduus Benedittus.
plant once in great efteem, and at prefent not
altogether negledted. It is a native of the warmer
countries, and is raifed with us in gardens. It is two
366 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
feet high j the ftalk is reddifh, flendcr, and weak,
very much branched, and icarce able to keep up-
right under the weight of leaves and heads. The
leaves are long, narrow, cut in on both fides, and of
an obfeure green ; the flowers are yellow, they ftand
in a kind of green leafy heads ; the little leaves com-
pofing thefe heads are prickly, and each of the cups
of the flowers end in a long brown fpine, dented on
both fides.
It is a bitter and ftomachic. An infufion of it,
taken in large quantities, will excite vomiting. In
fmaller draughts it is good to create an appetite, and
prevents ficknefles and retchings. The leaves dried
and powdered are good againft worms. It was at one
time fuppofed to poflefs very great virtues againft fe-
vers of all kinds, but that is now difregarded.
Milk Thistle; Carduus Maria .
A very beautiful plant, common by road-fides, but
wanting only to have been a native of Greece, or the
Indies'? to be efteemed one of the moft elegant vege- >
tables in the world. The leaves riling from the foot
are two feet long, and more than a foot broad, of a
beautiful deep green, variegated all over with irre-
gular lines of a milk white, dentated deeply at the
' edges, and prickly. They fpread themfelves into a
round of more than a yard diameter, and, when they
grow out of the way of dull, make a moft charming
appearance. A fingle ftalk rifes in the midft of thefe.
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 thole from the root, and varie-
gated with white in the fame manner. At the tops
ftand the flowers, which are of the nature of thofe
of other thiftles, but twice as big, and vaftly more
beautiful. The flowery part is of a deep and fine
purple, the head itfelfis compofed of beautiful feales
arranged with great regularity, and each terminating
a
\
i
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 367
■ in a fingle and very ftrong prickle ; the root is long
and thick, the feeds are winged with down.
The root and feeds are ufed. An infulion of the
frelh root removes obftruttions, and works by urine;
it is good againlt the jaundice. The feeds beaten up
into an emulfion with barley-water are good in
pleuriiies. The young leaves, with the prickles cut
off, are excellent boiled in the way of cabbage, they
are very wholefome, and exceed all other greens in
taile. ,
Thorn-Apple. Stramonium.
A very beautiful plant, native of warmer climates,
but frequent in our gardens ; we fometimes meet
with it, as it is called, wild ; but it is no native of
our country. Seeds have been fcattered from gar-
dens.
It is three feet high ; the ftalk is round, thipk,
and divided into many 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 fmell; the flowers are very large and white,
they are hollow and long, open, and angulated ar.
the 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 fmell.
The leaves are ufed externally ; the country peo-
ple lay them upon burns and inflammations, but this
is not always fafe. The root and feeds are of a fleepy
quality, but they are not thought fafe to be given
inwardly. Opium is a lefs dangerous medicine, fo
they are not ufed.
Goats-Thorn. Tragacantha.
A little w7hite-looking prickly flirub, native of the
Tail, but kept in our gardens. It is not above two
or three feet high, very fpreading, and full of
368 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERBAL.
branches. I lie Item is of a tough and very firm
lubltance, covered with a whitifh rough bark : The
branches are as tough, and the bark is pale, but
i'rnbo'ther. The leaves are long and narrow ; they
are each compofed of a great many pairs of fmaller
let on a middle rib, which is continued into a thorn,
and when thefe leaves fall off, remains a white thorn
of that length. The flowers are white and fmall,
they are of the fhape of a pea-bloflom, but flatter •
the pods which follow are fhort and flat.
No part of the flirub itfelf is ufed, but we have a
gum produced by it, and called by its name in the
fhops ; this is what they alfo call gum dragant ; it is
white and tough, and is in long twilled pieces ; it
fweats out of the bottom of the trunk in the heat of
fummer. It is good in coughs arifing from a lharp
humour, and in lharpnefs of urine, and (harp (tools,
but it is a difagreeable medicine: It is very difficultly
powdered, and the folution is not pleafant*
Thorough wax. Perfoliata.
A very beautiful wild plant among our corn, diltin-
guilhed by the ftalk growing through the leaves. It
is three feet high. The ftalk is round, firm, up-
right, whitifh, and toward the top divided intofome
branches. The leaves are broad and oval, the Item
runs through them toward the bottom, for they have
no foot-ftalks, and they furround it in their largefl:
part, ending in a blunt point ; they are of a bluifh
green colour, and not dented at the edges. The
flowers are little and yellow, they ftand in clufters,
or a kind of umbels at the tops of the branches, with
a parcel of fmall leaves placed under them. The
root is white, oblong, and flender.
The leaves are ufed by the country people againft
wounds and bruifes externally, the feeds are given in-
wardly to prevent the ill effects of internal hurts.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 369
Thyme. Thymus.
A COMMON plant in our kitchen-gardens, with hard
and woody (talks, fmall leaves, and pale red flowers.
The height is eight or ten inches, the branches are
numerous ; the leaves ftand two art each joint, and
are of a du(ky green ; the flowers are difpofed in a
kind of fliort fpikes at the tops of the (talks ; the
whole plant has a (trong fniell, and an aromatic
tafte.
A tea made of the frefh tops of thyme, is good in
afthmas, and (tufflngs of the lungs : It is recom-
mended againft nervous complaints ; but, for this
purpofe, the wild thyme, called mother of thymey is
preferable. There is an oil made ftom 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 bluifh leaves,
and thick fpikes of yellow flowers. It grows on
dry banks, and is a foot and half high. The (talk
is round and thick* firm, upright, and Angle ; the
leaves (land irregularly, they are oblong, narrow,
fmooth, not dented at the edges, and pointed at the
ends; the flowers (land in a fhort and thick fpike;
they are large, and many of them are generally open
together; they have a fpur behind; and their fore-
part is of two yellows* a darker in the middle, and a
paler on each fide.
The tops are ufed frefh gathered, or the whole
herb dried. An infufion of them is excellent againft
the jaundice, and all inward obftrudlions ; it gently
jromotes the menfes, and works by urine. A fine
cooling ointment is made by boiling the frefh plant
.hopped to pieces in lard, till it be crifp, the lard
A a
370 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
is then to be drained off, and is of a fine green
colour.
'
Tobacco. Nicotiana.
A tall and beautiful plant, native of the Weft-
Indies, but kept in our gardens. It is five feet high.
The ftalk is round, thick, upright, Angle, and a little
hairy. It has a clammy dampnefs about it, by which
it flicks to the hands in touching. The leaves are
very large, oblong, and pointed at the ends ; they are
of a du iky green colour, and feel alfo clammy like
the ftalk: the. flowers are red and large; they are
long, hollow, and open at the mouth : The feed-vef-
fcl is oval, and the feeds are linall.
The leaves are good frefh or dried. A flight in-
fufion of them frefh gathered is a powerful vomit : It
is apt to work too roughly, but for conflitutions that
w ill bear it, is a good medicine again!! rheumatic
pains. An ointment made of the frefh ones with
lard, is good againft the inflammation of the piles:
The diftilled oil is fometimes dropped on cotton to
cure the toothach, applying it to the tooth; the pow-
der kills all kinds of vermine. As to the cuftom of
chewing and taking it as fnuff, little can be faid for
them from practice, and nothing from reafon ; nor
much for fmoaking. If thefe cuftoms had any good
tendency, it would be taken off by the conftant prac- I
tice.
There is a lefler greener kind of tobacco, called j
Englijh tobacco. It has the fame virtues with the
other, but in a more remifs degree. The leaves are
often fold for thofe of the other.
Tormentil. Torment ilia.
A very common wild plant, but very pretty, and o
great virtue. The ftalks are eight inches long, bu
they do not ftand upright; they are yery flender
• *
'Ibr men till
TJate VI
Marsh Trefoil
THE' USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 371
round, and of a brownifti colour- the leaves Hand
feven or thereabout together at a joint, all rifing from
one bade; they are narrow, longifh, pointed at the
ends, and ferrated at the edges, and of a deep green ;
the flowers are fmall, but of a beautiful fliining yel-
low j they grow on flender foot-ftalks, and are ot the
ihape and colour of the crowfoot flowers, only more
beautiful, and much lefs ; the roots are large, thick,
and crooked, brown on the outfide and reddilli with-
in, and of an auftere tafte.
The root is the part uled, and it is belt dried ; it
may be given in powder or decoction; the powder is
excellent againft the bleeding of the piles, bloody
ftools, and the overflowings of the menles. Two
ounces of the root, added to a quart of hartlhorn
drink in the boiling, gives it a pretty colour, and
adds to its virtue; the root is cordial as well as aft ri 11-
gent, and operates a little by fweat: This decodtion
is therefore very lerviceable in fevers, attended with
purgings; it checks this moderately, and is good a-
gainft the fever at the fame time.
Tree of Life. Arbor Vita.
A. small tree of irregular growth, a native of Ame-
*ica, but common in our gardens; the trunk is cover-
;d with a rough brown bark; the branches are nu-
nerous and irregular; the young twigs are flatted,
nd the leaves on them are very flat, and of a fcaly
exture; they are of a bright green, narrow, and
pmewhat like the leaves of Cyprus, only not prickly;
he flowers are whitilh, fmall, and inconflderable ;
They ftand towards the tops of the branches. The
.'hole tree has a ftrong and not agreeable fmell ; it
rings into one’s mind old bad cheefe.
The young llioots, and tops of the branches, are
fflfed frelh. An infufion of them is good againft ob-
Tru&ions of the lungs, but it mult be flight, and the
Jfe continued.
372 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
The Gum Anime Tree. Anime Arbor.
A large and beautiful tree, native of America. Its
trunk is covered with a rough brown bark; the
leaves are large and oblong, they are notunlike thofe
of the common bay-tree in form, and they always
grow two at a joint, one oppofite to the other: They
are very numerous; and the branches of the tree
fp read 'a great way; they are not at all naked, but
the head feems at a diftance a folid mafs : The
leaves are of a firm texture, but when held up to the
light, innumerable holes are feen in them, as they
are in the leaves of St. John’s-wort. The flowers j
are fhaped like pea-blofloms ; they are of a purple
colour, and Hand at the tops of the branches. The j
fruit is a large pod.
The only fubftance we owe to this tree, is what i
we commonly call gum anime, but that is a very ill i
name, it is properly a refin. It is whitilh, brittle, j
and very fragrant. We lometimes alfo fee at the j
tlruggifts a greenilh, brownifh, or reddifli refin, call- j
ed gum anime ; this comes from the Eaft, and is what i
was originally known by that name; but at prefent j
the other only is tiled. It is a fine balfam, good in j .
confumptions, and againit the whites: And it is put
into fame ointments, for old ulcers, with great ad- j ‘
vantage.
Trefoil. Trifolhm purpureum. j;
A common wild plant in our meadows. It is eight : J
inches high; the ftalk is round and not very upright-; 1
the principal leaves rife immediately from the root; i
they Hand three together upon long foot-ftalks, and
are of an oval figure, but pointed; of a pale green
colour, a little hairy, and have generally a white fpot
in the centre of each. The leaves on the ftalks are
of the fame form, but little: The flqwers Hand at the* j
IE
THE USEFUL F AMILY-H ER B AL. 373
tops, in a kind of fhort thick fpikes; they are fmall
and red, and are followed by little fiat pods.
The flowers are ufed; they are bell frefli gathered,
and given in infufion. They are good againft: the
bleeding of the piles; and while they are balfamic
and aftringent in the bowels, they work by urine.
Turmeric. Curcuma.
A native of the Eafi-Indies, and a very lingular
plant. The leaves rife immediately from the root,
and ate long, broad, pointed at the ends, not dencett
at the edges, and of a very deep green colour. On
other parts of the root, Hand the ltalks, which bear
the flowers; thefe are a foot high, and of the thick-
nefs of a goofe quill: They have only a kind of films
inftead of leaves; the flowers Hand in Ihort thick
fpikes, and are of a red colour, longifli and flender;
they look very pretty in the fpike, but do not laft
long; the root is oblong, thick, and of an irregular
figure, whitilh on the outflde, and of a deep yellow
within; it creeps under the furface of the ground.
Our druggilts keep thefe roots dry: They are good
againft the jaundice; they open all obftruc\ions, and
promote the menfes, and work by urine*
Turbith, Turpetbum.
A plant of the bindweed-kind, native of the Eaft-
Indies. It grows to twelve feet in length, but the
ftalk is flender and weak, and cannot ifupport itfelf
upright; the leaves are oblong, broad, and obtufely
pointed; the flowers are white and large; they very
much refemble thofe of the common great bindweed,
and the feed-veftel is large and full of little feeds;
the root is very long and flender.
The bark of the root is fent us dry. It is properly
indeed the whole root, with the hard woody part ta-
ken out of its centre. It is kept by our druggifts ;
A a3
374 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL.
it: is a brifk purge given in a proper dofe, but it is
very rarely ufed at this time.
The Turnip. Rapum.
A plant too common in our gardens to require a,
curious defcription. The root is round and white,
or purplifh ; the leaves are large, long, rough, and of
a deep green; they are deeply cut at the edges, and
large and round at the ends; the (talks are a yard
high, round, fmooth, firm, upright, and branched;
the leaves on them are fmall and fmooth; the flowers
are little and yellow, and they (land in 7a kind of
long fpikes ; they are fell-owed by long pods.
The roots are fo frequently eaten, that few would
think of their pofieffing any medicinal virtues, but
being cut into ilices, and (tewed with fugar, till their
juice with the fugar becomes a fyrup; this is a very
good medicine againft a cough.
The Turpentine Tree. Terrebinthus.
A tall tree in the Ea(t,*where it is native; we have
it in gardens, but it never arifes to any great height
here The bark is brown and rough; the branches
are numerous and (tand irregularly; the leaves are
each compofed of a double row of (mailer fet on a
common rib, with an odd one at the end. Thefe
are oval, and ofa deep (hining green. The flowers
are fmall and purple; they appear in form of clu-
tters of threads before the leaves; the fruit is long,
but with a kernel of a refinoqs tafte. The whole
fhrub has alfo a refinoqs fmell.
We ufe no part of the tree; but the fine Chio tur-
pentine, the moft efieemed of all thofe balfams, is
obtained from it in the illand whence it has its name.
It is a pleafant and an excellent medicine; it works j
by urine, and is an univerfal balfam. It is good ini
pougliis aqd all other diforders of the lungs, and it"
#
TI-IE USEFUL FAMILY-HERB AL. 375
Hops the whites, and the weakneffes after venereal
complaints.
There are feveral other kinds of turpentine in ufe
in the (hops, produced from the ..different trees; the
Venice turpentine is from the latch tree; the Strai-
burgh 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 feveral trees which produce them ; but this is the
fined kind. What is called Cyprus turpentine, is
obtained from the fame tree with the Ohio turpen-
tine, (the right turpentine tree) but it is coarfer and
browner, .other wife the fame with Ohio.
Tutsan. Androfcemum.
A very lingular and beautiful plant, and of great
virtues. It. grows in pur woods and under hedges,
.but not very common: It is kept in many gardens.
It grows two feet in height: Theftalks are firm and
ifmooth; of a reddifli colour, tolerably upright, and
not at all branched, except for fome young flioots \
.near the top. The leaves Hand two at each joint,
oppofite to one another, and at no great difiance;
they are very large, and of a fhape approaching to
oval; their colour is a brownifii green; they are
fmooth, and not ferrated at the edges; the flowers
are not very large, but of a beautiful yellow; they
refemble thofe of St. Jolm’s-wort, and are like them
full of yellow threads, which, when rubbed, ifain the
hands red; the fruit is a kind of berry, black when
ripe, and containing a great quantity of fmall feeds.
The whole plant, in autumn, frequently appears of a
blood-red colour, very Angular and beautiful; the
root is fmall, reddifli, and irregular, it creeps under
the furface.
The leaves are an excellent cure forfrefii wounds.
Scarce any thing is equal to them. The young and
tender ones at the tops of the branches are tobechofen :
A a 4
673 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
they are to be bound upon the wound, and they flop
the bleeding, and perform a very fpeody cure. J
have had very late and very lingular inftances of the
eflfe&s of this herb. Many of the common plants are
celebrated for this virtue, but theeffe&of this is fur-
priling.
Twy Blade. Bifbiium.
A very lingular and pretty plant, common in our
meadows, in the beginning of fummer. It is a foot
high; the (talk is round, green, tender, and upright;
it has only two leaves on it, and they grow from the
root ; they are very large, broad, of an oval figure,
and Hand oppofite to one another, about the middle
of the ftalk, or fomewhat lower; the flowers are fmall
and green; they are of an uncommon figure fome-
what like that of the orchis’s, and they Hand in a
long fpike ; the feeds are very fmall, and the root is
fmall, flender, and white.
The frelh gathered plant is ufed ; an infufion of it
made llrong, is good againlt the bleeding of the
piles, and the juice is recommended to be applied to
them externally.
I
THE USEFUL FAMILY HERBAL. 377
Garden Valerian. Va leriana Hortenfis. _
A tall and beautiful plant, native of the rnoun-i
tainous parts of Italy, and common in our gardens. It
is three feet high. The italic is upright, round, ftri-
ated, and hollow ; the leaves which grow from the
root, are long and fomewhat broad; feme of thefe
are divided deeply on each fide, others are in tire;
all have abroad and round end: Thofe on the ftalks
are fmaller, and they are all deeply divided : The
flowers ftand in lare tufts, in the form of umbels, at
the tops of the ftalks and branches ; they are lrnall
and white; the root is long, irregular, and mode-
rately thick; it creeps under upon the furface of the
ground, and has a ftrong fmell; its colour is brown,
^nd it is full of fibres.
The root is ufed dry; the druggifts call it phu ;
it is good in fevers, and in fuppreflions of the menfes,
for it is diaphoretic, and good againft all obftrudtions.
It works alfo by urine, and it is warm upon the fto-
mach, and good againft diforders of the nerves.
Wild V alerian. Valeriana Syhejlris .
A tall and handfome 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 ftalks are round, ftriated, up-
fight, hollow, and of a pale green ; the leaves are
378 THE USEFUL FAMILY- HERB AL.
large and beautiful; they are eacli compofed of feve-
rai pairs of fmaller, fet on a common rib, and with
an odd one at the end. Thefe are long, narrow,
dentated at the edges, of a faint green colour, and a
little hairy. The flowers hand in large tufts, like
umbels, at the tops of the ftalks, and are fmall and
white, with a blufh of reddifti. The root is of a
whitifh colour, and is compofed of a great many
thick fibres. It is of a very ftrong and difagreeable
fmell.
f he root is uied ; it is bed dried and given in
powder, or infufion. It is an excellent medicine in
nervous diforders. It is faid that it will cure the
falling ficknefs, but its good effects againft headachs,
low-fpiritednefs, and tremblings of the limbs, are well
known.
The Vanilla Plant. Vanilla.
A climbing plant, native of America. It grows to
thirty feet or more in length, but the ftalk is flender
and weak, and climbs upon trees to fupport it. It is
round, ftriated, green and tough; the leaves are nu-
merous and placed irregularly; they are a foot long,
confidcrahly broad, and like thole of the common
plantain, of a dulky green, and have high ribs; the
flowers are fmall in fliape like a pea-blofiom, but of a
greenifh white colour; the pods are long and flatted,
of a brown colour, of a very fragrant fmell, and full
of exceedingly fmall feeds.
This pod is the part ufed ; it is a cordial and reite-
rative; it opens obftructions, and promotes the men-
fes; it operates by urine, and by fweat, but it is not
much ufed. Some put them into chocolate, to give
it a flavour, and to make it more cordial and reltora-
tive: This is done in the grinding up the nuts to the
cake, and we buy it by the' name of Vanilla cho-
colate.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 37
Vervain. Verbena.
A common wild plant, about our path-ways, with,
llender fpikes, and a few little flowers. It is two
feet high; the ftalks are numerous, fquarc, very
ftrong, a little hairy, and often purplifh; the leaves
grow two at each joint;, they are oblong, narrow,
notched at the edges, of a dufky green, and of a
wrinkled and rough furface; the flowers are white,
with a tinge of purplifh; there is a long fpike of
their buds and of the remaining cups, but only two or
three flowers are open at a time.
The frefli gathered tops are ufed ; an infufion of
them is good againft obftrudions of the liver and
fpleen: It is warm upon the ftomach, and a continu-
ed ufe of it will remove nervous complaints.
The Vine. Vitis.
, A weak flirub too familiar in our gardens, to need
much defeription. The trunk is covered with a rough
bark; the branches are long, weak, and draggling;
the leaves are roundifh in the whole figure, but in-
dented deeply into five or feven divifions, the lower
are inconfiderable : The fruit is round or oblong,
juicy, and produced in great bunches.
We ufe no part of the common vine, as it grows
with us; but not to mention the feveral kinds of wine
that are ufed on different occafions, the dried fruit in
the form of what we call raijins and currants , is in
conftant repute. Raifins of the fun, Malaga raifins,
and currants all have the fame virtues; they are good
in coughs and forenefs of the lungs, and in co'n-
fumptions.
Vinegar is alfq a produd of the grape: It is wine
become lour, and fpirit of wine and brandy of the
very bell kinds, are made from wine alfb by diftilla-
fion. The fubftance called tartar , of which the
380 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
cream of tartar is made, is only a fait of the grape,
which Hicks to the wine calks: So that we owe to
the grape more medicines than to any one fnnple
wh atfoever.
Violet. Viola.
A common wild plant in our woods and hedges,
but of a fragrance fuperior to all that we receive from
the rich Eaft, It is a little low creeping plant, ob-
feure even when in flower; the ftalks are round,
green, and creeping ; they do not rife up, but fpread
themfelves along the ground, taking root at the joints;
the leaves rife from thefe rooted parts; they are
large, and Hand each on a long foot-ftalk; they are
of a heart-like fhape, and dented round the edges*
and of a deep green; the flowers are fmall, and of a
deep and beautiful purple; they Hand fmgly on
fhort foot- ftalks arifing among the leaves, and cover-
ed by them.
The flowers are the part ufed ; boiling water is to
be poured upon them juft enough to cover them, and
it is to ftand all night; when it is drained clear off,
the fugar is to be added to it, at the rate of two
pounds to each pint, and it is to be melted over the
fire; this makes fyrup of violets, an excellent gentle
purge for children ; the leaves are dried alfo, and are
ufed in the decoctions for clyfters. An infufion o£
them works by urine.
Vipers Grass. Scorzohera.
A tall and handfome plant, native of the warmer-
parts of Europe, but kept in our gardens. It is three
feet high; the ftalk is round, thick, upright, and
firm ; the leaves are numerous, and ftand irregularly ;
they are long, narrow, of a pale green, fharp-pointed,
and not dentated at the edges ; thofe from the root
are Iona: and narrdw alfo, but they are confiderably
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 38i
large. The flowers grow at the top of the branches ;
they are large like dandelion floweis in lhape, and.
of a mod beautiful pale yellow ; the feed has a white
down annexed to it. 1 he root is long, thick, and
brown. . . _
The root is the part ufed, and it is belt trelh ta-
ken up. It is given in infufion, and it is cordial,
and operates by fweat; it is good in feveis, but little
ufed.
Vipers Bugloss. Echiitm.
A common wild plant, about our path-ways, and on
ditch-banks, known by its fpotted ftalks, and fine
blue flowers. It is a foot and an half high: The ftalk
is round, thick, firm, hairy, and upright ; it is of a
whitilh colour, Rained with fpots and lines of blue,
red, and purple; the leaves are longifh and narrow ;
they are rough, and of a deep duiky green, broad
and blunt at the point, and have no foot-ftalks; the
flowers are large, and of a beautiful blue, with red
{lamina in the middle.
The leaves are ufed; thofe growing from the root
are bed; an infufion of them is cordial, and operates
by fweat; it is good in fevers, and againft headachs,
and all nervous complains.
The Virginian Snakeroot-Plant.
Serpentaria Virginiana.
A little plant, of the birthwort-kind, but different
from the feveral forts of that plant deferibed already
in their places, in its roots, and in its manner of
growing. It is two feet high, when it grows in a
favourable foil, and has bulhes or any thing elfe to
fupport it. The dalks are weak and green; the
leaves dand irregularly on them, and they are ob-
long, narrow, and auriculated at the bottom; the
flowers are fin all, hollow, and of deep dufky purplifh
3*4 TI-IE USEFUL PA&iiLY-HERBAL.
lour, and of a plcafant fmell. The flowers are little,,
they are yellowifh, and arranged in loofe katkins;
the fruit is covered with a green thick coat, and has
within a kernel divided into parts, and of an uneven
furface.
The bark of the walnut tree is a good emetic; it
may be given in infufion, or dried and powdered ; it
vomits eafily and plentifully. The ikin that covers
the kernel is good againft fluxes.
Wall-Flower. Leucoium.
A common wild plant, but not without beauty : It
is frequent on old walls, and has yellow and fweet-
icented flowers. The ftalks are woody, and a foot
and an half high; the leaves are very numerous,
longifh, narrow, and of a dead green; the flowers
ftand in a kind of lpikes, at the tops of the ftalks,
and are yellow and moderately large; the feeds are
contained in long pods.
The flowers are ufed; and an infuflon of them freih
is good againft the headach, and in all nervous dif-
orders ; they are alfo good to fteep in oil, to which
they give a cordial warmth, and make it good againft
pains in the limbs. But they are not either way
much ufed at prefent.
Water Arrow-Head. Sagitta Aquatica.
A very pretty plant, common in our ditches, with
leaves like the bearded heads of arrows, and with
pretty white flowers: It is two feet and a halt high,
but generally the greateft part of the ftalk is buried
in water, very little appearing above, except the fpike
of flowers; the leaves ftand each upon a pedicle,
which is round, thick, and very long ; they are of a
beautiful groen, and are broad, and bearded at the
bafe, and lharp at the point; the flowers are white,
i
i
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 385
1
tolerably large, and very bright; and the flalk on
which they are fupported, is alfo round arid thick.
The common people in many places have a cuftom
of applying thefe leaves bruifed to inflammations;
they cool and give eafe, but it is not always right.
Water Plantain. Plant ago Jquatica.
A very common tall plant in ditches, arid having
not the lead refemblance of any kind of plaintain,
except in the leaves, from which, however, it has re-
ceived its name. The root is coiiipofed of a great
quantity of fibres. From this, there rife in fpring a
number of leaves, oblong, broad* fmooth, and of a
beautiful green colour, and having in fhape, though
not at all in colour or confidence, lbme flight refem-
blance of plantain ; they are perfectly fmooth, of a
glofly furface, and brittle. Thefe fland for many
months without the flalk, and doubtlefs in this date it
got the name. The flalk is two feet or more in
height, round, firm, and upright, and at the top it
fends out a vad number of branches, which fend out
other fmaller, and even thefe lad are again divided,
j On the tops of the lad divifions daiid the flowers,
with their buds, and the leed-veflels ; fo that the
whole has the appearance of a cone. The flowers are
little and white, and confid of three leaves each;
they fland but a little time, and only a few are leen
together.
The feed is the part ufed: The plant is to be dif-
fered to fland, till this is thoroughly ripe, and then
: cut up gently, and laid to dry f 0 or three days upon
' a table, a fmart Aroke or two will diflodge a great
; quantity of the feeds; they are very good againft the
1 overflowings of the menfes, and all other bleedings;
3 ! and are but given in powder in eleclauries ; finall dofes
: 1 being to be taken at a time, and often repeated.
B b
3% THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
Rue-leaved Whitlow-Grass.
Paronychia Rutacco Folio.
A common little plant, early in fpring, on our walls
and houfes, and of a very lingular afpedt: It is red,
and has pretty white flowers: It is not more than
four inches high : The ftalks are round, upright, and
a little hairy, and they are covered with an undtuous
clamminefs, which make them Hick to the fingers in
handling, the leaves are little, and alfo red; they arc
each divided into three parts at the extremity, in the
way of fingers; they Hand irregularly on the flalks,
and they are thick, flefhy, and clammy in handling;
the flowers Hand at the tops of the branches; they
are little, but of a very bright white, and look very
confpicuous. The whole plant dies away as foon as
it has ripened the feed, and is not to be feen again
till the next fpring.
The frefh gathered plant is to be ufed. entire, a
flrong infufion of it is a very great fweetener of the
blood. It is excellent againft the fcurvy in what-
ever form; and there are accounts of its curing the
King’s Evil, that feem very well attelled. A fyrup
may be made of its juice, or of a very flrong infufion.
of it ; or a conferve of the leaves : For the dried plant*
has very little virtue, and it is to be had frefh only a
very fmall part of the year.
The white Willow. Salix vulgaris alba.
A very common tree in wet places, and this which
is ufed in medicine, is the moft common of all the
feveral kinds of it: It is alfo the largeft: It grows to
be a tall tree : The bark is whitifh, and rough upon
the trunk, and grey upon the branches ; the leaves
are oblong, narrow, and whitifh, efpecially on the
under-fide; they ftand irregularly on the branches,
and are a little ferrated at the edges, and pointed at
the ends ; the flowers are very inconflderable, but
they are arranged feveral together, in what are called
catkins or palms ; the feeds are fmall; they fiand in
the fame catkins, mixed with line white down.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 3S7
The bark of the branches is ufed, and it is belt
dried; it is good again it purgings, and the overflow-
ings of the menfes, and is rnolt conveniently given in
powder. Half a dram for a dole.
Winter-Green. Pyrola.
*
An extremely pretty plant, wild in fome parts of
England, but not common. The ftalk is.round, thick,
upright, and ten inches high : The leaves all grow
from the root, for the ttalk is naked ; they are broad,
roundifhj, and of a deep green colour; they are of a
llefhy fubltance, and Hand each on a feparate foot-
ftalk of three or four inches long: The flowers are
fmall, and of a very bright white; they ftand in a
kind of loofe fpike on the tops of the {talks : The root
is compofed of a quantity of thick whitifli fibres.
The leaves are ufed. A decoction of them, with a
piece of cinnamon and a little red wine, is given a-
gainft the overflowings of the menfes, bloody ftools,
and all haemorrhages, and againft ulcers in the uri-
nary pafiages, and bloody urine.
Wo ad. Glaflum.
A plant cultivated in fields, in many parts of Eng-
land, for the ufe of the dyers, and commonly met
with in places near thofe where it was fown, as if a
wild plant; but it is not properly a native of our
country. It is a tall, erect, and handfome plant:
The ftalk is round, thick, firm, upright, and four •
feet high ; but it is ufually fo covered with the leaves,
that fcarce any part of it is to be feen naked : The
leaves are long, and of a confiderable breadth; they
are large at the bafe, where they grow to the ttalk,
without any foot-ftalks, and narrower all the way to
the point; they are of a bluifh green colour, and
the w'hole plant is covered with them, fo the top has
a pretty afpect : The flowers are little and yellow;
B b 2
383 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
they ftand in great numbers about the tops of the
italics, which are divided into a multitude of fmall
branches, and they are fucceeded by fmall feed-vef-
fels. .1 he root is long and thick.
Although the dyers are the people who pay the
molt regard to woad, and for whofe ufe it is cultiva-
ted, it has rutnes that demand for it a great deal of
refpect in medicine. The top of the {talks, before
the flowers appear, contain the greateft virtue, and
they are belt tiefli ; they are to be given in infufion,
and they aie excellent againit obftructions of the
liver and fpleen; they work by urine, and fo take ef-
fect; the ufe ot this infufion muft be continued a
confiderable time ; thefe are diforders that come on
flowly, and are to be llowly removed.
Wood-roof. Afperulct. ,
A common little wild plant in our woods and thic-
kets: It is ten inches high. The flalk is fquare, {len-
der, weak, and not able to fupport itfelf perfectly
upright; the leaves Hand feveral at each joint, en-
compafling the flalk in the manner of a -liar ; they
are oblong, broad, and of a deep green. In their form
and manner of growth, they much refemble thofe of
common cleavers, but they are larger, though the
plant is fo much lels, and they are not rough as in
that plant, but nearly frnooth. The flowers Hand at
the tops of the ftalks in little cluflers ; they are fmall
and white ; the feeds Hand twg) together in a globu-
lar form; the roots are little and fibrous.
The frefh herb is ufed, and is befl given in a ftrong
decoction ; it open obftructions of the liver and fpleen,
and is a cordial and ftomachic. It is good in the
jaundice.
The Wormseed Plant. Abfynthium Santomcum.
A kind of wormwood, native of the Eaft, and not
known fo much as in our gardens. The plant is two
feet high. The leaves are very finely divided, like
thofe of the true Roman wormwood, and of a pale
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 389
•green on the upper-fide, and a filvery white below ;
the ftalks are ftiff, firm, woody, and branched; they
are of a whitilh colour, and have a loofe downy fkin
upon them : . The flowers are fmall and brownifh;
thev referable thofe of wormwood, and ft and in a
Lind of loofe fpikes at the tops of the ftalks.
The feeds are ufed: Our druggifts keep them, and
very often the unripe buds of the flowers in their
place, are mixed with them: They are good againft
worms in children; the good women give them
mixed with treacle; and few medicines for this pur-
pofe have better effecft. For people of nicer palates,
they may be powdered, and made into bolufes.
Treacle Worm-seed. Ccimelina .
'This is not the plant which produces what the
druggifts fell under the name Gf 'wormfeed , that is
the produce of an Egyptian kind of wormwood, juft:
defcribed. This is an Englilh herb of the podded
kind, and very diftinfit in its whole upper appear-
ance from that, and all of its fort. It is two feet high.
The ftalks are round, upright, firm, and toward the
top divided into branches; the leaves are very nu-
merous, and ft^nd irregularly ; they are longifh, nar-
row, pointed at the ends, not at all dented at the
edges, and of a dulky green colour ; the flowers are
little and yellow, they Hand in fmall clufters at the
tops of the branches, and under them is a kind of
fpike of pods ; tbefe are long and llender, green at
firft, but of a kind of brown colour when ripe ; and
in each is a great number of feeds ; thefe are round,
final], and of an extremely bitter tafte, much more
bitter than the common wormfeed.
This leed- is the part ufed. The good women
bruife it, and mixing it with treacle, give it to the
children of robuft conftitutions againft worms. It
operates powerfully by (tool, and, if given in too large
a quantity, by vomit. It is therefore to be ufed with
Bb3
390 THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL.
discretion, but it will anfwer the puvpofe, and 13
preferable for many reafons, to thofe mercurial medi-
cines, which it is the fafhion of the times to give to
people for thofe diforders, efpecially in the country,
where there feldom is fkill enough in the petition-
er to manage as he ought medicines, which maybe
the occaiion of fo much mifehiefl
Common Wormwood. Abfy lithium vulgare.
A wild plant frequent by way-fides, and on ditch^
banks. It is a yard high. The Italics are round,
ftriated, white, firm, and branched; the leaves are
large, but they are divided into a great number of
fmall parts ; ' they ^re of a pale whitilb green, and
itand irregularly on the {talks: Many larger, but of
the fame kind, rife from the root. The flowers {land
in a kind ofloole fpikes, at the tops of the {talks; they
are fmall and brown. The whole plant is of a very
bitter tafte.
The tops of the plant are to be ufed frefh gathered,
a very flight infufion of them is excellent for all dif-
orders of the ftomach, and will prevent ficknefs after
meals, and create an appetite ; but if it be made ftrong,
it will not only be difagreeable to the tafte, but wii}
difguft the ftomach.
The tops, with the flowers on them, dried and
powdered, are good againft agues, and have the fame
virtue with wormfeed in killing worms ; indeed
they are much better than the wormfeed that is com-
monly to be met with, which is generally too much
decayed. The juice of the large leaves of worm-
wood, which grow from the root, before the ftalk ap-
pears, is good againft the dropfy and jaundice, for it
opens obructions, and works by urine powerfully.
Sea Wormwood. Abfynthium Seriphium.
A plant common in our falt-marfhes, and about
ditches? where falt-water cc.mes. It has fomewhat
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 391
the afpedl of wormwood, but the leaves are much
narrower in the divifions, and the whole plant is
fmaller. The ftalks are woody, firm, upright, very
much branched, and a foot and an half high ; the
leaves are whitifh and imall; the flowers hand in
loofe fpikes at the tops of the ftalks; they are little
and brown, and they very much refemble thofe of the
common wormwood, except for the flze; the whole
plant has a bitter tafte, but not difagreeable, and it
has a pleafant aromatic fmell.
The tops frefh gathered, and the whole plant dry,
are ufed: They call it Roman Woormwood at the
markets, and in the fhops; and it is ufed for the
other: It is of the fame general virtues. All the
three kinds indeed poffefs them in common, but the
common wormwood is the moft difagreeable to the
tafte, and fits worft upon the ftomach: This is better
than that, but it is much more difagreeable than
the true Roman wormwood. It is very ftrengthen-
ing to the ftomach ; it aflifts digeftion, and prevents
wind. It is commonly an ingredient in the bitter
infuflons, and tindtures of the fhops, but it does
very well alone, boiling water poured upon it, and
and differed to ftand till it is cold, then drained off,
is an excellent medicine to caufe an appetite. Put
into white wine; it alfo gives a pleafant bitter fla-
vour, with the fame virtues.
Roman Wormwood. Abfynthium Romanum.
A very delicate plant of the wormwood kind, na-
tive of the warmer parts of Europe, but kept in our
gardens: It is two feet and a half high : The ftalk is
round and fmooth, hard, upright, of a brownifh co-
lour, and fomewhat woody; the leaves ftand irregu-
larly on it, and they are fmall and divided into very
fine fegments; they are more like the leaves of the
common fouthernwood in figure, than thofe of either
the other wormwoods; the flowers are little and
B b 4
392 THE USEFUL FAMILY-VERBAL.
’ %
brown, like thofc of common wormwood, but vaftly
fmailer: they are very numerous, and hand at the
tops ot the ltalks in a kind of long and thick {pikes ;
the root is creeping and fp reading, and compofed of
fibres. The whole plant has a hitter tafte, but not at
all like that of wormwood, extremely aromatic and
plealing. The flowers are very bitter, and have little
of this aromatic flavour.
The freih tops are ufed, and the whole plant dried.
It is excellent to ftrengthen the flomach; but that is
not all its virtue; the juice of the frefh tops is good
againlt obftruclions of the liver and fpleen, and has
been known fingly to cure the jaundice.
Y.
Yarrow. Millefolium .
A common plant in our paflures, and by way-lides.
It is two or three feet high. Theflalk is round, up-
right, firm, and flriated: The leaves are long, and
not very broad, and they are the molt beautifully
divided of thofe of any known plant.
Their colour is a deep green, and the parts into
which they are divided, are exceedingly fine, flender,
and regularly arranged: The flowers hand at the
tops of the branches, in the manner of umbels, in
round and large tufts; they are white, bqt they often
have a blufh 'of red. The root is white and creep-
ing, and the feeds are white, broad, and flat.
The whole plant is ufed freih gathered, but thebefl
partis the tops of the fhoots: Thefe are to be boiled
in water, and the decoction lweetened with fine fu-
gar; it is excellent againft the bleedings of the piles,
and bloody fluxes, and the overflowings of the menfes,
It is alio healing and good in ulcerations of the ure-
ters; and it operates gently by urine.
THE USEFUL FAMILY-HERBAL. 393
z.
* *
The Zedoary Plant. Zedoaria.
An Eaflern plant, very lingular, and very beatifuL
The root creeps under the furface, and has many
tuberous lumps, fome long, and fome round, but the
long are preferred ; the round have by many been
call zerumbeth , though the zerumbeth is properly
another root to be defcribed in its place. The leaves
of the zedoary plant are large, very broad, and not
vaftly long; they Hand in clutters, incircling one
another at the bales. The flowers ttaqd on feparate
ttalks, thefe are only eight or ten inches high. They
are fmall, of an irregular lliape, and purplilh.
The root is the only part ufed, our druggifls keep
it dry, it is a warm cordial .and ftomachic medicine,
itftrengthens theftomach, affifts digeftion, and expels
•wind. It is good alfo in all nervous complaints, fuch
as lownefs of fpirits, faintings, tremblings of the
limbs, and reftlelTnefs. An ounce of zedoary lliced
thin, and put into a quart of wine, makes an excel-
lent tindture for thefe purpoles, and is very good ta-
ken in the quantity of a fmall glafs on going into a
damp, or what is flifpedted to be a tainted air.
The Zerumbeti-i Plant. Zerujnbetha.
The zerumbeth plant in fome refpects refembles that
which affords the zedoary, but it is larger. It is a na-
tive of the Eaft, and has not yet been got into our gar-
dens. The leaves grow together in fuch a manner as
to form a kind of ftalk ; this is fix 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. The loole part of each leaf is long, narrow,
and of a bluifli green. The flowers Hand upon fe-
parate ttalks, thefe riie about a foot high, and are of
394
APPENDIX,
a brownifh colour ; they have only a fort of films
upon them in the place of leaves ; the flowers Hand
in a fhort and thick fpike at the tops of thefe, they
are oblong, hollow, moderately large, and of a beau-
tiful fcarlet. The root is long and irregular.
The root is ufed, our druggifls keep it ; it is warm
and good in all nervous cafes. Its virtues are very
nearly the fame with thofe of zedoary, and in general
the round roots of zedoary are fold under its name,
though in reality it be a much longer as well as larger
root than the zedoary itfelf.
APPENDIX.
3S >$►
CONCERNING
The VIRTUES of PLANTS,
Which have not yet been TRIED.
jAlS the intent of this work is truly to be of ufe to
mankind, the author, who is defirous of making that
Utility as extenfive as poflible, cannot clofe it without
obferving, that notwithstanding the great deal that
is known of the virtues of Englilh plants, there is
certainly a great deal more unknown, and there is
room for greater difcoveries.
The plants mentioned in this work are only four
or five hundred, and not all thefe of Englilh growth:
If they were, they would yet be a very fmall num-
ber in proportion to the whole. I he catalogue of
thofe native of our own country, as publilhedby Mr.
Ray, amounting to many thouiands : Great numbers,
therefore, remain yet untried.
To what purpofe can a man devote the hours of his
leifure better, than to the difcovering, among the
number of the unregarded virtues, which may faithef
APPENDIX.
395
■Jupply the catalogue of our own remedies, and make
.the roots and feeds, brought from remote countries,
lefs necefiary. What encouragement to the attempt,
that there are fuch multitude of obje&s for the trial ;
and that the difeovering but one remedy among them,
all for a difeafe we kneft> not how fo well to cure be-
fore, is a fource of more true honour than can be de-
rived from all the ufelefs knowledge in the world.
If any fuppofe the trial dangerous, they miflead
themfelves ; and to encourage fo laudable an under-
taking, I fhall obferve how little is the hazard, and
how confiderable the advantages, from what we know
already.
If a man were to be turned loofe upon an ifiand
where no perfon had let foot before, he might dread
to tafte of any plant he faw, becaufe he might not
know but every one he faw was fatal: And fuppofing
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 cafe writh him, who fhall at this time
fet about inquiring into the virtues of plants in
England. The poilonous plants, native of our foil,
are hardly a dozen, tfnd thefe are charadfered, even to
the eye, by fomething lingular or dil’mal in the afpedl.
They are well known, and he has nothing to do but
to avoid them. For the reft, he has fo many whofe
ufes and qualities are already perfedtly known, that
he has a great foundation to go upon in the iearch,
becaufe he can compare thole he does not know with
them. Their tafles will go a great way towards in-
forming him; but this is not all, their very outward
figures will diredt him : For in general thole plants,
which agree in the external afpedt, agree likewilein
their virtues.
To give an inltance in the marfhmallow. It is
known to work by urine, and to be good againll the
gravel. We will fuppofe no more known concerning
this kind. A perfon defirous of extending this ufe-
ful knowledge, finds, that by the tafte of the root,
which is infipid, and it^ mucilaginous quality, he
396
APPENDIX.
I
might have gueffed this to be its virtue from what he
before knew of medicine. The next plant he meets,
we will fuppofe, is the common mallow, and after-
wards the little white flowered mallow, which lies
upon the ground ; he talks the roots of thefe, and he
finds they are like the other : Pie will therefore guefs
that they have the fame virtues, and upon trial he
will find it fo.
But this is not all : If he had examined the flower
of the marfhmallow, in what manner it was con-
ftrufted, and how the little threads grew within it,
be would have found, that the flowers of thefe other
two mallows were, in all refpecls, like thofe of the
other ; and farther, he would have found, that the
feeds of thefe two kinds were in the fame manner dif-
pofed in circular bodies: From this he might, with-
out tailing their roots, have been led to guefs that
their virtues were the fame ; or having gueffed fo
much from this, he might have been thence led totafte
them, and by that have been confirmed in it : But he
might be carried yet farther; he would find the
fame iort of round clufters of feeds in the hollyhock
in his garden, and, upon examining the Angle flowers,
he would fee they were alfo alike ; And hence he
would difeover that it was of this kind ; and he would
rightly judge, that the hollyhock alfo poffeffed the
fame virtues.
This is a method by which many of the plants
mentioned in this book have been found to have vir-
tues which others neglected ; for there are many
named in the preceding pages, and named with great
praife, of which others have made little account:
Thefe are the means by which the firfl guefles have
been made about their virtues, and experiments have
always confirmed them. It has not always happen-
ed, that the virtues of a plant, thus tried, have been
in a degree worth letting in a light of confequence :
They have been l'ometimes flight, and the plant has
been difregarded ; hut they have fcarce ever miffed
to be found of the lame nature.
appendix.
397
Thefe experiments I have always thought honelty
required of me to make upon myfelf, and 1 never
found harm from the trials. I had no right to bring
into the lead poffible danger the health of others ; as
to my own there was no probability of harm ; but it
it had happened, the intent would have lanctilied the
accident, and I fhould have been contented.
There is this great ufe in examining other plants
which have the fame fort of dowers and fruits with
thofe which we know to have virtues, that we may
in this way dilcover plants at home, to iupply the
place of thofe we have from other countries. It is
certain, the fun in warmer climates does ripen the
juices of vegetables farther than in ours; but yet we
find the plants of the fame kind, from whatever part
of the world they come, to polfefs nearly the fame
kind of virtues ; generally indeed they are the fame,
only differing in degree. Thus all the mallows of
Spain and Itally, to bring the trial to the before-
named initance, poffefs the fame virtues with the marfh-
mallovv, mallow and hollyhock of England ; and the
cafe is the fame with thofe which are truly mallows
of the Eaft and Weft Indies; though this do not
hold good w7ith refpedt to fome of the plants of thofe
countries which have been brought hither under that
name.
Thus alfo, that root, which v7as at one time about
to be brought very much into ufe, under the name
of the Senega rattlefnake-root, but of which little
mention has been made here, becaufe the attention
has not been turned upon novelty, but ufe, being
found to belong to a kind of milkwort, or polygala.
The roots of the common milkwort of our paftures
being tried, have been found to poffefs the fame vir-
tues, though in a lels degree. This plant ’would
not have been regarded, if the other had not been
found to be of the fame kind, but to that we owe
the knowledge of its virtues.
d here is this great reafon for feeking in our own
climate plants of the fame nature, and form, and
398
APPENDIX.
kind, with thole which, in other countries, afford
us remedies ; that they are generally of the fame
kind, and may be fitter for our conftitutions. This
is certain, that as the fun ripens the juices of plants
in hotter countries to more virtue than with us, fo it
makes mens conftitutions more able to bear their effeds.
The Chinefe will l'vvallow fuch dofes as are poifon
to one of us* This we know in many inftances, and
it ought to encourage us in the prefent refearch, be-
caufe, if the fame dofes which agree with them are
too much for us, we may alfo find, that other medi-
cines of the fame kind of virtues, though in a lelfer
degree, may alfo be found to agree better with our
conftitutions. I would not carry fo far, as fome have
dpne, that opinion of nature’s having provided in
every country the remedies for the difeafes of that
country: God is the author of nature, and he know-
ing there would be commerce among mankind, knew
that would not be neceftary. But notwithftanding
that, it may be neceftary in fome cafes, and conve-
nient in many, for us to have drugs from abroad,
yet, in general, it will be better for us to be cured
by thofe herbs we may find at home, and they will
be found upon trial more fufficient for that purpofe
than we at prefent imagine. The means are at hand,
but we have made very little ufe of them, propor-
tioned to their number and their value.
The obfervation already made, that the external
form of plants may very well give thp hint for a con-
jecture about their virtues, is much more general
than might be imagined. Almoft all the plants of
the fame kinds are of the fame virtues. But that is
not all: For in general, thofe of the fame clafs pof-
fefs the fame qualities, though different in degree :
And this is a prodigious help to him who fhall fet
out upon the generous and ufeful plan of adding to
the number of the ufeful plants. It is alfo lingular,
that what might appear objections in this cafe, being
brought to the trial, will often be found confirma-
tions of the truth there is in the obfervation.
oj
APPENDIX.
399
Thus fuppofe a man, obferving that lettice is eat-
able, fhould inquire into al the , ants like lettice,
which are thole that have flowers compofed of many
parts, and have the feeds winged with a white downy
matter, to find whether they were eatable ; let us
examine how he would iucceed. 1 he plants of this
clafs, native of England, are the fowthift’le, the hawk-
weeds, the dandelion, goatlbeard, fuccory, and en-
dive, ail eatables. The hawkweeds are lefs agree-
able in the tafte, but wholefome ; and as to the wflld
lettices, thofe who would bring the opiate quality of
the principal of them as an objedlion, ftrengthen the
obfervation, for the garden-lettice alfo has an opiate
quality. This wild one poftefies it in a greater de-
gree, but ftill in fuch degree, that it is an excellent
medicine, not at all dangerous. Its bitter tafte would
prevent people eating it, for it is difagreeable • but
its virtues are the fame with thofe of lettice, only
greater. There are lome kinds of hawkweed alfo
which have a bitter milky juice, altogether like to
that of this lettice, and they alfo have this opiate
quality. I have tried many of them, but as there are
none of them equal to the great wild lettice in this
refpeft, it would have been idle to have fpent many
words about them.
This general obfervation may be carried a great
deal farther ; but it were the bufinefs of a volume,
not of a fhort appendix, to explain it at large. In
general, the feeds of umbelliferous plants, that is,
thole which have little flowers in rounded clufters,
each fucceeded by two feeds, are good againft cho-
lics ; thofe of carraway, anife, cummin, coriander,
and all of that kind, are produced by plants of
this figure. In the fame manner the ver titillate
plants , as they are called, that is, thofe which have
the flowers furrounding the ftalks, as in mint and
thyme, are of a warm nature ; and however they
differ in degree and circumftance, they have the
fame general virtues. Farther, fuch plants as are
infipid to the tafte and fmeil have generally little vir-
4°o APPENDIX. .
tncR , and, on the contrary, tliofc which liavc the
raoft fragrant fmell, and Iharpeft tafte, have the
greateft virtues of whatever kind.
In general alfo, thofe plants which have a ftrong
but an agreeable tafte, are molt worthy to be exa^-
mined with refped to their virtues ; for they are ge-
nerally the moll valuable; and on the contrary, when
a very ftrong tafte is alfo a very difagreeable one ; or
in the fame manner, when the ftrong fmell of a plant
has alfo fomething heavy, difagreeable, and overpow-
ering in it; there is mifehief in the herb rather than
any ufeful quality. The poifonous plants of this
country are very few, but they are for the moft part
charedterized after this manner; fotliat they are known
as it were at fight, or by the firft offer of a trial.
Thus we fee how very little can be the danger of
inquiring farther into the virtues of our own plants
by experiments, and how ufeful fuch an inquiry may
be to mankind is fufficiently proved by the matter of
the preceding volume.
What I have here written is with intent to encou-
rage fome who have opportunities to make the trial;
and, for my own part, I fhall hot be wanting. What
I have already difeovered in this way, I am pleafed
to fee, makes no inconfiderable addition to the pre-
fent publication ; what I fhall difeover farther, or
learn from the experience of others, fhall have its
place in the fucceeding editions.
✓
FI N I S.
%
- /
, 3 OCT 1961
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