of California 
 n Regional 
 y Facility
 
 THE 
 
 T 
 
 OR AN ACCOUNT OF ALL THOSE 
 
 ENGLISH PLANTS, 
 
 WHICH ARE 
 
 REMARKABLE FOR THEIR VIRTUES, 
 A JVD OF THE DRUGS 
 
 WHICH ARE PRODUCED BY 
 
 Vegetables of other Countries ; 
 
 WITH THEIR 
 
 . DESCRIPTIONS AND THEIR USES, 
 
 2 PROFED BY EXPERIENCE. 
 
 ALSO 
 
 Directions for the gathering and 
 preserving roots, herbs, flowers, and 
 seeds ; the various methods of pre- 
 
 use ; receipts for making distilled 
 waters, conserves, syrups, electua- 
 ries, juleps, draughts, &e. &c. with 
 
 serving these simples for present j necessary cautions in giving them. 
 INTENDED FOR THE USE OF FAMILIES. 
 
 BY SIR JOHN HILL, M. D. 
 
 F. R. A. OF SCIENCES AT BOHRDEAUX. 
 
 EMBELLISHED WITH 
 
 FIFTY-FOUR COLOURED PLATES. 
 
 BUNGAY: 
 
 rtUXTED AMD PUBLISHED BY C. BRIGHTLY, 
 AND T. KINNERSLEY.
 
 tlb 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 MANY books have been written upon the same 
 subject with this, but if one of them had 
 treated it in the same manner, this would have been 
 rendered unnecessary, and would never have employ- 
 ed the attention of its author. 
 
 It is his opinion, that the true end of science is 
 use ; and in this view, the present work has been 
 undertaken. It appears to him a matter of more 
 consequence, and a subject of more satisfaction, 
 to have discovered the virtues of one herb unknown 
 lefore, than to have disposed into their proper 
 classes sixteen thousand ; nay, so far will a sense 
 of utility get the better of the pride of mere 
 curiosity, that he should suppose this a thing 
 preferable to be said of him, to the having; dis- 
 covered some unknown species ; to having picked 
 from the bottom of some pond an undescribed con- 
 ferva ; or to having fetched, from the most remote 
 parts of the world, a kind of tree moss, with heads 
 larger than those at home. 
 
 It grieves a man of public spirit and humanity, 
 to see those things which are the means alone of 
 the advantages of mankind studied, while in the end 
 that advantage itself is forgotton. And in this 
 view he will regard a Culpepper as a more 
 respectable person than a Linnaeus or a Dille- 
 nius. 
 
 That Botanv is an useful study is plain; be- 
 
 *'J
 
 it. PREFACE. 
 
 cause it is in vain that we know betony is good 
 for head-achs, or self-heal for wounds, unless we 
 can distinguish betony and self-heal from one 
 another, and so it runs through the whole study. 
 We are taught by it to know what plants belong 
 to what names, and to know that very distinctly ; 
 and we shall be prevented by that knowledge from 
 giving a purge for an astringent, a poison for a 
 remedy ; let us therefore esteem the study of 
 botany, but let us know, that this use of the dis- 
 tinctions it gives is the true end of it ; and let us 
 respect those, who employ their lives in establish- 
 ing those distinctions upon the most certain foun- 
 dation, upon making them the most accurately, 
 and carrying them the farthest possible : these 
 are the botanists ; but with all the gratitude we 
 owe them for their labours, and all the respect 
 we shew them on that consideration, let us under- 
 stand them as but the seconds in thi3 science. The 
 principal are those who know how to bring 'their 
 discoveries to use, and can say what are the ends 
 that will be answered by those plants, which they 
 have so accurately distinguished. The boy col- 
 lects the specimens of herbs with great care, 
 and bestows ten years in pasting them upon pa- 
 per, and writing their names to them : he does 
 well. When he grows a man, he neglects his 
 useful labours ; and perhaps despises himself for 
 the misemployment of so much time : but if he 
 has, to the knowledge of their forms, added af- 
 terward the study of their virtues, he will be 
 fir from censuring himself for all the pains he 
 took to that end. 
 
 He who wishes well to science and to man- 
 kind, must wish this matter understood: and this 
 is the wiy to bring a part of knowledge into cre- 
 dit, which, as \t is commonly practised, is not a
 
 PREFACE. v. 
 
 jot above the studies of a raiser of tulips or a car- 
 nation fansier. 
 
 When we consider the study of plants, as the 
 search of remedies for diseases, we see it in the 
 light of one of the most honourable sciences in 
 the world ; in this view, no pains are too great 
 to have been bestowed in its acquirement ; and 
 in this intent, the principal regard ought to be 
 had to those of our own growth. The foreign 
 plants brought into our stoves with so much ex- 
 pence, and kept there with so much pains, may 
 rill the eye with empty wonder : but it would 
 be more to the honour of the possessor of them, 
 to have found out th use of one common herb 
 at home, than to have enriched our country with 
 an hundred of the others. Nay, in the eye of rca- 
 on, this ostentatious study is rather a reproach. 
 Why should he, who has not yet informed himself 
 thoroughly of the nature of the meanest herb 
 which grows in the next ditch, ransack the earth 
 for foreign wonders ? Does he not fall under the 
 same reproach with the generality of those, who 
 travel for their improvement, while they are igno- 
 rant of all they left at home ; and who are ridicu- 
 lous in their inquiries concerning the laws and 
 government of other countries, while they are not 
 able to give a satisfactory answer to any question 
 which regards their own ? 
 
 I have said thus much to obviate the censures 
 of those, to whom an inquiry into the virtues of 
 herbs may seem the province of a woman. It is 
 an honour to the sex, that they have put our 
 studies to use ; but it would be well, if we had 
 done so ourselves; orif, considering that they might, 
 we had made our writings more intelligible to 
 them. 
 
 The intent of words is to express our meaning:
 
 vi. PREFACE. 
 
 writings arc published that they may be undfcr* 
 &tood ; and in this branch, I shall always suppose 
 he writes best, who is to be understood most uni- 
 versal! v Now so far are we from having had this 
 point in view in botany, that more new and more 
 strange words have been introduced into it, than 
 into all the sciences together : and so remarkable 
 istheSwLDE before mentioned, Lisn^us, for this, 
 that a good scholar, nay the best scholar in the 
 world, shall not be able to understand three lines 
 together in his best writings, although they are 
 written in latin, a language in which he is ever so 
 familiar. The author has not been at the pains 
 to explain his new words Ijimself, but refers hii 
 reader to nature; he bids him seek them in the 
 iiowers, where he found them. 
 
 We sec, that the most curious botanists have not 
 concerned themselves about the virtues of plants at 
 all ; that many of the others who have written 
 well on plants, have thought it no part of their 
 subject ; let us examine the others ; those who 
 are of less repute. If we look into the English 
 Herbal* in particular, we find them large upon 
 that subject ; indeed they are too large by much. 
 They say so many things, that we know not which 
 of them to credit ; and therefore in the uncertainty, 
 we credit none of them. There is not the most 
 trifling herb, which they do not make a remedy for 
 almost all diseases. We may therefore as well take 
 one plant for any case as another ; and the whole of 
 their labours amount to this, that the English herbs 
 are full of virtues, butthat they know not what they 
 are. 
 
 When knowledge is perplexed with unintelligi- 
 ble terms, and the memory of the student con- 
 founded wilh a multiplicity of names ; when the 
 ignorant only, who have written concerning plants,
 
 PREFACE. vii 
 
 nave given themselves any trouble about their 
 virtues ; when physic is becoming entirely chyrui- 
 cal, and a thousand lives are thrown away daily 
 by these medicines, which might be saved by a 
 better practice ; it appeared a useful undertaking, 
 to separate the necessary from the frivolous know- 
 ledge ; and to lay before those who are inclined 
 to do good to their distressed fellow-creatures, all 
 that it is necessary for them to know of botany for 
 that purpose, and that in the most familiar man- 
 ner ; and to add to this, what experience has con- 
 firmed of the many things written by others con- 
 cerning their virtues. This is the intent of the fol- 
 lowing work. 
 
 The plants are arranged according to the English 
 alphabet, that the English reader may know where 
 to find them : they are called by one name only in 
 English, and one in Latin ; and these are their 
 most familiar names in those languages ; no matter 
 what Caspar, or John Bauhine, or Linnjeus 
 call them, they are here set down by those names 
 by which every one speaks of them in English ; 
 and the Latin name is added, under which they will 
 be found in every dictionary. To this is subjoined 
 a general description of the plant, if it be a com- 
 mon one, in a line or two ; that those who already 
 know it, may turn at once to the uses ; and for 
 such as do not, a farther and more particular 
 account is added. Last come the virtues, as they 
 are confirmed by practice : and all this is delivered 
 in such words as are common, and to be understood 
 by all. 
 
 Every thing that is superfluous is omitted, that 
 the useful part may remain upon the memory : 
 and to all this is prefixed, in a large introduc- 
 tion, whatsoever can be necessary to compleat the 
 good intentions of the charitable in this way.
 
 Tiii. PREFACE. 
 
 There are rules for gathering and preserving 
 herbs, and their several parts, directions for making 
 such preparations from them, as can conveniently 
 be prepared in families, and general admonitions 
 and cautions in their respective uses. 
 
 If I could have thought of any thing farther, 
 that could tend to the making the book more use- 
 ful, I should have added it ; as it is, the candid 
 reader h desired to accept it, as written with $ 
 real view to be of service to aiaukiad.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Containing general rules for the gathering 
 and preserving herbs, roots, barks, sleds, and 
 flowers ; together with the me1hods of 
 making such preparations from them, as may 
 best retain their virtues, or be moit usefui 
 jo be kept in families 
 
 CHAP. I 
 
 The design and purpose of this work, and the me- 
 thod observed in it. 
 
 npHE intent of the author in publishing this 
 JL book, is to inform those who live in the 
 country, and are desirous of being useful to 
 their families and friends, or charitable to the 
 poor in the relief of their disorders, of the virtues 
 of those plants which grow wild about them : that 
 they may be able to supply this necessary assis- 
 tance, in places where apothecaries a;c not at hand ; 
 and that they may be able also to do it without 
 putting themselves to the expense of medicines 
 of price, when the common herbs, that mav be 
 
 a
 
 ii. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 had for gathering, will answer the same pur- 
 pose. 
 
 However, as there are cases, in which more help 
 may be had from drugs brought from abroad than 
 from any thing we can procure at home, an account 
 of those roots, barks, seeds, gums, and other veget- 
 able productions, kept by the druggists and apothe- 
 caries, is also added ; and of the several trees p.nd 
 plants from which thev are obtained ; together with 
 their virtues 
 
 This woru. therefore, will tend to instruct those 
 charitable ladies who may be desirous of giving 
 this great relief to the aftl-cted poor in their neigh- 
 bourhood, and to remind apothecaries of what 
 they had before studied : but the first mentioned 
 purpose is by much the most useful, and the most 
 considerable, and for this reason the greatest regard 
 is paid to it. 
 
 The plants are disposed in the alphabet, ac- 
 cording to their English names, that they may be 
 turned to the more readily ; and an account is 
 given, in two or three lines, of their general as- 
 pect and place of growth, that those who in part 
 know them already, may understand them at once : 
 if they are not perfectly known from this, a more 
 particular description is added, by observing which, 
 they cannot be mistaken or confounded with any 
 others ; and after this follow, not only their virtues, 
 as others are content to set them down, but the part 
 of each plant which contains them in most perfection 
 is named, and the manner in which they may best be 
 given. 
 
 With regard to the virtues of plants, it has been 
 the custom to attribute too many to most of them i 
 so much is said more than the truth on these oc- 
 casion*. that those who would be informed, know
 
 INTRODUCTION. iii. 
 
 not what they should believe. This is more cau- 
 tiously regulated here. The real virtues alone 
 are set down, as they arc assured by experience . 
 and the principal of these are always set in the 
 most conspicuous light. Perhaps it may be allow- 
 ed the author, to speak with more ass urance than 
 others of these things, because he has been accus- 
 tomed to the practice of physic in that way. Very 
 few things are named here that he has not seen tri- 
 ed ; and if some are set down, which other wri- 
 ters have not named, and some, of which they have 
 said most, are slightly mentioned, it is owing to 
 the same experience which has added to the cata- 
 logue in some things, and has found it too great for 
 truth in others. 
 
 Nature has, in this country, and doubtless also 
 in all others, provided, in the herbs of its own 
 growth, the remedies for the several diseases to 
 which it is most subject ; and although the addi- 
 tion of what is brought from abroad, should not 
 be supposed superfluous, there is no occasion that 
 it should make the other neglected. This has 
 been the consequence of the great respect shewn 
 to the others ; and besides this, the present use of 
 chemical preparations has almost driven the whole of 
 galenical medicine out of our minds. 
 
 To restore this more safe, more gentle, and 
 often more efficacious part of medicine to its na- 
 tural credit, has been one great intent in the wri- 
 ting this treatise ; and it is the more necessary for 
 the service of those, who are intended most to 
 be directed in this matter, since this is much less 
 dangerous than the other : nay, it is hard to 
 say, that this is dangerous at all, in most in- 
 stances. 
 
 The apothecaries are apt, in their unfeeling 
 mockery., to say, they are obliged to the good
 
 iv. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ladies who give medicines to their sick neigh- 
 bours, for a great deal of their business ; for out 
 of little disorders they make great ones. This 
 may be the case where their shops supply the 
 means ; for chemical medicines, and some of the 
 drugs brought from abroad, arc not to be trusted 
 with those who have not great experience ; hut 
 there will be no danger of this kind, when the 
 fields are the suppl}'. This is the medicine of na 
 lure, and as it is more efficacious in most cases 
 it is more safe in ail. If opium may be danger- 
 ous in an unexperienced hand, the lady who will 
 give in its place a syrup of the wild lettuce, 
 (a plant not known in common practice at this 
 time, but recommended from experience in this 
 treatise^) will find that it will ease pain, and that 
 it will cause sleep, in the manner of that foreign drug, 
 but she will never find any ill consequences from 
 it: and the same migh! be said in many other in 
 stances. 
 
 As the descriptions in this work, very readily 
 distinguish what are* the real plants that should he 
 used, the great care will remain, in what man- 
 ner to gather and preserve, and in what man- 
 ner to give them ; it will he useful to add a chap- 
 ter or two on those heads. As to the former, I 
 would have it perfectly understood, because a great 
 deal depends upon it ; the latter cannot easily be mis- 
 taken. 
 
 Having displaced the dings brought from 
 abroad in a great measure from this charitable 
 practice, I would have every lady, who has the 
 spirit of this true benevolence, keep a kind of 
 druggist's shop of her own : this should he sup- 
 plied from the neighbouring fields, and from her 
 garden. There is no reason the drugs should not 
 be as well preserved, and as carefully laid up,
 
 INTRODUCTION. v. 
 
 iis if (he product of a different climate, though 
 the use of the fresh plants will in general be best 
 when they can be hail. 
 
 As there are some which will not retain their 
 virtues in a dried stair, kind can be met with only 
 during a small part of the year ; it will be pro- 
 per to add the best methods of preserving these 
 in some way, according to the apothecary's man- 
 ner ; and these chapters, with that which shall 
 lay down the method of making the preparations 
 from them for ready service, will be sufficient to 
 lead to the perfect use of the medicines of our 
 own growth : and it will be found upon experi- 
 ence, that those who sufficiently know how to make 
 a proper u<c of these, need seldom have recourse 
 f-o any others. 
 
 chap. ;l 
 
 Concerning; the methods of collecting and presett- 
 ing plants and parts of them for use. 
 
 THE virtues of different plants residing princi- 
 pally in certain parts of them, and those 
 different according to the nature of the herb, 
 these several parts arc to be selected, and the rest 
 left ; and these arc in some to be used fresh and 
 just gathered ; in others, either necessity, or the 
 natural preference, make it proper to dry and pre- 
 serve them. 
 
 In some only the leaves are to be used ; in 
 others the whole plant cut fiora the root: in others 
 the (lowers only ; in others the fruits ; in others 
 the seeds ; in some the roots ; and of seme trees
 
 ti. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tlfe barks ; some the woods ; and only the excres- 
 ences of others : while some vegetables are to be 
 usrexl entire,, whether it be fresh gathered, or dried 
 and preserved. Of all these, instances will be 
 given in great number in the following sheets, 
 and the matter will be specified under each article, 
 as the part of the plant to be used will always be 
 named ; and it will be added whether it be best 
 fresh, or best or necessarily dried or otherwise 
 preserved; but it will be proper in this place to 
 enter into the full examination of this matter, to save 
 unnecessary repetitions under the several particular 
 articles. 
 
 The whole of most plants native of our coun- 
 try, dies oft' in winter, except the root ; and in 
 many that perishes also, leaving the species to be 
 renewed from the fallen seeds. When the whole 
 plant dies, the root is seldom of any virtue ; but 
 when the root remains many years, and sends up 
 new shoots in the spring, it ( mimonly has great 
 virtue. This may be a general rule : for there is 
 very little to be expected in the roots of annual plants : 
 their seeds, for the most part, contain their greatest 
 virtues. 
 
 In others, the root lives through the winter, and 
 there arise from it large leaves in the spring, be- 
 fore the stalks appear. These arc to be distinguish- 
 ed from those which afterwards grow on the stalk, 
 for they are more juicy, and for many purposes 
 much better. In the same manner, some plants, 
 from their seeds dropped in autumn, produce a 
 root and leaves which stand all the winter, and 
 the stalk does not rise till the succeeding spring. 
 These are of the nature of those leaves, which 
 rise from the root of other plants before the stalks 
 in spring ; and arc in the same manner to be dis- 
 tinguished from those which grow upon the stalks :
 
 INTRODUCTION. vii. 
 
 they have the full nourishment from the root, 
 whereas the others are starved by the growth of 
 the stalk and its branches, and the preparations 
 made by nature for the flowers and seeds ; which 
 are the great purpose of nature, as they are to con- 
 tinue the plant. 
 
 For this reason, when the leaves of any plant 
 are said to be the part fittest for use, they are not 
 to be taken from the stalk, but these large ones 
 growing from the root are to be chosen ; and these 
 where there is no stalk, if that can be ; for then 
 only they are fullest of juice, and have their com- 
 plete virtue ; the stalk running away with the 
 nourishment from them. This is so much done in 
 some plants, [that although the leaves growing 
 from the root were very vigorous before the 
 stalk grew up, they die and wither as it 
 rises. 
 
 When the juice of the leaves of any plant is 
 required, these are the leaves from which it is 
 to be pressed : when they are ordered in decoction, 
 notice is always taken in this book, whether they 
 be best fresh or dried ; if fresh, they should be 
 just gathered for the occasion ; they should be 
 cut up close from the root, and only shook clean, 
 not washed ; for in many, that carries off a part of 
 the virtue : they are to be cut into the pot. If 
 they are to be dried, the same caution is to be 
 used ; and they are best dried, by spreading them 
 upon the floor of the room, with the windows 
 open ; often turning them. When thoroughly 
 dried, they should be put into a drawer, pressing 
 them close down, and covered with paper. When 
 the entire plant is to be used except the root, 
 care is to be taken that it be gathered at a pro- 
 per sea^pn. Nature in the whole growth of plants, 
 tends to the production of their flowers and seeds,
 
 viii. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 but when they are ripe, the rest begins to decay, 
 having' done its duty ; so that the time when the en- 
 tire plant is in its most full perfection, is when it is in 
 the bud ; when the heads are formed for flowering", 
 but not a single flower has yet disclosed itself : this 
 is the exact time. 
 
 When herbs are to be used fresh, it is best not 
 to take them entire, but only to cut oil' the tops ; 
 three or lour inches long", if for infusion, and if 
 for other purposes, less : if they are to be beaten 
 up with sugar, they should be only an inch, or 
 ess .;, just a> far as they arc fresh and tender. 
 The tops of the plant thus gathered, are al- 
 ways preferable [o the whole plant lor immediate 
 rise 
 
 When the entire herb is to be dried, the season 
 for gathering it is to he as just described, when 
 tiie flowers are budding' : and the time of the day 
 must be when the morning" clew is dried away 
 This is a very material circumstance, for if they 
 be cut wet with the dew, herbs will not dry well, 
 and if (hey be cut at noon day, when the sun has 
 made the leaves flag', they will not have their full 
 power. 
 
 Care must also be taken to cut them in a dry day ; 
 for the wet of rain will do as much harm, as that of 
 dew . 
 
 When the herbs are thus gathered, they are to 
 be looked over, the decayed leaves picked off, 
 and the dead ends of the stalks cut away : they 
 arc then to be tied up in small bunches, (the 
 less the better,) and hung upon lines drawn across 
 a room, where; the windows and doors are to be 
 kept open in good weather ; the bunches are to 
 in' half a foot asunder, and they are to hang till 
 perfectly dry. They are th m to be takeiy softly 
 dov.u. without shaking oil' the buds of the Mow-
 
 INTRODUCTION. Ul 
 
 ers, and laid evenly in a drawer, pressing them 
 down, and covering them with paper. They 
 arc thus ready for infusions and decoctions, and 
 are better for distillation than when fresh. 
 
 The flowers of plants arc principally used 
 fresh, though several particular kinds retain their 
 virtue very well dried ; they are on these different 
 occasions to be treated differently. 
 
 Lavender flowers, and those of stoecha, keep 
 very well ; they are therefore to be preserved dry ; 
 the lavender flowers are to be stripped off the 
 stalks, husk and all together, and spread upon 
 the floor of a room to dry. The stcechas flowers 
 are to be preserved in the whole head ; this is to 
 be cut off from the top of the stalk, and dried in 
 the same manner : when dry, they are to be kept 
 as the herbs. 
 
 When rosemary flowers are dried, they are ge* 
 nerally taken with some of the leaves about therrr; 
 and this is very right, for the leaves retain more 
 virtue than the flowers. Some dry borage, bu- 
 g-loss, and cowslips, but they retain very little 
 virtue in that condition. Rose buds are to- be 
 dried, and to this purpose, their white heads are 
 to be cut off; and the full blown flowers may be 
 preserved in the same manner. The red roe 
 is always meant,, when we speak of the dried 
 flowers. 
 
 For the rest of tha flowers used in medicine, 
 they are best fresh ; but as they remain only a 
 small part of the year in that state, the method 
 is to preserve them in the form of syrups and 
 conserves. Such as the syrup of cloves and pop- 
 pies, the conserves of cowslips, and the like. Of 
 these, a short general account shall be subjoined, 
 that nothing may be wanting to make this book
 
 z. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 as Useful for families,, as the nature of such an 
 one will admit. 
 
 Among the fruits of plants, several are to be 
 used fresh, as the hip for conserve, and the 
 quince, mulberry, and black currant ; from the 
 juices of which, syrups are made. As to those 
 which are to be dried, as the juniper berries, the 
 bay berries, and the like, they are only to be ga- 
 thered when just ripening, not when quite mel- 
 low, and spread upon a table or floor, often 
 turning them till they are dry. But of these 
 we use very few of our own growth ; most of the 
 fruits used in medicine are brought from abroad, 
 and must be purchased of the druggist or apothe- 
 cary. 
 
 With respect to the seeds and plants, it is 
 otherwise : many of them are of our own growth, 
 and nothing is so easy as to preserve them. These 
 are all to be used dry ; but nature has in a man- 
 ner dried them to our hands : for they are not 
 to be gathered till perfectly ripe, and then they 
 need very little farther care. They are only to 
 be spread for three or four days upon a clean floor, 
 where the air has free passage, but where the sun 
 does not come ; and they are then ready to be 
 put up. 
 
 The seeds used in medicine may be referred 
 to three general kinds. They either grow in 
 naked neads or umbels, as in fennel, parsley, and 
 the like ; or in pods, as in mustard and crosses ; 
 or in large fleshy fruits, as in melon and cu- 
 cumbers. In each case they must be left upon 
 the plant till perfectly ripe ; then they are only 
 to be shook from the heads upon the floor, or if 
 in pods, a smart stroke or two of the plant upon 
 the floor, when they are thoroughly ripe, will
 
 INTRODUCTION. xf. 
 
 dislodge them. In the other case, the fruit must 
 be cut open, and they must be taken out from 
 among the wet matter, separated from the mem- 
 branes that arc about them, and spread upon a 
 table, in a dry place, where they must be of- 
 ten turned and rubbed as they grow dry, 
 that in the end they may be perfectly dry and 
 clean. 
 
 Among the roots a great many are to be used 
 fresh, but a greater number are best dried. The 
 black and white briony, the arum, and some 
 others, lose all their virtues in drying ; and 
 many that retain some, yet lose the greater part 
 of it : there are others which are excellent both 
 fresh and dried, as the marshmallow and some 
 more. 
 
 As to the few which lose their virtue entirely 
 in drying, it will be best to keep some of them 
 always in the garden, that they may be taken up 
 as they are wanted. The others are to be mana- 
 ged according to their several natures, and they 
 do a great deal toward the furnishing this drug- 
 gist's shop, which should be rilled with medicines, 
 the produce of our own country. 
 
 The best season for gathering roots for drying 
 is in the earlier part of the spring : what nature 
 does for plants when they are just going to flower, 
 she does for roots when the leaves are just going 
 to bud: the juices are rich, fresh, and full, and 
 the virtue is strongest in them at this season, there- 
 fore they are to be then taken up. 
 
 In the end of February and the beginning of 
 March, the ground should be searched for the 
 first budding of leaves, and the roots taken up. 
 They are to be wiped clean, not washed ; and, 
 according to their several natures, prepared (or 
 drying. 
 
 Some are fuUof a mucilaginous juice, aj* marsh-
 
 ?. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 mallow, and above all other roots the squill, 
 ami in some degree many others of that kind : 
 these must be cut into thin slices cross-wise., and 
 they will dry best if laid upon a hair cloth stretch- 
 ed across a frame. They must be frequently turn- 
 ed ; and be very thoroughly dry, before they are 
 put up, else they will become mouldy : but,, right- 
 ly prepared, they keep very well. 
 
 Other roots have juices, that evaporate more 
 easily. These have the virtue either throughout 
 the whole substauce, or only in the outer part, and 
 they are to be prepared accordingly. When roots 
 arc of one uniform substance, they generally 
 have the virtue equal, or nearly so, in all parts. 
 These should be split open length-wise, first cut- 
 ting off the head, and the little end ; or if con- 
 siderably thick, they may be quartered ; when 
 this is done, they are to be strung upon a line, 
 by drawing a needle threaded with a small twine 
 through their thickest part, and they are then to 
 be hung up to dry in the manner of the herbs ; 
 the line being stretched across a room, the doors 
 and windows of which are to be kept open in 
 good weather. 
 
 When roots consist of a sort of thick rind, or 
 fleshy substance within the rind, and a hard sticky 
 part in the middle, this fleshy substance under 
 it possesses all the virtues, the hard inner substance 
 having none ; in this case, the root is to be 
 split lung-wise as before, and the hard woody 
 part is to he taken out and thrown awav ; the rest 
 is to be strung as before described, and dried in 
 the same manner. 
 
 Vv hen roots consist of fibres, these are gene- 
 rally connected to a head, if it.be ever so small, 
 and the best wav is to split thi: in two, and then 
 Mri.ig up the separate parts for diving. 
 
 It is needless to enumerate the examples of tha
 
 INTRODUCTION. iiii. 
 
 teveral kind* of roots here ; they follow in their 
 places . but if the charitable lady would, on first 
 looking over this book to see what are most use- 
 ful, order her gardener to take out of his ground, 
 and to seek in the fields, the several roots there 
 mentioned, and see them dried and preserved ac- 
 cording to these directions, she would be possess- 
 ed of a set of drugs of a new kind indeed ; but 
 they would save the price of many brought from 
 other countries, and might be used with less 
 danger. 
 
 The barks of trees make but a small part of 
 the English drugs, and most of them are best 
 fresh ; but such as will preserve and retain their 
 virtues dried, are very easily prepared that way: 
 nothing more is required, than to cut them into 
 moderate pieces, and string them up in the 
 same manner as the roots. When they are 
 dry, they are to be put up as the others ; and 
 they will keep ever so long ; but in all this 
 time they are for the most part losing of their 
 virtues. 
 
 It may be prudent to preserve drugs brought 
 from abroad a great while because of their 
 price ; but as these cost only the trouble of ga- 
 thering and preserving them, I would, advise, 
 that the whole shop be renewed every year ; 
 what is left of the old parcel of every kind, being 
 thrown away as the fresh one is collected in its 
 season. 
 
 The place for keeping these should be a dry 
 room, neither damp nor hot ; and they should 
 now and then be looked at, to see that they arc 
 in order ; that they do not grow mouldy, or smell 
 musty through damp, or become lighter, and lose 
 their virtue by too much heat. 
 
 It may be proper just to mention, that the
 
 xiv. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 woods which we use are best kept in the block, 
 awl shaved off as they are wanted ; for being 
 kept in shavings, they lose their virtue : and in 
 the same manner as to the foreign woods,, it is 
 best to keep a block of sassafras, and of lignum 
 Yitm in the house, and cut them as they are 
 Wanted. 
 
 As to the excrescences, such as galls of the 
 oak, and the burr upon the wild briar, they are na- 
 turally so dry, that they only require to be ex- 
 posed a few days to the air, upon a table, and 
 then they may be put up with safety, and will 
 keep a long time. 
 
 Lastly, the funguses, such as Jew's ears and 
 the like, are to be gathered when they are full 
 grown, and strung upon a line, that they may 
 dry leisurely, for else they spoil : they must be 
 very well dried before they are put up, else 
 they will grow mouldy in damp weather ; and 
 if once that happen, no art can recover their 
 virtues. 
 
 Thus may a druggist's shop of a new kind 
 be filled, and it will consist of as many articles 
 as those which receive their furniture from abroad ; 
 and there will be this advantage in having every 
 thing ready ; that when custom has made the vir- 
 tues of the several things familiar, the lady may 
 do from her judgment as the physician in his pre- 
 scription, mix several things of like virtue to- 
 gether, and not depend upon the virtues of any 
 one singly, when the case requires something of 
 power. These roots and barks powdered, will 
 make as handsome and as efficacious boluses and 
 mixtures, as any furnished by the apothecary.
 
 INTRODUCTION. %l} 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Concerning the various methods of preparing 
 simples for present use. 
 
 T T IERE is no form of medicines sent from 
 the apothecary, which may not be prepared 
 from the herbs of our own growth in the same 
 manner as from foreign drugs. Electuaries may 
 be made with the powders of these barks,, roots, 
 and seeds, with conserves of flowers, and of the 
 tops of fresh herbs ; and syrups, made from their 
 juices and infusions ; the manner of making 
 which is very simple, and shall be subjoined to 
 tins chapter, that all mav be understood be- 
 fore we enter on the book itself: and in the same 
 manner their boluses may be made, which are only 
 some of these powders mixed up with syrup: and 
 their draughts and juleps, which are made from 
 the distilled water.; of these herbs, with spirit, or 
 without these syrups being- added ; and the tinc- 
 tures of the roots and barks ; the method of 
 making which shall be also annexed in a familiar 
 maimer. 
 
 But beside these several forms of giving them, 
 there are others much more simple, easy, and 
 ready, and these are generally more efficacious. 
 1 shall arrange these under three kinds, juices, in- 
 fusions, and decoctions. These are the forms of 
 giving the medicines most frequently mentioned 
 in the course of the work, and there is less trouble 
 in them than in the others. They are not in- 
 deed contrived for shew, nor would they answer 
 the purpose of the apothecary, for his profits 
 would be small upon them ; but when the design
 
 xvi. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 is only to do good, they are the most to be chosen 
 of any . 
 
 Juices are to be expressed from leaves or roots ; 
 and in order to this, they are to be first beaten 
 <iia mortar. There is no form whatever in which 
 herbs have so much effect, and yet this is in 
 a manner unknown in the common practice ot 
 physic. 
 
 These are to be obtained in some plants from 
 the entire herb, as in water cresses, brook-lime, 
 and others that have juicy stalks ; in others the 
 leaves are to be used, as in nettles, and the like, 
 where the stalk is dry, and yields nothing ; but 
 is troublesome in the preparation. When the 
 juice of a root is to be had, it must be fresh 
 taken up, and thoroughly beaten. A marble 
 mortar and wooden pestle serve best for this pur- 
 pose, for any thing of metal is improper : many 
 plants would take a tincture from it, and the 
 juice would he so impregnated with it, as to 
 become a different medicine, and probably very 
 improper in the case in which it was about to be 
 given. 
 
 As these juices have sometimes an ill taste, and 
 as some of them are apt to be cold upon the 
 stomach, or otherwise to disagree with it, there 
 are methods to he used, to make them sit better up- 
 on it ; and in some cases these increase their v ir- 
 tucs. 
 
 When the thick juice, fresh drawn, is too coarse 
 for the person's stomach, it may he suffered to 
 stlde and grow clear: a little sugar may be ad- 
 ded also in beating the herb, and in many cases, 
 as in those juices given for the scurvy, the juice 
 of a Seville orange may be added, which will 
 greatly improve the flavour.
 
 INTRODUCTION. xvih 
 
 To the roots it is often proper to add a little 
 white wine in the bruising, and they will operate 
 the better for it. Thus, for instance, the juice 
 of the flower-de-luce root will not stay upon 
 many stomachs alone ; but with a little white wine 
 added in the bruising, all becomes easy, and 
 its effects are not the less for the addition. The 
 same addition may be made to some of the cold- 
 er herbs; and if a little sugar, and, upon occa- 
 sion, a few grains of powdered ginger be added, 
 there will be scarce any fear of the medicine dis- 
 agreeing with the stomach, and its effects will 
 be the same, as if it had been bruised and pressed 
 alone. 
 
 Infusions arc naturally to be mentioned after 
 the juices, for they are in many cases used to sup- 
 ply their place. Juices can only be obtained from 
 fresh plants, and there arc times of the year when 
 the plants are not to be had in that state. Re- 
 course is then to be had to the shop, instead of 
 the field ; the plant whose juice cannot be had, 
 is there to be found dried and preserved ; and if 
 that has been done according to the preceding 
 directions, it retains a great part of its virtues ; 
 in this case it is to be cut to pieces, and hot wa- 
 ter being poured upon it, extracts so much of its 
 qualities, as to stand in the place of the other. 
 Often, indeed, the virtues are the same : in some 
 plants they are greatest from the infusion ; but 
 then some others lose so much in drying, that 
 an infusion scarce has any thing. But it is not 
 only as a help in the place of the other, that 
 this preparation is to be used, for infusions are 
 very proper from many fresh herbs ; and are 
 of great virtue from many dry ones, of 4 which, 
 when fresh, the juice would have been worth 
 little,
 
 xviii. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Infusions arc the fittest forms for those liczbs 
 whose qualities are light, and whose virtue is 
 easily extracted ; in this case, hot water poured 
 upon them fa; s up enough of their virtue, and 
 none is lost in the opeiation; olhers require to be 
 boiled in the water. From these are thus made 
 what we call decoctions : and as these last would 
 not give their virtues in infusion, so the others 
 would lose it all in the boiling. It would go 
 olf with the vapour. We know very well, that 
 the distilled water of any herb is only the vapour 
 of the byiled herb caught by proper vessels, and 
 condensed to water : therefore, whether it be 
 caught or let to fly away, all that virtue must be 
 lost in boiling. It is from this, that some plants 
 are fit for decoctions, and some for infusion*. 
 There are some which, if distilled, give no virtue 
 to the water, and these are tit for decoctions, 
 which will retain all their virtue,, as bistort, and 
 tormentill roots, and the like. On the contra- 
 ry, an infusion of mint, or pennyroyal, is of a 
 strong taste, and excellent virtue ; whereas, a 
 decoction of these herbs is disagreeable or good for 
 nothing:. 
 
 There are herbs also, which have so little juice, 
 that it would be impossible to get it out ; and 
 others whose virtue lies in the husks and buds, 
 and this would be lost in the operation. An in- 
 fusion of these is the right way of giving them. 
 Thus mother of thyme is a dry little herb, from 
 winch it would he hard to get any juice, and when 
 gotten, it would possess very little of its virtues : 
 tut an infusion of mother of thyme possesses it 
 entirely. 
 
 Infusions arc of two kinds. They are either 
 prepared in quantity, to be drank cold ; or they 
 re drauk us thev are made, in the manner of tea.
 
 INTRODUCTION. six. 
 
 This last method is the best, hut people will not 
 be prevailed upon to do it, unless the taste of the 
 herb be agreeable ; for the flavour is much strong- 
 er hot, than it is cold. 
 
 lufuiionsin the manner of tea, are to be made 
 just as tea, and drank with a little sugar : the 
 others *re to be made in this mariner : 
 
 A. stone jar is to be fitted with a close cover ; 
 the herb, whether fresh or dried, is to be cut to 
 pieces ; and when the jar has been scalded out 
 with hot water, it is to be put in : boiling water 
 is then to be poured upon it ; and the top is to be 
 fixed on : it is thus to stand four, five, or six 
 hours, or a whole night, according to the nature 
 of tiie ingredient, and then to be poured off 
 ^Iear. 
 
 It is impossible to direct the quantity in general 
 for these infusions, because much more of some 
 plants is required than of others : for the most 
 part, three quarters of an ounce of a dried plant, 
 or two ounces of the fresh gathered. The best 
 rule is to suit it to the patient's strength and palate. 
 It is intended not to be disagreeable, and to have as 
 much virtue of the herb as is necessary : this is 
 only to be known in each kind by trial ; and the 
 virtue may be heightened, as well as the flavour 
 mended, by several additions. Of these sugar 
 and a little white wine are the most familiar, but 
 lemon juice is often very serviceable, as we find 
 in sage tea; and a few drops of oil of vitriol 
 give colour aid strength to tincture of roses. 
 Salt of tartar makes many infusions stronger 
 also than they would be, but it gives them a 
 very disagreeable taste. It is, therefore, fit only 
 for such as are to be taken at one draught, not for 
 such as are to be swallowed in large quantities time 
 after time. 
 
 Among the herbs that yield their virtues most
 
 xx. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 commodiously by infusion, may be account d 
 many of those which are pectoral, and good in 
 coughs, as colts-foot, ground-ivy, and the like ; 
 the light and aromatic, good in nervous disorders, 
 as mother of thyme, balm, and the like ; the 
 bitters are also excellent in infusion, but very 
 disagreeable in decoction ; thus boiling water 
 poured upon Roman wormwood, gentian root, 
 and orange peel, makes a very excellent bitter. 
 It need only stand till the liquor is cold, and may 
 be then poured off for use. 
 
 It is often proper to add some purging ingre- 
 dient to this bitter infusion ; and a little fresh 
 polypody root excellently answers that purpose> 
 without spoiling the taste of the medicine. 
 
 Several of the purging plants also do very well 
 in infusion, as purging flax, and the like ; and 
 the fresh root of polypody alone is a very good 
 one : a little lemon juice added to the last named 
 infusion does no harm ; and it takes off what is 
 disagreeable in the taste, in the same manner as 
 it does from an infusion of sena. 
 
 Thus we see what a great number of purposes 
 may be answered by infusions, and the are the 
 most familiar of all preparations. Nothing is re- 
 quired, but pouring some boiling water upon 
 the plants fresh or dried, as already directed, and 
 pouring it off again when cold. 
 
 Decoctions are contrived to answer the purpose 
 of infusions, upon plants which are of so firm a 
 texture, that they will not. easily yield forth their 
 useful parts. In these the ingredients are to be 
 boiled in the water, as in the others, the boiling 
 water was to be poured over them. In general, 
 leaves, flowers, and entire plants, whether fresh 
 or dried, are used in infusions ; the roots and 
 barks in decoctions. 
 
 An earthen pipkin, with a close cover, is the
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxi. 
 
 best vessel for preparing 1 these ; for many of those 
 medicines which are little suspected of it, will 
 take a tincture from the metal ; and it would be as 
 improper to boil them m a copper pan,, (as it is 
 too common a custom,) as to beat the herbs and 
 roots in a metal mortar. 
 
 Fresh ro<>ts are used in decoction, as well as 
 those which are dried ; and the barks and other 
 ingredients in like manner. When the fresh are 
 used, the roots are to be cut into thin slices, and 
 the barks and woods should be shaved down ; as 
 to the leaves and entire plants, they need be cut 
 but slightly. When drv ingredients are used, 
 the roots and barks are best pounded to pieces, 
 and as to the herbs and flowers, little is to be 
 done to them, and in general, they are best added 
 toward the end of the decoction. 
 
 It is always best to let the ingredients of a de- 
 coction stand in the water cold for twelve hours, 
 before it is set on the fire, and then it should be heat- 
 ed gradually, and afterwards kept boiling gently 
 as long as is necessary : and this is to be propor- 
 tioned to the nature of the ingredients. Generally 
 a quarter of an hour is sufficient, sometimes much 
 longer is necessary. They are then to be strained 
 off while they are hot, pressing them hard, and 
 the liquor set by to cool : when they are thorough- 
 ly cold, they are to be poured off clear from 
 the settlement, for they always become clear as 
 they cool, and sweetened with a ^ttie sugar. 
 Frequently also, it is proper to add to them a 
 little white wine, as to the infusions.
 
 :<xii. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 CHAP. IV 
 
 Concerning distilled waters, and other prepara- 
 tions to be kept in the house. 
 
 I SHALL bring the charitable lady farther in this 
 matter than perhaps she was aware at the 
 iirst setting out ; but it will be with little expence, 
 and little trouble. She will find, that I now in- 
 tend she should keep a sort of chemist's or at 
 least an apothecary's shop, as well as a druggist's ; 
 but it will be founded upon the same materials. 
 No drugs brought from abroad, or to be purchased 
 at a great price, will have place in it; they are 
 all natives of our own country ; and the prepa- 
 ration of these medicines from them will cost only 
 a little spirit, a little sugar, and the labour of a 
 servant. 
 
 That spirit is best which is called molosses spi- 
 rit ; it is to be bought at a small price at the dis- 
 tillers ; and as to the sujrar, the most ordinary 
 loal kind will do for most purposes ; where other 
 is necessary, it will be particularly named. 
 
 Tew families are without an alembic or still, 
 and that will be of material service. With that 
 instrument the simple waters are to be made, 
 with no expence beside the fire ; and it will he 
 proper to keep those of the following ingredi- 
 ents. 
 
 Mint wafer, pepper-mint water, and penny- 
 royal water, are to be made of the drv herbs. 
 Three pounds of each is to be put into the still, 
 with four gallons of water, and two gallons is 
 to be distilled off. Milk water is to "he made 
 thui ; a pound and half of spear-mint, a pound 
 ot rue, hill' a pound of Roman wormwood, and
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxi'u 
 
 half a pound of angelica loaves are to be put 
 into the still with live gallons of water, and 
 three gallons are to be distilled off. Common 
 mint water is good in sicknesses of the stomach, 
 pepper-mint water in colics, and pennyroyal to 
 promote the menses. Milk water is good in fe- 
 vers, and to make juleps. It used to be made 
 with milk, but that answers no purpose. Only 
 one simple water more need be kept, and that for 
 colics : it is best made of Jamaica pepper : a 
 pound of Jamaica pepper is to be put into the 
 still over night, with three gallons of water ; and 
 the next morning two gallons of water distil- 
 led off. 
 
 It has been customary to keep a great many 
 simple waters, but these are all that are necessary 
 or proper. The other herbs are better to be givea 
 in infusion and decoction. 
 
 As for cordial waters, they are made as the 
 others, only with the addition of spirit. It may be 
 proper to keep the following; and no more are ne- 
 cessary. 
 
 1. Cinnamon water; which is made by putting 
 into the still a pound of cinnamon, a gallon of 
 spirit, and a gallon of water, and the next day 
 distilling off a gallon. This is good in sickness at 
 the stomach, and is a fine cordial. 
 
 2. Spirituous milk water; made from a pound 
 of spear-mint, half a pound of angelica, and a 
 quarter of a pound of Roman wormwood, all 
 green. To the?e is to be put a gallon of spirit, 
 and a gallon of water, and a gallon to be distil- 
 led off ; to which is to be added a pint of 
 vinegar : this is good to promote sweat, and is used 
 instead of treacle water, being better. 
 
 3. Strong pennyroyal water, which is used 
 instead of hysteric water, in all hysteric cases,
 
 xxiv. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 and to promote the metises, is made of a pound 
 and half of dry pennyroyal, a gallon of spi- 
 rit, and six quarts of water, drawing off a 
 gallon. 
 
 4. Anniseed water, which is good in the colic, 
 and is made with a pound of anniseed, a pound 
 of angelica seed, mid two gallons of spirit, with 
 one gallon of water, distilling oft' two gallons. No 
 more of these are necessary : but before I close 
 this article of distilling, I shall add the making 
 of lavender water, spirit of lavender, and Hun- 
 gary water, which are preparations of the same 
 kind, and very easy. 
 
 Lavender water, is made from a pound of 
 fresh lavender flowers, and a gallon of molosse* 
 spirit, with two quarts of water ; five pints are to be 
 distilled off. Hungary water is made of a pound 
 and half of rosemary tops with the flowers, a 
 grill on of spirit, and a gallon of water, distilling 
 off live pints : and to make the spirit of laven- 
 der, or palsy drops, mix three pints of lavender 
 wafer, and one pint of Hungary water, and 
 add to this half an ounce of cinnamon, the 
 same quantity of nutmegs, and three drams of 
 red saunders wood ; these are to stand together 
 till Hie spirit is well coloured. 
 
 This is all the family practitioner will need 
 with, distilling : a short account, but sufficient. 
 
 As for tinctures, which arc a great article 
 with the apothecary and chemist, making a 
 great shew, and really very useful ; I would 
 have several of them kept, and they are as 
 easily made as the waters, nav, more easily. 
 IWolosses spirit is all that is necessary for this 
 purpose. 
 
 It would he well to keep tinctures of all 
 ifi'jii and harks, which are said to he good dried
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxv. 
 
 in the course of this work, for a tincture will 
 contain more or less of the virtue of every one of 
 these, and be often con ve'Knt, where the ponder 
 or decoction could not be given, it is needless to 
 enumerate these, and one ru'e of making, serves i'or 
 them ail : two ounces of the ingredient is to be 
 cut to thin slices, or bruised in i mortar, and 
 put into a quart of spirit ; it is to stand n fort- 
 night in a place a little warm, and be often shook ; 
 at the end of this time, it is to be taken out, strain- 
 ed off, ano 1 made to pass through a funnel, lined 
 with whitish brown paper, and put up with the 
 name of thr ingredient. 
 
 To these tinctures of the English roots, barks, 
 and seed*, it would be well to add a few made of 
 foreign iugredients. As, 
 
 1. The bitter tincture for the stomach, is made 
 of two ounces of gentian, an ounce of dried 
 orange peel, and half an ounce of cardamom 
 seeds, and a quart of spirit : or it may be made 
 in white wine, allowing; two quails. 
 
 2. Tincture of castor, good in hysteric com- 
 plaints, and made with two ounces of castor and 
 a quart of spirit. 
 
 3. Tincture of bark, which will cure those who 
 "will not take the powder, made of four ounces 
 of bark, and a quart of spirit.^, . v 
 
 4. Tincture of soot for fits, made^with tw<j 
 ounces of wood-soot, one ounce of assafoetida, 
 and a quart of spirit. 
 
 5. Tincture of steel, for the stoppage of the 
 menses, made of flowers of iron four ounceSi and 
 spirit a quart. 
 
 6. Tincture of mvrrh, made of three ounces 
 of myrrh, and a quart of spirit, good for curing 
 the scurvy in the gums. 
 
 7. Tincture of rhubarb, made of two nnces 
 
 d
 
 xxvi. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of rhubarb, half an ounce of cardamom seeds, 
 and a quarter of an ounce of saffron, with a 
 quart of spirit. 
 
 8. Elixir salutis, made of a pound of stoned 
 raisins, a pound of sena, an ounce and half of 
 carrawaj seeds, and half an ounce of cardamoms, 
 in a gallon of spirit. 
 
 9. Elixir of vitriol, made of six drams of cin- 
 namon, three drams of cardamoms, two drams 
 of long pepper, and the same of ginger ; and 
 a quart of spirit : to a pint of this tincture strain- 
 ed clear off, is to be added four ounces of oil o~i 
 vitriol : this is an excellent stomachic. Lastly, 
 to these it may be well to add the famous frier's 
 balsam, which is made of three ounces of ben- 
 jamin, two ounces of strained storax, one ounce 
 of balsam of Tolu, half an ounce of aloe?, and 
 a quart of spirit of wine, such as is burnt under 
 lamps. This spirit may be made by putting 
 a gallon of molosses spirit into the still, and draw- 
 ing off two quarts, and this will be useful for 
 spirit of wine and caraphire, winch is made 
 by dissolving an ounce of camphire in a quart of 
 the spirit. Lastly, we are to add what is called 
 the asthmatic elixir, made with flower of benja- 
 min and opium, of each a dram, camphire two 
 scruples, oil of aniseed forty drops, liquorice 
 root half an ounce, honey one ounce, and a 
 quart of rpirit. This is a gentle opiate, and is 
 much belter in families than the strong lauda- 
 num. 
 
 As to the tinctures made with white wine 
 instead of spirit, a few are sufficient. Steel 
 wine is made of a quarter of a pound of filings 
 of iron, and half an ounce of mace, and the 
 same quantity of cinnamon, put into two quart* 
 of Rhenish. Hiera pjcra is made of half a pound
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxvii. 
 
 of aloes, i\*o ounces of winter's bu-rk, and five 
 quarts of white wine. The first is a restorative 
 cordial and strengthener ; the latter is sufficiently 
 known as a purge. Laudanum is made of two 
 ounces of opium, a dram of cloves, and a dram 
 of cinnamon, and a pint of wine. Viper wine 
 is made of two ounces of dried vipers, and two 
 quarts of white wine; and the tincture of ipeca- 
 cuanha for a vomit, of two ounces of that root, 
 half an ounce of dry orange peel, and a quart 
 of sack. Lastly, what is called elixir propriefa- 
 tis is made of aloes, myrrh, and saffron, of 
 each an ounce, sal armoniac six drams, and salt 
 of tartar eight ounces, in a quart of mountain 
 wine. 
 
 These are all the tinctures and wires that 
 need be kept in a family, whose charity is design- 
 ed to be very extensive ; the expenec of the whole 
 is a trifle, not worth naming, and the trouble 
 scarce anv thing 1 . Uooks are full of directions 
 in particular for every tincture, as if every one 
 were to be made a different way ; but the best 
 method is to give a good deal of time, and fre- 
 quent shaking, and that will stand iu the place 
 of heat in most things of this kind : nevertheless, 
 I advise that they should stand in a room 
 where a fire is kept while they are making ; and 
 those which require heat, that is, those that 
 take a colour most slowly, are to be placed nearest 
 to it. 
 
 F.asy n<? these are, they are by far the most dif- 
 ficult prut of the task, the rest is as it were 
 nothing. Conserves, syrups, and ointments will 
 l)e wanting ; bnt in the same manner one direc- 
 tion will serve for the making the whole assort- 
 ment of each, and the ingredients will be at 
 hand. As to plaisters in general, they do more
 
 xxviii. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ]:arm than srood. Surgeons at this time make 
 very little use of them ; and in the course of ting 
 work, many herhs will be named, the bruised 
 leaves of which are better than all the plaisters 
 in the world. 
 
 Conserves should be made of rue, mint, scurvy- 
 grass, wood-sorrel, and Roman weruiv\ood. A* 
 to the four first, the leaves are to be picked 
 off from the stalks, and beaten up with three 
 times the weight of sugar. The tops of the 
 young- shoots of she latter are to be cut off, and 
 they arc to he beat up in the same manner. In 
 flie e-uirse of this work, many plants will be 
 named, tie green teps of which contain their 
 virtue, these may aii be made into conserves in 
 tiie same maimer, or a* many of them added 
 to those here named, as shall be thought pro- 
 per. 
 
 Conserves of the flowers of rosemary, mal- 
 lows, archangel, and lavender, are to be made 
 also in the same manner, and of red rose buds. 
 These last are to be picked from the husk, and 
 the white heels are to be cut off. They are all 
 to be beat up with three times their weight of 
 sugar ; and in the same manner may be made 
 conserves of cowslip flowers, and of those of 
 many other plants mentioned in the following 
 pages. 
 
 'lie outer rinds of Seville oranges and lemons, 
 are also to he made into conserves in the same 
 manner, heating them first to a pulp, and then 
 adding the sugar; and to these must be added the 
 coui-erTe of hips and sloes, which arc to be made 
 in a particular manner. The hips are to be 
 gathered when full\ ripe, afterwards set by in 
 a cellar, til! they grow very soft ; then they are 
 to be laid upon the back o( a large hair sieve.
 
 INTRO DUCTION. xxuL 
 
 a, dish being put underneath ; they arc to be 
 broke with the hand or <'i wooden pestle, and rub- 
 bed about t : il all the soft matter is forced through 
 the hair-cloth, the seeds and skins only remaining. 
 This soft matter is to be weighed, and to be beat 
 up in a mortar with twice its weight of loaf 
 sugar, first powdered. 
 
 Sloes are to be gathered when they are mode- 
 rately ripe, and they are to be set over the firs 
 in water, till they gweil and are softened,, but 
 riot till the ?kin bursts ; they are tin u to be 
 laid upon a sieve, and the soft matter driven 
 through as in the other case, ^nd three times 
 the quantity of sugar is to be mix* d with this, 
 that it may make a conserve by beating toge- 
 ther. 
 
 Syrups are to be made of many ingredients : 
 they may be made indeed of any infusion, with 
 sugar added to it in a due quantity ; and the 
 way to add this so that the syrups shall keep 
 and not candy, is to proportion the sugar to the 
 liquor very exactly. One rule will serve for all 
 this matter, and save a great deal of repetition. 
 The liquor of which a syrup is to be made 
 may be the juice of some herb or fruit, or a 
 decoction, or an infusion ; which ever it be, let 
 it stand till quite clear ; then to every wine pint 
 of it, add a pound and three quarters of loaf 
 sugar, first beat to powder : put the sugar and 
 the liquor together into an earthen pan that 
 will go into a large saucepan ; put water in the 
 saucepan, and set it over the fire. Let the pan 
 stand in it till the sugar is perfectly melted, scum- 
 ming it all the time ; then as soon as it is cold, 
 it may be put up for use, and will keep the 
 year round without danger. 
 
 This being set down as the general method of
 
 xkx, INTRODUCTION. 
 
 making (he liquor info a syrup, the rest of the 
 descriptions of them will be easy. They are to 
 be made in this manner. For syrup of cloves, 
 weigh three pounds of clove July flowers picked 
 from the husks, and with the white heels cutoff : 
 pour upon them live pints of boiling water. Let 
 them stand all night, and in the morning pour 
 off the clear liquor, and make it into a syrup 
 a* directed above : in the same manner arc to 
 be made the syrups of violets and red poppies: 
 Duties of the violet flowers will do, and more 
 of the poppies may be added : thus, also, are to 
 be made the svrups of damask roseSj peach blos- 
 soms, cowslip ii iwers, cmd many others which 
 will be recommended for that purpose in this 
 book. 
 
 Syrup of biuklhorn, is to be made by boiling 
 the juice down to half its quantity, with a little 
 cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and then adding 
 the sugar. 
 
 The syrups of lemon-juice, mulberries, and 
 the like, are to be made with a pound and half 
 of sugar to every pint of the dear juice, 
 which is to be melted as in the former man- 
 ner. 
 
 Syrup of garlic, leeks, orange-peel, lemon- 
 peel, mint, and many other things are to be made 
 of strong infusions of those ingredients, made 
 as before directed, with the first mentioned quan- 
 tity of sugar added to them, when they have 
 stood to settle. 
 
 Syrup of marshmallows, and of poppv heads, 
 ami some others, are to be made in the same 
 manner with the strongest decoctions that can 
 possibly be made from those ingredients, with 
 the same quantity of sugar as is first men- 
 tioned.
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxxi. 
 
 Syrup of balsam k made, bv boiling a quarter 
 of* a "pound of balsam of Tolu, in a pint and half 
 of wntor in a close vessel, and then making the 
 water into a syrup, with the usual quantify of 
 sugar : and thus may be made syrups of any of 
 the balsams. 
 
 Syrup of saffron is made of a strong tincture 
 of saffron in wine. An ounce of saffron being 
 put to a pint of mountain, and this, when strain- 
 ed off, is to be made into a syrup, with the usual 
 quantity of sugar. 
 
 At owe time it was a custom to keep a quantity 
 of syrups of a particular kind under the name of 
 honeys. They were made with honey instead of 
 sugar, and some of them, which had vinegar iu 
 the composition, were called oxymels. A few 
 of the first kind, and very few, are worth keep- 
 ing, and two or three of the latter, for they 
 have rery particular virtues. The way of mak- 
 ing- them is much the same with that of making 
 syrups; but to be exact, it may be proper just 
 to give some instance of it. 
 
 Honey of roses is the most useful, and it is 
 to be made of an infusion of the flowers and 
 honey in this manner. Cut the white heels from 
 some red rase 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 thorn into 
 a stone jar, and pour on them three pints of 
 boiling- water ; stir them well, and let them 
 stand twelve hours ; then press off the liquor, 
 and when it has settled, add to it five pounds 
 of honey, boil it well, and when it is of the 
 consistence of a thick syrup put it by fgr use. 
 It is good again?! sore mouths, and on many 
 other occasions. In the same manner mav be 
 
 flower ; or
 
 xxxii. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 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 also made in a very uniform maimer. The 
 following are so useful, that it v/ill be proper 
 always to k: ;p them in readiness. 
 
 For o xy me 1 or' g-i.Tic. put half a pint of \i 
 ncgar into an earthen pipk'ij, boii in it a quartc* 
 of an ounce of carawa* seeds, and the same quan- 
 tity of sweet fennel seeds, at last add an ounce 
 and half of fresh garlic root sliced thin ; let it 
 boil a minute or two longer, then coyer it up to 
 stand till cold, then press out the liquor, and 
 add ten ounces of honey, and boil it to a con- 
 sistence. 
 
 For vinegar of squills, put into a pint of vi- 
 negar three ounces of dried squills ; let it stand tY,o 
 days in a gentle heat, then press out the vinegar, 
 and whe:: it has stood to settle, add a pound and a 
 half of honey, and boil it to a consistence. Both 
 these are excellent in asthmas. 
 
 To these also should be added, the common sim- 
 ple oxymei, which is madt of a pint of vinegar, and 
 two pounds of honey boiled together to the con- 
 sistence of a syrup. 
 
 Finally, as to ointments, nothing cr.n be so easy 
 as the making them of the common herbs, and 
 the expence is only so much hog's-lard. The lard 
 is to be melted, and the fresh gathered leaves of 
 the herb are to be chopped to pieces, and thrown 
 into it. : thev are to be boiled till the leaves begin 
 to feel crisp, and then the lard is to be strained 
 off. It will he green, and will have the virtues of 
 tin- h?rb, and mint be called ointment of such an 
 herb. To these I shall take the opportunity of 
 adding the way of making two or three more, 
 which, though not the produce of English herbs.
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxxii?, 
 
 are very useful, and our charitable shop should 
 not be without them, 
 
 1. The while ointment, railed unguent urn ; this 
 is made by melting together four ounces of white 
 wax, and three ounces of spermaceti, in a p.. i t f 
 sallad oil, an 1 addoig, if it be desired, tha j c 
 ounces of ceness, and a dram and half of camphire: 
 But it is better for all common purposes without 
 these. 
 
 2. Yellow basilicon, which is made by melting 
 together yellow wax, resin, and burgundy pitch, 
 of each half a pound, in a pint of oil of olives, 
 and adding three ounces of turpentine. 
 
 3. Black basilicon, which is made by melting 
 together in a pint of olive oil, yeliow wax, resin> 
 and pitch, of each nine ounces. 
 
 4. The mercurial ointment, which is thus made* 
 rub together in an iron mortar, a pound of quick- 
 silver, and an ounce of turpentine ; when thev are 
 well mixed, add four pounds of hog's-lard melted, 
 and mix all thoroughly together. The ointment 
 of tutty is prepared with levigated tutty, and as 
 much viper's fat as will make it into a soft ointment : 
 these are only to be mixed together upon a marble, 
 by working them with a thin knife. This is 
 for disorders of the eyes, the foregoing for the 
 itch, and many other complaints, but it must be 
 used cautiously. And those which were before 
 named for old sores. 
 
 Of the same nature with the ointments, are, ia 
 some degree, the oils made by infusion, of herbs 
 and flowers in common oil. These are also very 
 easily prepared, and an instance or two will serve 
 to explain the making of them all. The most 
 regarded among these is the oil of St. John's- 
 wort, and that is thus made ; pick clean a quarter 
 of a pound of the flowers of common St. John V 
 
 e
 
 ixxjv. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 wort, pour upon them a ouart of olive oil, md 
 ]et them stand together till the oil 13 of a reddish 
 co! ur. Oil of elder is made of a pound of elder 
 flowers, which are to be put into a quart of olive 
 oil, and boiled til! they are crisp, and the oil is to 
 be then stn ied off. 
 
 3. What is called the green oil, is thus made, 
 bruise in a marble mortar three ounces of green 
 chamomile, with the same quantity of bay leaves, 
 sea-wormwood, rue, and sweet marjoram ; then 
 boil them in a quart of oil of olives, till they are 
 a little crisp. The oil is then to be poured off, 
 and when cold put up for use. 
 
 These oils are used to rub the limbs when there 
 is pain and swellings ; their virtues will be found 
 at large, under the several herbs which are the 
 principal ingredients : and after one or other of 
 these methods, may be made the oil by infusion, or 
 by boiling of any plant, or of any number of plants 
 of like virtue. 
 
 Lastly, though herbs are now left out of the 
 composition of plaisters, even the melelot being now 
 made without the herb from which it was first 
 named : it may be proper to add the way of pre- 
 paring a few that are most useful, and ought to be 
 kept in families. 
 
 i. The common plaister is thus made; boil 
 together a gallon of oil, live pounds of powdered 
 litharge, and a quart and four ounces of water. 
 M hen the water is boiled away, the rest will be 
 jitiitcd into a plaister, but it must be stirred all the 
 time : this . d to he called diachylon. To make 
 diachylon with the gums, add to a pound of the 
 last described, two ounces of galbanum, and an 
 ounce of common turpentine, and the same quan- 
 tity of frankincense. Melt them all together, the 
 gums ft: it, a:;d :!., >add the plaister.
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxxr. 
 
 2. For a strengthning plaister, melt two pounds 
 of the common plaister, and add to it half a pound 
 of frankincense, and three ounces of dragon's 
 blood. 
 
 3. For a drawing plaister, melt together yellow 
 vrzz und yellow resin, of each three pounds, and 
 a >}ound of mutton suet. This is used instead of 
 the old melilot plaister to dress blisters ; and the 
 bister piaister itself is made of it, only by adding 
 half a pint of vinegar, and a pound of Spanish 
 flies in powder, to two pounds of it, just as it 
 begins to cool from melting. The quicksilver 
 plaister is thus made ; rub three ounces of quick- 
 silver, with a dram of balsam of sulphur, till it 
 no longer appear in globules, then pour in a pound 
 of the common plaister melted, and mix them well 
 together. 
 
 To close this chapter, I shall add a few wa- 
 ters made without distillation, which are very 
 cheap and very serviceable, and the family shop 
 will then be quite compleat. 
 
 J. Lime water. This is made by pouring gra- 
 dually six quarts of water upon a pound of quick 
 lime ; when it has stood to be clear, it must be 
 poured off. If a pound of lignun vita? wood, an 
 ounce of liquorice root, and half an ounce of sas- 
 safras bark be added to three quarts of lime wa- 
 ter, it is called compound lime water ; and is ex- 
 cellent in foulnesses of the blood. 
 
 2. The blue eye water. This is made by put- 
 ting a dram of sal ammoniac into a pint of lime 
 water, and letting it stand in a brass vessel, till it 
 is of a sky blue colour. 
 
 3. Alum water is made by boiling half an ounce 
 of white vitriol, and the same quantity of alum 
 in a quart ot water, till they are dissolved. 
 
 Thus have we described all the drugs and com-
 
 xxxvi. INTRODUCTION, 
 
 positions that need be kept in the charitable shop 
 of the family, which intends to relieve a neigh- 
 bourhood of poor in their greatest of all distress- 
 es, that of sickness. The diseases for which 
 these remedies are to he used will be found enu- 
 merated at large under the several heads of the 
 principal ingredients, as described in the succeed- 
 ing pages. It only remains to say a few words 
 about the manner of putting these things most con- 
 veniently together, and we then shall have pre- 
 pared for all that follows. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Concerning the best methods of putting medicines 
 together for present taking. 
 
 IN the first place, although these several forms 
 of syrups, conserves, and the like, have been 
 named, as what will be sometimes necessary. The 
 great practice in the country will lie in the in- 
 fusions and decoctions of the fresh plants and 
 roots. 
 
 The strength of these infusions and decoctions 
 is to be proportioned to the taste : for as they are 
 made to be swallowed in quantities, if they be 
 made so strong as to be very disagreeable, that 
 end will he defeated: they may "he rendered more 
 pleasant bv sweetening them with sugar, about an 
 ounce of which is to be allowed to a quart; and 
 occasionally a little white wine, or a small quan- 
 tity of some of the cordial waters mav be added 
 to them. The dose of cither decoction or infu- 
 sion, will be in general about half a pint, except
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxxvii. 
 
 where they are intended to purge or vomit \ there 
 they must be more carefully and exactly propor- 
 tioned to the strength, than can be told in this 
 general manner. 
 
 Of the simple water?, about a quarter of a 
 pint is a dose, and of the cordial waters, less than 
 half that quantity. These may be occasionally 
 given alone ; but they are mostly intended for 
 mixing with other ingredients. 
 
 The tinctures are to be given in drops, from 
 ten to an hundred, according to their strength 
 and nature : but to name a general dose, it is 
 about five and twenty drops. These, however, will 
 be also more serviceable in mixtures, than sing- 
 ly. Of the purging tinctures in wine, and the 
 elixir salutis, three, four, or more spoonfuls is the 
 dose. 
 
 It would be well to keep tinctures of many of 
 the roots recommended in nervous cases, as cor- 
 dials, aslri. -gents, arid of uvcnv other kinds; and 
 also to keep powders of these roots in readiness : 
 and thus the common forms of medicines, as sent 
 from apothecaries, will be verv easy. 
 
 For a julep, six ounces of one of the simple 
 waters, two ounces of o:.e of the compound wa- 
 ters, or those made with spirit, two drams of a 
 syrup, and fifty drops of a tincture, make a very 
 agreeable one Thus for an hysteric julep, let 
 the simple water be pennyroyal, the strong water 
 the strong pennyroyal, the syrup that of saffron, 
 and the tincture of castor, and it is a very pleasant 
 julep ; and so of all the rest. If a pearl cordial 
 be desired, it is only mixing the simple and strong 
 waters without syrup or tincture, and adding two 
 drams of sugar, and half a dram of levigated 
 oyster-shells. The apothecaries will not be plea- 
 sed with this disclosing the mysteries of their pro-
 
 xxxviii. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 fession, but the public good is of more consequence 
 than their pleasure. 
 
 Draughts arc only little juleps, with more pow- 
 erful ingredients added to them. An ounce and 
 half of a simple water, three drams of a strong 
 water, one dram of a syrup, and forty drops of 
 a tincture, make a draught ; but to these may be 
 added a simple of some power to increase the 
 virtue. What waters, tinctures, syrups, or pow- 
 ders shall be used will be determined from the 
 case itself. 
 
 Boluses are made with these powders in a cer- 
 tain dose. A scruple or half a dram, is made 
 into a sort of paste with syrup. The custom is 
 to cover it with a little leaf-gold, but this is 
 better let alone : some use leaf-brass, which is 
 abominable. 
 
 Electuaries arc to be made of powders, con- 
 serves, and syrups, they differ from boluses in this, 
 as well as in the size, that the dose is smaller, al- 
 though the piece taken be as large ; which is ow- 
 ing to the conserve, that having in general little 
 virtue in comparison of the other ingredients. 
 This is the form most convenient for medicines 
 that are to he taken for a continuance of time, and 
 the dose of which needs not be so very punctually 
 regarded. 
 
 'i hu ; tor an electuary against an habitual loose- 
 ness, when it exceeds the proper bounds ; mix 
 together an ounce of conserve of red roses, and 
 six. drams of svrnp of cloves, add to these two 
 drams of powdered bistort root, one dram of 
 powdered (ormentill, and half a dram of toasted 
 rhubarb. Thi9 makes an electuary, a piece of 
 which, of the bigness of a nutmeg, taken once in 
 two (hv, will check the abundance of stools, with- 
 out . .-t.-'ppiiig the customary looseness intirely : it
 
 INTRODUCTION. xxxix. 
 
 will also be a pleasant medicine. If a draught of 
 tincture of roses,, which will be described in the 
 following part of this work, under the article 
 red rose, be taken after this, it will increase the 
 power. 
 
 In this manner the charitable lady may supply 
 the place of the apothecary, to those who could 
 not afford such assistance : and experience is so 
 good a guide, that she will be able in most case* 
 to save the expence of the doctor also : aud there 
 will be this satisfaction in her own mind, that 
 while she deals principally with those innocent 
 sort of medicines which the fields afford her, she 
 will be in very little danger of doing harm. The 
 galenical physic perhaps will be found effectual 
 in many more cases, by those who stick to it sole- 
 ly, than they are aware who do not use it; as to 
 the mischief of medicine, that is almost entirely 
 chemical. It would be idle to say that chemical 
 medicines do not do great good ; but they require 
 to be in skilful hands : when the ignorant employ 
 them, death is more likely to be the consequence, 
 than the relief from the disorder any other 
 w ay. 
 
 One useful observation may serve well to close 
 th'.s introduction. Opiates, and medicines of that 
 kind, to compose persons to rest, and to take off 
 pain, wiii be often necessary ; but as they are the 
 most pov crfu.' medicines the charitable practi- 
 tioner will have to do withal, they are the most ca- 
 pable of doing harm : the great care will therefore 
 lie in the right use of these. 
 
 As there are three different preparations de- 
 scribed in this book for answering this purpose, 
 beside the opium, and that solution of it in wine, 
 which is called laudanum, I would advise that 
 thrse two latter be used very seldom. A syrup
 
 si. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 made of the juice of the wild lettuce, is an ex 
 cellent medicine; the syrup of diacodium, which 
 is made of a strong decoction of poppy hrads # 
 is a little stronger than this ; and if something 
 more powerful than 'hese is required, there is the 
 asthmatic elixir. Go or other of these may al- 
 most on every occasion s<>rve the purpose ; and ;t 
 is almost impossible that the use of them should 
 be attended with danger. I would therefore ad- 
 vise, that, opium or laudanum be very rarely used: 
 perhaps it might be well to say, not used at all, 
 for the others will be able in almost all cases, if 
 not universally, to answer the purpose.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 A. 
 Acacia Tree. Acacia vera sive spina JEgyptiaca. 
 
 THE acacia is a large but not tall tree, with 
 prickly branches : the leaves are winged, or 
 composed of several small ones set on each side a 
 middle rib ; and the flowers are yellow. The 
 trunk is thick, and the top spreading - . 
 
 The leaves are of a bluish green ; and the flowers 
 resemble in shape pea blossoms ; many of them 
 stand together. These are succeeded by long 
 and flatted pods. The seeds contained in each 
 are from four to seven ; and the pod between 
 them is very small and narrow : the breadth is 
 where they lie. 
 
 The tree is frequent in Egypt, and there are 
 a great many other kinds of it. No part of the 
 acacia tree is kept in the shops ; but we have 
 from it two drugs : 
 
 1. The acacia juice, and 2. The gum arabic. 
 
 The acacia juice, or suecus acacia?, is like liquor- 
 ice juice, hard and black. They bruise the un- 
 ripe pods and seeds, and press out the juice which 
 they evaporate to this consistence. The gum 
 Arabic wozes out of the bark of the trunk and 
 
 t
 
 2 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 branches, as the plum-tree and cherry-tree gum 
 do with us. 
 
 The acacia juice is an astringent but little 
 used. The gum arable is good in stranguries, 
 and in coughs from a thin sharp rheum ; it is 
 to be given in solution, an ounce boiled in a 
 quart of barley-water, or in powder in electuaries 
 or otherwise. 
 
 What is called the German acacia is the juice 
 of unripe sloes evaporated in the same manner. 
 
 Aconite. Anihora nice aconitum salutiferum. 
 
 There are many poisonous aconites, not used ; 
 but there is one medicinal and kept in the shops : 
 this is called the wholesome aconite and antithora. 
 
 It is a small plant, a foot high, with pale 
 green divided leaves and yellow flowers. It 
 grows erect, and the stalk is firm, angular, and 
 hairy ; the leaves do not stand in pairs. The 
 flowers are large and hooded, and of a pleasant 
 smell : the seed-vessels are membranaceous, and the 
 seeds black ; the root is tuberous, it sometimes 
 consists of one lump or knob, sometimes of more. 
 ft is a native of Germany, but we have it in gar- 
 dens. The root is the only part used ; it is sup 
 posed to be a remedy against poisons, but it is not 
 much regarded at this time. 
 
 An d krs tom;ve. Oph ioglossum. 
 
 Aoder's tongue is a little plant common in OHr 
 meadows. It consists of a single leaf, with 
 ;) little spike of seeds rising from its bottom, 
 which is supposed to resemble the tongue of a 
 serpent. 
 
 The leaf k of an oval shape, and of a fim*
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 3 
 
 bright green colour ; it is thick and fleshy, and has 
 no ribs or veins. The stalk on which it stands rises 
 from a root composed of small fibres, and is four 
 inches or more high. The spike rises to about the 
 same height above it ; and the tongue or seed- 
 vessel is notched on each side. The whole plant is 
 buried among the grass, and must be sought in 
 April and May, for it dies off soon after ; and no- 
 thing is seen of it till the next season. 
 
 It is a fine cooling herb, and an excellent 
 ointment is made from it. The leaves are to be 
 chopped to pieces, and four pounds of them are 
 to be put into three pounds of suet and one pint 
 of oil melted together. The whole is to be boiled 
 till the herb is a little crisp, and then the ointment 
 i to be strained off: it will be of a beautiful green. 
 Some give the juice of the plant, or the powder 
 of the dried leaves, inwardly in wounds ; but this 
 is trifling. 
 
 Agrimony. Agrimonia. 
 
 A common English plant : it flowers in the midst 
 of summer. It grows to a foot or more in height ; 
 the leaves are winged, and the flowers are 
 yellow. The root is perennial ; the leaves are 
 hairy, of a pale green, and notched at the edges ; 
 the stalk is single, firm, and round ; the flowers 
 stand in a long spike ; they are small and nu- 
 merous, and the seed-vessels which succeed them 
 are rough like burs. The plant is common about 
 hedges. 
 
 The leaves are used fresh or dried ; they have 
 been recommended in the jaundice ; but they are 
 found by experience to be good in the diabetes and 
 incontinence of urine. The plant is alsp one of the 
 
 b 2
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 5 
 
 lire fibrous. The whole plant has a peculiar 
 and strong smell, it should be gathered when in 
 flower. 
 
 It is an excellent vulnerary, outwardly or inwardly 
 used ; a conserve may be made of it in spring' : 
 and it may be given by way of tea. It is excellent 
 in all disorders of the breast and lungs, and in 
 those of the kidneys, and against bloody and foul 
 urine. 
 
 Allheal, or crown'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 stalk is weak, square, 
 and hairy : the leaves stand two at a joint, and are 
 of a pale green, notched at the edges, and of a 
 strong smell ; the flowers stand in clusters round 
 the stalk at the joints. They are like those of the 
 dead nettle kind, but smaller ; the root is perennial, 
 and creeps. 
 
 It is an excellent wound herb, but must be used 
 fresh. The leaves are to be bruised and laid upon 
 a new-made wound, without any addition ; they stop 
 the bleeding, and cure. 
 
 Almond tree. Amygdalus. 
 
 Bitter and sweet almonds are very different in 
 taste, but the tree which produces them is the same ; 
 it is distinguishable at least only by the taste of the 
 almond. 
 
 'Tis a moderately large tree, with long narrow 
 leaves, of a beautiful green, and notched at the 
 edges ; the blossoms are large, of a pale red colour> 
 and very beautiful. The fruit is composed of
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 three parts, a tough matter on the outside, a stone 
 within that, and in this shell the almond, by way of 
 kernel. They cultivate almond trees in France and 
 Italy. 
 
 Sweet almonds are excellent in emulsions, for 
 stranguries and all disorders of the kidneys and 
 bladder ; they ought to be blanched and beat up 
 with barley-water into a liquor like milk ; this is also 
 good, in smaller quantities, for people in consump- 
 tions and hectics. 
 
 Bitter almonds are used for their oil ; this tastes 
 sweet, and what is called oil of sweet almonds 
 is commonly made of them. But the cakes 
 left after pressing afford by distillation a water 
 that is poisonous, in the same manner as laurel- 
 water. 
 
 Aloe plant. Aloe. 
 
 There are a great many kinds of the aloe pre- 
 served in our green-houses and stoves. They are 
 all natives of warmer climates ; but of these there 
 are only two that need be mentioned here, as the 
 aloe kept by apothecaries, though of three kinds, 
 is the produce of only two species. These two 
 are the socotrine aloe-plant and the common 
 aloe. 
 
 The socotrine aloe is a very beautiful plant ; the 
 leaves are like those of the pine-apple, eighteen or 
 twenty indies long, prickly at tile sides, and armed 
 with a large thorn at the end. The stalk is half 
 a yard high or more, naked at the bottom, but orna- 
 mented at top with a long spike of flowers ; these 
 are of a long shane and hollow, and of a beautiful 
 red colour. 
 
 The socotrine or finest aloe> arc produced from this
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 7 
 
 plant ; the leaves are pressed gently, and the juice 
 received in earthen vessels : ii is set to settle, and then 
 dried in the sun. 
 
 The common aloe is a very fine plant ; the leaves 
 are above two feet long', and an inch thick ; they are 
 dented at the edges and prickly, and have a very 
 sharp thorn at the point. The stalk, when it 
 flowers, is five or six feet high, and divided into 
 several branches ; the flowers are yellow streaked 
 with green. 
 
 From the juice of the leaves of this plant 
 are made the hepatic and the caballine aloes ; 
 the hepatic is made from the clearer and finer 
 part of the juice, the caballine from the coarse 
 sediment. 
 
 The socotrine aloes is the only kind that 
 should be given inwardly ; this may be known 
 from the others, by not having their offensive 
 smell. It is a most excellent purge ; but it must 
 not be given to women with child, nor to those 
 who spit blood, for it may be fatal. The best 
 way of giving it is in the tincture of hicra 
 picra. 
 
 Aloes Wood. Lignum aloes. 
 
 It may be necessary to mention this wood, as it 
 is sometimes used in medicine, although we are 
 not acquainted with the tree which affords it. We 
 are told that the leaves are small, the tlowers mode- 
 rately large, and the fruit as big as a pigeon's egg, 
 and woolly ; and we read also that the juice of the 
 rree, while fresh, will raise blisters on the skin, and 
 t'ven cause blindness : but these accounts are very 
 imperfect. 
 
 We see three kinds of the wood in the shops,
 
 8 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 and they are distinguished by three different names, 
 calambac, common lignum aloes, and calanibour ; 
 of these the calambac is the finest and the most 
 resinous, the calambour is almost a mere chip, the 
 other is of a middle value between them. . They are 
 all of the same virtue, but in different degrees. They 
 are said to be cordial and strengthening to the 
 stomach, but we use them very little. 
 
 True Amomum. Amomum vcrum racemosum. 
 
 Amomum is another of those drugs we receive 
 from abroad, and do not know the plants which pro- 
 duce them. The fruit itself, which is called amo- 
 mum, is like the lesser cardamom, but that it is 
 round ; it consists of a skinny husk and seeds within, 
 and is whitish, and of the bigness of a horse-bean. 
 Several of these sometimes are found growing to- 
 gether to one stalk in a close body. 
 
 The old physicians used it as a cordial and car- 
 minative, but at present it is much neglected. 
 
 Common Amomum. Amomum vulgar e. 
 
 Though the amomum before mentioned be not 
 used in prescription, it is an ingredient in some old 
 compositions ; and, being often not to be met with, 
 it has been found necessary to substitute another 
 carminative seed in its place ; tins grows on an 
 Knglish plant, thence called also amomum. 
 
 The common amomum, otherwise called bas- 
 tard stone parsley, is frequent about our hedges ; 
 it grows to three feet /in height, but the. stalk 
 is slender, and divided into a great many branches 
 The leaves are of a brip;ht green and winged, 
 or composed of double rows of smaller, with an
 
 <//,/,
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 9 
 
 odd one at the end. There grow some large 
 and very beautiful ones from the root ; those on 
 the stalks are smaller. The flowers grow in 
 little umbels or clusters, at the extremities of 
 all the branches. They are small and white. 
 Two seeds follow each flower, and these are 
 striated, small, and of a spicy taste : the plant 
 is distinguished at sight from all the others of its 
 kind, of which there are many, by the slender- 
 ness of its stalks and branches, and the smallness 
 of the umbels ; and more than all by the pecu- 
 liar taste of the seeds, which have a flavour of 
 mace. 
 
 It is proper to be particular, because the plant 
 is worth knowing, Its root is good for all dis- 
 eases of the urinary passages, and the seeds are 
 good in disorders of the stomach and bowels, 
 and also operate by urine. The quantity of 
 a scruple given in (holies often proves an im- 
 mediate cure, and they are a good ingredient in 
 bitters. 
 
 Alkanet. Anchusa. 
 
 Alkanet is a rough plant, of no great beauty, 
 cultivated in France and Germany for the sake of 
 its root. It grows to a foot and half Tiigh : the 
 leaves are large, and of a rough irregular sur- 
 face, and bluish green colour ; the flowers are 
 small and purplish ; the root is long, and of a 
 deep purple. It is kept dried in the shops. It 
 has the credit of an astringent and vulnerary ; 
 but it is little used. The best way of giving of 
 it, is to add half an ounce to a quart of harts- 
 horn drink ; it gives a good colour, and increases 
 the virtue
 
 10 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Angelica. Angelica. 
 
 l r-> 
 
 A large and beautiful plant kept in our gardens, 
 and found wild in some parts of the kingdom. It 
 grows to eight feet in height, and the stalks robust, 
 and divided into brandies. The leaves are large, 
 and composed each of many smaller, set upon a 
 divided pedicle ; they are notched at the edges, and 
 of a bright green. The flowers are small, but 
 they stand in vast clusters, of a globose form : two 
 seeds follow each flower. 
 
 Every part of the plant is fragrant when bruised, 
 and every part of it is used in medicine. The 
 root is long and large: we use that of our own 
 growth fresh, but the fine fragrant dried roots 
 are brought from Spain. The whole plant pos- 
 sesses the same virtues, and is cordial and sudo- 
 rific ; it has been always famous against pestilen- 
 tial aud contagious diseases. The root, the stalks 
 candied, the seeds bruised, or the water distilled 
 from the leaves, may be used, but the seeds are 
 the most powerful. It is also an ingredient in many 
 compositions. 
 
 Anise. Anisum. 
 
 The aniseed used in the shops is produced by 
 a small, plant cultivated in fields for that purpose 
 in the island of Malta and elewhere. It grows to 
 half a yard high, the stalks are firm, striated, and 
 branched 5 the leaves which grow near the ground 
 are rounded and divided only into three parts ; 
 those on the stalks are cut into slender divisions. 
 The flowers are small, but they grow in large umbels 
 at the top of the branches, and two seed* follow 
 each ; these are the aniseed.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 11 
 
 As much bruised aniseed as will lie on a 
 sixpence is excellent in cholic. 'Tis also 
 good in indigestions, and other complaints of the 
 stomach. 
 
 Apples of Love. Po?na Amoris. 
 
 These are large juicy fruits, but they are pro- 
 duced not on a tree, but on a small and low plant. 
 The stalks are weak, and divided into many 
 branches ; the leaves are large, but they are com- 
 posed of many small ones set on a divided stalk, 
 and they are of a faint yellowish green colour. The 
 flowers are small and yellow, the fruit is large, and, 
 when ripe, of a red colour ; it contains a soft juicy 
 pulp and the seeds. 
 
 The plant is a kind of nightshade, we cultivate 
 it in gardens. The Italians eat the fruit as we do 
 cucumbers. The juice is cooling, and is good 
 externally used in eruptions on the skin, and in 
 diseases of the eyes, where a sharp humour is trouble- 
 some. 
 
 Archangel. Lamhim Album. 
 
 A common wild plant, more vulgarly called 
 the dead-nettle. It grows about our hedges, it 
 is a foot high, and has leaves shaped like those 
 of the nettle, but they do not sting. The stalk 
 is square, and the leaves are hairy ; the flowers 
 are large and white ; they stand at the joints where 
 the leaves are set on, and are very pretty. The 
 leaves stand in pairs, and the root creeps under the 
 surface. 
 
 The flowers are the only part used ; they are 
 to be gathered in May, and made into conserve. 
 A pound of them is to be beat up with two pounds
 
 12 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 and a half of sugar. They may also be dried. They 
 are excellent in the whites, and all other weak- 
 nesses. 
 
 There is a little plant with red flowers called 
 also the red archangel, or red dead-nettle. It is 
 common under the hedges, and in gardens ; the 
 stalks are square and weak, the leaves are short and 
 notched at the edges, and the flowers small and 
 red ; the plant is not above four or live inches high, 
 and these flowers grow near the tops among the 
 leaves. They are in shape like those of the white 
 archangel, but small. 
 
 The herb is used fresh or dried, and the flowers. 
 The decoction is good for fioodings, bleedings at 
 the nose, spitting of blood, or any kind of hemor- 
 rhage. It also stops blood, bruised and applied out- 
 wardly. 
 
 Arrach, or Stinking Arrach. Atriplex olida. 
 
 A small wild plant that grows about farm-yards, 
 and in waste grounds. The stalks arc a foot long, 
 but weak ; they seldom stand upright ; they are 
 striated, and of a pale green. The leaves are 
 small, short, and rounded, of a bluish green colour, 
 and of the breadth of a shilling or less. The 
 flowers are inconsiderable, and the seeds small, but 
 they stand in clusters at the tops of the branches, 
 and have a greenish white appearance. The whole 
 plant is covered with a sort of moist dust in large 
 particles, and has a most unpleasant smell. It is 
 T o be used fresh gathered, for it loses its virtue 
 in drying. A syrup may be made of a pint of 
 its juice and two pound? of sugar, and will keep all 
 the year. The leaves also may be beat into a con- 
 serve, with three times their weight of sugar. In 
 any of these forms it is an excellent medicine in
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 13 
 
 all hysteric complaints. It cures fits, and promotes 
 the menses, and the necessary evacuations after 
 delivery. 
 
 There is another kind of arrach also mentioned 
 by medical writers, and called garden arrach ; it Is 
 an annual raised from seed, for the use <->f the kitchen. 
 It grows to a yard high, and the leaves are broad : 
 those which grow from the root have a little leaf 
 also on ach side of the base. They are covered 
 with a wet dust like the other kind. These leaves 
 are cooling and softening ; they are good in clysters, 
 but they are less used, and less valuable than the 
 other. 
 
 Aron. Arun. 
 
 A very common plant under our hedges, and 
 more vulgarly called cuckowpint, and, by the 
 children, lord and lady. The root is of the 
 bigness and shape of a walnut, brown on the 
 outside and white within, and this, as well as 
 the whole plant, is of a sharp and acrid taste. 
 This root lies deep. The leaves arc large and 
 shaped like the bearded head of an arrow, of a 
 strong green colour, and sometimes spotted. In 
 April and May rise among these thick stalks, sup- 
 porting a very singular kind of flower, the pointal 
 of which is lon^r, thick, fieshv, and of a red or 
 white colour, and the whole surrounded with a 
 green membranaceous case. Afterwards this case 
 and the pointal fall off, and there remains only 
 the stem supporting a quantity of berries, which 
 are ripe in autumn, and are then of a fine red 
 colour. 
 
 The root is the part used. It is an excellent 
 medicine in palsies. Half one of the roots, fresh
 
 14 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 gathered and bruised, will sometimes restore Hie 
 speech at once ; and a continued use of them goes 
 a great way toward a cure. It is also good in 
 scorbutic cases, and in all inward obstruction?. 
 Some dry and powder it, but it then loses almost all 
 its virtue. 
 
 Arsmart or Water-pepper. Persicaria Uretis. 
 
 A common wild herb, neglected, but of great 
 virtues. It grows every where about ditches, and 
 in watery places. It is a foot and a half high ; the 
 stalks are weak, green or reddish, and jointed. The 
 leaves are long and narrow, like those of the peach 
 tree, of a bright green, not spotted, and even at the 
 edges. The flowers stand at the tops of the stalks in 
 slender spikes, of a greenish white. As there are 
 several other kinds of arsmart, and most of them 
 different from this in their nature and qualities, great 
 care is to be taken to gather the right. It must have 
 no spot upon the middle of the leaf. There is 
 another common kind of arsmart with such a spot, 
 and with thicker stalks, and thick pikes of reddish 
 ilowers, which has none of its virtue. 
 
 The right arsmart is an excellent medicine in 
 obstructions of urine, in the gravel and stone : and 
 in the jaundice and beginning of dropsies it has done 
 great cures. The juice of the fresh gathered plant 
 is the best way of giving it. Outwardly it is good 
 to cleanse old ulcers. 
 
 Artichoke Cinara. 
 
 The root of the common artichoke, or harlichoke, 
 cultivated for our tnbles, is an excellent medicine. 
 The plant itself is of the thistle-kind, and its
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 15 
 
 head, which we see at table, owes much of its big- 
 ness and fleshiness to culture. The leaves are large, 
 and divided into many parts, and often they are 
 prickly. The stem is robust and striated, and the 
 head is formed of large scales ; the flowers are of the 
 thistle-kind, and the seeds are, as in the thistles, 
 winged with down. 
 
 The root fresh gathered, sliced, and boiled in wa- 
 ter, six ounces to a quart of the water, makes a de- 
 coction, which works by urine, and I have known it 
 alone cure a jaundice. 
 
 Asarabacca. Asarum. 
 
 A very little and low plant found wild in many 
 parts of Europe, and common in our gardens. 
 The roots creep about the surface of the ground, 
 the leaves grow singly from them, and there is no 
 stem or stalk. Each leaf has its separate foot- 
 stalk three or four inches long, and the leaf itself 
 is roundish, of a dark green, and fleshy : the flowers 
 small and of a dusky colour, and they stand near the 
 ground. 
 
 The roots are the most valuable part ; the. 
 juice of them may be given in small doses, or 
 they may be dry and given in powder or infusion, 
 It works very powerfully by urine, and is good in 
 obstructions of the menses, and in jaundices and 
 dropsies. 
 
 The Ash. Fraxinus. 
 
 A common tree in our hedges and woods. The 
 bark of the branches is grey, and the leaves 
 are winged ; the small ones of which they are 
 composed are oblong and dented. The flowers 
 are of a whitish green, and come before the leaves.
 
 15 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 the seeds are what they call ash-keys, these ripen in 
 September. 
 
 The bark of the young* branches is good in 
 obstructions of the liver and spleen, and there- 
 fore is of great service in dropsies, jaundice, 
 and other complaints of that origin : it works by 
 urine. The seeds have the same virtue, but in a less 
 degree. 
 
 The Manna Ash. Fraxiyins minor e folio. 
 
 This is a lower tree than the common ash, and is 
 not a native of our kingdom, but is frequent in 
 Italy , where the manna is gathered from its leaves 
 and branches. 
 
 The bark of this tree is paler than that of our 
 common ash, and the leaves are composed of smaller 
 and narrower parts, but the flower and fruit differ 
 very little. 
 
 They have also in Calabria another low ash- 
 tree, which has the backs of the leaves small- 
 er than ours, and flatter and more rounded, and 
 from this also they collect manna for the use of 
 the apothecaries. The manna is a sweet or honey 
 juiee that naturally sweats out of the bark and 
 leaves in hoi weather. The finest manna of all 
 is that which oozes out of the leaves ; this is in 
 small pieces. It flows out of the ribs of the 
 leares in August, in the heat of the day, and soon 
 hardens into this form. They get the greatest 
 quantities of all, by cutting the bark of the trunk 
 and branches, and this is often large and flaky, 
 but it is yellowish. That which is flaky, white, 
 and hollow, has issued out of itself, and is much 
 betier. 
 
 Manna is a most excellent purge, very gentle, 
 and without any after astringency. Tliere is u
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 17 
 
 kind of manna used in France, called the Eriancon 
 manna; this is produced by the larch-tree: and 
 there is another kind more rare, called Persian 
 manna ; this is produced bv the shrub called 
 alhagi, a kind of broom, or nearly allied to it. 
 But these are scarce with us. 
 
 Asparagus. Aspcwagus sativus. 
 
 THE asparagus plant is one whose root is 
 useful in medicine, although a different part 
 of it be eaten at the table. Its virtues are 
 not unlike those of the artichoke root but 
 greater. 
 
 The asparagus is a wild plant in many parts 
 of England about the sea-coasts ; and its root, in 
 this wild state, is better than that of the cultivated 
 plants, but its shoots have not that fine fleshy 
 fulness. The plant, when full grown, is three 
 feet high, and very much branched, and the 
 leaves are fine and of a pale green ; the flowers 
 are small and greenish, but the berries which suc- 
 ceed them, are as big as pease and red. 
 
 The root is a powerful diuretic, and is good 
 in all obstructions of the viscera. It has been 
 known singly to perform cures in jaundices and 
 dropsies. It is best given in decoction. 
 
 Asphodel. Aspliadelus verus ramosus albus. 
 
 AN elegant garden flower, a native of Italy, and 
 preserved with us more for its beauty than its 
 use, though sometimes taken as a medicine. It 
 grows to three feet in height, and the stalk di- 
 vides into three or four branches towards the 
 top. The flowers are wlhte, and they stand h\ 
 spike? on the top3 of these divisions. They are
 
 IS FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 streaked with purple on the fop, and have yel- 
 low threads in the middle. The leaves are long 
 and narrow, hollowed and sharp-pointed; the root 
 is composed of several oblong lumps. The root 
 is the part used in medicine, and it is said to 
 be good against all obstructions, particularly a- 
 gainst those of the menses. 
 
 There is another kind of asphodel w ith yellow 
 flowers, the root of which is said to possess the 
 same virtues, but it is more rarely used than the 
 other. 
 
 The Asafostida Plant. Asafoctida herha. 
 
 THIS is a Persian plant, and is a very tall 
 and robust one. It grows to nine fret high, 
 and the stalks are as thick as ;* child's leg ; 
 they arc hollow and divided toward the tops into 
 several branches. The leaves ore \cry large, 
 and composed of many smaller set upon a divided 
 rib. They resemble in some degree the leaves 
 of the piony. The large ones rise immediately 
 from the root, and smaller of the same form 
 wfand at distances upon the stalks, one at each 
 joint. The flowers are singly very small, but 
 they stand in vast clusters or umbels at the tops 
 of the stalks ; and the seeds follow two after each 
 flower; they are large, broad, and striated, and 
 have the same smell with the <^u\\\, but not. so 
 strong. The root is very long and thick ; it is 
 black on the. outside and white within, and is 
 full of a thick juice of a strong smell, which, 
 when hardened, is asafoetida such as we see. 
 
 No part of the plant is used but only this 
 gum or hardened juice of the root. Tliev 
 cut off the top of 'the root and let the juice 
 that rises iVom the wound dry. It becomes
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 19 
 
 reddish on the outside and white within, and is 
 the asafoetida of the shops. An excellent me- 
 dicine in all nervous disorders ; it may be given 
 nione rolled up into pills,, no way better. 
 
 Avens. Carryophyllata. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant neglected, but worthy 
 of our notice. It grows about hedges, and 
 rises to fourteen inches high ; the stalk is firm 
 and slender, and is divided into several branches. 
 The leaves are large and rough, the stalk also 
 is hairy. The leaves that grow from the root are 
 v m.^ed ; they consist of Ihree pair of small ones, 
 and one much larger at the end. Those on the 
 stalk are smaller, and consist of fewer parts; but 
 otherwise thev are like. The flowers are small 
 and yellow ; they are succeeded by rough heads, 
 as big as a horse bean, composed of many seeds 
 with hooked filaments. The root is longisli 
 and large, of a firm substance, reddis-h colour, and 
 very fragrant spicy smell ; it is better than marry 
 drugs kept in the shops. 
 
 It is a cordial and sudorific. It is good in 
 nervous complaints, and I have known it alone 
 cure intermittent fevers, where the bark has been 
 unsuccessful. 
 
 B. 
 
 Balm. Melissa, 
 
 A PLANT common in our gardens. It grows to 
 two feet in height, and the stalks are robust, 
 square, and hairy. The leaves are oblong, broad, 
 pointed at the end, and dentated about the edges, 
 -md they stand two at a joint ; the flowers are small
 
 20 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 and white, but they have large rough tops, which 
 remain after they are fallen. They stand in circu- 
 lar clusters round the stalk at the upper joints; 
 the whole plant is of a fragrant smell. The root 
 creeps and spreads abundantly, the plant is in flower 
 in July. 
 
 Fresh balm is much better than dry, for it loses 
 its fragrancy in drying. The best way of taking 
 it is in tea ; it is good for disorders of the head and 
 stomach. 
 
 The Balm of Gilead Shrub. Balsamum syri- 
 acum rulk folio 
 
 THIS is an eastern shrub ; it grows to five or 
 six feet high, and the branches are very tough, 
 and, when broken, have a fragrant smell. The 
 leaves are like those of rue, only larger and 
 of a deeper gf r;cn ; the flowers are moderately 
 large and like pea-bl essoins ; they are of a pale 
 purplish hue mixed with white. The seeds are 
 yellow and very fragrant, they are contained in a 
 kiiid of pods. 
 
 No part of the shrub is used, but only the 
 balsam which is obtained from it ; the finest kuid 
 runs from the tree, of itself : there is a second sort 
 obf ained by boiling the twigs and young shoots ; 
 and a third, coarser, which rises to the top of 
 the water, after the purer sort has been taken 
 oiF. This last is almost the only kind we see, and 
 even this is very frequently adulterated. 
 
 It is a very fine balsamic and detergent ; it is 
 good in the whites, and all weaknesses ; and it is 
 cordial at the same time that it acts as a balsam ; 
 it is best taken alone upon sugar.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 21 
 
 The Balsam of Capivi-Tree. Arbor balsamifera 
 fructu monospertno. 
 
 THIS is a large tree. The wood is of a red 
 colour, and fine grain; the bark is brown; 
 the leaves are broad, short, and pointed at 
 the end, and are of a dark green on the upper 
 side, and a mealy white underneath. The flow- 
 ers are as large as apple blossoms, and of a pale 
 colour ; the fruit is a pod containing only one seed, 
 which is as big as a nut. and the kernel is sweet and 
 of a good taste. 
 
 The tree is frequent in the Brasils. We use no 
 part of it, but orly the balsam which runs out at 
 wounds they make in the trunk in summer ; it is 
 thin like oil. It has the same virtues with tur- 
 pentine, but is more powerful; it is excellent in 
 the whites, and it is good in all complaints of 
 the urinary passages. It may be taken alone on 
 
 The Balsam of Peru-Tree. Arbor balsamifera 
 Peruviana. 
 
 THIS is a shrub of eight feet high, with 
 slender and tough branches. The leaves are 
 very long and narrow ; the flowers are yellow 
 and large, and the fruit is crooked. The whole 
 plant has a fragrant smell, especially the young 
 shoots and the buds. 
 
 The balsam of Peru is procured from the fra- 
 grant tops of this shrub, by boiling them in 
 water ; the blackish liquor rises like oil to the 
 top, and, when cold, it is the balsam of Peru. 
 There is a white balsam of Peru, very fragrant and 
 fine, but it is scarce. This is the produce of
 
 22 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 the same tree, but it ooz.es naturally from the 
 cracks in the bark. 
 
 The black balsam of Peru is a. cordial as well 
 as a balsam ; it is excellent in disorders of the 
 breast, and in all obstructions of the viscera ; 
 ten drops at a time given on sugar, and con- 
 tinued daily, have cured asthmas and beginning 
 consumptions. It also promotes the menses, and 
 is excellent in suppressions o urine. Outwardly 
 applied it heals fresh wounds. 
 
 The Balsam of Tolu-Tree. Arboi balsam if era 
 Tolutana. 
 
 THIS is a kind of pine tree. It does not 
 grow to any great height, but spreads into a 
 great quantity of branches. The leaves are 
 long and very slender, and of a deep green ; the 
 bark is of a reddish white, and the fruit is a 
 small cone, brown and hard. 
 
 No part of the tree is used but the balsam 
 only which comes from it. They wound the 
 trunk in hot seasons, and this liquid resin flows 
 out, which they put up into shells for expor- 
 tation : it is thick, brown, and very fragra:it 
 It is excellent in consumptions, and other disord 
 of the breast, and may be given in pills 
 balsamic syrup of the apothecaries is made from 
 it, and possesses a great deal of its virtues. 
 
 The Barbluy-Bush. Bcrbcris. 
 
 THIS is a wild bush in some parts of Eng- 
 land, but it is common every where in gardens ; 
 it l'iows fo eight or itin feet high in an ir- 
 urtilar manner, and much branched. The barK
 
 -tie-? 
 
 //&*
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 23 
 
 is whitish, and there are abundance of pncfclea 
 -*^".t the branches. The leaves are of an oval 
 ugure, and strong green colour ; and are in- 
 dented about the edges. The flowers are small 
 and of a pale yellowish colour ; the fruit is suf- 
 ficiently known ; the berries are oblong, red, and 
 of a sour taste. The branches are brittle, and, 
 under the pale outer rind, there is another yellow 
 and (bicker. This is the part used in medicine ; 
 it is excellent in the jaundice, and has often cured 
 it singly. It is also good in all obstructions. 
 The best way to give it is infused. in boiling water. 
 
 Barley. Hordcum. 
 
 THE barley u c ed in medicine is the same with 
 that of which bread is made, and which serves 
 the brewer and distiller in their several capa- 
 cities. It is known at sight from wheat, when 
 growing, for it is not so tall, aud the leaves are 
 smaller and narrower. A long beard grows from 
 each grain in the ear and the ear is composed of 
 two rows of them. 
 
 We use this grain in two forms, the one call- 
 ed French bailey, and the other pearl barley. 
 The French barley is skinned, and has the ends 
 ground oif : the pearl barley is reduced by a longer 
 grinding to a little round white lump. The pearl 
 barley makes the finer and more elegant barley- 
 water, but the French barley makes the best. It 
 is excellent in heat of urine, and in all gravelly 
 cases, and is a good drink in most acute diseases, 
 where diluting is requireu : it is also in some degree 
 nourishing. 
 
 Barren wort. Epide?nium. 
 
 A SINGULAR and very pretty plant, native of
 
 4 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 England, but not common. It grows in woods, 
 and has beauitiful purple and yellow flowers. 
 It is a foot high, The leaves are oval and 
 heart-fashioned, deeply indented at the edges, 
 and of a dusky green. The stalks which pro- 
 duce the tiowers, are weak, brittle, and gene- 
 rally crooked; the flowers stand in a kind of vert 
 loose spike, ten or a dozen upon the top ; they 
 are small, but very singular and conspicuous ; 
 they are purple on the back with a red edge, and 
 yellow in the middle. The root is fibrous and 
 creeping. 
 
 It was an opinion with the old writers, that 
 this plant produced no tiowers ; but the occa- 
 sion is easily known. When it stands exposed to 
 sun, it seldom does (lower ; we see that in gardens 
 where it is planted in such situations, for it will 
 stand many years without flowering ; but our 
 woods favour it, being dark and damp : the old 
 people saw it in Manner climates, and under an 
 unfavourable exposure. They called it from this 
 circumstance, as well as from its virtues, by a 
 name, which expressed being barren and fruit- 
 less. 
 
 The people in the north give milk in which 
 the roots have been boiled, to the females of the 
 domestic animals when they are running after 
 the males, and they say it has the certain effect 
 of stopping the natural emotions. Plain sense 
 leads these sort of people to many things. They 
 have from this been taught to give it to young wo- 
 men of robust habits, subject to violent hysteric 
 complaints, and I am assured with great success ; 
 they give the decoction of the root made strong 
 and sweetened. 'Twas a coarse allusion that led 
 the r. to the practice, but it succeeds in cases that 
 foil all 'be parade of common practice. It is said 
 that, if they take it in too large quantity, it reu-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 25 
 
 riers thorn stupid for some hours, but no ill con- 
 sequence has attended this. 
 
 The Bay Thee. Laiirus. 
 
 THE bay is a native of Spain and Italy, where 
 it grows to a large tree : we keep it in gar- 
 dens, but it seldom rises to more than the figure 
 and height of a shrub with m. The wood i* 
 not strong but spongy and friable; the leaves re- 
 main green all winter ; the bark of the large 
 branches is of a dusky brown, that of the twigs 
 reddish; the leaves are long and somewhat broad, 
 pointed at the end and very fragrant : the flow- 
 er? re very small and inconsiderable ; their colour 
 is whitish, they appear in May, but are not re- 
 garded : the berries are ripe in the latter end of au- 
 tumn, and are large and black, consisting of two 
 parts within the same skin. 
 
 The berries are dried, and are the part of the 
 tree mostly used ; but the leaves also have great 
 virtue. The berries are given in powder or in- 
 fusion ; they are good in obstructions, and in 
 cholics. They promote urine, and the evacu- 
 ations after delivery. The leaves are cordial and 
 good in ali nervous complaints. Paralytic people 
 would find great benefit from small doses of 
 them often repeated ; and four or live doses have 
 sometimes cured agues. They are to be put fresh 
 into an oven, and, when they are crisp, reduced to 
 powder. 
 
 Basil. Ocvmum vulgar e majus. 
 
 BASIL i* a small herb, native of warmer 
 countries, but not uncommon in our gardens ; 
 it is bushy and branched ; the stalks are square, 
 
 E
 
 26 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 and the leaves stand two at each joint. They 
 are broad and short, and somewhat indented 
 at the edges. The flowers are small and white, 
 and are of the shape of those of the dead nettle; 
 they stand on the upper parts of the branches 
 in loose spikes. The whole plant has a very fra- 
 grant smell. 
 
 Basil is little used, but it deserves to be much 
 more. A tea made of the green plant is excellent 
 against all obstructions. No simple is more ef- 
 fectual for gently promoting the menses, and for 
 removing those complaints which naturally attend 
 their stoppage. 
 
 There are two or three other kinds of basil, but 
 they have not equal virtue. 
 
 The Bdellium Tree. Arbor bdellium ferens, 
 
 WE are very well acquainted with the gum, 
 or rather gum resin called bdellium, but we 
 know very little of the tree from which it is 
 produced ; the best description we have of it, 
 amounts to no more than that it is moderate- 
 ly large, bushy, and full of branches with prickles 
 upon them, and with oblong and broad leave* 
 deeply indented at the edges, so that they re- 
 semble oak-leave* ; and that, when the young shoots 
 are broken, they yield a milky juice. But even 
 this does not come upon certainty, that is, 
 we are not assured that this tree produces the 
 very gum we see. This is of a red brown colour, 
 and bitterish taste. 
 
 It is a good medicine in obstructions of the 
 liver and spleen, but it is not much used.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 The Bean. Faba. 
 
 THE common garden-bean is sufficiently 
 known ; it grows to a yard high, its stalks 
 are angular, and the leaves, which are of tiie 
 winged kind, stand one at each joint ; the flowers 
 are white spotted with black, and are finely 
 scented. The pods and their seeds need not be 
 described. 
 
 It has been customary to distil a water from 
 bean-flowers, and use it to soften the skin, but 
 common distilled water does as well. It is other- 
 wise with the water of the bean-pods. These 
 are to be bruised, when the beans are half ripe in 
 them, and distilled with water in a common 
 alembic. The water is a very gentle carminative, 
 without any heat or acridness ; this is excellent for 
 children's gripes. 
 
 The Malacca Bean-Tree. Anacardium It* 
 gitimwn. 
 
 THIS is a large tree, native of Malabar and 
 the Philippine islands ; it grows to the height. 
 and bigness of our tallest elms, and has much of 
 their manner of growth, as to the branches. The 
 leaves are vastly large, of an oblong figure, 
 and obtuse ; the flowers are small and white, they 
 grow in bunches, and have somewhat of the smell 
 of the syringa flower but fainter. The fruit is 
 of the bigness of a pear, and much of the same 
 shape ; it is of a deep red, when ripe, and of a 
 pleasant taste; the kernel is not within this, 
 as is commonly the case in fruits, but it haugs 
 out loose at the end. This kernel or seed is of 
 the shape of an heart ; it is as big as an olive.
 
 23 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 and has a dusky red coat or shell, but it is 
 white within. This is the part used in medi- 
 cine, for the whole fruit is not regarded. The 
 anacardium, or kernel, is said to be a cordial, 
 and a strengthener of the nerves, but we do not 
 much use it. There is a very sharp liquor be- 
 tween the outer and inner rinds of the shell, 
 which will take away freckles from the skin, 
 but it is so sharp that the ladies must be cau- 
 tious how they use it. 
 
 The West-India-Bean, or Cashew Nut-Tree, 
 Arbor acqjou vulgo cajou, 
 
 IT appears by the description of the anacar- 
 dium how very improperly it is called a nut, 
 for it is the kernel of a large fruit, though 
 growing in a singular manner. The case is just 
 the same with respect to the Cashew nut, for it 
 is neither a nut nor a bean, any more than the 
 other : but it is necessary to keep to the common 
 names, and it is proper they should be mentioned 
 together. 
 
 The tree which produces it is large and spread- 
 ing ; the bark is of a pale colour, rough and 
 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 small, but they grow 
 in tufts together. The fruit is of the bigness 
 and shape of a pear, and of an orange and pur- 
 ple colour mixt together ; the Cashew nut or 
 bean, as it is called, hangs naked from the 
 bottom of this fruit. It is of the bigness of a 
 garden bean, and indented in the manner of a 
 kidney ; it is of a greyish colour, and consists of 
 $ shelly covering, and a fine white fleshy sub-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 29 
 
 stance within, as sweet as an almond. Between 
 the two coats of* this shell, as between those of 
 the anacardium, there is a sharp and caustic oil, 
 which serves in the same manner as the other 
 to take off freckles, but it must be used with 
 great caution. It actually burns the skin, so that 
 it must be suffered to lie on only a few moments ; 
 and even when used ever so cautiously, it some- 
 times causes mischief. 
 
 The Bengal Bean-tree. Fala Bevgalensis. 
 
 A LARGE tree, native of the East, and not 
 unlike our plum-tree. It is thirty or forty feet 
 high ; the leaves are roundish, but sharp-pointed, 
 and of a deep green ; they arc finely indented, and 
 of a firm texture. The flowers are large and 
 white ; they resemble, in all respects, the blossoms 
 of our plum-trees. The fruit is a kind of plum, 
 of a long shape, with a small quantity of fleshy 
 matter, and a very large stone. It is a kind ot 
 myrobolan, but is not exactly the same with auy 
 that we use. 
 
 The Bengal bean, as it is called, is an irregu- 
 lar production of this tree : it is very ill-named 
 a bean ; it is truly a gall like those of the oak; 
 but it does not rise like them from the wood or 
 leaves, but from the fruit of this particular plum. 
 It is as broad as a walnut, but flatted, and 
 hollowed in the center ; its original is this : 
 There is a little black fly frequent in that coun- 
 try, which lodges its eggs in the unripe fruit of 
 this particular plum, as we have insects in Eng- 
 land, which always choose a particular plant, 
 and a particular part for that purpose. The flv 
 always strikes the fruit while it is grc.cn, and has 
 but the rudiments of the stone. It grows dis-
 
 30 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 tempered from the wound, and the stone never 
 ripens in it, but it takes this singular form. 
 
 It is an excellent astringent. It is of the na- 
 ture of the galls of the oak, but less violently 
 binding. It is good in all purgings and bloody 
 fluxes, and against the overflowing of the menses. 
 
 Bear's-Breecii. Acanthus. 
 
 A VERY beautiful plant, native of Italv, 
 and some other warm parts of Europe, and kept 
 in our gardens. It grows a yard high ; the 
 stalk is thick, round, and fleshy ; the leaves 
 grow from the root, and are a foot long, four 
 itxhes broad, very beautifully notched at the 
 edges, and of a dark glossy green. The flowers 
 stand in a kind of thick short spike at the top 
 of the stalks, intermixed with small leaves ; these 
 flowers are large, white, and gaping. The whole 
 plant, when in flower, makes a very beautiful 
 appearance. The root creeps. 
 
 This plant is not so much known in medicine 
 as it deserves. The root being cut in slices and 
 boiled in water, makes an excellent diuretic de- 
 coclion. It was a great medicine with an eminent 
 apothecary of Peterborough, and he gave more 
 relief with it in the gravel and stone, than any 
 other medicine would afford. 
 
 Bear's-foot. HeUeborus niger. 
 
 A LOW and singular plant, but not without 
 its beauty : it is a native of many parts of 
 Europe, but we have it only in gardens ; the 
 leaves are lar^-e ; each rises from the root -ingly, 
 on a foot-Ftalk of six inches loner, and is di- 
 vided into nine purts like lingers mi a hand :
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 31 
 
 some! imps the divisions are fewer. The flowers 
 are very large and beautiful, they are as big as 
 a common single rose, or nearly so ; they are 
 white, reddish, or greenish, according to the time 
 of their having been open ; and they stand each 
 on a single stalk, which rises from the root, and 
 has no leaves on it. It flowers in January. 
 
 The root is an excellent purge, it works briskly 
 but safely ; it destroys worms, and is good in 
 dropsies, jaundice, and many other diseases, and 
 even in madness. But it is very necessary to keep 
 it in one's own garden, for, if the root be bought, 
 they commonly sell that of the green flowered, 
 wild or bastard hellebore in its place, which is a 
 rough medicine. 
 
 Ladies' Bedstraw, Gallium lutcum* 
 
 A PRETTY wild plant, frequent about hedges 
 in June and the succeeding months. The stalk 
 is weak and two feet high ; the leaves are of a 
 blackish green, and small ; and the flowers are 
 yellow. The stalk is angular and whitish, very 
 brittle, and seldom straight ; the leaves stand a great 
 many at each joint, and are small, narrow, and 
 disposed about the stalk like the rowels of a 
 spur : the flowers grow in great tufts on the 
 tops of the stalks, so that they make a very 
 conspicuous appearance, though singly they are 
 very small. 
 
 This herb is little regarded, but it has verv 
 great virtue ; it should be gathered., when the 
 flowers are not quite blown, and dried in the 
 shade. An infusion of it will cure the most violent 
 bleedings at the nose, and almost all other evacua- 
 tions of blood.
 
 32 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Beet. Beta alba. 
 
 A COMMON garden plant eaten at our ta- 
 bles, but these often afford medicines as well as 
 food. The white beet, -which is the medicinal 
 kind, grows three or four feet high. The stalk 
 is robust and strong, the leaves are broad and 
 undulated, the flowers are inconsiderable, they 
 .are of a greenish white colour ; the root is large 
 and long. 
 
 The juice of fresh beet-root is an excellent 
 remedy for the head-ach, and tooth-ach when 
 the whole jaw is affected ; it is to be snuffed up 
 the nose to promote sneezing. 
 
 The red beet- root is good for the same pur- 
 pose, but it is not so strong as the white. 
 
 White Beken. Belien album. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant in our corn fields. It 
 is two feet high ; the stalks are weak and often 
 crooked ; but they are thick enough, round, and 
 of a whitish green colour. The leaves arc oblong, 
 broad, and of a fine blue green colour, not dent- 
 ed at all at the ed<res, and they crow two at 
 every joint ; the joints of the stalks where they 
 grow, arc swelled and large, and the leaves have 
 no stalks. The flowers are white, moderately 
 large, and pricklv. They stand upon a husk which 
 seems blown up with wind. 
 
 This is one of those plants of our own growth, 
 that have more virtue fliau people imagine. The 
 root, which is long, white, and woody, is to be 
 gathered before the stalks rise, and dried. An 
 infusion is one of the best remedies known for 
 nervous complaints : it will not take place against
 
 FAMILY HERBAL, 3d 
 
 a violent present disorder ; but is an excellent pre- 
 servative, taken cautiously. 
 
 Red Behen. Limonium majus. 
 
 A COMMON" wild plant about our sea-coasta, 
 and a very pretty one. It grows to a foot 
 in height; the stalks arc naked, and the flow- 
 ers red ; and, in their disposition, they somewhat 
 resemble lavender, whence the plant is also called 
 by sjme sea lavender. About the bottoms of 
 the stalks stand clusters of large and broad 
 leaves, rounded at the ends, of a deep green 
 colour and fattish substance ; these rise imme- 
 diately from the root, and the stalks grow up 
 among them. The stalks are very tough and strong, 
 and branched, and of a paler green : the root is long 
 and reddish. 
 
 The people in Essex cure themselves of purg- 
 ings, and of overflowings of the menses, with an 
 infusion of this root ; and it is a very great me- 
 dicine, though little known. It is to be gathered, 
 as soon as the youg leaves appear, cleaned and 
 dried ; it may be taken in powder half a drachm 
 for a dose. These are not the white and red behen 
 roofs of the oid writers on physick, but they are 
 better. 
 
 The Ben-Nut-tree. Balanus myrepsica. 
 
 THIS is an Arabian tree, not very large, but 
 exceedingly singular in the nature of its leaves. 
 They are composed of a great number of small 
 roundish parts, growing at the extremities ctf 
 strong branched foot-stalks. The leaves fall 
 first, and these foot-stalks long after. When 
 the leaves are fallen, and the stalks remain, 
 
 F
 
 34 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 the tree makes a very singular appearance. The 
 fruit is a pod, long, but slender, and containing two 
 seeds : these are what we call the ben-nuts. They 
 are of an oblong figure, and irregularly rigid ; the 
 shell is hard, but the kernel fat, soft, and oily, and 
 of a bitter taste. 
 
 The kernel operates by vomit and stool violently, 
 and is seldom used. It affords an oil which has nei- 
 ther smell nor taste, and which will keep a long time 
 without growing rancid. 
 
 The Benjamin Tree. Arbor benzionifera. 
 
 A BEAUTIFUL tree frequent in the East, and 
 there affording the fine fragrant resin of its name : 
 it is also of the growth of America, and thrives 
 there, but it yields no resin. It is a moderaccly 
 tall tree ; the bark is smooth and brown ; the 
 leaves are broad, oblong, and not unlike those 
 of the lemon-tree. The flowers are whitish, 
 and very inconsiderable. The fruit is as big as 
 a nutmeg, and consists of a fleshy substance on 
 the outside, and a kernel inclosed in a thin and brit- 
 tle shell within. The tree is properly of the bay- 
 tree kind. 
 
 They cut the branches of the benjamin trees, 
 and the juice which flows out hardens by de- 
 grees into that reddish and white fragrant resin 
 we see. It is an excellent medicine in disorders of 
 the breast and lungs : and a tincture of it made 
 with spirit of wine makes water milky, and this 
 mixture is called virgins '-milk ; it is good to cleanse 
 the skin. 
 
 Wood Betony. Butonica sylveslris. 
 
 A COMMON wild herb, but of very great vir-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 3j, 
 
 tee. Tt is frequent in our woods and among bushes, 
 and flowers in June. The stalks are almost naked 
 and a foot high, and the flowers are purple. 
 There grow many leaves from the root ; they 
 have long stalks, and are broad, above an inch 
 long, of a blackish green colour, and hairy, blunt 
 at the point, and indented about the edges. 
 The stalks arc square, of a dark colour, hairy, 
 and not very strong. The leaves of them are 
 very few, and very distant ; but they stand two 
 it a joint, and are like the others. The flowers 
 stand at the tops in form of a kind of thick short 
 spike ; thev are small and purple, arid of the shape 
 of the flowers of mint. 
 
 Betony is to be gathered .when just going to 
 flower. It is excellent for disorders of the head, 
 and for all nervous complaints. The habitual 
 use cf it will cure the most inveterate head-aches. 
 It may be taken as tea or dried and powdered. 
 Some mix it with tobacco and smoke it, but this 
 is a more uncertain method. 
 
 There is a tall plant with small purple, flowers 
 growing by waters, thence and from the shape 
 of the leaves called water betony, but it has none 
 of the virtues of this plant ; it is a kind of lig-wort, 
 and possesses the virtues of that plant, but in an 
 inferior degree. 
 
 Bind Weed. Convolvulus major. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant which climbs about 
 our hedges,, and bears very large white flowers. 
 The stalks are weak and slender, but very tough, 
 six or eight f^ct long, and twist about any thing 
 that can support them. The leaves are large, 
 and of the shape of an arrow-head, bearded at 
 the base, and sharp at the point : they stand
 
 36 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 singlv, not in pairs, and are of a pale green co- 
 lour. The Mowers are of ike breadth of a crown- 
 piece at the mouth, and narrower to the base, beil- 
 fashioned, and perfectly white. The root is long 
 and slender. 
 
 In Northamptonshire the poor people use the root 
 of this plant fresh gathered and boiled in ale as a 
 purgp ; they save the expence of the apothecary, 
 and answer the purpose better than any one thing 
 would do for them. It would nauseate a delicate 
 stomach, but, for people of their strong constitution, 
 there is not a betler purge. 
 
 The Billbekr*' Bush. Vaccinia nigra. 
 
 A LtTTLE tough slmibby plant, common in 
 our boggy woods, and upon wet heaths. The 
 stalks ar<- tough, angular, and green ; the leaves 
 are small ; they stand singly, not in pairs, and 
 are broad, short, and indented about the edges. 
 The flowers are small but pretty, their colour 
 is a faint red, and they are hollow like a cup,. 
 The berries are as large as the biggest pea, they 
 are of a blackish colour, and of a pleasant taste. 
 
 A syrup made oi" the juice of billberries, when 
 not over ripe, is cooling and binding ; it is a plea- 
 sant anil gentle medicine for women whose menses 
 are apt to be too redundant, taken for a week before 
 the time. 
 
 The Birch-Tree. Be'ula. 
 
 A TALL and handsome tree, common in our 
 woods and hedges. The bark i* smooth and 
 white. The young shoots are reddish, and ihev 
 are small and long The leaves are beautiful ; 
 (li*2\ arc short, roundish, of a fine bright irrcjuj,
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 37 
 
 r.nd notched about the edjres. The flowers are 
 inconsiderable ; the fruit is a little scaly globule, 
 preceding the leaves in spring 1 . 
 
 The juice of the birch-tree, procured by boring 
 a hole in it in spring-, is diuretic, and good against 
 the scurvy. The leaves, fresh gathered, and boil- 
 ed in water, afford a decoction, which acts in the 
 same manner, and is good in dropsies : and in all 
 cutaneous disorders, outwardly used. 
 
 ROUND-ROOTED BlRTHWORT. Aristolocllicl TV- 
 
 t unci a. 
 
 A WILD plant in Italy, and the south of 
 Fiance ; but with us found onlv in the gardens of 
 the curious. It has no great beautv, or even sin- 
 gularity in its appearance, till examined. The 
 stalks are a foot and a half long, but weak ; 
 they are square, and of a duskv green colour. The 
 leaves are short, broad, and roundish, of a dusky 
 green ; also the flowers are long, hollow, and of 
 ati odd form, not resembling the flowers of other 
 plants : they are of a duskv greenish colour on 
 the outside, and purple within : the fruit is fleshy, 
 and as big as a small walnut. The root is large 
 and roundish. 
 
 The root is the only part used in medicine, 
 and that we have from countries where the plant 
 is native ; it is a rough and disagreeable medicine ; 
 it often offends the stomach, but it is an excellent 
 'hug for promoting the necessary evacuations after 
 deliverv. 
 
 There are two other kinds f birthwort, the 
 
 root of which are also kept in the shops ; the one 
 
 illed the lone: birthwort ; the other the climbing 
 
 ! ,-i ribwort. They possess the same virtues with tbs
 
 SB FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 round, but iu a less degree, and are therefore less 
 regarded. 
 
 BisHorswEED. Ammi. 
 
 a WILD plant in France and Italy, but kepi 
 only in our gardens ; in its external figure, some- 
 what resembling parsley when in flower. The 
 stalk is round, firm, and striated ; it grows two 
 feet high. The leaves are of the compound kind, 
 and formed of many smaller, which are broad, 
 short, and indented at the edges. The flowers 
 are small and white, but they stand in such 
 large tufts at the tops of the stalks that they 
 make a considerable appearance. Each flower 
 is succeeded by two seeds ; these are small and 
 striated, of a warm aromatic taste, and not disa- 
 greeable. 
 
 The seeds are the only part of the plant used 
 in medicine ; they are good against the colic, 
 as all the other carminative seeds are ; but they 
 are also diuretic, so that thev are particularly 
 proper in those colics which arise from the stone 
 hi the kidneys and ureters; they also promote the 
 menses. 
 
 There is another sort of bishops-weed called 
 Ci click ammi, the seeds of which are used in 
 medicine ; thev are of the same virtues with these, 
 but are less used. They have a more spicy smell. 
 
 Bistort. Bi&lorta. 
 
 A VERY beautiful wild plant : it grows in oui 
 meadows, and, when in flower, in May and .Line, 
 is verv conspicuous, as well as very elegant in 
 its appearance. It is about a foot and a half
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 39 
 
 high ; the leaves are broad and beautiful, and 
 the flowers grow in a thick spike or ear, at the 
 top of the stalks, and are of a bright red colour. 
 There me immediately from the root a number 
 of large and beautiful leaves, long, broad, and 
 of a fine green colour. The stalks on which they 
 stand, have also a rim of the leaf running down, 
 them ; the stalks are round, firm, and erect, of 
 a pale green, and have two or three leaves, like 
 the others, but smaller, on them, placed at dis- 
 tances. The spike of the flowers is as long, 
 and as thick as a man's thumb : the root is thick 
 and contorted, blackish oil the outside, and red 
 within. 
 
 If we minded our own herbs, we should need 
 fewer medicines from abroad. The root of bis- 
 tort is one of the best astringents in the world : 
 not violent, but sure. The time of gathering it 
 is in March, when the leaves begin to shoot. 
 String several of them on a line, and Set them 
 dry in the shade. The powder or decoction of 
 them, will stop all fluxes of the belly, and is one 
 of the safest remedies known for overflowings of 
 the menses. They are also good in a diabetes. 
 The use of thi-s root may be obtained without 
 danger till it effects a perfect cure. 
 
 Bitter-Sweet. Solatium lignosum. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant, with weak, but 
 woody stalks, that runs among our hedge.-, and 
 bears bunches of very pretty blue flowers in 'sum- 
 mer, and in autumn red berries. The stalks 
 run to ten feet in length, but they cannot sup- 
 port themselves upright : they are of a bluish 
 colour, and, when broken, have a very disagree- 
 able smell like rotten eggs. The leaves are oval,
 
 40 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Lut sharp-pointed, and have each two little one? 
 near the base ; they are of a dusky green and 
 indented, and they grow singly on the stalks-. 
 The {lowers are small, and of a line purplish blue, 
 with yellow threads in the middle. The berries 
 are oblong. This is little regarded in medicine, 
 but it deserves to be better known ; we account 
 the night-shades poisonous, and many of them 
 are so ; but this has no harm in it. The wood 
 of the larger branches and the young shoots of 
 the leaves, are a safe and excellent purge. I have 
 known a dropsy taken early cured by this single 
 medicine. 
 
 Blood-wort. JLapathum sanguincum. 
 
 A BEAUTIFUL kind of dock kept in gardens, 
 and wild in some places. It grows to four feet 
 high ; the stalks are firm, stiff, upright, branch- 
 ed, and striated. The leaves are very long and 
 narrow, broadest at the base, and smaller all the 
 way to the end. They are not at all indented 
 at the edges, and they stand upon long foot- 
 stalks : their colour is a deep green, but they 
 arc in different degrees stained with a beautiful 
 blood red ; sometimes the ribs only are red, some- 
 times there are long veins of red irregularly 
 spread over the whole leaf ; sometimes they are 
 very broad, and in some plants the whole leaves 
 and the stalks also are of a blood colour ; the 
 flowers are very numerous and little. They in 
 all respects resemble those of the common wild 
 docks. The root is long and thick, and of a deep 
 blood red colour. 
 
 The roots are used : they are best dry, and they 
 may be given in decoction, or in powder : They are 
 a powerfully astringent : they stop bloody fluxes.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 41 
 
 spilling' of blood, and the overflowings of the men- 
 ses, it is also good against violent purgings and 
 against the whites. 
 
 Bramble, llubus vulgaris. \ 
 
 THE most common bush in our hedges. The 
 stalks are woody, angulated, and of a pur- 
 plish colour ; and they are armed with crooked 
 spines ; the leaves are rough, indented, and stand 
 either five or three on a stalk. The flowers are 
 white, with a very faint tinge of purplish, and 
 the fruit is composed of a number of small 
 grains. 
 
 The most neglected things have their use. 
 The buds of the bramble-leaves boiled in spring 
 water, and the decoction sweetened with honey, 
 are excellent for a sore throat. A syrup made 
 of the juice of the unripe fruit, with very fine 
 sugar, is cooling and astringent. It is good in 
 immoderate fluxes of the menses, and even in 
 purgings. The berries are to be gathered for this 
 purpose, when they are red. 
 
 Blue Bottle. Cyanus. 
 
 A VERY common and a very pretty weed 
 among our corn ; the leaves are narrow, and of a 
 whitish green ; and the flowers of a very beauti- 
 ful blue and large. The plant is about a foot 
 high, and, when in flower, makes a conspicuous 
 and cl< gant appearance. The root is hard and 
 fibrous ; the stalk is very firm, and while angu- 
 lated, and branched. The leaves that grow from 
 the root have some notches on the edges ; those 
 on one the stalk have none, and tbey are narrow 
 Jike blades of glass; the flowers stand only on the 
 
 c-
 
 42 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 tops of the branches, and they grow out of scalv 
 heads. The seeds arc beautiful, hard, white, and 
 shining. 
 
 The leaves which grow on the stalks of the 
 blue-bottle, fresh gathered and bruised, will stop 
 the bleeding of a fresh wound, even if a large 
 vessel be cut. They are not sufficiently known 
 for this purpose, but they exceed all other things : 
 and may save a life where a surgeon is not to be 
 had in t ; me for such an accident A distilled 
 water of the flowers used to be kept in the shops, 
 but it was of no value. An infusion 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 
 is not so good as this. 
 
 The Box Tree. Kuxus. 
 
 A COMMON little shrub in our gardens, 
 and a native of our own country, though not 
 common in its wild state. With us it grows but 
 to a small height ; in some other parts of Europe, 
 it is a tolerably large shrub. The bark is whitish, 
 the wood yellow ; the leaves small, roundish, 
 smooth, of a very dark green colour, and very 
 numerous. The flowers are small and greenish 
 yellow ; the fruit is litfcle, round, and furnished 
 with three points. 
 
 The wood of the box-tree, and particularly 
 of the root, is an excellent medicine in all foul- 
 nesses of the blood ; it has the same virtues with 
 the guiacum, but in a greater degree. It is to bo 
 given in decoction not made too strong, and con- 
 finned a long time. There have been instances 
 of what were called leprosies cured entirely by 
 this medicine. There is an oil made from it by
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 43 
 
 distillation, which is good for the tooth-ach. It 
 is to be dropped on cotton, and to be put into the 
 tooth, 
 
 Borage. Borago. 
 
 A ROUGH plant common in our gardens, with 
 great leaves, and beautiful blue flowers. It grows 
 two feet high ; the stalks are thick, round, fleshy, 
 and juicy; and covered with a kind of hairiness 
 so sturdy that it almost amounts to the nature of 
 prickles. The leaves are oblong, broad, very rough, 
 and wrinkled ; and they have the same sort of 
 hairiness, but less stiff than that of the stalk ; the 
 largest grow from the root, but those on the stalks 
 .ire nearly of the same shape. The flowers arc 
 placed toward the tops of the branches ; they are 
 divided into five parts, of a most beautiful blue, and 
 have a black eye as it were in the middle. 
 
 Borage has the credit of being a great cordial; 
 but if it possess any such virtues, they are to be ob- 
 tained only by a light cold infusion ; so that the 
 way of throwing it into cold wine is better than 
 all the medicinal preparations, for in them it is 
 nauseous. 
 
 White Bryony. Bryonia alba. 
 
 A TALL, climbing, wild plant, which covers 
 our hedges in many places. The leaves are some- 
 what like those of the vine; the flowers are in- 
 considerable ; but the berries are red, and make a 
 threat shew. The root is vastly large, rough, and 
 whitish ; the stalks are tough, ten or twelve ftet 
 hmg ; but weak and unable to support themselves ; 
 they have tendrils at the joints, and by these they 
 affix themselves to bushes. The leaves are broad,
 
 U FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 and divided deeply at the edge, and they are hairy. 
 The flowers are of a greenish white and small, but 
 the berries are moderately large and full of seeds. 
 
 The root is the only part used in medicine ; the 
 juice of it operates very strongly by vomit and stool, 
 and that in a small dose. All constitutions cannot 
 bear it, but, f r those that can, i*. is excellent in 
 many severe diseases ; dropsies have been cured by 
 it. It is also good against hysteric complaints, but 
 for this purpv>se it is to be given in very small doses 
 and frequently repeated, 
 
 . Black Bryony. Brionia nigra. 
 
 THERE is not any instance which more blames 
 our neglect of the medicines of our own growth, 
 than this of the black bryony, a medicine scarce 
 known or heard of, but equal to any. 
 
 The plant climbs upon bushes and hedges like 
 the former, but this by twisting its stalk about 
 the branches of trees and shrubs, for it lias no 
 tendrils. It runs to fifteen feet in height, the 
 stalk is to urh and angular: the leaves are broad, 
 and of a heart-like shape, and aie perfectly smooth 
 and shining, and of a glossy and very deep blackish 
 green. The flowers are very small and of a greenish 
 white ; the berries are red The root is black 
 without, white within, and full of a slimy juice. 
 
 Tiie root of black briony is one of the best 
 diuretics known in medicine. It is an excel- 
 lent remedy in the gravel, and all other obstructions 
 of urine, and other disorders of the urinary 
 passages. 
 
 Brooklime. Anagallis aquatica, becabunga. 
 
 A COMMON wild herb frequent about shallow
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 4^ 
 
 waiters, with a thick stalk, roundish leaves, and 
 spikes of little bright blue flowers. Brooklime 
 grows to a foot high. The stalk is round, fleshy 
 and large, yet it does not grow very upright : it 
 strikes root at the lower joints. The leaves are 
 broad, oblong, blunt at the end, and a little 
 indented on the edges. The flowers stand singly 
 on short foot~stalk3 one over another, so that they 
 form a kind of loose spike ; the roots are fibrous. 
 
 Brooklime has great virtues, but must be used 
 fresh gathered, for they are all lost in drying. The 
 juice in spring is very good against the scurvy; 
 but it must be taken for some time. It works 
 gently by urine, but its great virtue is in sweetening 
 the blood. 
 
 Broom. Cenista. 
 
 A COMMON naked-looking shrub that grows 
 on waste grounds, and bears yellow flowers in 
 May. It is two or three feet high. The stalks 
 are very tough, angular, and green. The leaves 
 are few, and they are also small ; thev grow three 
 together, and stand at distances on the long- and 
 slender stalks. The flowers are numerous, they 
 are shaped like a pea-blossom, and are of a beautiful 
 bright yellow. The pods are flat and hairy. 
 
 The green stalks of broom, infused in ale or 
 beer for the common drink, operate by urine, and 
 remove obstructions of the liver and other parts ; 
 they are famous in the dropsv and jaundice. It is 
 a common practice to burn them to ashes and infuse 
 those ashes in white-wine ; thus the fixed salt is 
 extracted, and the wine becomes a kind of lee. This 
 also works by urine more powerfully than the other, 
 but the other is preferable for removing obstructions.
 
 46 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 Butchers-Broom. Buscus. 
 
 A LITTLE shrubby plant frequent on our waste 
 grounds and heaths, with small prickly leaves 
 and bushy tops. The plant grows a foot and a 
 half high. The stalks are roundish, striated, thick, 
 and very tough. They are naked towards t\\c 
 bottom, and divide into some branches towards the 
 top : they are there covered with leaves. These 
 leaves are short, broad, oval, and pointed, the point 
 running out in a prickle ; they are of a bluish green, 
 and very thick and fleshy. The (lowers are seldom 
 regarded ; they grow in a singular manner upon the 
 backs of the leaves ; they are very small and pur- 
 plish : these are succeeded each by a single berry, 
 which is red, round, and as big as a pea. The roots 
 are white, thick, and numerous. 
 
 The root is the part used, and it is an excellent 
 medicine to remove obstructions. It works power- 
 fully by urine, and is good in jaundices, and in 
 stoppages of the menses, and excellent in the gravel 
 i 
 Buck-beans. Trifolium pains tre. 
 
 AN herb better known by the common people, 
 than among the apothecaries, but of great virtue. 
 It grows wild with us in marshy places, and is 
 of so very singular appearance, that it must be 
 known at sight. It grows a foot high, the leaves 
 stand three upon each stalk, and these stalks rise 
 immediately from the roots. They are thick, 
 round, smooth, and fleshy ; and the leaves them- 
 selves are large, oblong, and have some resemblance 
 of those of garden-beans. The flowers stand 
 upon naked stalks, which are also thick, round, 
 kihy, and whitish : they are small, but they grow
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 47 
 
 together in a kind of thick short spike, so that in 
 ihe cluster they make a conspicuous appearance; 
 they are white with a very taint tinge of purple, 
 and are hairy within ; the root is whitish,, long", 
 and thick. 
 
 The leaves of buck-bean arc to he gathered 
 before the stalks appear for (lowering-, and are 
 to he dried ; the powder of them will cure agues, 
 hut their great use is against the rheumatism: 
 for this purpose they are to be given for a con- 
 tinuance of time in infusion, or iu the manner of 
 tea. 
 
 Buckthorn. Spina ccrzinz. 
 
 A PRICKLY shrub, common in our hedges,' 
 with pale green leaves, and black berries. It 
 grows to eight or ten feet high. The bark is 
 dark coloured and glossy, and the twigs are tough. 
 The leaves are oval, of a very regular and pretty 
 figure, and elegantly dented round the edges. 
 The ilowers are little, and inconsiderable ; they 
 are of a greenish yellow, and grow in little clus- 
 ters. The berries, which are ripe in September, 
 are round, glossy, black, as big as the largest 
 pepper-corns, and contain each three or four 
 seeds. 
 
 The juice of the berries, boiled up with sugar, 
 makes a good purge ; but it is apt to gripe, un- 
 less some spice be added in the making : It is a 
 rough purge, but a very good one. 
 
 Buckshoun Plantain. Corcrwpiis,' 
 
 A VERY pretty little plant, which grows irs 
 our sandy and barren places, with the leave.'? 
 spread ont in scanner of a star, all the way rom:d
 
 48 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 from the root ; and in the heads like other plan- 
 tains, although so very unlike them in its leaves. 
 The root is long- and slender: the leaves which 
 lie thus flat upon the ground, are narrow and 
 long, very beautifully notched, and divided so as 
 to resemble a buck's horn, whence the name, and 
 of a pale whitish green, and a little hairy. The 
 stalks are slender, six inches long, but seldom 
 quite erect : they are round, hairy, and whitish, 
 and have at the top a spike of flowers of an inch 
 or two in length, altogether like that of the other 
 plantains, only more slender. 
 
 This plant has obtained the name of star of 
 the earth, from the way of the leaves spreading 
 themselves. These leaves bruised, and applied 
 to a fresh wound, stop the bleeding and effect 
 a cure. It is said also to be a remedy against 
 the bite of a mad dog, but this is idle and ground* 
 less. 
 
 "Bugle. Bugula. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant and a very pretty 
 one, with flossy leave?, creeping stalks, and blue 
 flowers ; it is frequent in damp woods. The. 
 stalks, wV.en they rise up to bear the flowers, are 
 eight or ten inches high, square, of a pale green 
 colour, often a little purplish ; and have two leaves 
 at every joint, the joints being somewhat distant. 
 These leaves are of the same form with those 
 which rise immediately from the root ; oblong, 
 broad, blunt at the point, and of a deep green 
 colour, sometimes also a little purplish, and are 
 slightly indented round the edges. The flowers 
 are small and of a beautiful blue, in shape like 
 tho^e of betony ; thev grow in a sort of circles 
 round the upper pint of the stalks, forming a kind.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. *9 
 
 of lfose spikes. The cups remain when the flowers 
 are gone., and hold the seeds. 
 
 The juice of this plant is esteemed good for in- 
 ward bruises ; it is a very good diuretic. 
 
 Bugloss. Buglossum hortense. 
 
 A ROUGII and unsightly plant kept in our 
 gardens for the sake of its virtues, but very rare- 
 ly used. It grows to a foot and a half high ; 
 the leaves are rough like those of borage, but 
 they are long and narrow, of a deep green colour, 
 and rough surface. The stalks are also covered 
 with a rough and almost prickly hairiness. The 
 same sort of leaves stand on these as rise imme- 
 diately from the root, only smaller. The flow- 
 ers stand at the tops of the branches, and are very 
 prettji, though not very large ; they are red when 
 they first open, but they afterwards become blue, 
 the root is long and brown. It flowers in June 
 and July. 
 
 Bugloss shares with borage the credit of being 
 a cordial ; but perhaps neither of them have any 
 great title to the character ; it is used like borage, 
 in cool tankards ; for there is no way of making 
 any regular preparation of it, that is possessed of 
 any virtues. 
 
 There is a wild kind of bugloss upon ditch- 
 banks, very like the garden kind, and of the same 
 virtues. 
 
 Burdock. Bardana. 
 
 IF the last-mentioned plant has more credit for 
 medicinal virtues than it deserves, this is not so 
 much regarded as it ought. Providence has made 
 some of the most useful plants the most common ; 
 
 H
 
 50 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 but, because they are so, we foolishly neglect 
 them. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to describe the common bur- 
 dock, [t may be enough to say, that it grows a yard 
 high, and has vast leaves, of a figure approach- 
 ing- to triangular, and of a whitish green colour. 
 The stalks are round, striated, and vcrv tough : 
 The flowers arc small and red, and they grow 
 among the hooked prickles of those heads which 
 we call burs, and which stick to our clothes. 
 Even this seems a provision of nature in kindness 
 to us. In pulling oil' these we scatter the seeds of 
 Which they are composed, and give rise to a most 
 useful plant in a new place. The root of the 
 burdock is long and thick; brown on the outside, 
 and whitish within ; this is the part used in me- 
 dicine, and it is of very great virtues. It is to 
 be boiled, or infused in water, the virtue is diu- 
 retic, and it is very powerfully so. It has cured 
 dropsies alone. The seeds have t!ie same virtue, 
 but in a less degree. The root is said to be 
 sudorific and good in fevers ; hut its virtue in ope- 
 rating by urine is its great value. 
 
 Burnet. Pifiipinclla sanguisorba. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant. It grows by way- 
 sides, and in i\ry places, and flowers in July. The 
 leaves which rise immediately from the root are 
 very beautiful ; they are of the winged kind, being 
 composed of a great number of smaller, growing 
 on each side a middle rib, with an odd one at the 
 end. They are broad, short, roundish, and elegant- 
 ly serrated round the edjrcs. The stalks are a 
 foot high, round, striated, purplish or green, and 
 almost naked ; the few leaves they have are like 
 tha-e at the bottom. On the tops of these stalks
 
 /U;>./
 
 1AMXLY HERBAL. 51 
 
 stand the flowers ; tliey arc disposed in little round 
 clusters, and are small, and of a pale reddish co- 
 lour, and have a number of threads in the middle. 
 
 Burnet is called a cordial, and a sudorific, and is 
 recommended in fevers. They put it also into cool 
 tankards, like borage. The root is a good astrin- 
 gent ; dried and powdered, it stops fluxes, and 
 overflowings of the menses. 
 
 Bun net Saxifrage. Pimpinella saxifrage. 
 
 A PRETTY plant, wild in our dry pastures, 
 and under hedges, but not very common in all 
 parts of the kingdom ; it grows two feet high, 
 and has the flowers in umbels. The stalk is 
 firm, striated, and branched ; the leaves rising 
 from the root are pinnated, and the lesser leaves 
 of which they are composed, are hard, of a deep 
 green, narrow, and indented. The leaves upon 
 the stalks are smaller and narrower ; the flowers 
 are little and white, but they stand in so large 
 clusters, that they make a figure : the root is 
 white, and of a hot burning taste ; the seeds are 
 striated. 
 
 The root is the only part used ; it should be 
 taken up in spring before the stalks shoot up, and 
 dried ; it is very good in colics, and disorders of the 
 stomach, and it works by urine. 
 
 Butter-Bur. Pctasites. 
 
 A VERY singular and very conspicuous plant, 
 not unfrequent with us in wet places. The flow- 
 ers appear before the leaves, and they would 
 hardly be supposed to belong to the same plant. 
 The stalks are round, thick, spungy, and of a 
 whitish colour, and have a few films bv way of
 
 52 FAMILY HERBAL: 
 
 leaves upon them. On the top of each stands 
 a spike of flowers, of a pale reddish colour; 
 the whole does not rise to more than eight inches 
 in height. These appear in March. When they 
 are dead, the leaves grow up ; these are roundish, 
 green on the upper side, and whitish underneath, 
 of a vast bigness, and stand singly upon hollowed 
 foot-stalks, of a purplish, whitish, or greenish co- 
 lour; thev are often two feet broad. The root 
 is white and long, it creeps under the surface of the 
 ground. 
 
 The root, is the part, used ; it is praised very 
 highly, as a remedy in pestilential fevers ; hut, 
 whether it deserves that praise or not, it is a good 
 diuretic, and excellent in the gravel. 
 
 Bur-reed. Sparganium. 
 
 A COMMON water plant, with leaves like 
 flags, and rough heads of seeds : It is two or three 
 feet high. The stalks are round, green, thick, 
 and upright. The leaves are very long and nar- 
 row, sharp at the edges, and with a sharp ridge 
 on the back along the middle ; thev are of a pale 
 green, and look fresh and beautiful. The flowers 
 are inconsiderable and yellowish : they stand in a 
 kind of circular tufts about the upper parts of the 
 stalk : lower down stand the rough fruits called 
 burs, from whence the plant obtained its name ; 
 they are of the bigness of a large nut meg, green and 
 rough. The root is composed of a quantity of 
 while fibres. 
 
 The unripe fruit is used : thev are aslringcut, 
 and good against fluxes of the bellv, and bleed- 
 ings of all kinds: the best way of giving them 
 is infused in a rough red wine, with a little cin- 
 iiamini. They use them in some parts of England
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 53 
 
 externally for wounds. A strong decoction of 
 then is made to wash old ulcers, and the juice is 
 applied to fresh hurts, and they say with great 
 success. 
 
 The Chocolate Nut-tree. Cacao. 
 
 THIS is an American tree, very beautiful, as 
 Well as very valuable for its fruit. The trunk 
 is of the thickness of a man's le<r, and the 
 height of fifteen feet ; but in this it diflVis 
 greatly according to the Foil ; and the size of the 
 fruit also will '.^fjr from the same cause, whence 
 some have talked of four different kinds of the 
 chocolate nut. The tree grows very regularly. 
 The surface is uneven, for the hark rises into 
 tubercles; the leaves are half a foot long-, three 
 inches broad, of a fine strong green, and pointed 
 at the ends. The flowers are small and yel- 
 lowish, and they grow in clusters from the 
 branches, and even from the trunk of the tree ; 
 but each has its separate stalk. The fruit is of 
 the shape of a cucumber, half a foot long, 
 and thicker than a man's wrist ; this is ridged, 
 and, when ripe, of a purplish colour, with some, 
 tinct of vellow. The cacao nuts, as thov are 
 called, are lodged within this fruit; every fruit 
 contains between twenty and thirty of them. They 
 are of the bigness of a large olive, but not, so 
 thick: and are composed of a woody shell, and a 
 large kernel, which atfords the chocolate. 
 
 The common way of taking this in chocolate 
 is not the only one in which it may be given; 
 the nut itself may be put into electuaries. It is 
 very nourishing and restorative.
 
 51 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Ca lamint. Calamintha. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant of great virtues, but 
 too much neglected. It is frequent by our 
 hedges, and in dry places, and is a very robust 
 herb. It is eight, or ten inches high, and has 
 roundish dark green leaves, and white iiowers. 
 The 'stalks arc square, and very much branched : 
 the leaves are of the bigness of a man's thumb- 
 nail, somewhat hairy, and slightly indented about 
 the edges. The iiowers stand m lid in clusters 
 surrounding the stalks, and arc of a '-hitish co- 
 Jour, a lit* le tinged with purplish. The root is 
 composed of a few fibres. Calamint should be ga- 
 thered when just coming into flower, and careful* 
 1) dried ; it is afterwards to be given in the man- 
 ner of tea, and it will do great service in weak- 
 nesses of the stomach, aid in habitual colics. 
 I have known effectual and lasting cures performed 
 by it. 
 
 Penny-roval Calaviint. Calamintha odorz 
 
 pulcgh. 
 
 A LITTLE plant of the same kind with the 
 ether, and found in the same places, but more com- 
 mon. It is a foot high : the stalks are robust 
 ami firm ; the leaves are small, and of a w hitish 
 green colour, and more/hairy than in the other : 
 the iiowers are small and white, with a tinge of 
 purple ; the plant grows more: erect and is less 
 branched than the other ; and it has a very strong 
 and not a very atrreeable smell: the other is strong- 
 scented and pleasant. 
 
 This u to he preserved dry as the other, and 
 taken in the same, manner. It is excellent against 
 stopages of the menses, and, if taken constantly, 
 will bring them to a regular cow---'
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 55 
 
 Calvt.s' Skoit or Snapdragon. Antirrhinum. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant in many parts of 
 Europe, and is very frequent in our gardens, and 
 upon thou alls of gardens : Its natural situation 
 is on hills among barren rocks, and nothing 
 conies so near that, as the top of an old wall 
 with us : the seeds are light and are easilv car- 
 ried thither by the wind, and they never fail to 
 strike, and the plant flourishes. It is two i"ect 
 high, the stalks arc round, thick, firm, end to- 
 lerably upright, but generally a little bent towards 
 the bottom ; the leaves are very numerous ; 
 thev are oblong, narrow, not indented at the edges, 
 blunt at the ends, and of a bluish green colour. 
 The flowers are large and red, they stand in a kind 
 of loose spikes upon the tops of the stalks ; the root 
 is white and oblong. 
 
 The fresh tops arc used; an infusion of them 
 works bv urine, and has been recommended by 
 some in the jaundice, and in other diseases arising 
 from obstructions of the viscera ; but we haye 
 so many English plants that excel in this particu- 
 lar, and the taste of the infusion is so far from 
 agreeable, that it is not worth while to have recourse 
 to It. 
 
 Camel's hay. Schcnanlhus. 
 
 A SORT of grass of a fragrant smell, frequent 
 in manv parts of the East, and brought over 
 to us dried for the use of medicine. ^Jt grows to 
 a foot high, and in all respects resembles some of 
 our common kinds of grass, particularly the dar- 
 nel. The leaves are long and narrow : the 
 stalks are round and jointed, and have grassy leases 
 ifclso on them, and the flowers stand on the tops of
 
 b\j FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 the stalks in a double series : they are not unlike 
 those of our grasses, chaffy and ornamented with 
 a few filaments. 
 
 It was at one time in great esteem as a medi- 
 cine ; they called it a cordial, and a promoter of 
 the menses,, but it is now very little regarded. 
 
 Chamomile. Chamccmclum. 
 
 A COMMON low wild plant, of a beautiful 
 preen, a fragrant smell, and with flowers not un- 
 like daisies. It is frequent on damp heaths, andgets 
 no good by being brought into gardens. It grows 
 iargcr there, but has less eiHcacy. In its wild state 
 it spreads its branches upon the ground, taking root 
 at the joints. The stalks are round, green, and 
 thick ; the leaves are very finely divided, and of a 
 dark blackish green colour. The flowers grow 
 upon long foot-sfalks, and are white at the edge 
 and yellow in the middle : the flowers are moat 
 used. Those which are raised for sale arc double, 
 and they have verv little virtue in comparison of 
 the single ones. They are to betaken in tea, which 
 is a pleasant bitter ; or in powder they are excellent 
 for disorders of the stomaeh, and have sometimes 
 cured agues, as many other bitters will. The tea 
 made of them is also good against the colic, anu 
 works bv urine. 
 
 The Camphire-Tkke. Arbor camphor if era. 
 
 TUTS is a kind of hay-tree of ihc East Indies. 
 hut it grows to the height of our tallest frees. The 
 bark is brown and uneven on the trunk, but it is 
 smooth and green on the young branches. The 
 leaves are like those of the common hav-tree, only 
 a little longer ; and they are curled at the edgc&.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 5? 
 
 The Cowers are small and white, and the fruit is 
 a berry, altogether like our bay-berries, and of the 
 bigness of a ia<-ge pea. The wood of the tree is 
 white or a little reddish, and veined with black, 
 and smells of the eamphire. The leaves also, when 
 thev are bruised, smell of eamphire; and the fruit 
 most of all. 
 
 The only product of this tree, used in medicine, 
 is the ressn called eamphire ; and this is not a natu- 
 ral, but a sort of chemical preparation. They cut 
 the wood to pieces and put it into a sort of subli- 
 ming vessel with an earthen head full of straw. 
 They make fire underneath, and the eamphire rises 
 in form of a white meal, and is found among the 
 straw. This is refined afterwards, and becomes 
 the eamphire we use. 
 
 [t is sudorific and works by urine ; it also pro- 
 motes the menses, and is good in disorders of the 
 bladder. 
 
 White Campion. Lychnis flore albo. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant in our hedges and dry 
 pastures, with hairy leaves, and while flowers. It 
 grows to a foot and a half high : the stalks are round 
 ^ani hairy ; the leaves are of an oval form, and also 
 ^hairy ; and they grow two at every joint : they are 
 ofaduskv green, and are not indented about the 
 edges. The flowers are moderately large, and 
 white ; they grow in a kind of small clusters on 
 the tops of the branches, and each has its separate 
 foot-stalk. 
 
 This is a plant not much regarded for its virtues, 
 but it deserves notice ; the country people gather 
 the flowers in some places, and give them in the 
 whites and other weaknesses with success, 
 
 i
 
 58 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The Canel Bark-Tree, called the Winter's 
 Bark-Tree. Canclla alba. 
 
 A VERY beautiful American tree. It grows 
 fifty fcrt high, and is commonly much blanched. 
 The bark is of a greyish brown : the leases are 
 ver like those of the bay-tree, and the flowers are 
 purple; they arc singly very small, but they s; and 
 in a kind of umbels, and make a vei y pretty figure: 
 the tV ii it is a berry which stands in the tup of the 
 flower : It is of the bigness of a pea, and of a deep 
 blackish purple when ripe. It is frequent in 
 Jamaica in wet places. 
 
 The inner rind of this tree is the part used iu 
 medicine; ii is brought to us rolled up in quills, iu 
 the manner of cinnamon, and is of a spicy taste, 
 and of a whitish colour. Its proper name is canella 
 alba, while canel ; but the druggists have accustom- 
 ed themselves to call it cortex winteranus, winter 's- 
 bark. It has the same virtues with that, but in a 
 much less degree; and they are easily known 
 asunder, that being the whole bark of the tree, 
 ami composed of two coats ; this being only the 
 inner bark, and therefore composed only of one. 
 It is good in weaknesses of the stomach, and in 
 habitual colics. Some recommend it. greatly in 
 palsies and all nervous complaints, but its virtr/'S 
 of tli is kind are not so well established. 
 
 Canterbury Bells. Trachclium majus. 
 
 A VERY beautiful wild plant with leaves like 
 the stinging-nettle, and large and very elegant blue 
 flowers. It grows by road-sides, and in dry 
 pastures, and is two or throe feet high. The stalks 
 are square, thick, upright, siring, and hairy. 
 The. leave? grow irregularly, tlicy are oi a dusky
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 59 
 
 green, and stand upon long fool-stalks; they aae 
 broad at the base, and sharp at the point, and all 
 the way indented very sharply at the edges. They 
 are hairy and rough to tiie touch. The flowers 
 grow ten or a dozen tog-ether at the top of every 
 branch ; they are very large and of a beautiful 
 blue colour, hollow and divided into several parts 
 at the extremity. If the soil be poor, the flowers 
 will vary iu their colour to a pale blue, reddish, or 
 white, hut the plant is still the same. 
 
 The fresh tops, with the buds of the flowers 
 upon them, contain most virtue,, but the dried 
 loaves may be used. An infusion of them sharp- 
 ened with a few drops of spirit of vitriol, and 
 sweetened with honey, is an excellent medicine 
 for sore throats., used by way of a gargle. The 
 p a:;t is so famous for this virtue, that one of its 
 c.> noon English names is throat-wort : if the 
 medicine be swallowed, there is no harm in it ; but, 
 in t* e u e of every thing in this v. ay, it is best to 
 ?p.f the liquor out together with (lie foulnesses 
 which it may have washed from the affected parts. 
 
 The Caper Shrub. Capparis. 
 
 A COMMON shrub in France and Italy, and 
 kept m our gardens. The pickles which we know 
 under the name of capers, are made of the buds of 
 the flowers, but the part to be used in medicine is 
 the bark of the roots. 
 
 The shrub grows to no great height; the 
 branches are weak, and ill able to support them- 
 selves, they are tough and prickly : die leaves s ; a >d 
 irregularly, and are of an oval or roundhh ; ;: i, u ; 
 ti; thorns are hooked like those of the brand ! ; 
 the flowers, when full opened, arc purplish a: <. 
 very pretty : the fruit is roundish.
 
 60 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The bark of the root is to be taken in powder, 
 or infusion ; it is good against obstructions of the 
 liver and spleen, in the jaundice, and hypochondriac 
 complaints : it is also commended in indigestions. 
 
 The Caranna Tree. Caranna arbor. 
 
 A TALL East Indian tree, and a very beautiful 
 one : the trunk is thick, and the bark upon it is 
 brown and rough ; that on the young branches is 
 smooth and yellowish. The leaves are long and 
 narrow, like those of some of our willow-trees. 
 The flow r er is small and of a pale colour, and the 
 fruit is of the bigness of an apple. 
 
 The resin called gum caranna, is a product of 
 this tree ; it is procured by cutting the branches ; 
 they send it in rolls covered with leaves of rushes ; 
 it is blackish on the outside, and brown wis bin. 
 
 It is suposed a good nervous medicine, but it is 
 rarely used. 
 
 The lesser Cardamom Plant. Cardamomum 
 minus, 
 
 AN East Indian plant, in many respects resem- 
 bling our reeds. It grows to Ui\ or twelve feet j 
 high. The stalk is an inch thick, round, smooth, % 
 green, and hollow, but with a pith within. The 
 leaves are half a yard long, and as broad as a man's 
 hand : besides these stalks, there arise from the same 
 root others which are weak, tender, ana about 
 eight inches high ; these produce the flowers which 
 are small and greenish, ana! after every (lower <i o 
 of the fruits, called the lesser cardamoms, which 
 are a light dry hollow fruit, of a whitish colour, 
 and some what triangular shape ; of the bigness of 
 an hene-bcan, and of a dry substance on. the out-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 61 
 
 side, but with several seeds within, which are red- 
 dish and very acrid, but pleasant to the taste. 
 
 These fruits are the lesser cardamoms, or, as 
 they are generally called, the cardamom seeds of 
 the shops. They are excellent to strengthen the 
 stomach, and assist digestion. They are also good 
 for disorders of the head, and they are equal to 
 any thing against colics : they are best, taken by 
 chewiiig them singly iu the mouth, and their taste is 
 not at all f h igreeable, 
 
 The two other kinds are the middle cardamom, 
 a loi it MVi'y rarely met with, and the great 
 
 canbmom, otherwise called the grain of paradise, 
 much better than the cardamoms. 
 
 The Cauassx Titee. Caragna. 
 
 A TALL and spreading tree of the West Indies, 
 the brandies are numerous, and irregular ; the 
 trunk is covered with a brown bark, the branches 
 with a paler, they are bridle ; the leaves are long 
 a ! narrow, of a pale green, and sharp pointed ; the 
 11 >v, .;-. are small, the fruit is roundish and of the 
 bigness of an apple. This is the best account we 
 nave of it, but ibis is far from perfect or satisfac- 
 tory in every respect. 
 
 Ail i'iii we use of it is a resin which oozes 
 out of the bark, in the great heats ; this is brown, 
 souiewiuU soft, and we have it in oblong pieces, 
 roiled tip in rushes ; we put it only externally ; a 
 plaib'or made of it is good for disorders of the head, 
 and some say will cure the sciatica without internal 
 medicines, out this is not probable. 
 
 Car line Thistle. Carlina. 
 
 I HAYS observed that many plants are not
 
 G2 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 so much regarded for their virtues as they ought 
 to be ; th-ere are on the contrary some which are 
 celebrated more than they deserve : the carline 
 thistle is of this last number. It is not wholly 
 without virtues, but it has not all that are ascribed 
 to it. 
 
 This is a plant without any stalk. The leaves 
 are long, narrow, of a dark green colour, divided 
 and prickly at the edge? ; and they lie spread upon 
 the ground in manner of a star. The flower 
 appears in the midst f these without a stalk, rising 
 immediately from t he root, with several small 
 leaves round aboul it. I( is the head of a thistle, 
 and the flowery part is white on the edge, and yel- 
 low in the middle The root is loi g\ and of a brown 
 colour on the ont-ide, and reddish within ; it is of a 
 warm aromatic taste. 
 
 This is the only part of the plant used in medi- 
 cine. They say il is a remedy for the plague : but 
 however thai may he, it is good In nervous com- 
 plaints, and in stoppages of the menses, 
 
 The Caraway Plaxt. Cunnn. 
 
 A WILD plant of the umbelliferous kind, frc^ 
 qucnt in most purls of Europe, but cultivated ita 
 Germany for the sake of the seed. I have met with 
 it very common in fa icohishire. 
 
 It grows to a vard ln<v;h ; the stalks are striated 
 and firm; the leaves are frneiv divided, and the 
 flower.- are white and small, thev srrov* in tuffs, or 
 umbel", on the tops of the branches ; the seeds that 
 follow them are \cv\ well known. 
 
 Ties"eds are excellent in the rolir. and in disor- 
 der .; of the rtomach, thev are best chewed.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 03 
 
 Wild Carrot. Daucus sylzcslus. 
 
 A COMMON plant about the hedges, and m 
 dry pastures. It grows near a yard high, and 
 has small flowers, and after them rough seeds dis- 
 posed in umbels, at tiie tops of the branches, those 
 are hollow, and thence called by the children birds' 
 nests. 
 
 The stalks are striated and firm, the leaves, 
 are divided into fine and numerous partitions, and 
 are of a pale green and hairy ; the flowers are 
 white. 
 
 The seed is the part used in medicine, and it 
 is a verv good diuretic ; it is excellent in all dis- 
 orders of the gravel and stone, and all obstruc- 
 ts -s of urine ; it is also good in stoppages of the 
 menses. 
 
 Candy Carots. Daucus Cretcnsis. 
 
 A PLANT frequent in the east, and cultivated 
 in some places for the seed. It grows near a yard 
 high ; the stalk is firm, upright, striated, and 
 branched : the leaves are like those of fennel, 
 onlvmore finely divided, and of a whitish colour; 
 the" flowers are white, and the seeds are oblong, 
 thick in the middle, and downy. 
 
 These seeds are the only part used : They are 
 good in colics, and they work by urine, but 
 those of our own wild plant are nrore strongly di- 
 uretic. 
 
 The Cascarilla Tree. Cascarilla. 
 
 A TREE of SouthAmerica, of the fruits and 
 flowers of which we have but very impeifcct
 
 64 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 accnunfs, though we are very well acquainted 
 with the hark of its young branches. What we 
 have been told of it is, that the branches are nu- 
 merous, and spread irregularly ; that the leaves 
 are oblong, green on the upper side, and whi- 
 tish underneath ; and the flowers smalls fragrant, 
 and placed in a sort of clusters. 
 
 The bark which our drug-gists sell, is greyish on 
 the outside, brown within, and is of an agree- 
 able smell : when burnt they call it Eleutherian 
 hark, and bastard Jesuit's bark: it is cordial and 
 astringent. It is very properly given in fevers 
 attended with purging. And many have a cus- 
 tom of smoking it among tobacco, as a remedy 
 for head-achs, and disorders of the nerves : it also 
 does good in pleurisies and pcripneumonies : some 
 have recommended it as a sovereign remedy in those 
 cases, but that goes too far. 
 
 The Cassia Fistula Tree. Cassia fistula. 
 
 THIS is a large tree, native of the East, and 
 a very beautiful one when in flower. It grows 
 twenty or thirty feet high, and is very much 
 branched. The" leaves are large, and of a deep 
 green, and each is composed of three or four 
 pairs of smaller, with an odd one at the end. 
 The flowers are of a greenish yellow, but they 
 are very bright, and xcyy numerous, so that they 
 make a fine Appearance, when the tree is full of 
 them: the pods follow these, they are two feet 
 long, black, and woody, having within a black, 
 soft, pulpy matter and the seeds. 
 
 This pulpy matter is the only part used in 
 medicine. It is a gentle aid excellent purge, the 
 lenitive electuary owes its virtues to it. It never
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 65 
 
 binds afterward, &>,>.<} therefore is an excellent medi- 
 cine for those who are of costive habits ; a small 
 dose of it being taken frequently. 
 
 The Cassia Bark. Tree. Cassia lignca. 
 
 THIS is a large spreading tree, frequent in 
 the East Indies, and very much resembling the 
 cinnamon tree in its appearance. The bran- 
 ches are covered with a brownish bark; the 
 leaves are oblong and pointed at the end,, and of 
 a deep green colour, and fragrant smell. The 
 flowers are small, and the fruit resembles that of the 
 cinnamon tree. 
 
 The bark of the branches of this tree is the 
 only part used in medicine ; it is of a reddish brown 
 colour like cinnamon, and resembles it in smell 
 and taste, orly it is fainter in the smell, and less 
 acrid to the taste ; and it leaves a glutinous or 
 mucilaginous matter in the mouth. It is often 
 mixed among cinnamon, and it possesses the same 
 virtues, but in a less degree. However in purgings 
 it is better than cinnamon, because of its mucila- 
 ginous nature. It is an excellent remedy gimi in 
 powder in these cases, and is not so much used as it 
 ought to be. 
 
 The Cassia Carvophythata, or Clove Bars. 
 
 Tree. Cassia caryophythata. 
 
 THIS is a large and beautiful tree, frequent 
 in South America. The trunk is covered with a. 
 dusky bark, the branches with one that is paler 
 coloured and more smooth. The leaves are like: 
 those of our bay-tree, only larger, and when 
 bruised, they have a very fragrant smell the floY'->
 
 M FAMILY HERBAL, 
 
 ers are small and blue, and have a white eye in the 
 middle. 
 
 The only part of this tree used in medicine, 
 is the inner hark of the branches. This is brown, 
 thin, and rolled up like cinnamon; it is hard in 
 colour, of a spicy smell, and in taste it has a mixed 
 flavour of cinnamon and cloves, and is very hot and 
 pungent. 
 
 It is good in disorders of the stomach, and in 
 colics, but it is not so much used as it de 
 serves. 
 
 Cassibonv, or Arabian Stzechas. Stadias 
 Arabic a. 
 
 A VERY fragrant and pretty shrub, native 
 of Spain, and many other warm parts of Europe. 
 It grows much in the manner of lavender, to a yard 
 or more in height, and is not uncommon in our 
 gardens. The branches are firm and woody : the 
 young shoots are pliable and square, and are 
 naked to the top. The leaves stand upon the 
 branches two at each joint, they are long, narrow, 
 and white. The flowers stand in little clusters or 
 heads, like those of lavender ; anjd 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 used : they arc 
 of the nature of those of lavender, but more 
 aromatic in the smell : they are very serviceable 
 in all nervous complaints, and help to promote 
 the nisnses. They are best taken dried and pow- 
 dered
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 67 
 
 The Cassumunar Plant. Cassumunar. 
 
 A COMMON plant of the East Indies, but of 
 which we do not seem to have vet so perfect a des- 
 cription as might be wished. Its leaves are large, 
 long, and like those of our flags, and they involve one 
 another in a singular manner about thefr bases. 
 The flowers are small, and they are in shape some- 
 what like those of certain of our orchises. They 
 are mottled with] purple and yellow : the seed is 
 little and brown, the root creeps under the surface 
 of the ground, and is of a yellow colour, and 
 fragrant smell, and of a warm taste. 
 
 The root is used : we have it at the druggists. 
 It is of the same nature with zcdoary, and has 
 by some been called the yellow zedoary. It is a 
 very good medicine in nervous and hysteric com- 
 plaints. It is warm and strengthening to the sto- 
 mach : it is remarkably good against the head- 
 ach and in fevers. It operates quick by urine and 
 by sweat. 
 
 Cathikt. Nepcta. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant about our hedges, 
 but of very great virtues; it grows a yard high, 
 and has broad whitish leaves, and white flowers 
 like mint. The stalks are square, whitish, hairy, 
 and erect : the leaves stand two at a joint : they 
 are broadest at the base, and terminate in an ob- 
 tuse end ; they are a little indented at the edges, 
 and of a whitish green on the upper side, and very 
 white underneath. The flowers are small and 
 white ; and they grow in a kind of spiked clusters, 
 surrounding the stalks at certain distances. The 
 whole plant has a very strong and not very agree- 
 able smell,
 
 68 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 Catmint should be gathered just when the 
 flower are opening, and dried. It is an excellent 
 woman's medicine ; an infusion of it is good against 
 hysteric complaints, vapours, and fits, and it mode- 
 rately promotes the menses : it is also good to pro- 
 mote tiie evacuations after delivery. 
 
 Great Celandine Chelidonium majus. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant with large leaves, and 
 yellow flowers : which, when broken in any part, 
 stalk, or leaves, emits a yellow juice. It grows 
 three feet high, but the stalks are not very robust, 
 they are round, green, and naked, with thick joints. 
 The leaves stand two at each joint ; they are large, 
 long, and deeply divided at the edges, and are of 
 a yellowish green. The flowers are small, but of 
 a beautiful yellow, and they stand on long foot- 
 stalks several together. 
 
 Celandine should be used fresh, for it looses the 
 greatest part of its virtue in drying. The juice 
 is the best way of giwng it ; and this is an excel- 
 lent medicine in the jaundice : it is also good 
 against ail obstructions of the viscera, and if con- 
 tinued a time, will do great service against the 
 scurvy. The juice also is used successfully for 
 sore eyes. 
 
 Little Celandine. Chelidonium minus. 
 
 THE ^reat and the little celandine, are plants 
 so perfectly different, that it is hard to conceive 
 what could induce the old writers to call them 
 both bv the same name. They hardly agree in 
 anv thing, except it be that they have both yellow 
 flowers. The great celandine approaches to the 
 nature of the poppy ; the sural! celandine to thai
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 69 
 
 of the crow-foot ; nor are they any more alike in 
 virtues than in form. 
 
 Little celandine is a low plant, which is seen 
 almost every where in damp places in spring, with 
 br i ieep green leaves, and glossy yellow flowers. 
 It -..oes not grow to any height, The leaves are an 
 inch long, and nearly as broad ; they somewhat 
 resemble those of the garden hepaticas, and are of 
 a dark green and frequently spotted ; they rise 
 singly from the root on loag, slender, and naked 
 stalks. The flowers rise also singly from the root 
 on long, slender, and naked stalks ; they are as 
 broad as a shilling, of a fine shining yellow colour, 
 and composed of a number of leaves. The root is 
 fibrous, and has small while tuberous Jumps con- 
 nected tothe strings. 
 
 The roots are commended very much against 
 the piles, the juice of them is to be taken in- 
 wardly ; and some are very fond of an ointment 
 made of the leaves, they chop them in pieces, and 
 boil them in lard till they are crisp ; then strain off 
 the lard, which is converted into a fine green 
 cooling ointment. The operation of the roots is by 
 urine, but not violently. 
 
 Little Centaury. Ccntaurium minus. 
 
 A PRETTY wild plant which flowers in autumn, 
 in our dry places. It is eight or ten inches high ; 
 the leaves arc oblong, broad, and blunt at the point ; 
 the stalks are stiff, firm, and erect ; and the flower* 
 arc of a fine pale red. There grows a cluster of 
 leaves an inch long or more from the root ; the 
 stalks divided toward the top into several 
 branches, and the flowers are long and slender, and 
 stand in a cluster. 
 
 This is an excellent stomatic ; its taite is a
 
 70 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 pleasant bitter, and given in infusion ; it strength- 
 ens the stomach, creates an appetite, and is good 
 also against obstructions of the liver and spleen. 
 It is on this last account greatly recommended in 
 jaundices; and the country people cure agues with 
 it dried and powdered. 
 
 As there are a greater and lesser celandine, there 
 is also a great as well as this little centaury ; but 
 the large kindis not a native of our country, nor 
 used by us in medicine. 
 
 Chaste Tree. j4gnus castrus. 
 
 A LITTLE shrub, native of Italy, and frequent 
 in our gardens. It is five or six feet high; the 
 trunk is rough, the branches are smooth, grey, 
 tough, and long; the leaves are fingered or spread 
 like the fingers of one's hand when opened : five, 
 six, or seven, of these divisions stand on each stalk, 
 they are of a deep green above, and whitish under- 
 neath ; the flowers are small and of a pale reddish 
 hue ; they stand in long loose spikes ; the fruit is 
 as big as a pepper-corn. 
 
 The seeds of this shrub were once supposed 
 to allay veuery, but no body regards that now. A 
 decoction of the leaves and tops is good against 
 obstructions of the liver. 
 
 The Black Cherry Tree. Corasusfructu nigra. 
 
 THIS is a well known tall tree, and well shaped. 
 Tin leaves are broad, roundish, sharp at the point, 
 and indented round the edges. The flowers are 
 -white, the fruit is well enough known. The medicinal 
 part of this is the kernel within the stone. This lias 
 b/co supposed good against apoplexies, palsies, 
 and all nervous diseases. The water distilled from
 
 FAMILY HERBAL, 71 
 
 tt was, for this reason, in constant use as a remedy 
 for children's fits. But a belter praciice has now 
 obtained : it is highly probable that this water oc- 
 casioned the disorders it was given to remove. 
 Laurel water, when made of a great strength, we 
 know to be a sudden poison: when weak, it tastes 
 like black-cherry-water, and is not mortal ; in the 
 same manner black-cherry-water, which used to 
 be given to children when weak drawn, has been 
 found to be poisonous when of great strength. There 
 is therefore the greatest reason imaginable to sup- 
 pose that in any degree of strength, it may do mis- 
 chief. Very probably thousands of children have 
 died by this unsuspected medicine 
 
 The gum which hangi upon the branches of 
 cherry-trees, is of the same nature with the gum 
 arabic, and may be used for the same purposes, as 
 in heat of urine, dissolved in barley-water. 
 
 Winter Cherry. Alkekengi. 
 
 A VERY singular and prelty plant kept in our 
 gardens ; it grows two feet high, not very erect, 
 nor much branched ; the stalk is thick, strong, 
 and angulated : the leaves are large, broad, and 
 sharp pointed ; the flowers are moderately large, 
 and white, but with yellow threads in the middle ; 
 the fruit is a round red berry, of the bigness of a 
 common red cherry, contained in a green hollow 
 husk, round, and as big as a walnut. 
 
 The berries are the only part used, they are to 
 be separated from the husks and dried ; and may be 
 then given in powder or decoction. They are verv 
 good in stranguries, heat of urine, or the gravel : 
 they are also given in jaundices, and dropsies : 
 they will do good in these cases, but are not to be 
 depended upon alone.
 
 72 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Chervil. Chocrefalium. 
 
 A SALLAD herb cultivated in gardens, but 
 not without its medicinal virtue. It is like pars- 
 ley in its manner of growth, but the leaves are 
 more divided, and of a paler colour. The stalks 
 are round, striated, hollow, and of a pale green ; 
 they divide into several branches, and are about 
 two feet high : the leaves on them arc like those 
 from the root, but smaller. The flowers are bitter 
 and white, they stand in large tufts at the tops of 
 the branches. The seeds are larg-e and smooth. 
 
 The roots of chervil work by urine, but mode- 
 irately ; they should be given in decoction. 
 
 The Chesnut Tree. Castanea. 
 
 A TALL, spreading, and beautiful tree. The 
 bark is smooth and grey : the leaves long and 
 moderately broad, deep, and beautifully indented 
 round the edges, and of a fine strong green. The 
 flowers are a kind of catkins, like those of willows, 
 long and slender, and of a yellowish colour; the 
 fruits are covered with a rough prickly shell, and, 
 under that, each particular chesnut has its firm 
 brown coat, and a thin skin, of an austere taste, 
 over the kernel. 
 
 This thin skin is the part used in medicine ; it 
 is to be separated from the chesnut, not too ripe, 
 and dried : it is a very fine astringent ; it stop? 
 purgings and overflowings of the menses. 
 
 Fartii-Chesnut, or Earth-Nut 
 Bulbocastanum. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant, which has the name 
 from its root. This is of the bianess of a chesnut,
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 73 
 
 arstmdisb, brown on (be outside, and white within, 
 and of sweet taste. Tbe plant grows to a foot 
 high ; the leaves are divided into fine and nume- 
 rous partitions ; tbe stalk is firm, upright, round, 
 striated and green ; the flowers are white aad 
 little, but they grow i-n great tufts ou the tops of 
 tbe branches. 
 
 The root is the part used ; it is to be roasted in 
 tbe manner of a chesnut and eaten, it is s?.id to 
 have great virtues as a provocative to venery, but 
 tbis is not well confirmed. 
 
 Chick-weed. Alsint media. 
 
 THE commonest of ail weeds, but not without 
 i.fi virtue. The right sort to use in medicine ( for 
 there are several) is that which grows so common 
 v.\ our garden-b^ds : it is low and branched. Tbe 
 stalks arc round, green, weak, and divided ; they 
 commonly lean on the ground. The leaves are 
 short and broad, of a pleasant green, not dented 
 at tbe edges, and pointed at the end : these grow 
 two at every joint. The flowers are white and small. 
 
 The whole plant, cut to pieces and boiled in 
 lard till it is crisp, converts the lard into a fine 
 green cooling ointment. Tbe juice taken inward- 
 ly, is good against the scurvy. 
 
 The China-root Plant. Smilax ciyus racks 
 China officiorum. 
 
 A NAILING plant frequent in the East Indies, 
 It grows to ten or twelve feet in length, but tbe 
 stiiks are weak and unable to stand erect ; they 
 are ridged, of a browH colour, and set with hook- 
 cd yellow prickles. Tbe leaves are oblong ajid 
 broad, largest at the stalk, aud blunt at the points.
 
 M FAMILY HERBAL, 
 
 of a shining green colour, and glossy surface; the 
 flowers are small and yellowish ; the fruit is a round 
 yellowish berry. The root is large, irregular, and 
 knotty; brown on the outside, and reddish withiu. 
 This is the part used, they send it over to our 
 druggists: it is a sweetener of the blood, and is 
 used in diet-drinks for the venereal disease and the 
 scurvy. It is also said to be very good against the 
 gout, taken for a long time together. 
 
 There is another kind of this root brought from 
 America, paler on the outside, and much of the 
 same coiour with the other within; some have sup- 
 posed it of more virtue than the other, but most 
 suppose it inferior, perhaps neither has much. 
 
 Chich. Ciccr. 
 
 A LITTLE plant of the pea kind, sown in some 
 places for the fruit as peas. The plant is low and 
 branched ; the stalks are round and weak, and of a 
 pale green. The leaves are like those of the pea, 
 but each little leaf is narrower, and of a paler green, 
 and hairy like the stalk : the flowers are small and 
 white, and resemble the pea blossom. The pods 
 are short, thick, and hairy, and seldom contain 
 more than two, often but one seed or chich in 
 each. 
 
 They are eaten in some places, and they are gentle 
 diuretics. 
 
 Cinquefoil. Pcntaphyllum. 
 
 A CREEPING wild plant common about way- 
 sides, and in pastures. The stalks are round and 
 smooth, and usually of a reddish colour ; they lie 
 unon the ground, and take root at the joints; the 
 leaves stand on long foot -stalks, five on each stalk ;
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 75 
 
 they are above an inch long, narrow, of a deep 
 dusky green, and indented at the edges, the flowers 
 also stand on long foot-stalks, they are yellow 
 and of the breadth of a shilling, very bright, and 
 beautiful. The root is large and long, and is 
 covered with a brown rind. 
 
 The root is the part used ; it should be dug up in 
 April, and the outer bark taken off and dried, tin- 
 rest is useless; this bark is to he given in powder 
 for all sorts of fluxes ; it, steps purgings, and the 
 overflowings of the menses ; few drugs are of equal 
 power. 
 
 The Cinnamon Tree. Cinnamon. 
 
 A LARG E free frequent in the East, and not un- 
 like the bav-tree in its flowers, fruit, leaves, or 
 manner of growth ; only larger. The hark is 
 rough on the trunk, and smooth on the branches ; 
 it has little taste while fresh, but becomes aromatic 
 and sharp, in that degree we perceive, by drying. 
 The leaves are of the shape of bay leaves, but twice 
 as big ; the flowers are small and whitish ; the 
 berries are little, oblong, and of a bluish colour, 
 spotted with white. 
 
 The root of the cinnamon tree smells strongly of 
 camp hire, and a very fine kind of camphire is made 
 from it in the East ; the wood is white and insipid. 
 The leaves are fragrant. 
 
 The root is the only part used, and this is an ex- 
 cellent astringent in the bowels; it is cordial and 
 good to promote appetite : it also promotes the 
 menses, though it acts as an astringent in other 
 ca.-,e s. 
 
 The V enter's Bark Tree. Cortex icintcranus. 
 
 A B All K called bv maov winter's bark, has beer*
 
 76 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 already described under its true name canella alba ; 
 in this place we arc to inquire into the true winter 's- 
 bark, called by many writers cinnamon. The tree 
 which affords it is a tree of twenty feet high, very 
 spreading 1 , and full of branches, the bark is grey 
 on the outside, and brown within. The leaves are 
 two inches long, and an inch broad, small at the 
 stalk,, and obtuse at the end, and divided a little. 
 The flowers are white and sweet-scented, the fruit 
 is a small berry. 
 
 The bark is the part used, they send over the two 
 rinds together: it is verv fragrant and of a hot 
 aromatic taste. It is a sudorific, and a cordial, and 
 it is excellent against the scurvy. 
 
 The Cistus Shrub, from which labdammi is 
 procured. Cistus ledum fern. 
 
 A VERY pretty shrub, frequent in flic Greek 
 islands, and in other warm climates. It is two or 
 three feet high, very much branched, and has broad 
 leaves, and beautiful large flowers. The trunk is 
 rough ; the twigs arc reddish ; the leaves are al- 
 most of the shape of those of sage ; they stand two 
 at every joint, and are of a dark green colour. 
 The {lowers are of the breadth of half a crown, 
 and of a pale red colour. The gum labdanum 
 is procured from this shrub, and is its oniv produce 
 used in medicine. This is an exudation discharged 
 from the leaves in tiie manner of manna, more 
 than of any thine: else. Tin'V get it off by draw- 
 ing a parcel of leather thongs over the shrubs. 
 It is not much used, but il is a good cephalic. 
 
 ': he ; . :t::.)n Trek. Citria sire mains medica. 
 
 A v VAI-L tree with pritkiv brar.rh.es, but very 
 beautiful in its leaves, fljwers. and fruit ; th'J
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 77 
 
 trunk is grey and rough ; the twigs are green. 
 The leaves are six inches long 1 , and of a kind of 
 oval figure, and of a most beautiful green colour. 
 The (lowers are white like those of the lemon tree, 
 and the fruit resembles a lemon; but it is larger, 
 and often full of protuberances. The outer rind 
 is of a pale yellow, and very fragrant; the inner 
 rind is exceedingly thick, and white ; there is very 
 little pulp, though the fruit be so large. The 
 juice is like that of the lemon; but the yellow 
 cuter rind is the only part used in medicine : this 
 is an excellent stomachic, and of a very pleasant 
 flavour. The Barbadocs water owes its taste to 
 the peel of this fruit ; and there is a way of making 
 a water very nearly equal to it in England, by the 
 addition of spice to the fresh peels of good lemons ; 
 the method is as follows : 
 
 Put into a small still a gallon of fine molasses 
 spirit, put to it six of the peels of very fine lemons, 
 and half an ounce of nutmegs, ami one dram of 
 cinnamon bruised, let them stand all night, then 
 add two quarts of water, and fasten on the head ; 
 distil five pints and a half, and add to this a quart 
 and half a pint of water, with five ounces of the 
 finest sugar dissolved in it. This will be very 
 nearly equal to the finest Barbadocs water 
 
 TheCiTRULL. Citrullus. ' 
 
 A CHEEPING plant of the melon kind, cul- 
 tivated in many parts of Europe and the East. 
 The branches or stalks are \cn 1'eet long, thick, 
 angular, fleshy, and hairy : t}\ey trail upon the 
 ground unless supported. The leaves are large, 
 and stand singly on long foot-stalks ; they are di- 
 vided decplv into five parts, and are hairy also, and 
 of a pale green colour ; the flowers arc large and
 
 V3 
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 yellow; and very like those of our cucumbers I 
 the fruit is also like the melon and cucumher kinds, 
 roundish, often flatted, and composed of a fleshy 
 part under a thick rind,, with seeds and juice 
 within. 
 
 The seeds arc the only part used, our druggists 
 keep them ; they are cooling, and they work by 
 urine gently ; they are best given in form of an 
 emulsion, beat up with barley-water. 
 
 Clary. Horminiun. 
 
 CLARY is a common plant in our gardens, not 
 ycr-- beautiful, but kept lor its virtues. It grows 
 two feet and a half high ; the leaves are rough, and 
 the (lowers of a whitish blue. The stalks are thick, 
 flesh v, and upright ; they are clammy to the touch, 
 and a iittie hairy. 1 h<- leaves are large, wrinkled, ami 
 of a dusky green, broad at the base, and smaller to 
 the point, which is obtuse; the flowers stand in 
 long loose spikes ; they are disposed in circles round 
 the upper parts of the stalks, and are gaping and 
 large, the cups in which they stand are robust and 
 in some degree prickly. 
 
 The whole herb is used fresh or dried. It is 
 cordial, and in some degree astringent. h strength- 
 ens the stomach, is good against headachs, and stops 
 the whites, but for this last purpose, it is necessary 
 1o 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 drv grounds, which is supposed f ) possess 
 the same virtues with the garden kind. The seeds 
 of this are put into the eves to take cut any little 
 offensive substance fallen into them. As soon as 
 thev are put Jo, they gather a coat of mucilage 
 abo'U f .hem. and this "catches held of any little thing
 
 id 
 
 it meets with in the eye. Dc. Parsons lias perfectly 
 explained this in his book of seeds. 
 
 Cleavers. A pa rin e. 
 
 A WILD herb common in aSi our hedges, and 
 known by sticking to people's clothes as thev touch. 
 it. The stalks are square and very rough, two 
 feet long, but weak and unable to support them- 
 selves ; they climb among bushes. The leaves arc 
 long and narrow, and of a pale green; they grow 
 several at every joint, encompassing the stalk in the 
 maimer of the rowel of a spur; they are rough 
 in the same manner with the stalk, and stick to 
 every thing they touch. The flowers are small 
 and white ; the seeds grow two together, and are 
 roundish and rough like the rest of the plant ; the 
 root is fibrous. 
 
 The juice of the fresh lierb is used ; it cools the 
 body, and operates by urine ; it is good against tlie 
 scurvy, and all other outward disorders. Some 
 pretend it will cure the evil, but that is not true, 
 
 The Clove Bark-Tree. Cassia caryophylata, 
 
 A TALL and beautiful tree, native of the West 
 Indies. Thetrunkis covered with a thick brown 
 bark, that of the branches is paler and thinner- 
 The arms spread abroad, and are not very regularly 
 disposed ; the leaves are oblong, broad, and sharp- 
 pointed ; they are like those of the bay-tree, but 
 twice as big, and of a deep green colour. The 
 flowers are small and blue ; they arc pointed with 
 streaks of orange colour, and are of a fragrant 
 smell ; the fruit is roundish ; we use the bark, 
 which is taken from the larger and smaller branches, 
 but that from the smaller is best. It 13 of afragran*
 
 89 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 smell, and of a mixed taste of cinnamon and cloves ; 
 the cinnamon flavour is first perceived, but after 
 that the taste of cloves is predominant, and is so 
 very strong, that it seems to burn the mouth. It is 
 excellent against the colic ; and it warms and 
 strengthens the stomach, and assists digestion : it 
 is also a cordial, and in small doses joined with 
 other medicines promotes sweat. It is not much 
 used fairly in practice, but many tricks are played 
 with it by the chymists, to imitate or adulterate 
 the several productions of cloves and cinnamon, for 
 it is cheaper than either. 
 
 The Clove July Flower. Caryophyllus ruber. 
 
 A COMMON and very beautiful flower in 
 our gardens ; it has its name from the aroma- 
 tic smell, which resembles the clove spice, and 
 from the time of its flowering which is in Julv. 
 It is a carnation only of one colour, a deep and 
 fine purple. The plant grows two feet high ; 
 the leaves are grassy ; the stalks are round and 
 jointed ; the flower grows at the tops of the 
 branches, and the whole plant besides is of a bluish 
 green. 
 
 The flowers are used ; they are cordial, and 
 good for disorders of the head ; they may be 
 dried, and taken in powder or in form of tea, 
 out the best form is the syrup. This is made 
 by pouring five pints of boiling wafer upon three 
 pounds of the flowers picked from the husks, 
 and with the white heels cot oflf : after they 
 have stood twelve hours, straining off the clear 
 liquor without pressing, and dissolving in it two 
 pound of the finest sugar to every pint. This 
 makes the most beautiful and pluasant of all 
 evruoss
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 81 
 
 The Clove Spice Tree. Caryophyllus aroma- 
 
 ticus, 
 
 A BEAUTIFUL tree, native' of the warm 
 countries ; it grows twenty or thirty feet high, 
 and very much branched. The bark is greyish; 
 the leaves are like those of the bay-tree, but twice 
 as large; they are of a bright shining- green, and 
 stand upon long foot-stalks ; the flowers are 
 not very large, but of a beautiful blue colour, 
 and the cups that contain them are oblong and 
 firm ; these are the cloves of the shops. They 
 gather them soon after the flowers are fallen]; 
 when they suffer them to remain longer on the 
 tree, they grow large, and swell into a fruit as big 
 as an oiive. 
 
 The cloves are. excellent against disorders o 
 the head, and of the stomach ; they are warm, 
 cordial, and strengthening ; they expel wind,, 
 and are a good remedy for the colic. The oil of 
 cloves is made from these by chemists; it cures the 
 tooth ach ; a bit of lint beihg wetted, with it, and 
 laid to the tooth. 
 
 Cockle. Pseudomelanthium. 
 
 A TALL, upright, and beautiful plant, wild in 
 our corn-fields, with red flowers, and narrovv 
 leaves. It is two feet high : the stalk is single, 
 slender, round, hairy, very firm, and perfectly 
 upright. The leaves stand two at a joint, and 
 are not verv numerous : thev are Ion\ narrow, 
 hairy, and of a bright green colour: the flowers, 
 stand singly, one at the top of each bianch. The^y 
 are very large., and of a beautiful red. They have 
 an elegant cup, composed of five narrow hail? 
 leaves, which are much longer than the flower 
 
 x
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The seed vessel is roundish, and the seeds arc 
 black. They are apt to be mixed among grain, 
 and give the flour an ill taste. 
 
 The seeds are used ; they work by urine, and 
 open all obstructions ; they promote the menses, 
 and arc good in the dropsy and jaundice ; the 
 best way of giving them is powdered, and put 
 into an electuary to be taken far a continuance 
 of time : for these medicines, whose vittucs are 
 against chronic diseases, do not take eiicci at one::. 
 Many have discontinued them for that reason : and 
 the world in general is, from the same cause, become 
 fond ofchymical medicines, but these are safer, and 
 they are more to be depended upon ; and if the two 
 practices were fairly tried, chymical medicines 
 would loose their credit. 
 
 The Cocull'5 Indi Tree. Arbor coculos Indi- 
 
 cos ferens. 
 
 A MODERATELY large tree, native of the 
 warmer parts of the world. It is irregular in 
 its growth, and full of branches ; the leaves are 
 short, broad, and of a heart-like shape ; they 
 are thick, fleshy, small, and of a dusky green ; the 
 flowers are small, and stand in clusters ; the fruits 
 follow these, they are of the bigness of a large 
 pea, roundish, but with a dent on one side., 
 wrinkled, friable, and brown in colour, and ol 
 an ill smell. 
 
 The powder of these strewed upon children's 
 heads that have vermin destroys them, people also 
 intoxicate fish by it. Make a pound of paste, with 
 flour and water, and add a little red led to colour 
 ii, add to it two ounces of the coculus indi pow- 
 dered. See where roach and other fish rise, and 
 throw in the paste in small pieces, they will take it
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 83 
 
 greedily, and they will be intoxicated. They will 
 swim upon the surface with their belly upward, 
 and may be taken out with the hands. They are 
 not the worse for eating. 
 
 The Codaga Shrub. Codaga pali. 
 
 A LITTLE shrub frequent in the East Indies, 
 and verv beautiful, as well as useful. It grows 
 ten or fifteen feet high ; the branches are brittle, 
 and the wood is white. The leaves are long- and. 
 narrow, not at all notched at the edges, aud of a 
 beautiful green on both sides ; the Mowers are huge 
 and white, and somewhat resemble those of inc rose- 
 bay, or neriun, of which some make ir a kind. 
 Each, flower is succeeded bv two large pods, which 
 are joined at the vnd*. and twist one about the 
 other ; they are foil of a cottony matter about (he 
 seeds. The whole plant is full of a milky juice, 
 which it yields plentifully when broken. 
 
 The bark is the only part used ; it is but newly 
 introduced into medicine, but may be had of -the 
 druggists; it is an excellent remedy for purgings. 
 It is to be given in powder for three or four da's, 
 and a vomit or bleeding before the use of it, as may 
 be found necessary. 
 
 The Coffee-Tree. Arbor cojfee ferens. 
 
 , l uii.'il F.il L snnn; oi the eastern pair of 
 the world, which we keep in many of our *fo\e> r 
 and which flowers and hears jfj.- (Voit with us. It 
 grows eight or ten feet high ; the branches are 
 
 nJer and wee.!;; the leaves are large, obl< ug, 
 and broad, somewhat like those of the ha v- tree, 
 'out bigger, and thin. The flowers are white, nm- 
 d-rutely huge, and like jasmine ; the fruit is a
 
 8* FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 large berry, black when it is ripe, and in it are two 
 seeds, which are what we call coffee ; they are 
 whitish, and of a disagreeable taste when raw. 
 
 Coffee helps digestion, and dispels wind : and it 
 works gently by mine. The best way of faking it 
 is as we commonly drink it, and there are constitu- 
 tions for which it is very proper. 
 
 Sea Colewort, ou Sea Bindweed. Soldanella. 
 
 A PRETTY wild plant that we have on the 
 sea coasts, in many places ,- and that deserves to be 
 much more known than it is as a medicine. The 
 stalks are a foot long, but weak and unable to sup- 
 port themselves upright. They are round and 
 green or purplish : the leaves are roundish, but 
 shaped a little heart fashioned at the bottom ; thev 
 stand upon long foot-stalks, and are of a shining 
 green. The flowers are Targe and red, they are of 
 the shape of a bell ; the roots are white and small, 
 a milky juice flows from the plant when any part of 
 it is broken ; especially from the root. 
 
 The whole plant is to be gathered fresh when 
 about flowering, and boiled in ale with some nut- 
 meg and a clove or two, and taken in quantities 
 proportioned to the person's strength ; it is a strong 
 purge, and it sometimes operates also bv urine, but 
 there is no harm in that. It is fittest for country 
 pei-p'e of robust constitutions, but it will cure 
 dropsies and rheumatism. Nay I have known a 
 clap cured on a country fellow, by only two 
 doses of it. The juice which oozes from the 
 st;iJk and roots may be saved, it hardens into 
 a substance like scammony, and is an eycellent 
 purge
 
 FAMILY I1ERBAV 85 
 
 Coltsfoot. Tussilago. 
 
 A COMMON wild herb, of excellent virtues, 
 but so different in the spring and summer, as that 
 it is scarce to be known for the same. The flow- 
 ers appear in spring 1 without the leaves ; they 
 grow on stalks six or eight inches high, round, 
 thick, fleshy, and of a reddish colour, on which 
 there stand a kind of films instead of leaves. The 
 flowers grow one at the top of each stalk ; they are 
 yellow, and as large as those of the dandelion, aud 
 like them. 
 
 The leaves come up after these are decayed, 
 (hey arc as broad as ones hand, roundish, and sup- 
 ported each on a thick hollow stalk, they are green 
 on the upper side, and white and downy underneath. 
 The flowers are not minded, these leaves only are 
 used. 
 
 Columbine. Aqu ilezia. 
 
 A COMMON garden flower, but a native flUo 
 of our country, it grows two feet high ; the 
 leaves are divided into many parts, generally in a 
 threefold order ; the stalks are round, firm, up- 
 right, and a litlle hairy ; the flowers are blue and 
 huge ; the seeds are contained in a kind of horned 
 capsules. The leaves and the seeds are used ; a 
 decoction of the leaves is said to be good against 
 sore throats. The seeds open obstructions, and 
 are excellent in the jaundice, and other complaints 
 from like causes. 
 
 Comfrev. Symphytum. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant, of great virtue ; it is 
 frequent by ditch sides ; it grows a foot and half
 
 3;S FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 high : the leaves are large, long, not very broad, 
 rough to the touch, and of a deep disagreeable green : 
 the stalks are green, thick, angulated, and up- 
 right. The {lowers grow along the tops of the 
 branches, and are white, sometimes reddish, not 
 very largo, and hang often downwards. The root 
 is thick, black, and irregular ; when broken it is 
 found to be white within, and full of a slimy juice. 
 This root is the part used, and it is best fresh,, but 
 it may he beat up into a conserve, with three time* 
 its weight of sugar. It is a remedy for thatterr 
 ble disease the whites. It is also good aguiiii- 
 spitting of blood, bloody fluxes, and purging*., and 
 for inward bruises. 
 
 The Contrayerva Pl.h.'t. Contrayerva. 
 
 A VERY singular plant, native of America, 
 i yet got into our gardens. It consists only 
 vis rising from the root, upon single foot- 
 and flowers of a singular kind, standing also 
 le and separate foot- stalks, with no leaves 
 upon them. The leaves arc large, oblong, very 
 broad, and deeply divided on each side ; their co- 
 lour is a dusky green ; and the foot- stalks on 
 which they stand are small and whitish, and often 
 bond under the weight of the leaf. The stalks 
 Afiieh support the flowers, are shorter and weaker 
 than these ; and the flowers are of a very pecu- 
 liar kind ; they arc disposed together in a kind of 
 l.'ai form, and arc very small and inconsiderable, 
 i'hc bed on which they are situated is of an oval 
 figure, and is called the placenta of the plant ; 
 it is of a pale colour and thin. 
 
 V. e are told of another \i\nvA of the same kind ; 
 Iho leaves of which are less divided, and the pla- 
 tva'.a is square, but the roots of both arc allowed 
 
 an 
 
 Q 
 
 i: 
 
 of 
 
 !' 
 
 
 sta 
 
 Ik 
 
 s 
 
 on 
 
 si 
 
 i)
 
 to be exactly alike an J it is therefore mere pro- 
 bable, that this is not another plant., but the same 
 in a different stage of growth. 
 
 We use the root's : our druggists keep them, and 
 they are the principal ingredient in that famous 
 powder, called, from its being volicd up into balls, 
 lapis contraverva. It is an excellent cordial and 
 sudorific, good in fevers, and in nervous cases ; 
 and against indigestions, colics, and weaknesses 
 of the stomach. It may be taken in powder or 
 in tincture ; but it is better to give it alone, than 
 with that mixture of crab's claws and ether use- 
 less ingredients, which go into the contraverva 
 stone. In fevers and i .ervous disorders, it is best 
 to give it in powder ; in weaknesses of the stomach, 
 it is best in tincture. It is also an excclh-ni. in- 
 gredituit in b'tter tinctures ; and it is wonderful the 
 present practice lias i.e. I put it to that use. All 
 the old prejscribers of forms for these things, have 
 put some warm root into them ; but none is so 
 proper as this ; the most usual has been the galan- 
 gul, but (hat has a most disagreeable flavour in 
 tincture: the contraverva has ail the virtues ex- 
 pected to be found in that, and is quite unexcep- 
 tionable. 
 
 The Copal Tree. Arbor copalifcra. 
 
 A LARGE tree of South America, it grow? 
 to a great height, and is tall, straight, and tolerablv 
 regular ; the bark of the trunk is of a 6c("[} brow-. 
 The branches are bitter. The leaves are large and 
 oblong, and they are blunt at the ends ; thev are 
 deeply cut in at the edges, and i'? it were not that 
 ih<v area great deal longer in proportion to their 
 breadth, they would be very like those of the oak ; 
 the flowers arc moderately large, and full of
 
 83 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 threads ; the fruit is round, and of a blood red 
 when ripe. 
 
 We use a resin which oozes from the bark of 
 large trees of this species in great plenty, and is 
 called copal ; it is of a pale yellow colour, some- 
 times brownish, and often colourless, and like gur.t 
 arable ; we have a way of calling it a guru, but 
 it is truly a resin; and the yellow pieces of it are 
 so bright and transparent, that they very much re- 
 semble the purest amber. 
 
 It is good against the whites, and against weak- 
 nesses left after the venereal disease ; but it is not 
 so much used on these occasions as it deserves. 
 It is excellent for making* varnishes; and what is 
 commonly called amber varnish among our artists 
 13 made from it. Amber will make a very fine var- 
 nish, better than that of copal, or any other kind ; 
 but it is dear. 
 
 We sometimes see heads of canes of the colour- 
 less copal, which seem to be of amber, only they 
 want its colour ; these are made of the same resin 
 m the East Indies, where it grows harder. 
 
 Coral. Cor allium, 
 
 A SEA plant of the hardness of a stone, and 
 with very lit t lo of the appearance of an herb, 
 The red coral, which is the sort used in medicine, 
 grows a foot or more in height ; the trunk is as 
 thick as a man's thumb, and the branches are 
 numerous. It is fastened to the rocks by a crust 
 which spreads over them, and is covered all over 
 with a crust also of a coarse substance and striated 
 texture. Towards the top there are (lowers and 
 seeds, but verv small ; from these rise the young 
 plants. Tiie seeds have a mucilaginous matter 
 about them, winch sticks them to the rocks. The
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. S$ 
 
 oriole plant appears like a naked shrub without 
 leaves or visible flowers. 
 
 It has heen supposed lately that coral is made 
 by small insects, but this is an error ; polypes live 
 in coral as worms in wood, but these don't make 
 the trees nor the other the plant. Coral is to be 
 reduced to fine powder, by grinding it on a mar- 
 ble ; and then it is given to stop purgings, to 
 destroy acid humours in the stomach, and to 
 sweeten the blood. They suppose it also a cordial. 
 Probably for all its real uses, chalk is a better me- 
 dicine. 
 
 There are several sorts of white oral, whichi 
 have been sometimes used in medicine ; but all al- 
 low the red to be better, so that they are not kept 
 sn the shops. 
 
 Coralline. Coralluia. 
 
 A LITTLE sea plant frequent about our own 
 toasts and of a somewhat stony texture, but not 
 like the red or white coral. It grows to three 
 inches high, and is very much branched, and young 
 shoots arise also from different parts of the branches : 
 there are no leaves on it, nor visible flowers, but 
 the whole plant is composed of short joints. It is 
 commonly of a greenish or reddish colour, but 
 when it has been thrown a time upon the shores, it 
 bleaches and becomes white ; it naturally grows 
 to shells and pebbles. The best is the freshest, n*t 
 that which is bleached. 
 
 It is given to children as a remedy against worms ; 
 a scruple or half a dram for a dose. 
 
 Coriander. Coriandrum. 
 
 A SMALL plairt, cultivated in France and- 
 
 N
 
 90 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 German, for the sake of its seed. It is two feci 
 high, and has clusters of white or reddish flowers 
 upon the tops of the branches. The stalks are 
 round, upright, and hollow, but have a pith in 
 them ; the leaves, which grow from the root, have 
 rounded tops, those on the stalks are divided into 
 narrow parts ; the seeds follow two after each 
 flower, and they are half round. 
 
 The seed is the only part used : the whole plant 
 when fresh has a bad smell, but as the seeds dry, 
 they become sweet and fragrant. They are ex- 
 cellent to dispel wind ; they warm and strength- 
 en the stomach and assist digestion. It is good 
 against pains in the head, and has some virtue in 
 stopping purgings, joined with other things. 
 
 The Cornel Tkee. Cornus mos. 
 
 A GARDEN tree of the bigness of an appfc 
 tree, and branched like one ; the bark is greyish, 
 the twigs are tough ; the leaves are oblong, broad, 
 and pointed, of a fine green colour, but not serrated 
 at the edges. The flowers are small and yellowish, 
 the fruit is of the bigness of a cherry, but oblong, 
 not round; it is red and fleshy, of an astringent 
 bark, and has a large stone. The fruit is ripe in 
 autumn ; the flowers appear early. 
 
 The fruit is the part used ; it may be dried and 
 used, or the juice boiled down with sugar ; either 
 way it is cooling and moderately astringent ; it is a 
 gentle pleasant medicine in fevers with purgings. 
 
 There is a wild cornel tree, called the female 
 cornel, in our hedges ; a shrub five feet high, \vi,th 
 broad leaves, and black berries ; it n not used in 
 medicine. In some part3 of the Westlndies they 
 iutoxicate fish with the bark of a shrub of this 
 kind, by only putting a quantity of it into Hie water
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 91 
 
 of a pond ; we have not tried whether this of ourg 
 will do the same. 
 
 Corn Marigold. Chryscmthemum segestum. 
 
 A VERY beautiful wild plant growing in corn- 
 fields, with large bluish leaves, and full of flowers 
 like marigolds. It is two feet high ; the stalks are 
 numerous, round, stiff, tolerably upright, and 
 branched ; the leaves stand irregularly, and are 
 long, very broad, and of a bluish green ; they are 
 smallest towards the base, and larger at the end, 
 and they arc deeply cut in at the sides. The flow- 
 ers are as broad as half a crown, and of a very beau- 
 tiful yellow ; they have a cluster of threads in the 
 middle. The root is fibrous. 
 
 The flowers, fresh gathered and just opened, 
 contain the greatest virtue. They are good against 
 all obstructions, and work by urine. An infusion of 
 them, given in the quantity of half a pint warm, 
 three times a day, has been known to cure a jaun- 
 dice, without any other medicine ; the dried herb 
 has the same virtue, but in a less degree. 
 
 Costmary. Costus hortorum. 
 
 A GARDEN plant kept more for its virtues 
 than its beauty, but at present neglected. It grows 
 a foot and half high, and has clusters of naked 
 yellow flowers like tansy. The stalks are firm, 
 thick, green, and upright ; the leaves are oblong, 
 narrow, of a pale green, and beautifully serrated; 
 the flowers consist only of deep yellow threads. 
 
 It was once greatly esteemed for strengthening 
 the stomach, and curing head-achs, and for opening 
 obstructions of the liver and spleen, but more seems 
 to have been said of it than it deserved.
 
 n FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The Co9TUs Plant. Costus. 
 
 AN Indian plant, which bears two kinds of stalk*, 
 one for the leaves, and the othe; for the flowers and 
 seeds ; these both rise from the same root, and oftea 
 near one another. 
 
 The leaf-stalks are four feet high, thick, hollow, 
 round, upright, and of a reddish colour. 
 
 The leaves are like those of the reed kind, long, 
 narrow, and pointed at the edges, and they are of 
 a bluish green colour. The stalks which bear the 
 flowers, are eight inches high, tender, soft, round, 
 and as it were scaly. The flowers are small and 
 reddish, and they stand in a kind of spikes, inter- 
 mixed with a great quantity of scaly leaves. 
 
 The root is the only part used ; it is kept by our 
 druggists ; it is oblong and irregularly shaped. It is 
 a very good and safe diuretic, it always operates 
 that way, sometimes also by sweat and it opens 
 obstructions of the viscera. But unless it be new 
 and firm, it has no virtue. 
 
 The Cotton Tree. Gossypium sive xylon. 
 
 A SMALL shrub, 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 dusky green 
 colour The flowers are large and beantiful, they 
 are of the hell-fashioned kind, as broad as a half 
 crown, deep, < i a yellow colour, and with a purple 
 bottom; the seed-vessels are large, and of a roundish 
 figure, and ihey contain the cotton with the seeds 
 among it. When ripe, they burst open into three or 
 four parts. 
 
 The seeds are used in medicine, hut not so 
 jnnch as they deserve ; they are excellent in coughs*
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. $S 
 
 and all disorders of the breast and lungs ; they 
 cause expectoration., and are Yery balsamic and 
 
 astringent. 
 
 The Cotton Thistle. Acanthium. 
 
 A TALL and stately wild plant, common by 
 our way sides, 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 beset with yel- 
 lowish thorns; they are of a whitish colour, and 
 seem covered with a downy matter of the nature ot 
 cotton. The stalks are thick, round, firm, and up- 
 right ; and winged with a sort of leafy substances 
 which rise from them, and have the same sort of 
 prickles that are upon the leaves. The ordinary 
 leaves upon the stalks are like those which grow 
 from the root, only they are more deeply indented, 
 and more prickly ; the flowers are purple ; they 
 stand in long prickly heads, and make a beautiful 
 appearance. The root is very long, thick, and 
 white. 
 
 The root, is the part used, and that should be 
 fresh gathered. It opens obstructions, and is good 
 against the jaundice, and in dropsies, and other 
 disorders arising from obstructions. It also mo- 
 derately promotes the menses. It may be dried 
 and given in powder for the same purposes. But 
 the virtues are much less. 
 
 Couch Grass. Gramen caninum. 
 
 
 
 A VERY troublesome weed in fields and gar- 
 dens, but very useful in medicine. Nature 
 has made those plants which may be most useful
 
 94 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 to us the most common, and the most di*EeuIt to 
 be removed. Couch grass grows two ftct high, 
 and is a robust kind of grass : the stalk is round 
 and pointed ; the leaves are grassy, but broad, 
 and of a fresh green colour; the spike at the top 
 :'s like an ear of wheat, only thin and Hat. It 
 consists of ten rows of grains. The root is 
 white, slender, very long and jointed, and it takes 
 fresh hold at every joint ; so that if but a piece 
 id left in pulling it up, it grows and increases xqt 
 quickly. 
 
 The roots are used, and they are to be fresh 
 taken up and boiled. The decoction is excellent 
 In the gravel and stone; it promotes urine strong- 
 ly, yet not forcibly or roughly. Taken for a 
 continuance, the same decoction is good against 
 obstructions of the liver, and will cure the jaun- 
 dice. 
 
 Cowslip. Paralysis. 
 
 A PRETTY wild plant in our meadows. The 
 leaves are broad, oblong, indented, rough, and 
 of a whitish green colour; the stalks are round, 
 upright, firm, thick, and downy ; they are six 
 or eight inches high, and are naked of leaves. 
 At the top of each stand a number of pretty yellow 
 flowers, each upon a separate foot-stalk, and in its 
 own separate cup. 
 
 The flowers arc the part used. They have been 
 celebrated very much against apoplexies, palsies, 
 and other terrible diseases, but at present in such 
 cases we do not trust such remedies. They have 
 a tendency to procure sleep, and may be given in 
 tea or preserved in form of a conserve.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL, Tj 
 
 Cowslip of Jerusalem. Pulmonaria maculata. 
 
 A LOW plant, but not without beauty, Icept in 
 gardens i'o r the credit of its virtues, which are 
 indeed more and greater than the present neglect 
 of it would have one to suppose. It grows to eight 
 or tea inches high ; the leaves are long and broad., 
 hairy, of a deep green, and spotted with white 
 spots on the upper side, but of a paler colour, and 
 uot spotted underneath. The stalks are slender, 
 angulated, and hairy, and have smaller leaves on 
 them, but of the same figure with those from the 
 root. The flowers arc small and reddish, and grow 
 several in a cluster at the top of the stalk. The 
 root is fibrous. 
 
 The leaves are used; they should he gathered 
 before the stalks grow up, and dried ; they are 
 excellent in decoction for coughs, shortness of 
 breath, and all disorders of the lungs ; taken in 
 powder, they stop the overflowing of the menses ; 
 and when fresh bruised and put into a new made 
 wound, they stop the bleeding and heal it. 
 
 COW- W II E AT . C) 'G t C g 1111111. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant in our woods and 
 thickets, with narrow blackish leaves, and bright 
 yellow flowers. It is eight or ten inches high, 
 The stalks are square and slender ; very brittle, 
 weak, and seldom quite upright. The leaves are 
 oblong and naYrow ; sometimes of a dusky green 
 colour, hut oftener purplish or blackish ; they 
 are broadest at the hase, and small all the way to 
 the point; and they are commonly, but not always 
 indented a little about the edges. The flower? 
 stand, or rather hang, all on one side of the stalk, 
 m a kind of loose spike ; they are small and yellow,
 
 U6 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 and grow two together. The seeds which follow 
 these are large, and have something of the as- 
 pect of wheat, from whence the plant has its odd 
 name. 
 
 These seeds are the part used ; they are to he 
 dried and given in powder, but in small doses. 
 They have virtues which few seem to imagine ; 
 they are a high cordial and provocative to venery; 
 but if given in too large a dose, they occasion the 
 head^ach and a strange giddiness. I knew an in- 
 stance of a woman who had boiled the fresh tops 
 of the plant in a large quantity in water, as a re- 
 medy for the jaundice, (I know not by what in- 
 formation, ) and having drank this in large draughts, 
 was as a person drunk and out of her senses ; she 
 complained of numbness in her limbs, and seemed 
 in danger of her life, but nature recovered her aftes 
 a few hours without other assistance. 
 
 The Crab Tree. JMalus sylrestris. 
 
 A COMMON hedge shrub, and when in flow- 
 er very beautiful. The trunk is uneven, and the 
 bark rough ; the branches arc knotty, the wood 
 is firm, and the bark of a dark colour ; the 
 leaves are broad and short, the flowers are large 
 and reddish, very beautiful and sweet, and the 
 fruijt is a small apple. 
 
 Verjuice is made from the crab ; and it is a re- 
 medy for the falling down of the uvula, better 
 than most other applications : it is also good, 
 against sore throats, and in all disorders ot the 
 mouth. 
 
 Cranesbill. Geranium robcrtianum. 
 
 CRANESBILL is a little herb very frequent
 
 Family herbal. 97 
 
 tinder hedges, and in uncultivated places : thers 
 are many kinds of it, but that which has most vir - 
 tue, is the kind called herb robert ; this is a pretty 
 and regularly growing plant. The stalks are a 
 foot long, but they seldom stand quite upright ; 
 ^hey are round, branched, and jointed, and are often 
 red, as is frequently the whole plant : the leaves are 
 large, and divided into a great number of parts, 
 and they stand upon long foot-stalks, two at every 
 joint. The flowers are moderately large, and of 
 a bright red, they are very conspicuous and pretty; 
 the fruit that follows is long and slender, and has 
 some resemblance of the long beak of a bird, whence 
 the name. 
 
 The whole plant is to be gathered root and all, 
 and dried for use ; it is a most excellent astringent : 
 Scarce any plant is equal to it. It may be given 
 dried and powdered, or in decoction. It stops 
 overflowings of the menses, bloody stools, and all 
 other bleedings. 
 
 it is to be observed that nature eems to have 
 set her stamp upon several herbs which have the 
 virtue to stop bleedings. This and the tusan, the 
 two best remedies the fields afford for outward and 
 inward bleedings, become all over as red as blood 
 at a certain season. 
 
 The Garden Cress, Nasturtium hor ien.se, 
 
 A COMMON garden plant, raised for sallads. It 
 h two feci high: the stalk is round and firm, and 
 of a bluish green ; the leaves are divided into seg- 
 ments, and the flowers are small and white ; but 
 the full grown plant is not seen at our tables ; wc 
 eat only the leaves rising immediately from the root. 
 Tiit^e are laiv.e, finely divided, of a bright green, 
 
 q
 
 93 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 and sharp. Cresses eaten in quantity are Yery good 
 against the scurvy. The seeds open obstructions. 
 
 Water Cress. Nasturtium aquaticum. 
 
 A WILD plant common with us in ditches, and 
 shallow rivers. It is a foot high, the stalks are 
 round, thick, but not very upright, of a pale green, 
 and much branched ; the leaves are of a fresh and 
 bright green, divided in a winged manner and ob- 
 tuse ; the flowers are small and white, and there is 
 generally seen a kind of spike of the flowers and 
 seeds at the top of the stalks. 
 
 The leaves are used ; they may be eaten in the 
 manner of garden cress, and are full as pleasant, 
 and they are excellent against the scurvy. The 
 juice expressed from them has the same virtue, and 
 works also powerfully by urine, and opens ob- 
 structions. 
 
 Sciatica Cress. Iberis, 
 
 A PRETTY wild plant, but not frequent in all 
 parts of the kingdom. It is a foot high. The 
 stalk is round, firm, and upright ; of a pale green 
 colour. The leaves are small, longish, and of a 
 pale green also ; and the flowers stand at the tops 
 of the branches, into which the stalk divides in its 
 upper part ; they are white and little. The leaves 
 that grow immediately from the root, are four 
 inches long ; narrow and serrated about the edges, 
 and of a deep green. 
 
 The leaves are used ; they are recommended 
 greatly in the sciatica or hip-gout ; they are to be 
 applied externally, and repeated as they grow dry. 
 The bestwav is to beat them with a little lard. It
 
 
 ' 'w*/
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 99 
 
 is an approved remedy, and it is strange that it is 
 not more in use. 
 
 Wart Cresses, or Swine's Cresses. Coronoput 
 
 ruellii. 
 
 A LITTLE wild plant very common about our 
 fields and gardens. It spreads upon the ground. 
 The stalks are five or six inches long ; firm, and 
 thick, but usually flat on the earth ; very much 
 branched, and full of leaves. The leaves that rise 
 immediately from the root are long, and deeply 
 divided : and those on the stalks resemble them, 
 only they are smaller : they are of a deep glossy 
 green colour, and not at all hairy. The flowers 
 are small and white ; they stand at the tops of the 
 branches and among the leaves ; the seed-vessels 
 Are small and rough. 
 
 This is an excellent diuretic, safe, and yel very 
 powerful. It is an ingredient in Mrs. Stephens* 
 medicine : the juice may be taken ; and it is good 
 for the jaundice, and against all inward obstruc- 
 tions, and against the scurvy ; the leaves may 
 also be eaten as salad, or dried and given in de- 
 coction. 
 
 Cross-wort. Cruciata. 
 
 A VERY pretty wild plant, but not very com- 
 mon : it grows afoot and a half high. The stalks 
 are square, hairy, weak, and of a pale green. The 
 leaves are broad and short ; they stand four at 
 every joint, star-fashioned, upon the stalk. The 
 flowers are little and yellow ; they stand in clusters 
 round the stalk, at the joints, rising from the in- 
 sertion of the leaves. It is to be found in dry 
 places.
 
 100 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The whole plant is to be gathered whe-n begin- 
 ning to flower, and dried. A strong decoction of 
 it is a good restringent. and styptic ; it stops pur- 
 gings, even when there are bloody stools ; and 
 overflowings of the menses. 
 
 Crow-foot. Ranuculus. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant. There are several 
 sorts of it, but the kind used in medicine is that 
 most common in meadows, and called the common 
 creeping crowfoot. It grows a foot or more high ; 
 the stalks are firm, thick, branched, and of a pale 
 green ; but they seldom stand quite upright. The 
 leaves on them are few, and divided into narrow 
 segments ; the flowers are yellow, of the breadth 
 of a shilling, and of a fine shining colour ; they 
 stand at the tops of all the branches ; the leaves 
 which rise from the root are large, divided in a 
 threefold manner, and often spotted with white. 
 
 Some are so rash as to mix a few leaves of this 
 among salad, but it is very wrong ; the plant is 
 caustic and poisonous. They are excellent applied 
 externally in palsies and apoplexies ; for they act 
 quicker thancantharides in raising blisters, and are 
 more felt. It is a wonder they are not more used 
 fur this purpose ; but we are at present so fmid 
 of foreign medicines, that these things are not 
 minded. 
 
 There are two oilier kinds of crow-foot distin- 
 guished as poisons ; though all of them are, with 
 some .degree of justice, branded with this name : 
 but the two most pernicious kinds are that called 
 spearwort, which has long, narrow, and undivided 
 leaves ; and that with very small flowers, and leaves 
 somewhat like the divisions of those of smallage. 
 These both grow in watry places.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 101 
 
 The Cubed Plant. Cubeba. 
 
 A CLAMBERING plant of the warm cli- 
 mates, but unknown in this part of the world, until 
 described by those who have been where it grows. 
 The stalks are weak, angulated, and reddish ; the 
 leaves are broad and short, and the flowers small ; 
 the fruit is of the bigness of a pepper corn, but a 
 little oblong, and grows on a long and very slender 
 foot stalk. 
 
 This fruit is the "part used ; the druggists keep 
 it. It is a warm and pleasant spice good against 
 weaknesses of the stomach, in colics, and in palsies, 
 and all nervous disorders. But it is seldom used 
 alone. 
 
 The Cucumber Plant. Cucumis hortensis. 
 
 A CREEPING straggling plant sufficiently 
 known. The stalks are a yard or two long, thick, 
 but spread upon the ground, angulated and hairy. 
 The leaves are broad deeply indented, and very 
 rough, and of a bluish green colour ; the flowers 
 are large and yellow. The fruit is long and thick; 
 the ?eeds are used in medicine, and the fruit should 
 be suffered to stand till very ripe before they are 
 gathered. They arc cooling and diuretic, good 
 against stranguries, and all disorders of the urinary 
 passages; the best way of giving them is bea-t up 
 to an emulsion with barley water. 
 
 The Wild Cucumber. Cucumis asininus. 
 
 THIS, though called wild, is not a native of 
 England. It spreads upon the ground in the 
 manner of the other cucumber, and its branches 
 grow to a considerable length ; they are thick,
 
 1D2 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 hairy, angulated, and of a pale green and tough. 
 The leaves are broad at the base, and narrow at the 
 point, serrated round the edges, and of a pale green 
 above, and whitish below. The flowers are yellow, 
 and moderately large ; the fruit is of an oval 
 figure, hairy, and full of juice. Care must be taken 
 in touching it when ripe, for the sharp juice flies 
 out with violence. 
 
 The juice of the fruit is pressed out, and a thick 
 matler that subsides from it is separated and dried ; 
 the druggists keep this and call it elatheriuiu, it is 
 a violent purgative, but little used. 
 
 Cucrow Flower, or Lady's SiMcck.. Carda- 
 
 ininc, 
 
 A VERY beautiful wild plant, frequent in our 
 meadows in spring, and a great ornament to them. 
 It grows a foot high. The leaves which rise from 
 the root, are winged very regularly and beautifully, 
 and are spread in a circular manner, the stalk is 
 round, thick, firm, and Lpright. The leaves that 
 grow on it are smaller, finely divided, and stand 
 Mngly. The flowers grow in a little cluster, on 
 that spike on the top, and from the bottom of the 
 leaves. They are huge, of a fine white, often 
 tinged with a blush of red. 
 
 The juice of the fresh leaves is to be used ; 
 it is an excellent diuretic, and is good in the 
 gravel and all suppressions of urine. It also opens 
 obstructions, and is good in the jaundice and 
 green sickness ; and a course of it against the 
 scurvy. 
 
 Cudweed. Gnaphalium. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant, but singular in is
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 103 
 
 appearance. There are many species of it. Hut 
 that used in medicine is the kind called the middle 
 cudweed., a herb impious. It has this last name 
 from the whimsical observation of the young flow- 
 ers rising above the old ones, which is called the 
 son's growing above the father. This cudweed, 
 is a little low plant, it seldom rises to a foot high. 
 The stalks are tough, firm, white, slender, and up- 
 right ; they are very thick, set with leaves, which 
 are small, oblong, white, and pointed at the ends, and 
 seldom lie xery even. The flowers are a kind of 
 brown or yellowish heads, standing at the tops, and 
 in the divisions of the stalks. 
 
 The herb bruised, and applied to a fresh wound, 
 stops the bleeding ; it may be also dried and given in 
 decoction, in which form it is good against the 
 whites, and will often stop violent purging?. 
 
 Cummin. Cuminum. 
 
 A PLANT of the umbelliferous kind, cultivated 
 in every part of the East, for the value of the seed. 
 It grows a foot and a half high. The staik is 
 round, striated, green, and hollow. The leaves are 
 large, and very finely divided in the manner of 
 those of fennel. The flowers stand in larjre clus- 
 ters, at the tops of the branches, and they arc small 
 and white, with a blush of red. The seeds are long 
 and striated. 
 
 The seeds are used. Our druggists keep them. 
 They are of a very disagreeable flavour, but 01 
 excellent virtues ; they are good against the colic 
 and wind in the stomach, and, applied outwardly, 
 they will often remove pains in the side. Tbey must 
 be bruised, and a large quantity laid on.
 
 104 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The Black Currant. Ribcsia nigra. 
 
 THIS is a little shrub, of late brought very 
 universally into our gardens. It grows three or 
 four foot high. The branches are weak, and the 
 bark is smooth. The leaves are large and broad, 
 and divided in the manner of those of the common 
 currants ; but they have a strong smell. The 
 flowers are greenish and hollow. The fruit is 
 a large and round berry, black, and of a some- 
 what disagreeable taste, growing in the manner of 
 the currants. 
 
 The juice of black currants boiled up with su- 
 gar to a jelly, is an excellent remedy against sore 
 throats. 
 
 Long Cyperus. Cyjperus longus. 
 
 A WILD plant in our marshes, fens, and other 
 damp places. It is a foot and half high. The 
 leaves are a foot long or more, narrow, grassy, and 
 of a bright green colour, flat, and sharp at the 
 ends. The stalk is triangular and green ; there 
 are no leaves on it, except two or three small ones 
 at the top, from which there rises a number ojE 
 small tufts or spikes of flowers. These arc brown, 
 light, chaffy, and in all respects like those of the 
 other water grasses. 
 
 The root is used. It is long and brown, and 
 when dried, is of a pleasant smell, and aromatic 
 warm taste. Ji should be taken , p in spring.. It 
 is good against pains in the head, and it promotes 
 urine. 
 
 Round Cyperus. Cupcrus rotundus. 
 
 A PLANT in many respects resembling the other,
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 10* 
 
 but a native of the warmer countries. It grows 
 two feet high. The leaves are very numerous, 
 n, foot and a half long, narrow, of a pale green 
 colour sharp at the point, and ribbed all along 
 like those of grass. The stalk is triangular, and the 
 edges are sharp ; it is firm, upright, and often 
 purplish, especially towards the bottom. The 
 flowers are chaffy, and they grow from the top of 
 the stalk, with several small and short leaves set 
 under them ; they are brown and light. The root 
 is composed of a great quantity of black fibres, to 
 which there grows at certain distances roundish 
 lumps. These are the only parts used in medicine, 
 Our druggists keep them. They are light , and of 
 a pleasant smell, and warm spicy taste. 
 
 They are good in all nervous disorders. They 
 are best taken in infusion, but as the virtues are 
 much the same with the other, that is best, because 
 it may be had fresher. 
 
 The Cypress Tree. Cwprcssus. 
 
 A TREE kept in our gardens, an evergreen, 
 and singular in the manner of its growth. It 
 rises to twenty or thirty foot high, and is all the 
 way thiek beset with branches. These are largest 
 towards the bottom, and smaller all the way up ; 
 so that the tree appears naturally of a conic fi- 
 gure. The bark is of a reddish brown. The 
 leaves are small and short, they cover all the 
 twigs like scales, and are of a beautiful deep 
 green. The flowers are mall and inconsiderable. 
 The fruit is a kind of nut, of the bigness of a 
 small walnut, and of a brown colour and firm sub- 
 stance. Vv lien ripe, it divides into several parts, 
 ami the seeds fall out. 
 
 The fruit is the only part used. It is to \>t 
 
 v
 
 106 FAMILY HERBAL, 
 
 gathered ueforc it bursts, and carefully dried and 
 given in powder ; five and twenty grains is the 
 dose. It is an excellent balsamic and styptic. 
 It stops the bleeding of the nose, and is good 
 against spitting of blood, bloody-flux, and over- 
 flowing of the menses. We are not aware how 
 powerful a remedy it is ; few things are equal 
 to it. 
 
 D. 
 
 Common Daffodill. JSaixissus. 
 
 A WILD English plant, with narrow leaves and 
 great yellow flowers, common in our gardens 
 in its own form, and in a great varietj of ^shapes- 
 that culture has given it. In its wild state, it is 
 about a foot high. The leaves are long, narrow, 
 grassy, and of a deep green, and they arc nearly 
 as tall as the stalk. The stalk is roundish, but 
 somewhat Hatted and edged. The flower is large 
 and single ; it stands at the top of the stalk, and by 
 its weight presses it down a little. The root is round 
 and white. 
 
 The fresh root is to be used, and 'tis very easy 
 to have it always in readiness in a garden; and 
 ycry useful, for it has great virtues. Given in- 
 ternally, in a small quantity., it acts as a vomit, 
 and afterwards purges a little; and it is excellent 
 against all obstructions. The best way of giving 
 it is in form of the juice pressed out with some 
 white wine, but its principal uses are externally. 
 The eastern nations have a peculiar way of dry- 
 ing the thick roots of plants, especial ly if they 
 are full of a slimy juice as this is : They put 
 them to soak in water, and then hang them over 
 the steam of a pot in which rice is boiling; after 
 thiithey string them up, and they become in some
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 107 
 
 degree transparent and horny. It would be worth 
 while to try the method upon this root and some 
 others of our own growth ; which, because of this 
 slimv juice, we cannot well dry any other way; 
 probably this would lose its vomiting quality 
 when dried, ard would act onlv as an opener of 
 obstructions, in which case, it might be given in 
 repeated doses ; for at present no body will be pre- 
 vailed upon to take it often. 
 
 The fresh root bruised and applied to fresh 
 wounds heals them very suddenly. Applied to 
 strains and bruises, it is also excellent, taking away 
 the swelling and pain. 
 
 The Great Daisy. ' Belli s major. 
 
 A BEAUTIFUL and stately wild plant, which, 
 if it were not frequent in our fields, would doubt- 
 less be esteemed in gardens. It grows to a foot 
 high. The stalks are angulated slender, but firm 
 and upright : the leaves are oblong, narrow, 
 dented round the edges, and of a beautiful deep 
 green. The flowers stand on the tops of the 
 branches. They are white, and an inch broad; 
 very like the white china starwort so much esteem- 
 ed in our gardens. The root is slender. 
 
 The flowers are the part used. They are to be 
 gathered when newly opened, and dried, and may 
 afterwards be given in powder or infusion. They 
 are good against coughs and shortness of breath, 
 and in all disorders of the lungs. They are balsamic 
 and strengthening. 
 
 The Little Daisy. Bcllis minor. 
 
 A PRETTY wild plant, too common to need 
 ;,'.,. h description, but too much neglected for if?
 
 108 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 virtues. The leaves are oblong,, broad, and ob- 
 tuse. The stalks are three or four incbes high, 
 and have no leaves. The flowers grow one on 
 eaeh stalk, and are of the breadth of a shilling, and 
 whitish or reddish. The root is composed of a 
 vast quantity of fibreu. 
 
 The roots fresh gathered and given in a strong 
 decoction, are excellent against the scurvy; the 
 use of them must be continued some time., but the 
 event will make amends for the trouble. People 
 give these roots boiled in milk to keep puppies from 
 growing, but they have no such effects. 
 
 Dandelion. Dcnslconis. 
 
 ANOTHER of our wild plants too common to 
 need much description. The leaves are very long, 
 somewhat broad, and deeply indented at the edges. 
 The stalks are naked, hollow, green, upright, and 
 six, eight, or ten inches high ; one flower stands 
 on each, which is large, yellow, and composed of 
 a great quantity of leaves, and seeds which follow 
 this, have a downy matter affixed to them. The 
 whole head of them appears globular. The root 
 is long, large, and white. The whole plant is full 
 of a milky juice, the root most of all. This runs 
 from it when broken, and is bitterish but not dis- 
 agreeable. 
 
 The root fresli gathered and boiled, makes an 
 excellent decoction to promote urine,, and bring 
 away gravel. The leaves may be eaten as salad 
 when very young, and if taken this way in suf- 
 iicient quantity, they are good against the scurvy, 
 
 Red Darnell. Lolium riibrum. 
 
 A WILD grass, very common about way-sides,
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. iOtf 
 
 and distinguished bv its stubborn stalks and low 
 growth. It is not above a foot high, often much 
 less. The leaves are narrow, short, and of a 
 dusky green. The stalk is thick, reddish, some- 
 what flatted, and upright. The ear is flat ; and 
 is composed of a double row of short spikes : this, 
 as well as the stalk, is often of a purplish colour. 
 The root is composed of a great quantity of whitish 
 fibres. 
 
 The roots are to be used ; and they are best dried 
 and given in powder. They are a very excellent 
 astringent ; good against purging, overflowing of 
 the menses, and all other fluxes, and bleeding ; 
 but the last operation is slow, and they must be con- 
 tinued. 'Tis a medicine fitter, therefore, for ha- 
 bitual complaints of this kind, than sudden illness. 
 
 There is an old opinion that the seeds of darnell, 
 when by chance mixed with corn, and made into 
 bread, which may happen, when it grows in corn- 
 fields, occasions dizziness of the head, sickness of 
 the stomach, and all the had effects of drunkenness : 
 they are said also to hurt the eyes ; but we have 
 very little assurance of these effects ; nor are they 
 very probable. They properly belong to another 
 kind of darnell, distinguished by the name of white 
 darnell ; which is a taller plant, and more common 
 in corn-fields than the red ; but this is very much 
 to be suspected upon the faee of the account. The 
 antients make frequent mention of this kind flf 
 darnell, growing, to their great distress, among ^he 
 wheat ; but by the accidental hints some nave 
 given about its height, and the shape of ifs ear, 
 they seem to haye meant the common dogs grass 
 or couch grass, under that name ; though others 
 have seemed to understand the distinction. In this 
 uncertainty, however, remains the matter about 
 which particular kind of grass was really accused
 
 410 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 of possessing these bad qualities : but it is most 
 probable that they belong to neither ; and that 
 fancy, rather than any thing really known, gave 
 birth to the opinion. 
 
 The Date Tree. Palma dac.tylifera. 
 
 A TREE of the warmer countries, very unlike 
 those of our part of the world. The trunk is thick 
 and tall, and is all the way up of the same bigness ; 
 it has no hark, but u covered with the rudiments of 
 leaves, and the inner part of the trunk when it 13 
 young is eatable. At the top of the trunk stand a 
 vast quantity of leaves, some erect and some droop- 
 ing, and from the bosoms of these grow the flowers 
 and the fruit ; but it is remarkable that the flowers 
 grow upon the trees only, and the fruit on some 
 others. If there be not a tree of the male kind, that 
 is a (lowering tree near the fruit of the female, it 
 will never naturally ripen. In this case they cut 
 off bunches of the flowers, and shake them over 
 the herd of the female tree, and this answers the 
 purpose 
 
 All plants have what may be called male arid fe- 
 male parts in their flowers. The male parts are 
 certain dusty particles : the female parts are the 
 rudiments of the fruits. In some plants these are 
 in the same flowers as in the tulip. Those black 
 trains which dust the hands are the male part, and 
 th", green thing in the middle of them is the female: 
 it becomes afterwards the fruit or seed vessel. In 
 other plants, as melons, and many more, the male 
 parts grow in some flowers, and the female parts in 
 others, on the same plant : and in others, the male 
 flowers and the female grow upon absolutely dif- 
 ferent plants, but of the same kind. This is tire 
 case in the date tree as wc see, and it is same though
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. Ill 
 
 we do not much regard it, in hemp, spinage, and 
 many others. 
 
 The fruit of the date is the only part used. It 
 is as thick as a man's thumb and nearly as long, of 
 a sweet taste, and composed of a juicy pulp, in a 
 tender skin, with a stone within it. They are 
 strengthening and somewhat astringent, but we do 
 not much use them. 
 
 Devil's Bit. Succisa. 
 
 A WILD plant in our meadows, with slender 
 stalks, and globous flowers, [t grows two feet 
 high. The stalks are round, firm, and upright, 
 and divided into several branches : they have two 
 little leaves at each joint. The flowers are as big 
 as a small walnut, and composed of many little ones; 
 their colour is very strong and beautiful. The 
 leaves which grow from the root arc four inches 
 long, an inch broad, obtuse, of a dark green, and a 
 little hairy, not at all divided, or so much as in- 
 dented at the edges. The roots are white, and com- 
 posed of a thick head, which terminates abruptly 
 as if it had been bitten or broken off, and. of a 
 multitude of fibres. The Devil, as old women say, 
 bit itawav, envying mankind its virtues. 
 
 The leaves are to be gathered before the stalks 
 appear. They are good against coughs, and the 
 disorders of the lungs, given in decoction. The 
 root dried and given in powder, promotes sweat, 
 and is a good medicine in fevers, but we neglect it. 
 
 Dill. Anethum. 
 
 An umbelliferous plant, kept in our gardens, 
 principally for the use of the kitchen. The stalk 
 15 round, striated, hollow, upright, three fee^ high.
 
 112 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 and divided into a great many brandies. The leaves 
 are divided into numerous, narrow, and long parts, 
 in the manner of fennel ; but they are not so large. 
 The flowers are small and yellow ; they stand in 
 clusters on the tops of the branches. The root 
 is long. The seeds of dill are good against the 
 colic ; and they are said to be a specific against 
 the hiccough, but I have known them tried with- 
 out success. 
 
 Dittandek. Lepidium. 
 
 \ TALL plant, with broad leaves and little white 
 flowers ; wild in some places, and frequent in 
 our gardens. It grows a yard high. The stalks 
 are round, firm, of a pale green, and very much 
 branched. The leaves are large towards the 
 bottom, smaller upwards ; and the flowers stand 
 in a kind of loose spikes ; the lower leaves are 
 beautifully indented, the others scarce at all : the 
 seeds are contained in little roundish capsules, and 
 are of a hot and pungent taste. 
 
 The leaves of dittandcr fresh, gathered and boil- 
 ed in water, make a decoction that works by urine, 
 and promotes the menses : thev are also good to 
 promote the necessary discharges after delivery. 
 
 Dittany or Crete. Dictamuns Creticus. 
 
 \ VERY pretty little plant, native of the East, 
 r.Tid kept in some of our curious people's gardens. 
 
 Il has been famous for its virtues, hut thev stand 
 more upon the credit of report than experience. 
 it is six or eight inches high, \\\ n . .stalks are square, 
 .slender, hard, vvoodv, and branched. The leaves 
 are short, broad, and roundish ; they stand two at 
 every joint, aivd are covered with a white woolly
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 1\3 
 
 matter. The flowers are small and purple: they 
 grow in oblong and slender scaly heads, in the 
 manner of those of origanum ; and these heads are 
 themselves very beautiful, being variegated with 
 green and purple. The whole plant has a fragrant 
 smell. 
 
 The leaves are used, our druggists keep them 
 dried. The old writers attribute miracles to it in 
 the cure of wounds ; at present it is seldom used 
 alone ; hut it is good in nervous disorders, and 
 it promotes the menses, and strengthens the sto- 
 mach. 
 
 White Dittany. Fraxinella, 
 
 A VERY beautiful plant, native of many of the 
 warmer parts of Europe ; but with us kept only 
 in gardens. It is three foot high, yery much 
 branched and very beautiful. The stalks are round, 
 thick, firm, and of a green or purplish colour. The 
 leaves stand irregularly on them, and are like those 
 of the ash tree, only smaller. The flowers are 
 large and elegant : they are of a pale red, white, or 
 striped ; and they stand in a kind of spikes at the 
 lop of the branches. The whole plant is covered 
 in the summer months with a kind of balsam, 
 which is glutinous to the touch, and of a very fra- 
 grant smell. This is so inflammable., that if a candle 
 he brought near any part of the plant, it takes fire 
 and goes off in a flash all over ihe plant. Yrn> 
 does it no harm, and may be repeated after three or 
 four days, a new quantity of the balsam being pro- 
 duced in that time. The roots of this plant are (he 
 only part used, and they are kept dry by the drug- 
 gists. They are commended in fevers, and in 
 nervous and hysteric cases, but their virtues arc 
 not great, I ha?c found an infusion of tb<e fops of
 
 lit FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 the plant, a very pleasant and excellent medicine in 
 the gravel ; it works powerfully by urine, and gives 
 ease in those colicy pains which frequently attend 
 upon the disorder. 
 
 Sharp-pointed Dock. Lapathum folio acuta, 
 
 A COMMON plant, like the ordinary dock, hut 
 somewhat handsomer, and distinguished by the 
 figure of its leaves, which are sharp-pointed, not 
 obtuse as in that, and are also somewhat narrower 
 and longer. The plant grows three foot high. 
 The stalks are erect, green, round, striated and 
 branched. The leaves are of a fine green, smooth, 
 neither crumpled on the surface, nor curled at the 
 edges, and have large ribs. The flowers are small, 
 at first greenish, then paler, and lastly, they dry and 
 become brown. The root is long, thick, and of a 
 tawny colour. 
 
 The root is the part used, It is excellent a<* 
 gainst the scurvy, and is one of the best things we 
 know, for what is called sweetening the blood. It 
 is best given in diet drinks and decoctions. Used 
 outwardly, it cures the itch, and other foulness of 
 the skin ; it should be beat up with lard for this 
 purpose. 
 
 Great Water Dock. Hydrolapathum maximum, 
 
 THIS is the largest of all the dock kind? ; they 
 have a general resemblance of one another, but this 
 is most of all like to th last described, in its man- 
 ner of growth, though vastly larger. It is fre- 
 quent about waters, and is five or six feet high,. 
 The stalks are round, striated, thick and very up- 
 right, branched a little and hollow. The leaves 
 Me vastly Iwge ; of a pale green colour, smooth,,
 
 P/A
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 115 
 
 *.nd sharp at the point. The flowers are small, 
 and of a greenish colour with some white threads, 
 and they afterwards become brown. The root is 
 large,, long, and of a reddish brown. 
 
 It is a good remedy in the scurvy. The root con- 
 tains the greatest virtues, and it is to be given in 
 diet drinks. The seeds of this, and all other docks, 
 arc astringent, and good against purgings. 
 
 Garden Dock, called Monks' Rhubarb. Lapa- 
 tham sativum, patientia. 
 
 A TALL plant of the dock kind, a native of 
 Italy, and kept in our gardens for its virtues. It 
 grows six or seven feet high. The stalk is round, 
 striated, thick, upright, and firm. The leaves are 
 very large, long, and are pointed at the extremity : 
 they stand upon thick hollowed foot stalks ; and 
 the main stalk of the plant is also frequently red. 
 The flowers are like those of the other docks, 
 greenish and white at first, but afterwards brown ; 
 but they are larger than in almost any other kind. 
 The root is very large, long, and divided ; the outer 
 coat is of a brownish yellow ; within, it is yellow 
 mixed with red. This is the part used ; it has been 
 called monks' rhubarb, from its possessing some of the 
 virtues of the true rhubarb ; but it possesses them 
 only in a slight degree, it is very little purgative, 
 and less astringent : It works by urine as well as 
 stool, and is good in the jaundice, and other disor- 
 ders arising from obstructions. 
 
 There is another plant of the dock kind, called 
 bastard rhubarb, kept in some gardens, and mista- 
 ken for this. The leaves of it are roundish. It baa 
 the same virtues with the monks' rhubarb, but in a 
 much less degree, so that it is very wrong to use it 
 in its place.
 
 116 FAMILY HERBAt, 
 
 Dodder. Cuscuta. 
 
 A VERY strange and singular plant, but not 
 uncommon with us. It consists of only stalks and 
 flowers, for there are no leaves, nor the least 
 resemblance of any. The stalks are a foot or two 
 in length, and they fasten themselves to other 
 plants ; they are of a purplish colour, as thick as 
 a small pack-thread, and considerably tough and 
 firm. These wind themselves about the branches 
 of the plants, and entangle themselves also with 
 one another in such a manner, that there is no end 
 of the perplexity of tracing and unfolding them. 
 The flowers grow in little heads, and are Bmall and 
 reddish, four little seeds succeed to each of them. 
 
 Dodder is best fresh gathered ; it is to be boiled 
 in water with a little ginger and allspice, and 
 the decoction works by stool briskly ; it also opens 
 obstructions of the liver, and is good in the jaun- 
 dice, and many other disorders arising from the like 
 cause. 
 
 The dodder which grows upon the garden thyme, 
 lias been used to be preferred to the others, and 
 ha? been supposed to possess peculiar virtues, from 
 the plant on which it grows ; but this is imagi- 
 nary : experience shews it to be only a purge as 
 the other, and weaker. The common dodder is 
 preferable to it with us, because we can gather it 
 fresh, the other is imported, and we only have it 
 dry ; and it often loses a great deal of its virtue in 
 the hands of the druggist. 
 
 Dog Mercury. Cynocrambc. 
 
 A COM iYION and poisonous plant named here, 
 aot as a medicine but that people who gather herbs, 
 for whatever use, may guard against it. It is
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 117 
 
 common under hedges ; and in the earlier part of 
 the year makes a pretty appearance. People might 
 very naturally be tempted to eat of it among other 
 spring herbs, for there is nothing forbidding in its 
 aspect ; and what is much worse, the authors most 
 likely to be consulted on such an occasion, might 
 lead those into it, whom they ought to have guarded 
 against it. 
 
 It is about a foot high, and has but few leaves, 
 but they are large. The stalk is round, thick, 
 whitish, pointed, and a little hairy ; the leaves 
 stand principally toward the top, four, five, or six, 
 seldom more : they are long and considerably 
 broad, sharp -pointed, notched about the edges, and 
 a little hairy. The flowers- are inconsiderable : they 
 stand in a kind of spikes at the tops of the stalks ; 
 and the seeds are on separate plants, they are dou- 
 ble and roundish. The herb has been from this 
 divided into two kinds, male and female, but they 
 have in earlier time given the distinctions of the sex 
 wrong. Those which bear the spikes of flowers, 
 are the male plants ; the others, notwithstanding 
 any accidental resemblance, female. 
 
 There is not a more fatal plant, native of our 
 country, than this ; many have been known to 
 die by eating it boiled with their food ; and proba- 
 bly many also, whom we have not heard of: vet 
 the writers of English Herbals, say nothing of this. 
 Gerard, an honest and plain writer, but ignorant 
 as dirt, says, it is thought they agree with the 
 other mercuries in nature. These other mercuries 
 are eatable ; therefore, who would scruple on this 
 account, to eat also this. Johnson, who put forth 
 another edition of this book, and called it Gerard 
 Emaculated, from the amending the faults of the 
 original author, says nothing to contradict it : but 
 after gome idle observations upc-u other herbs of the
 
 ilS FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 same name, but very different qualities, which yet 
 he seems to suppose of the same nature, leaves his 
 reader to suppose, that he meant equally any of the 
 kinds of mercury, for the purposes he names ; and, 
 like his predecessor Gerard, supposed them all to he 
 alike ; those safe, and those poisonous. It is true, 
 Mr. Ray, in his Synopsis of the British plants, 
 gives an account of it as a poison, and must suffici- 
 ently warn all who read him, from the herb : hut 
 who reads him ? His book in which this is mentioned, 
 is written in Latin ; and those who want the infor- 
 mation, cannot read it. 
 
 This is not only the case in one or two particulars, 
 it is so in all. To speak generally, the books which 
 contain real knowledge, are. written in Latin, 
 through an ostentation of their authors, to shew 
 their learning, or a pride in having them read in 
 other nations as well as here ; and those we have 
 in English are ignorant ; despised by the persons of 
 judgment, and fit only to mislead. If they enu- 
 merate virtues, they give them at random, or give 
 too many false among the true, that the reader 
 knows not what to choose ; or their real ignorance 
 mingles poisons with salads, as we see in the present 
 instance : Nor is any more regard to be paid to what 
 thev say of herbs, from certain great names they 
 quote. Dioscorides and Galen were indeed great 
 physicians ; but men like these are not qualified 
 to profit from their labours. The names of plants 
 have been changed so often since their time, that 
 we do not know what they mean b}' several : and it 
 is easy for such sad proficients as these, to record 
 of one plant, what they spoke of another : besides, 
 even in their best writings, there is a great deal of 
 error and folly, as may be seen in a quotation of this 
 Johnson's from them, added to Gerard in this verv 
 chapter. AY here, speaking of one of the kinds of
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 113 
 
 mercury, distinguished like this poisonous kind, 
 into male and female, he says, ' that the male kind 
 ' conduces to the generation of boys, and the female 
 c of girls.' Such is the matter, that a superiority 
 in one of these authors over the other, qualified 
 him to add to his book : such are the English 
 books that are extant upon this subject ; and such 
 the direction offered to the charitable, confounding 
 eatable herbs with poisons. This has been one 
 great reason of writing the present book, that there 
 may be one guide and direction at least, to be de- 
 pended upnn ; and this ifs author has thought pro- 
 per to say at large upon the immediate occasion, 
 rather than in a preface ; because there it must 
 have been accompanied with a needless repetition, 
 and perhaps would not have been observed by many.. 
 who may have recourse to the book. 
 
 Dog Tooth. Dens caninus. 
 
 A VERY pretty little plant, with two broad 
 leaves and a large drooping flower ; common in 
 Italy and Germany, and frequent in our gardens. 
 It is five or six inches high. The stalk is round, 
 slender, weak, and greenish towards the top ; often 
 white at the bottom. The leaves stand a little 
 height above the ground : they are oblong, some- 
 what broad, of a beautiful green, not at ail dented 
 at the edges, and blunt at the end : they inclose 
 the stalk at the base. The flower is large and white, 
 but with a tinge of reddish; it hangs down, and 
 is long, hollow, and very elegant. The root is 
 roundish, and has some fibres growing from its 
 bottom ; it is full of a slimy juice. 
 
 The fresh gathered roots are used ; for they dry 
 very ill, and generally lose their virtues entirely. 
 They are good against worms in child ion, ar.d ;;.'>;
 
 HO FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 a surprising and speedy effect against those violent 
 pains in the belly, which are owing to those crea- 
 tures. The best way of giving them is in the ex- 
 pressed juice ; or if children will not take that, 
 they may be boiled in milk, to which they gi\e very 
 little taste. It is a powerful remedy ; and a small 
 dose will take effect, especially of the juice; so 
 that it is best to begin with very little, and as that 
 is well borne, to increase the quantity. 
 
 Dragons. Dj^acontium. 
 
 A FINE, tall, and beautiful plant ; kept in 
 gardens for its use in medicine, as well as for its 
 appearance. It is foar feet high. The stalk is 
 thick, round, and firm ; perfectly smooth, and 
 painted on the surface with several colours ; 
 purple, white, green, and others. The leaves 
 are very large, and stand on long foot-stalks : they 
 are of a deep and strong green ; and each is divided 
 into several portions in the manner of fingers. 
 The flower is like that of the common arum or 
 cuckoo pint : it is contained in a hollow green case, 
 of a deep purple within, and the pistil is also of a 
 deep purple ; after this is fallen, appear as in the 
 arum, large red berries in a cluster. The whole 
 plant is of an acrid and insupportable taste. 
 
 The whole plant is to be gathered when in flower, 
 and dried ; it may afterwards be given in decoction, 
 powder, or otherwise. It was vastly esteemed for 
 malignant fevers, and in the small pox ; but it has 
 relate lost much of its credit : at preieut it is only 
 "ised in i.ome compositions.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 121 
 
 The Dragon's Blood Tree. Sanguis draconis 
 
 arbor. 
 
 A VERY beautiful tree, native of the Canaries, 
 .. ! some other places. It is of the palm kind, and 
 oiie of the handsomest of them, The trunk is na- 
 ked ail the way to the top, and there stand on its 
 summit a great quantity of leaves, long, narrow, 
 and pointed at the ends ; of a bluish green colour, 
 and not unlike the leaves of our flags. The fruit 
 is round, and is of the bigness of a walnut with 
 the green rind upon it. 
 
 The dragon's blood is a red friable resin, Our 
 druggists keep it : the best is in small lumps ; there 
 is an inferior kind in cakes or masses. It is pro- 
 cured by cutting the trunk of this tree in the great 
 heats. There are also two other kinds of palm, 
 that aflford the same resin, It is a very excellent 
 astringent. It is useful in purgings and in the 
 (overflowing of the menses, in spitting of blood, and 
 all other occasions of that kind, It may be given 
 in powder, 
 
 Drofwort. Filipendula. 
 
 A VERY pretty wild plant, with tufts of whitish 
 flowers, and leaves finely divided. It grows two 
 feet high. The stalk is round, striated, upright, 
 firm, and branched. The leaves are large and 
 divided into a great number of firm segments, they 
 rise principally from the root, and stand on slender 
 foot-stalks. There are few leaves on the stalks, and 
 they are small. The flowers are little, but they 
 stand in great tufts 'at the tops of the branches : they 
 are white on the inside, and often reddish on the 
 outside. The seeds are flattish and grow .neveral 
 together, The root is composed of a great number
 
 Ig FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 of small lumps, fastened together by filament. 
 This root is the part most used ; it is good in fits 
 of the gravel, for it promotes urine greatly and 
 safely. For this purpose the juice should be given,, 
 or a strong decoction "of the fresh root. When 
 dried it may be given in powder to stop the whites 
 and purgings, it i a gentle and safe astringent. 
 
 There are several other plan(s called in English 
 dropworts, which are very different in their qua- 
 lities, and one of thern is poisonous in a terrible 
 degree; this last is called hemlock dropwort; care 
 must therefore be taken that the right kind is used, 
 but this is sufficiently different from all the others. 
 The flower is composed of six little leaves, and is 
 full of yellow threads in the middle ; the flowers of 
 all the others are composed only of five leaves each. 
 They are all umbelliferous plants, but this is not; 
 the flowers grow in clusters, but not in umbels : 
 Ihey grow like those of the^ ulmaria or meadow 
 sweet. 
 
 Duck-weed. Lcnticula. 
 
 A SMALL green herb, consisting of single, little 
 roundish leaves, which float upon the surface of 
 the water, and send their roots into it for nourish- 
 ment, without sticking them into the mud. It is 
 the small green herb that covers almost all our 
 standing waters in summer. There are two other 
 kinds of it, one with smaller leaves and many fibres 
 from each, another with only one fibre from each 
 leaf: both these are green all over ; and a third 
 kind with larger leaves, which are purple under- 
 neath, but all these have the -nmc virtue, and it 
 is no matter which is taken. The juice is to be 
 given ; and it is to be continued for several days. 
 
 It works powerfully by mine, and opens ebstrue*-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 123 
 
 tions of the liver : jaundices have been cured by 
 it singly. 
 
 Dwarf Elder. Ebulus. 
 
 A PLANT so much resembling the common 
 elder-tree, that it may be easily mistaken for it till 
 examined. It grows four or five feet high. The 
 stalks are green, round, tender, and upright ; and 
 they have very much the appearance of the young 
 shoots of elder ; but there is no woody part from 
 whence they rise. The leaves are large, and com- 
 posed of several pairs of others, as those of elder, 
 with an old one at the end ; but these are longer than 
 in the elder, and they are serrated round the edges. 
 The flowers arc imall and white; but they stand 
 in very large clusters or umbels, just as those of the 
 elder ; and they are succeeded by berries which 
 are black when ripe ; but that is a condition in 
 which we seldom see them ; for the birds are so 
 fond of them, they eat them as they come to ma- 
 turity. The root is white and creeping ; and the 
 whole plant dies down every year to the gound. 
 
 It is wild in England, but not common ; a great 
 quantity of it grows at the back of Cuper's gar- 
 dens. It may be dried : but the best way of 
 giving it is in the juice. This works strongly both 
 by stool and urine, and has often cured dropsies. 
 
 Dyer's Weed. Luteola. 
 
 A VERY singular and pretty wild plant ; it 
 grows on dry banks and upon walls, and is known 
 at sight by its upright stalks, and very long spikes 
 of greenish yellow flowers. It grows to four feet 
 or more in height. The stalk is thick, firm, chan- 
 nelled, and in a manner covered with leaves : they
 
 IU FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 are small in proportion to the bigness of the plant, 
 oblong, narrow,, and pointed at the ends, of a yel- 
 lowish green colour, and not serrated at the edges ; 
 a tuft of the same kind of leaves, but somewhat 
 larger, surrounds the bottom of the stalk. The 
 root is long and white. The flowers are small, 
 but very numerous. 
 
 The flowery tops of this plant dried, and given 
 in decoction, are said to be a remedy for the evil, 
 but the report is not established by any known ex- 
 perience. 
 
 E 
 
 Elder. Sa??ibucus. 
 
 A COMMON wild shrub ; it grows irregularly. 
 The stem or trunk is covered with a rough whitish 
 bark, and the wood is firm, but there is a hollow 
 within ; this is smallest in the largest parts of the 
 shrub, but it is never quite obliterated. The young 
 shoots are thick, long, and green ; they grow quick, 
 and are often a yard long before they begin to change 
 colour, or grow woody. These contain a large 
 quantity of pith ; and their bark as they stand be- 
 comes brownish, and their under surface woody. The 
 leaves are composed of several pairs of others, 
 with an odd one at the end : the flowers stand in 
 vast clusters, or umbeb, and are small and white ; 
 they are succeeded by berries, which arc black 
 when ripe, and are full of a purple juice. There 
 is another kind of elder, with berries white when 
 they are ripe, and another with jagged leaves, but 
 the common elder is the sort to be used. 
 
 The inner bark of the elder is a strong purge; 
 and it has been known to cure dropsies when taken 
 in time, and often repeated. The flowers are made
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. ]$5 
 
 into an ointment, by boiling them in lard, till they 
 are almost crisp, and then pouring it off, this is 
 cooling ; the juice of the berries is boiled down 
 with a little sugar, or by some wholly without, 
 and this, when it comes to the consistence of honey, 
 is the famous rob of elder, good in colds and sore 
 throats. A wine is made of the elder-berries, which 
 has the flavour of Frontignac. 
 
 Elecampane. Enula campana. 
 
 A TALL and robust plant, wild in some parts 
 of England, but kept in gardens for the uses of 
 medicine ; it grows five feet high, and the flower 
 is yellow, and very large. The stalk is round, 
 thick, upright, very robust, and reddish : the 
 leaves are long, large, and rough, and they are 
 pointed at the ends ; of a pale green colour. 
 The flowers grow at the tops of the branches, 
 and have something like the appearance of a dou- 
 ble sun flower. They arc two inches in diameter, 
 yellow, and very beautiful. The root is long 
 and thick, and is brown on the outside, and white 
 within. 
 
 The root is the part used ; we have it dried from 
 Germany, but it is for most purposes better to take 
 that fresh out of the garden, which we have here. 
 Hardly any plant has more virtues. It is good in 
 all disorders of the breast and lungs, and it opens 
 obstructions : It operates by urine powerfully, and 
 also by sweat : and the juice of it will cure the 
 itch, applied externally. Its greatest virtue, how- 
 ever, is against coughs, and for this purpose it is 
 best taken candied, provided that be well done. A 
 little of it may in this way be held almost conti- 
 nually in the mouth, and swallowed gently, so that
 
 126 FAMILY HERBAL, 
 
 it will take effect much better than by a larger dose 
 swallowed at once. 
 
 Elm. Ulmus. 
 
 A TALL tree native of our own country, and 
 sufficiently common in our hedges. It grows to a 
 great bigness. The bark is brownish, rough, and 
 irregular ; the twigs are also brown, and very tough. 
 The^leaves are small, broad, short, rough to the 
 touch, and finely indented about the edges, and they 
 terminate in a point. The flowers are not' regarded ; 
 they appear before the leaves, and principally about 
 the tops of the tree, and they are only thready ; the 
 seeds are flat. 
 
 The inner bark of the elm boiled in water, makes 
 one of the best gargles for a sore throat that can 
 be supplied by the whole list of medicines. It 
 should be sweetened with honey of roses ; it ia 
 extremely soft and healing, and yet at the same time 
 very cleansing. 
 
 There are two or three other kinds of elms com- 
 mon in garden hedges ; they are brought from other 
 countries, but the bark of the English rough elm i 
 preferable to them ail as a medicine. 
 
 Endive. End hi a. 
 
 A COMMON garden plant kept for salads. It 
 grows two feet high, and the flowers are blue, but 
 we see it a thousand times with only the leaves 
 for once in a flower, and these the gardeners have 
 the art of twisting and curling, and whitening irl 
 Mich a manner, that thev are scarce to be known, 
 as belonging to the plant. Naturally they are long 
 and narrow, blunt at the end, and deeply notched
 
 FAMILY HER HAL. 127 
 
 at the edges, and of a yellowish green colour ; the 
 stalks arc round and firm, and the leaves that grow 
 o ) them are like those from the root, but smaller : 
 the flowers stand at the tops of the stalks and bran- 
 ches, they are blue, and in shape and structure like 
 those of dandelion : they are very beautiful. 
 
 Tiie juice of endive maybe taken with great 
 advantages as medicine ; it cools the stomach, 
 and operates by urine very powerfully ; it also 
 opens obstructions of the viscera. It is good 
 against the jaundice, and constantly taken for some 
 time, against the scurvy. 
 
 Ervngo, Eryngium. 
 
 A WILD plant, which grows with us by tbe sea 
 side, and is kept alio in gardens, because of its 
 virtues. It is, prickly like a thistle, and the 
 whole plant appears not green, but whitish. The 
 'talk is firm, woody, round, striated, and thick, 
 not very upright, branched, and spread irre- 
 gularly about. The leaves are small, and of a 
 pale bluish green, approaching to white ; they 
 are broad, oblong, and jagged and prickly. The 
 iiowers grow in little heads at the tops of the 
 stalks, and there stands a circle of small leaves under 
 them. The flowers, separately taken, are small, 
 and of a pale greenish white, but the head of them 
 is tolerably large. The root is long and slender, 
 and of a pleasant taste. 
 
 This is the part used ; the best way is to take 
 them candied ; they are good against coughs, and 
 tveaknese- of all kinds. They have also caused 
 noble virtues, as a diuretic, and are good against 
 the jaunuice ; for thi- last purpose a decoction 
 made from the fresh roots is best, The) are bal- 
 samic as well as diuretic,
 
 \m FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The Eufhorbium Plant. Euphnruium. 
 
 A VERY strange plant, native of the hot conn- 
 tries, and unlike every thing that is known in 
 this part of the world. It is ten or twelve feet 
 high, and is of a solid thick body, of a triangu- 
 lar or else a square figure, as thick as a. man's 
 leg, and is divided by knots placed at distan- 
 ces, so as to seem made up of several joints. The 
 edges of the body are all beset with very sharp 
 prickles ; the plant itself is composed only of a 
 pulpy soft matter, covered with a thick rind, of 
 a green colour ; it abounds with a milky juice, 
 but so acrid that there is no bearing a drop of it 
 a moment on the tongue. The plant often con- 
 sists of one single stem, such as is just described, 
 but frequently it sends out several branches ;. these 
 are naked in the same manner as the main stem. 
 All that have beside the prickles, are a kind of 
 thin films or membranes, small and growing from 
 their bases, but the plant is altogether without 
 leaves. The flowers grow three together among 
 the thorns, and the fruit is a vessel containing three 
 ieed.s. 
 
 The gum which sweats out from this plant, is 
 used in medicine ; it is yellowish and comes forth 
 in small drops, its taste is sharp and insupporta- 
 ble ; it is a violent purge, and is recommended 
 against dropsies, but we scarce ever prescribe it, 
 it is s:> very rough ; it is sometimes used outwardly 
 among other things applied to the feet in violent 
 fevers. 
 
 EvEBuitiiiT. Euphrasia. 
 
 A VF.RY pretty low herb common in our mea- 
 dow , with woody stalks, and bright and little
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. \29 
 
 variegated flowers. It grows six or eight inches 
 high. The stalks are round, thick,, firm, and very 
 hard ; the leaves are flat, broad, and very deeply 
 indented at the edges ; and they are of a bright 
 shining green. The flowers are little, and they are 
 very bright ; their ground colour is white, and they 
 are streaked and spotted with black and some other 
 dark colours. 
 
 This plant has been always famous for dimness 
 of sight, but whether experience warrants the 
 character that is given of it is uncertain. Thejuic* 
 is very diuretic. 
 
 F 
 
 Fennel. Fceniculum.^ 
 
 A common garden plant, kept for its use in 
 the kitchen, rather than its medicinal virtues. 
 It grows six or eight feet high. The stalk is 
 round, hollow, and of a deep green colour ; the 
 leaves are large, and divided into a vast num- 
 ber of fine slender segments, and they are also of 
 a deep or bluish green colour. The flowers stand 
 at the tops of the branches, and are small and 
 yellow ; but there grow large clusters of them to- 
 gether ; the seed is small, dark coloured, and striated, 
 and is. of a sharp acrid taste ; the root is long and 
 white. 
 
 The root is the part most used ; a decoction 
 made of it with common water, and given in large 
 quantities, works by urine, and is good against the 
 gravel and in the jaundice. 
 
 Sweet Fennel. Fceniculum dulce. 
 
 A garden plant very like the common kifid, 
 

 
 \m FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 but of a paler colour. It grows four feet high ; 
 the stalk is round, hollow, striated, upright, and 
 branched ; and the leaves are large and divided 
 into a great number of fine segments, in the man- 
 ner of those of common fennel, but both these and 
 the stalks arc of a pale yellowish green to our, 
 not so dark as in the other kind. The flowers 
 are yellowish, and stand in small clusters or umbels ; 
 the seeds follow, two after each flower ; and 
 they are quite different from those of the common 
 fennel, in size, shape, colour, and taste. They are 
 long, slender, of a pale colour, a little crooked, and 
 deeply striated. Their taste is sweetish and a little 
 acrid. 
 
 As the roots are the part most used of the com- 
 mon fennel, the seeds are the only part used of this. 
 They are excellent in the colic, and are used exter- 
 nally with success in pultices to swellings. The 
 seeds of the common fennel are used by some, but 
 they arc very hot and acrid. These are preferable 
 for internal use. 
 
 Fennel Flower. Ni^cUa. 
 
 A singular and pretty plant kept in gardens. 
 It grows a foot and a half high. The stalk is firm, 
 round, striated, and upright and hollow. Tha 
 leaves are divided into a multitude of fine slender 
 parts like those of fennel, only very small in com- 
 parison, and thence it had the English name of 
 fennel flower ; they stand irregularly on the stalky 
 and are of a pale green. The flowers stand at the 
 tops of the branches : they are singular and pretty ; 
 the colour is whitish, and they are moderately large, 
 the green leaves about them give them a very par- 
 ticular grace. 
 
 The juice of the plant fresh gathered, is good
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 131 
 
 for the head-ache ; it is to be snuffed up the ndse, 
 and it will occasion sneezing' ; inwardly taken it 
 works by urine, and is good in the jaundice. 
 
 Hog's Fennel. Peucedanum. 
 
 A wild plant with divided leaves and umbels 
 of yellow flowers, and thence bearing a remote re- 
 semblance to fennel. It grows two feet high : the 
 stalk is round, striated, hollow, upright, and 
 branched. The leaves are like those of fennel, but 
 the divisions are much broader, and they run in 
 threes. The flowers are little and yellow, but the 
 clusters of them are large, and the seed is oblong and 
 flat. At the top of the root, there is always found 
 a tuft of hairy matter. This is made up of the fibres 
 of decayed leaves, but it has a singular appearance. 
 The root is large, long, and brown, and this is 
 the part used as a medicine. It is to be boiled in 
 water, and the decoction drank night and morning ; 
 it dissolves tough phlegm, and helps asthmatic 
 people ; it also works by urine, and promotes the 
 menses, and is good in all obstructions. 
 
 Fenugreek Fcenum Grcecum. 
 
 " A plant of the trefoil kind, but singular in its 
 manner of growth, cultivated in fields in many 
 places for the sake of the seed. It is emollient. It 
 grows a foot and a half high ; the stalks are round, 
 striated, and branched. The leaves are short and 
 broad : they stand three upon every stalk as in 
 the common trefoils : and are indented about the 
 edges. The flowers are white and small, and they 
 resemble a pea-blossom ; the pods are flat, and in 
 them is contained a quantity of yellow seeds, of an 
 irregular figure, and disagreeable smell
 
 J 32 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Male Fern. Filix mas. 
 
 A common weed growing at the roots of trees, and 
 in dry ditches. It has no stalk for bearing of 
 flowers, but several leaves rise together from the 
 root, and each of these is in itself a distinct plant. 
 It is two feet high, and near a foot in breadth ; 
 the stalk is naked for six or eight inches, and thence 
 is set on each side with a row of ribs or smaller 
 stalks, every one of which carries a double row 
 of smaller leaves, with an odd one at the end ; the 
 whole together making up one great leaf, as in many 
 of the umbelliferous plants. 
 
 On the backs of these smaller leaves stand the 
 seeds in round clusters ; they look brown and dusty. 
 The root is long and thick, and the whole plant 
 has a disagreeable smell. The root is greatly re- 
 commended for curing the rickets in children ; 
 with what success it would be hard to say. 
 
 Female Fern. Filix fcemina. 
 
 A tall and spreading plant, common on our 
 heaths, and called by the country people brakes. 
 It grows four feet high. The stalks are round, 
 green, and smooth : the leaves are set on each side, 
 and are subdivided. The whole may indeed be 
 properly called only one leaf as in the male fern ; 
 but it has more the appearance of a number because 
 it is so ramous. The small leaves or pinnules which 
 go to make up the large one, are oblong, firm, hard, 
 and of a deep green colour, and they are so spread 
 that the whole plant is often three feet wide. On 
 the edges of these little leaves stand the seed* 
 in small dusty clusters. Ihit they are not so 
 frequent on this as on the male fern, for nature has 
 e<> well provided for the propagation of this plant
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 133 
 
 by the roots, that the seeds are less necessary ; and 
 where it is so, they are always produced more 
 sparingly. A certain quantity of every species is 
 to be kept up, but the earth is not to be over-run 
 with any. 
 
 The roots of female fern fresh gathered, and 
 made into a decoction, are a remedy against that 
 long and flat worm in the bowels, called the tape- 
 worm ; no medicine destroys them so effectually. 
 
 Flowering Fern. Osmunda rcgalis. 
 
 There is something that at first sight appears 
 singular 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 con- 
 structed, and very beautiful ; they are composed 
 in the manner of the other ferns, each of several 
 small ones, and these are broader and bigger than in 
 any of the other kinds, not at all indented on the 
 edges ; and of a bluish green colour, and afterwards 
 yellowish. Many leaves arise from the same root, 
 but only some few of them bear seeds. These 
 principally rise about the middle, and the seeds stand 
 only on the upper part : they cover the whole 
 surface of the leaf, or nearly so in this part, and the 
 little pinnules turn round inwards, and shew their 
 backs rounded up. These are brown from being 
 covered with the seeds, and they have so different 
 an appearance from all the rest of the plant, that they 
 are called flowers. The root is long and covered 
 with fibres. The plant grows in boggy places, 
 but it is not very common wild in England. 
 
 A decoction of the fresh roots promotes urine, 
 and opens obstructions of the liver and spleen ; it is
 
 134 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 riot much used, but I have known a jaundice cured 
 by it, taken in the beginning. 
 
 Feverfew. Matricaria. 
 
 A co31mos wild plant, with divided leaves, 
 and a multitude of small flowers like daisies ; it 
 grows about farmers' yards. The stalk is round, 
 hollow, upright, branched, and striated, and grows 
 two feet high. The leaves are large, div'ded into 
 many smail ones, and those roundish and indented ; 
 they are of a yellowish green colour, and particular 
 smell. The flowers stand about the tops of the 
 stalks ; they are small, white round the edges, and 
 yellowish in the middle. The root is white, little, 
 and inconsiderable. 
 
 The whole plant is to be used ; it is best fresh, 
 but it preserves some virtue dried ; it is to be given 
 in *ea, and it is excellent against hysteric disorders ; 
 it promotes the menses. 
 
 Fig-tree. Ficus. 
 
 A shrub sufficiently known in our gardens. The 
 trunk is thick, but irregular, and the branches, which 
 are very numerous, grow without any sort of order. 
 The leaves are very large, and of a deep blackish 
 green, broad, divided deeply at the edges, and full 
 of a milky juice. The flowers are contained within 
 the fruit. The fig-tree produces fruit twice in the 
 year ; the first set in spring, the second towards 
 September, but these last never ripen with us. The 
 dried figs of the grocers are the fruit of the same tree 
 in Spain and Portugal, but they grow larger there, 
 and ripen better. 
 
 Our own fige arc wholesome fruit, and they are
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 135 
 
 applied outwardly to swellings with success, tbey 
 soften and give ease while the matter is forming 
 within. 
 
 Figwort. Scrophidaria, 
 
 A tall and regular growing wild plant, with 
 small deep purple flowers. It grows four feet 
 high, and is common in our woods and ditches, 
 where there is little water ; there is another kind 
 of it in wet places, called also water betony, which 
 is to be distinguished from it bv the round indent- 
 ings of the leaves : it also grows in water, or just 
 by it : the right figwort only loves shade and 
 dampness, but not absolute wet. The stalk is 
 square, upright, hollow, and very firm ; the leaves 
 stand two at each joint, opposite one to the other ; 
 they are large, broad at the base, narrow at the 
 point, and sharply indented ; they stand on long 
 foot-stalks, and they have the shape of the nettle 
 leaf, but they are perfectly smooth, and of a 
 shining colour ; they are sometimes green, but often 
 brown, as is also the whole plant. The flowers are 
 very small and gaping, their colour is a blackish 
 purple. The root is long, white, and full of 
 little tubercles, it spreads a great way under the 
 surface. 
 
 The juice of the fresh gathered root is an excellent 
 sweetener of the blood taken in small doses, and 
 for a long time together. The fresh roots bruised 
 and applied externally, are said also to be excellent 
 for the evil. They cool and give eaee in the piles, 
 applied as a pultice. 
 
 Fir Tree, bibles. 
 
 A wy.D tree ia Germany, and many other parts
 
 136 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 of Europe, but with us only kept in gardens. We 
 have no kind of the fir native : wnat is called the 
 Scotch fir, is not a fir, but a pine. 
 
 The fir-tree grows to a considerable height, and 
 with great regularity. The trunk is covered with 
 a rough and cracked bark, of a resinous smell ; the 
 leaves are numerous, and stand very beautifully on 
 the branches. They stand in two rows, one oppo- 
 site to the other, and are oblong, but somewhat 
 broad and flat. They are of a pale green, and of 
 a whitish hue underneath. The tree is hence called 
 the silver fir, and, from the disposition of the leaves, 
 the yew-leaved fir, for they grow as in the yew- 
 tree. The fruit or cones stand upright ; in this kind, 
 they are long, thick, and brown. 
 
 The tops of this kind are great sweeteners of the 
 blood, and they work powerfully by urine. They 
 are best given in diet drinks, or brewed in the beer, 
 which is commonly drank. 
 
 Red Fir Tree, or Pitch Tree. Picea. 
 
 A tall tree, but not so regular in its growth, 
 or in the disposition of its leaves, as the other. The 
 trunk is thick, the bark reddish, and the wood soft. 
 The branches are numerous, and they stand ir- 
 regularly. The leaves are oblong, narrow, and 
 sharp-pointed ; and they do not grow in two even 
 rows, as in the other, but stand irregularly on 
 the twigs. The cones are long, slender, and hang- 
 downwards. The whole tree has a strong resinous 
 smell. 
 
 The tops of this are boiled in diet drinks against 
 the scurvy as the other, but they make the liquor 
 much more nauseous ; and not at all better for the 
 intended purposes. 
 
 Pitch and tar arc the produce of the fir-tree, a?
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 137 
 
 also the Strasburg and sonic other of -be turpentines. 
 The larch tree and turpentine tree lui'i-HLjiii^; the 
 others, as will be seen in their pk<:es The wrod 
 is piled in heaps, and ''.ghted at the top, and 'he 
 tar sweats out at the lower parts. This being 
 boiled, becomes hard, and is called pitch. 
 
 The turpentines are balsamic, and very pow- 
 erful promoters of urine, but of these more in 
 their places : the tar has been of late rendered 
 famous by the water made from it ; but it was a 
 fashionable remedy, and is now out of repute 
 
 again. 
 
 Sweet flag. Acorns calamus aromaticus dictus* 
 
 A common wild plant that grows undistinguished 
 among the flags and rushes, by our ditch sides. 
 The old physicians meant another thing by calamu9 
 aromaticus : they gave this name to the dried stalks 
 of a piant, but at present it is used as the name of 
 the root of this. The sweet flag grows three feet 
 high, but consists only of leaves without a stalk 
 They are long, narrow, and of a pale green colour 
 Among these there are commonly three or four in 
 all respects like the rest, but that they have a cluster 
 of (lowers breaking out at one side, within five or 
 six inches of the top. This is long, brown, and 
 thick, and resembles a catkin of a filbert tree, only it 
 is longer and thicker. The root is long, flattish, and 
 creeping : it is of a strong and rather unpleasant 
 smell when fresh, but it becomes very fragrant, and 
 aromatic in drying. Our own has its value, because 
 we can have it fresh, but the dried root \:\ better had 
 of the druggists ; they have it from warmer countries, 
 where it is more fragrant. 
 
 The juice of the fresh root of acorns is excel- 
 lent to promote the menses, it works by urine 
 
 T
 
 133 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 moderately, and gives no offence to the stomach, 
 The dried root is cordial and sudorific, it warms 
 the stomach, and is good against indigestions and 
 fevers. 
 
 Common Acoitus, or Yellow Flags. Acorus 
 adulterinus. 
 
 A common plant in our ditches, and by river 
 sides, distinguished by its blue-green flag like 
 leaves, and its large yellow flower?, which in shape 
 resemble thoe of the iris, or flower de luce. It 
 grows four feet high : 'the stalk is roundish, but 
 a little flatted, of a pale green, very erect, firm, and 
 not branched. It only sends out two or three shoots 
 upwards from the bosom of the leaves. The leaves 
 are a foot and a half long, narrow, flat, and sharp 
 at the edges ; the flowers stand at the tops of the 
 stalks, and are large and beautiful. The seeds are 
 numerous, and nre contained in large triangular 
 Vessels. The root creeps. 
 
 The root of this is the only part used ; some have 
 confounded them with the true acorus root, but 
 they are called, by way of distinction, false or 
 bastard acorus ; they are not at all like them in 
 shape, colour, or qualities ; they are of a reddish 
 brown, have no smell, ami are of an austere taste ; 
 they are an excellent astringent. They should be 
 taken up in spring and dried, and afterwards given 
 in powder. They stop fluxes and overflowings of 
 the mense*. 
 
 Flax, l.inum. 
 
 v "' p., a \or\- useful pJnnt, 
 
 [s *-ee*!: ; , as well a.- its 
 
 ...h ; the <Uuk is round, 
 
 A V! 
 
 T-y 
 
 r:' 
 
 .'.' 
 
 
 
 
 r 
 
 ' l 1 
 
 i :,! " 
 
 1. 
 
 1 
 
 is ' 
 
 1 i
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. \S9 
 
 slcnner, firm, and upright. Tlie leaves are small, 
 oblong, and narrow ; and they stand irregularly, 
 but in groat numbers on it. Toward the top the 
 j'talk divides into three or four short branches ; 
 and on these stand the (lowers ; they are large and 
 of a beautiful blue. Each of these is succeeded 
 by a roundish seed-vessel ; in which are a number 
 of seeds, 
 
 This seed is what is called linseed. A tea made 
 of it is excellent in coughs and disorders of the 
 breast and lungs, and tlie seed bruised is also good 
 in cataplasms and fomentations for swellings. The 
 oil drawn from it is given in pleurisies and peripneu- 
 monies with great success, and it is ako excellent 
 in the grave! and stone. 
 
 Purging Flax. Lhmm ciUhurlicaiii. 
 
 A pretty little herb that grows abundantly 
 in our hilly pastures, in parks and warrens. It is 
 eight inches high. The stalk is round, firm, and 
 at the top divided into small branches. The leaves 
 are little, oblong, and obtuse, and they stand two 
 at each joint. The flowers are small and white, 
 and the whole plant has very much the aspect of 
 some kind of duckweed, but the seed-vessel being 
 examined, it appears to be altogether of the flajj 
 kind. The root is small and thready. 
 
 This little plant is a strong but safe purge ; the 
 country people boil it in a3c ; and cine themselves 
 of rheumatic pains, and a great many other cb- 
 .stinate disorders by it. They talk of it as a re- 
 medy for dropsies. Doubtless it is useful in all 
 cases where a strong and brisk purgative is re- 
 quired.
 
 140 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Fleabane. Conyza. 
 
 x\ rREmr wild plant, frequent about damp places, 
 with whitish leaves and large yellow flowers in 
 airtiam. it is two feet high. The stalk is round 
 an.l erect, very firm and stron?;, and is often of a 
 m-.uu'h colour. The leaves are mi , . rous, and stand 
 irregimri > they are above an inch ', lg, moderately 
 bro -,:'. i-' l: rough surface, and whitish green. The 
 fiowcrs aland at the top of the branches ; they art* 
 broader thai; a sliiihng, yellow, and composed of 
 many narrow petals. The whole plant has a 
 d i sa grcea ble sine 1 1 . 
 
 ii is disputed whether this kind of fleabane, or 
 another which is smaller, and has globous llowers, 
 live the greater virtue ; hut most give it for this. 
 The juice of the whole plant cures the itch, applied 
 externally ; and the very smell of the herb is said to 
 destroy fleas. 
 
 Fleawort. Psylliu m . 
 
 An herb of uo great beauty, native of France, 
 but kept in gardens here. It has narrow leaves, 
 and inconsiderable flowers. It is a foot high. 
 The stalks are weak, greenish, and a little hairy. 
 The leaves stand two or more at every joint, for 
 that is uncertain ; they are long, very narrow, and 
 also somewhat hairy : there ii.se from the bosoms 
 of these leave?, long naked stalks, on which stand 
 a kind of spikes of little flowers, somewhat like 
 the :-pikes of plantain, only shorter; two seeds 
 Fucceed each tlowei ; and they are smooth, black- 
 i>r. and of the shape of fleas ; whence the name. 
 r \ here . re many flowers in each head. S mucilage 
 is made oi the seeds to cool the throat in fevers.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. ill 
 
 Tux Weed. Sophia till. urgoru!,). 
 
 A tretty wild plant, about our waste places and 
 farm-yards ; conspicuous for its leaves, if not so for 
 its flower. It grows two feet high ; and the stalk 
 is round, erect, very firm and strong, and not much 
 branched. The leaves are moderately largo, and 
 most beautifully divided into numerous small seg- 
 ments, long and narrow ; they stand irregularly 
 upon the staiks. The Mowers are small and yellow ; 
 they stand in a kind of spikes at the tops o: die 
 stalks. They are followed by short pods. The 
 whole plant is of a dark green 
 
 The seeds are the part used : they nre to be 
 collected when just ripe, and boiled whole. The 
 decoction cures the bloody flux, and is good againbt 
 the overflowing of the menses. 
 
 Flower Gentle. Amaranthus. 
 
 A garden flower. There are many kinds of 
 it; but that used in medicine is the large one 
 with the drooping purple spike. It grows to four 
 feet high. The stalk is firm, lound, and channel- 
 led, green sometimes, but often red. The leaves 
 are oblong and broad even at the edges, and point- 
 ed at the ends : they are very large, and are often 
 tinged with red. The flowers are purple, and 
 they grow in long beautiful spikes hanging down- 
 wards. 
 
 The flowers are the part used. They are to be 
 gathered when not quite full blown, and diiecj,. 
 They are good against purging and overflowing 
 of the menses in powder or decoction.
 
 m FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Flower de Luce. Iris. 
 
 A common flower in our gardens. The plant 
 grows three feet high. The leaves are a foot and 
 a half long, narrow, Hat, and in all respects like the 
 leaves of Hags, and of a bluish green. The stalks 
 are round, or a little flatted ; thick, (inn, upright, 
 and of a greener colour. The flowers are large, and 
 of a deep blue. The root spreads about the surface, 
 and is thick and of a brownish colour, and marked 
 with rings. 
 
 The juice of the freeh roots of this plant bruised 
 with white wine is a stronar purge : it will some- 
 times also vomit ; but that is not hurtful ; it is a 
 cure for dropsies. Gordon, an old physic writer, 
 spys if a dropsy can be cured by the hand of man, 
 this root will effect it. I have found it true in 
 practice. 
 
 Florentine Flower de Luce. Iris Florentine*. 
 
 A plant kept also in our gardens, but not so 
 frequently as the former ; it scarce differs in any 
 thing from the common (lower de luce, except that 
 the flowers are white. The root spreads in the 
 same manner, and the leaves are flaggy. The 
 stalk is tw * feet or more in height, and the flower 
 }< as large ;.:> that of the blue kind, and perfectly of 
 the s antc form. 
 
 The i'/.t of this kind, when dried, is fragrant. 
 The druggists keep it. It is good against dis- 
 orders of the lung*, coughs, hoarseness, and all 
 that train of ill.- ; and it promotes the menses. 
 
 Fluellin. Elaline. 
 
 / low plant frequent in corn-fields, and con-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 143 
 
 picuous for its pretty, though small, flower. The 
 stalks are five or six inches long, round, hairy, 
 weak, and trailing' upon the ground. The leaves- 
 are little, hairy, rounded, and placed irregularly. 
 The {lowers are very small, but they are variegated 
 with purple and yellow, both colours very bright ; 
 they have a heel behind, and each stands upon a 
 little hairy foot-stalk, arising from the bosom of the 
 leaf. 
 
 There is another kind, the leaves of which have 
 two ears at their base ; in other respects they arc 
 the same, and they have the same virtues. The 
 juice of either is cooling and astringent. It is 
 given by the country people in the bloody flux and 
 overflowing of the menses. 
 
 Fool's Stones. Satyrium sire orchis. 
 
 A beautiful wild plant in our meadows and 
 pastures in June. The leaves are long and spotted, 
 and the flowers are purple. It grows ten inches 
 high. The leaves are six inches long, and three 
 quarters of an inch broad, of a very deep green, 
 with large and irregular blotches of black in different 
 parts. The stalk is round, thick, upright, single, 
 and fleshy ; it lias two or three smaller leaves of the 
 same figure, and at the top stand the flowers, in a 
 spike of an inch and a half long ; they are not very 
 large, and of a shape different from the generality 
 of flowers ; their colour is a deep and glossy purple ; 
 but sometimes they are white. The whole plant is 
 juicy. The root consists of two round bulbs or 
 two round lumps, like a pair of testicles, and is 
 white and full of a slimy juice. 
 
 The root is the only part used. It is supposed 
 to be a strengthener of the parts of generation, and
 
 144 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 a promoter of venereal desires ; but with what truth 
 one cannot say. Externally applied in cataplasms, 
 it is excellent in hard swelling's. There are a great 
 many other kinds of orchis in our meadows, but 
 only this is used. The root, called salep by our 
 druggists, is brought from Turkey, and is the root 
 of a plant of this kind. It is strengthening and 
 restorative, good in consumptions and all decays. 
 
 Fox-glove. Digitalis. 
 
 A very beautiful wild plant in our pasture?, 
 and about wood-sides. The leaves are whitish, 
 and the flowers large and red. It is three feel 
 high. The leaves are large, long, rough on the 
 surface, pointed at the ends, and serrated roun< f 
 the edges. The stalks are round, thick, firm, ant 
 upright, and of a white colour. The flower, 
 hang down from the stalk in a kind of spike : the) 
 are hollow, red, large, and a little spotted with 
 white ; they are shaped like the end of the finger 
 of a glove. 
 
 The plant boiled in ale, is taken by people of 
 robust constitutions, for the rheumatism and other 
 stubborn complaints ; it works violently upwards 
 and downwards ; and cures also quartan agues, and, 
 as is said, the falling-sickness An ointment made 
 of the flowers of fox-glove boiled in May butter, has 
 been long famous in scrophulous sores. 
 
 Frankincense Tree. Arbor thurifera. 
 
 A large tree, as is said, a native of the warmer 
 countries, but we know very little of it. Those 
 who describe it most, only say that the trunk is 
 thick, the wood spungy, and the bark rough.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 145 
 
 The leaves, they say, are narrow, and of a pale 
 green : hut as to the flower and fruit, they are 
 silent. Some say it is thorny. 
 
 All that we use is the dry resin, which is of a 
 yellowish white colour, and bitterish resinous taste, 
 and strong smell. Our druggists keep this. What 
 ever tree produces this, it is a noble balsam ; dis- 
 solved in the yolk of an egg, and made into an emul- 
 sion with barley-water, it will do good in con- 
 sumptions, when almost all other things fail 
 It were w 7 ell if the common trifling practice in that 
 fatal disorder would give way to the use of this 
 great medicine. 
 
 French Mercury. Mercurialis mas ct fcamlna 
 
 A wild plant, but not very frequent in Eng 
 land, conspicuous for little else than that it has 
 the male flowers on some plants, and the female 
 flowers on others, in the manner of spinage, hemp, 
 and some others, as lias been explained already 
 under the article date-tree. It grows ten inches 
 high The stalks are angular, green, thick, but 
 not firm, and stand but moderately upright. The 
 leaves are oblong, broadest in the middle, sharp 
 at the point, serrated at the edges, and of a deep 
 green colour. The female plants produce two 
 seeds growing together at the top of a little spike. 
 The male produce only one spike of dusty flowers, 
 without any seeds or fruit at all. But people com- 
 monly mistake the matter, and call the female the 
 male. 
 
 A decoction of the fresh gathered plant purges 
 a little, and works by urine ; it is cooling, and 
 good for hot constitutions and over fulness. The 
 dried herb is used in decoctions for clysters..
 
 146 FAMILY HERBAL: 
 
 Frog Bit. Morsus ran<e. 
 
 A little plant, not uncommon on waters, 
 with round leaves and small white flowers. It 
 has been by the common writers called a kind of 
 water lily, because its leaves are round, and it 
 floats upon the water, but it is as distinct as any 
 thing 1 can be, when we regard the flower. Duck- 
 weed has round leaves, and floats upon the water, 
 and it might be called water lily for that reason, 
 if that were sufficient. The leaves are of a round- 
 ish figure, and a dusky dark green colour : they 
 are of the breadth of a crown piece, and they rise 
 many together in tufts, from the same part of the 
 stalk. This stalk runs along at a little distance 
 under the surface of the water, and from it descend 
 the roots, but they do not reach down into the mud, 
 but play loose like the fibres of duck-weed in the 
 water. The flowers stand singly upon slender 
 foot-stalks ; they are white, and composed of 
 three leaves apiece, which give them a singular 
 appearance. 
 
 The fresh leaves are used in outward applications, 
 and are very cooling. 
 
 Fumitory. Fumaria. 
 
 A pretty wild plant, with bluish divided leaves, 
 and spikes of little purple flowers, common in 
 our corn-fields in June and July. It grows ten 
 inches high. The stalk is round, striated, of a 
 pale green, thick enough, but not very firm or 
 perfectly erect. The leaves are large, but they are 
 divided into a vast nwmbcr of little parts, which 
 are blunt and rounded at the ends ; their colour 
 is a faint green. The flowers are small and pur- 
 ple : they have a heel behind, and a number of
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 147 
 
 them stand together in a kind of spike. The whole 
 plant has little taste. 
 
 The juice expressed from this plant is excellent 
 against the scurvy. It opens obstructions of the 
 viscera, and is good against the jaundice, and all 
 other diseases arising from obstructions. 
 
 Furze Bush. Genista sntnosa. 
 
 A wild bush, upon our heaths and by road 
 sides, too common to need much description. The 
 stem is thick, tough, and of a whitish colour, cover- 
 ed with fragments of an irregular kind. The bran- 
 ches are extremely numerous, and spread in such 
 a manner, that when the plant is left to itself, it 
 forms a kind of globular or semi-globular tuft 
 upon the ground. The thorns are very numerous 
 and very sharp ; they stand, as it were, one upon 
 another. The leaves are little, and of a pale green, 
 and they fall off so quickly, that for a great part of 
 the year we see the shrub without any. The flow- 
 ers are yellow and beautiful, and the seeds are con- 
 tained in pods. The root spreads a great way, 
 and is not easily got up, when the shrub has once 
 thoroughly fixed itself. Every piece of it left in 
 will senc' up a new plant. 
 
 The root and the seeds are used, but neither 
 much. The seeds dried and powdered are astrin- 
 gent, and a proper ingredient in electuaries, among 
 other things of that intention. The bark of the 
 root is used fresh taken up, and is to be given in 
 infusion : It works by urine, and is good against 
 the gravel ; but we have so many better things of 
 our own growth for the same purpose, that it is 
 scarce worth while to meddle with it ; it loses its 
 virtues by drying.
 
 148 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 G 
 
 Galangal Plant. Galanga. 
 
 A wild plant in the East, which grows by wa- 
 ters, and has some resemblance of 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 spread about the surface, 
 and are of an irregular shape. The leaves are a 
 foot long, not half an inch broad, sharp at the point, 
 and at the edges. The stalk is firm, thick, round, 
 and of a purplish green ; the flowers are small, and 
 of a snow white ; they consist of a larger upper 
 lip, and a smaller tender one, each divided into three 
 parts. The seed-vessels are oblong, and have each 
 three divisions, containing many seeds. The roots 
 have a very acrid taste, and are reddish : as we 
 have two sorts of galangal roots at the druggists, 
 it might be expected there should be found two 
 galangal plants, but they are both the roots of the 
 same. 
 
 The lesser galangal is most used : it is a warm 
 and line stomachic, we put it in all bitter tinctures. 
 Head-aches which arise from disorders in the sto- 
 mach, are greatly relieved by this root. What is 
 called English galangal, is the root of the long 
 cyperus, described already in its place. 
 
 Garlic. *4 Ilium. 
 
 A plant kept in our gardens for its uses in 
 medicine, and in the kitchen. It grows two 
 fret and a half high. The. leaves arc broad, long, 
 and of a strong jrreen. The stalk is round, smooth, 
 a- -I firm, upright, and of a pale whitish or bluish
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 149 
 
 colour. The flowers are white and small, but they 
 grow in a large tuft at the top of the stalk. The 
 root is white, or a little reddish ; it is composed 
 of a great number of bulbs, or, as we call them, 
 cloves, joined together, and covered with a common 
 skin, and with fibres at the bottom. The whole- 
 plant has an extremely strong smell, and an acrid 
 and pungent taste. 
 
 The root is to be boiled in water, and the decoc- 
 tion made into syrup with honey ; this is excellent 
 in asthmas, hoarseness, and coughs, and in all diffi- 
 culties of breathing. 
 
 Gentian. Gentiana. 
 
 A robust and handsome plant, native of Ger- 
 many, and kept with us in gardens. It grows 
 two feet and a half high. The leaves that rise 
 from the root, are oblong, broad, of a yellowish 
 green colour, and pointed at the ends. The stalk 
 is thick, firm, upright, and brownish or yellowish. 
 At every joint there stand two leaves like the others, 
 only smaller ; and towards the tops at every joint, 
 also, there stand a number of flowers : these are 
 small, yellow, with a great lump in the middle, 
 which is the rudiment of the seed-vessel, and a 
 great quantity of yellow threads about it. The 
 root is large, long, and often divided. It is of a 
 brownish colour on the outside, and yellow within, 
 and is of a very bitter taste. 
 
 The root is used ; our druggists keep it dry : it 
 is the great bitter and stomachic of the modern 
 practice. Gentian root, and the peel of Seville 
 oranges, make the common bitter tinctures and in- 
 fusions : beside strengthening the stomach, and 
 creating an appetite, th^sse open obstructions, and
 
 150 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 are good in most chronic disorders. The powder 
 of gentian will cure ague?. 
 
 Germander. Chamcedrys. 
 
 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 9tand3 quite up- 
 right. The stalks are square, green, and a little 
 hairy. The leaves stand two at each joint. They 
 are oblong, deeply indented at the edges, of a 
 firm substance, green on the upper side, but hairy 
 underneath. The flowers are small and purple, like 
 the flowers of the little dead nettle. They stand in 
 clusters about the upper joints of the stalks, and 
 appear in July. 
 
 Germander is an herb celebrated for many 
 virtues. 'Tis said to be excellent against the 
 gout and rheumatism : however that be, it pro- 
 motes urine and the menses, and is good in all 
 obstructions of the viscera. The juice is the 
 best way of giving it, but the infusion is more 
 frequent. 
 
 Water Germander. Scordium. 
 
 A little mean looking plant, wild in some 
 parts of England, but kept in gardens also for its 
 virtues. The stalks are square, hairy, of a dusky- 
 green, and so weak, that they seldom stand 
 much up. They are eight or ten inches long. 
 The leaves are short, broad, and indented about the 
 edges, but not sharply or deep as those of the other 
 germander : they arc of a sort of woolly soft ap- 
 pearance and touch, and of a dusky deep green 
 colour. The flowers are very small and red, and
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 151 
 
 the} - stand at the upper joints of the stalks., in little 
 parcels tog-ether. The whole plant has a strong* and 
 disagreeable smell. 
 
 The whole plant is to be used fresh or dried. , 
 It has been celebrated greatly as a sudorific, and for 
 its virtues against pestilential fevers, but it is now 
 little used. 
 
 Ginger. Zinziber. 
 
 An East India plant, found also in other places, 
 and very singular in its manner of growth. It 
 produces two kinds of stalks, the one bearing the 
 leaves, and the other only the flowers. The first 
 grow two or three feet high, and are themselves 
 composed in a manner of the lower parts of leaves ; 
 so that they seem to be only bundles of leaves rolled 
 together at the bottom. These are long, narrow, 
 and in some degree resemble the leaves of our com- 
 mon flags. The other stalks are tender, soft, and 
 about a foot high : they have no leaves on them, 
 but only a kind of films, and at the tops they 
 produce the flowers, in a spike : these are small, 
 in shape like those of our orchis, and of a mixed 
 colour, purple, white, and yellow. The root spreads 
 irregularly under the surface. 
 
 The root is the only part used : we have it diy 
 at the grocers ; but the best way of taking it, is 
 as it comes over preserved from the East Indies. 
 It is a warm and fine stomachic, and dispeller of 
 wind. It assists digestion, and prevents or cures 
 cholics. It is also an excellent addition to the 
 rough purges, to prevent their griping in the 
 operation. 
 
 Gladwyn. Xyris sivc spatula fcotida. 
 
 S wild plant of the iris kind, of no great
 
 152 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 beauty, but not without its virtues. The root 
 creeps about the surface, like that of the common 
 flower cle luce. The leaves are a foot long-, nar- 
 row, and sharp-pointed, and of a strong and very 
 peculiar smell. The stalks are round, firm., up- 
 right, and of a bluish green. The flowers are like 
 those of the common flower de luce, but smaller, 
 and of a very dull colour. There is a little purple 
 in the upper part of the flower, and there are some 
 veins and streaks in the lower ; hut the rest is of a 
 dull dead hue, between grey and brown, and they 
 have a faint and had smell. 
 
 The juice of the root promotes urine, and the 
 menses. The dried root, in powder or infusion, is 
 good against all hysteric disorders, faintings, and 
 pains. Outwardly, the fresh root is said to be an 
 excellent remedy for scrophulous swellings ; but this 
 we must take upon trust. 
 
 Glasswort. Kali. 
 
 A common wild plant, on the sea coasts of 
 many parts of Europe, but not a native of our 
 country. It is called cochleated kali, from the 
 form of its seed-vessels, which are twisted in the 
 manner of a snail's shell. It grows to a foot and a 
 half in height. , The stalk is round, thick, fleshy, 
 and brittle. The leaves are few, and they stand 
 irregularly ; they are oblong, and blunted at the 
 ends, and of a bluish green colour. The flowers 
 are small, inconsiderable, and yellow. 
 
 The juice of the fresh plant is said to be an 
 excellent diuretic ; but we have no opportunities 
 of knowing its virtues here. Some say the seed- 
 vessels have the same virtue, and give them in in- 
 fusion, but we have better remedies of the same 
 kind, of our own growth. The whole plant it
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 153 
 
 burnt for its fixed salt, which is used in making 
 
 glass. 
 
 Goat's Beard. Tragopogon. 
 
 A common wild plant, distinguished in our 
 meadows by its narrow and fresh green leaves, and 
 the long leaves of the cup, about its yellow flowers. 
 It grows (o a foot and a half in height. The leaves 
 are very narrow ; they are broadest at the base, 
 and smaller all the way to the point. The stalk is 
 round, thick, firm, very upright, and towards the 
 top divided into two or three branches. The 
 flowers stand at the extremities of the stalks; they 
 are of a beautiful pale yellow, very large and sur- 
 rounded by a cup, composed of long and narrow 
 green leaves, which, for the greatest part of the 
 day, are closed over it, so that it seems only in bud. 
 The seeds arc winged with a fine white down, in 
 the manner of those of dandelion, and, when ripe, 
 they stand upon the tops of the branches, in a 
 round head, in the same manner. The root is long 
 and white ; and the whole plant is full of a milky 
 juice, which, after it has been a little time ex- 
 posed to the air, becomes yellow, end thick like 
 cream. 
 
 The root is used. It is so pleasant in taste, that 
 it may Ik 1 eaten in the manner of carrots, and other 
 roots at table, but it exceeds them all in its qualities. 
 It is an excellent restorative, and will do great 
 service to people after long illness : the best way 
 of giving it for this purpose, is to boil it first in 
 water, and then, cutting it to pieces, boil it again 
 in milk, which is to be rendered palatable in the. 
 usual way ; it becomes thus a must excellent medi- 
 cine in the form of food. 
 
 x
 
 154 FAMILY HERBAL/ 
 
 Goat's Rue. Gcdcg-a. 
 
 & 
 
 A tall plant, native of Italy, but kept with 
 up in gardens. It grows a yard high. The stalks 
 are round, striated, hollow, not very firm, or strong, 
 and of a pale green colour : they are very much 
 branched, and not altogether upright. The leaves 
 are long and large, each is composed of several pairs 
 of smaller leaves, with an odd one at the end of the 
 rib ; these are oblong, narrow, and of a yellowish 
 green colour, thin, and not at all indented at the 
 edges. The flowers are small, and of a bluish and 
 whitish colour ; they stand a great many upon the 
 same pedicle, in a drooping posture. 
 
 The whole plant is used. It is to be gathered 
 when just come to flower, and dried, and afterwards 
 given in infusion : this gently promotes sweat, 
 and is good in fevers ; so much is true of the 
 virtues of this plant, but much more has been said 
 of it. 
 
 Golden Rod. I'irga aurca. 
 
 A very pretty wild plant, with tufts of yellow 
 flowers, frequent on our heaths in autumn. It 
 is two feet high. The stalk is firm, erect, round, 
 and hairy. The leaves are long, broadest in the 
 middle, indented at the edges, rough on the surface, 
 hairy, and of a strong green colour. The flowers 
 are small, and of a bright yellow, but they grow 
 together in a sort of thick and short spikes, so 
 that they are very conspicuous. The root is long, 
 brown, and of an austere taste, as is also the whole 
 plant. 
 
 The root, t.nken up in spring and dried, is an ex- 
 cellent medicine given in powder for purging*?, and 
 for overflowing of the menses, bloody stools, or any
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 153 
 
 other hemorrhage whatsoever. The whole plant 
 lias been at all times famous as a vulnerary or 
 wound herb, given in decoctions. 
 
 Gold of Pleasure. Myagrum. 
 
 A very pretty plant, common in many parts of 
 England, and known at sight by the vast quantity 
 of seed-vessels, it is two feet high : the stalk is 
 round, thick, firm, upi ght. and toward the top 
 lias a great mat branches, all standing upright. 
 The leaves stand irregularly, and are not numerous, 
 they are long, rot very broad, and of a pale green ; 
 the) arc indented about the edp;es, and surround 
 the stalk at the base; the flowers are le and 
 white ; the seed-vessels are short and round ;h, and 
 they stand in vast quantities, forming a kind of 
 spikes al! the way up the tops of the branches, with 
 lew ilowers at the summit. 
 
 The fresh tops of the plant are to be used 
 before it is run to seed. An infusion of them 
 sweetened with honey, is excellent for sore throats, 
 and ulcerations of the month. The seeds yield a 
 great quantity of oil on pressing, and they are so 
 plentiful, that it might seem worth while to cul - 
 vate the plant for them ; the oil is pleasant and well 
 tasted. , 
 
 Gourd. Cucurbita. 
 
 A large plant, of the melon or cucumber kind, 
 kept in gardens. The stalks are ten or twelve 
 feet long, thick, angular, rough, and hairy, but 
 unable to support themselves upright : they trail 
 upon the ground or climb upon other things. 
 The leaves are very large and broad, indented 
 deeply, rough, of a blaekish green, The Ilowers
 
 156 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 are large, and bell-fashioned,, white and downy on 
 the inside, and not altogether smooth on the outer 
 surface. 
 
 The fruit is large, and has a hard, firm shell on 
 the outside, and is fleshy and juicy within, "ith 
 seeds in the manner of the melons ; these tire Hat, of 
 an oblong shape, and hard. 
 
 These seeds are the only part used : they are 
 cooling and diuretic. They have this vhiue in 
 much the same degree with cucumber and melon 
 fseeds, and are given with them in emulsions. 
 
 Bitter Gourd, called Bitter Apple. 
 Colocynthis. 
 
 A native of the East, and of some other warm 
 countries, kept in our curious gardens, and atlord- 
 ing the famous drug called coloquintide. It is a 
 small plant of the gourd kind. The stalks are 
 thick, angular, hairy, and of a pale green. They 
 cannot support themselves, hut 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 (lowers of melons. The fruit 
 is a round gourd, of the bigness of the largest 
 orange. The bark is hard, and the inner part spun- 
 gy, -with seeds among it : these arc Hat, hard, and 
 of an oval figure. 
 
 The fin it is the part used ; they take off the 
 outer shell, and send the dried pulp with the seeds 
 among it : but these are to he separated afterwards, 
 and the pulp used alone. It is a very violent purge, 
 hut it may be given with proper caution ; and it is 
 excellent against the rheumatism, and violent 
 habitual head-aches. These rough purges will
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 157 
 
 roach the cause of disorders, that the common gen- 
 Ac ones would not touch ; and the present practice 
 denies the use of many of the best medicines we 
 know. 
 
 Gout Wort. Padagrara herb a gerrardi. 
 
 A common wild plant over-running our gar- 
 dens, and when once it has taken root very diffi- 
 cult to be got out again ; it grows two feet high. 
 The leaves which rise from the roots are large, 
 and they are composed each of several smaller, set 
 on a divided rib, in the manner of those of angelica, 
 of which they have some resemblance. They are 
 of a pale green colour, and are oblong and in- 
 dented at the edges. The stalks are round, up- 
 right, and a little branched, they are slender, stri- 
 ated, and green ; the leaves on these are smaller, 
 and consist of fewer parts than those that rise from 
 the root. The flowers are little and white, and 
 they stand in small round clusters ; each is suc- 
 ceeded by two flat seeds. The root creeps. 
 
 The root and fresh buds of the leaves are both 
 used, but only externally ; they are excellent in 
 fomentations, and pultices for pains ; and the plant 
 has obtained its name from their singular efficacy 
 against the pain of the gout : but it is not advise- 
 ahle to do any thing in that disorder ; the warm 
 applications of this kind are of all others the least 
 dangerous. I have known a quantity of the roots 
 and leaves boiled soft together, and applied to the 
 hip in the sciatica, keeping a fresh quantity hot 
 to renew the other, as it grew cold, and I have seen 
 great good effect from it. Its use should not be 
 confined to this pain alone, it will succeed in 
 there.
 
 158 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Gromvel. Lithospermon. 
 
 A wild plant of no great beauty , but distinguished 
 by its seeds, which are hard, glossy, and resemble 
 so many pearls, as they stand in the open husk. 
 The plant grows a yard high. The stalk is round, 
 thick, firm, very upright, and branched. The 
 leaves are oblong, not very broad, rough, and hairy, 
 of a deep blackish green colour, and placed irregular- 
 ly ; the (lowers are small and white : when they are 
 fallen off, the cups remain, and contain these shining, 
 and, as it were, stony seeds. The plant is fre- 
 quent about hedges. 
 
 The seeds are the only part used ; they work 
 powerfully by urine, and are of great service in 
 the gravel and all other obstructions ; they are best 
 given in powder, with a great deal of barley-water 
 at the same time. 
 
 Ground-Pine. Chamocpitys. 
 
 A very singular little wild plant, of a mossy 
 appearance, and resinous smell : it grows four 
 inches high ; the stalks are hairy, and seldom stand 
 upright ; the leaves are very close set, and the 
 young shoots which grow from their bosoms perfectly 
 obscure the stalk ; it seems a thick round tuft. These 
 leaves are short, narrow, and divided into three parts 
 at their ends, and they stand two at every joint of the 
 stalk : they are rough and hairy like the stalk. The 
 ilowers are little and yellow, and they stand at the 
 joints. 
 
 The whole plant is used, and it has great vir- 
 tue ; it is to be. used dry in powder or infusion. 
 It works strongly by urine, and promotes the menses. 
 It opens also all obstructions of the live* and
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 159 
 
 spleen, and is good in jaundice, the rheumatism, 
 and most of the chronic disorders. 
 
 Groundsel. En'gcron sive scneclo. 
 
 A common weed in our gardens, and upon walls, 
 with little yellow {lowers, and downy seeds ; it 
 "rows eight inches high : the stalk i= round, fleshy, 
 tolerably upright, and green or purplish : the leaves 
 are oblong, broad, blunt, and divided at the edges. 
 The (lowers are small and yellow ; they grow in 
 a sort of long cups at the tops of the stalks and 
 branches. 
 
 The juice of this herb is a gentle and very good 
 emetic. It causes vomiting without any great 
 irritation or pain ; and it is also good for cutaneous 
 foulnesses applied outwardly. 
 
 Guaiacum Tree. Guaiacum. 
 
 A grfat tree, native of the West Indies, and 
 to be seen in some of our curious gardens. The 
 fruit is very large, and ihe branches are numerous ; 
 the leaves ;ire small, each is composed of two or 
 three pair of smaller ones, with no odd leaf at the 
 end of the rib. These are short, broad, roundish, 
 and of a dusky green colour. The {lowers are 
 small and yellow, but they grow in large clusters 
 together, so that the tree when in bloom makes a 
 very pretty appearance. 
 
 The bark and wood are the only parts of the tree 
 used ; they are given in decoction, to promote '.weat, 
 and so cleanse the blood ; they are excellent against 
 the rheumatism, scurvy, and all other disorders, 
 which arise from what is commonly called foulness 
 of the blood, but they must be taken for a consider-
 
 iGO FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 able time ; for these effects cannot be produced at 
 once. 
 
 What is culled gum guaiacum, is the resin pour- 
 ed from this tree ; it is very acrid and pungent, 
 and in the rheumatism and many other cases is to be 
 preferred to the wood itself. 
 
 II. 
 
 Hare's Ears. JBupleuron latifolium. 
 
 A common wild plant in some parts of Europe, 
 nut kept here in gardens. It is two feet or more 
 in height. The leaves arc long and broad, of 
 a stiff substance, and somewhat hollowed, which 
 gives them the appearance of a long and hollow 
 car, from whence thev are named ; they are of a 
 whitish green colour, and the rib* u on them are 
 high. There is a sort with narrow leaves, but the 
 broad leaved kind is to be used in . aicine. Tiic 
 stalks are round, upright, striated, and toward the 
 top branched. The {lowers are little and yellow, 
 and they stand at the tops of the branches in small 
 umbels. The root is long and thick, and has many 
 lib res. 
 
 The young shoots of the leaves which grow 
 from the root, are esteemed exceedingly in places 
 where tiny are native, for the cure of fresh wounds. 
 Th v cut two or three of these off close to the 
 ground, and without bruising* them, first closing 
 the lips of the wound, (hoy lay them on one over 
 the other, making a kind of compress: thev then 
 bind them on with linen rags, and never take oil 
 the dressing for three days, at the end of which 
 time in most cases they only find a scar : the cure 
 being perfected. This is *btt vSubstance of a pomp-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 161 
 
 ous account sent lately to a person of distinction 
 with seme leaves of the herb. There is no doubt 
 of the truth, and the surgeons will very well under- 
 stand the nature of the cure ; the discovery how- 
 ever is not new, for the herb has always been 
 reckoned among the vulnerary plants ; and some 
 have pretended that it will singly cure the king's 
 evil., but that is not to be expected ; at the same 
 time it may be proper to observe, that we do not 
 want plants for the same use in England ; we have 
 the tutsan which is to be applied in the same man- 
 ner, and has the same effect ; clown's all-heal, and 
 many others, named in their places. 
 
 Hare's Foot. Lagopus, 
 
 A common little plant, singular in the tuft, 
 which contains its seeds, and whence it has its 
 name, but not so much regarded as it ought to be 
 for its virtues. The stalks are numerous, round, 
 slender, and spread upon the ground, each is 
 divided into a number of lesser branches. The leaves 
 are small, oblong, narrow, of a pa'e green colour, 
 and hairy ; and they stand three together, in the 
 manner of trefoils. The flowers are small and of 
 a faint red, they stand several together in a short 
 spike, and the cups which receive them at the 
 base, are downy ; this gives the singular aspect of 
 hairiness to these heads, and their softness to the 
 touch. 
 
 The whole plant is to be used dried. It is an 
 excellent astringent. It stops the overflowings of 
 the menses and the whites, and is good against 
 bloody fluxes, and purgings of all kinds. The best 
 way of taking it is in a strong decoction, which 
 must be continued some time.
 
 163 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Hart's Tongue. Phyllitis. Lingua cervina 
 
 A wild plant of the fern kind, that is, con- 
 sisting only of leaves, without a stalk, the flowers 
 and seeds being borne on the backs of them. But 
 it has no resemblance to the ordinary ferns in its 
 aspect. Each leaf of hart's tongue is a separate 
 plant, but there rise many from the same root. 
 The foot-stalk is five inches long, the leaf an inch 
 and a quarter broad, largest at the bottom, and 
 smaller to the top, usually simple, but sometimes 
 divided into two or more parts at the end. It is of 
 a beautiful green at the upper side, somewhat paler 
 underneath, and the foot-stalk runs all along its 
 middle in the form of a very large rib. The seed-ves- 
 scis are disposed in long brown streaks on each side 
 of this rib, on the under part of the leaf, and they are 
 more conspicuous than in most of the fem kind. 
 The plant grows in old wells, and in dark ditches, 
 and is green all the year. 
 
 It is not much used, but deserves to be more 
 Known. It is an excellent astringent; the juice 
 of the plant, taken in small quantities, and for a 
 continuance of time, opens obstructions of the liver 
 and spleen, and will cure many of the most obstinate 
 chronic distempers. 
 
 Hartwort. Seseli. 
 
 A tall, robust, and handsome plant, native 
 of the Alps, but kept in our gardens. It grows 
 five or six feel in height : the stalk is round, thick, 
 striated, and hollow, very firm and upright, and 
 but little branched. The leaves are very large, 
 and they are divided into a great number of parts, 
 by fives and bv threes ; they are of a yellowish 
 green. The flowers are small and white, but they
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 163 
 
 stand in great tufts or umbels at the tops of the 
 stalks : the seeds follow, two after each ilower, and 
 they are oblong', broad, and edged with a leafy 
 border ; they are of a dark colour, a strong smell, 
 and acrid taste. 
 
 The seeds are the only part used ; they promote 
 the menses, and the necessary discharges after 
 delivery, and are an excellent warm and cordial 
 medicine ; they work also gently by urine, and cure 
 col icy pains ; they are to be given in powder or 
 infusion. 
 
 Hawthorn. Spina alba. 
 
 A shrub too common in our hedges to need 
 much description. The trunk is irregular, and sel- 
 dom straight ; the branches are strong, tough, and 
 thorny ; and the leaves of a glossy green and beau- 
 tifully divided. The (lowers are white and beautiful, 
 the fruit is small. 
 
 The flowers and the dried fruit are used in medi- 
 cine ; they have the same virtue ; they work by 
 urine, and are good in the gravel, and all com- 
 plaints of that kind ; but there are so many better 
 things for the same purpose at hand, that these are 
 not much regarded. 
 
 Hedge Mustard. Erisimum. 
 
 A very common wild plant, and of no great 
 beauty ; it is frequent about old walls, and in farm 
 yards, and is distinguished by its long spikes of 
 pods, which are lodged close upon the stalk. It 
 grows two feet in height ; the stalk is round, firm, 
 upright, but not always quite straight, and a little 
 branched. The leaves are of a pale green colour, 
 hairy, oblong, and deeply indented at the edges.
 
 164 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The flowers are small and yellow, and they common- 
 ly stand at the tops of long spikes of pods, which 
 have been flowers before them. 
 
 The whole plant is used, an infusion of it fresh 
 is the best way of taking it. This dissolves tough 
 phlegm, and is excellent in asthmas, hoarse- 
 nesses, and other complaints of the breast. This 
 simple infusion, made into a syrup with honey, 
 also answers the same purpose, and keeps all the 
 year. 
 
 Hemlock. Cicuta. 
 
 A large, tall, and handsome umoelliferous 
 plant, frequent in our hedges. It grows to six 
 feet in height ; the stalk is round, firm, hollow, 
 and upright ; it is of a dark green, and often 
 stained with purple and yellow. The leaves are 
 very large, and divided into very fine and nume- 
 rous partitions. The flowers are small and white, 
 and stand in large clusters on the tops of the stalks. 
 The seeds are roundish. The whole plant has 
 a strong disagreeable smell, and has been called 
 poisonous. 
 
 The roots are excellent in pultices for hard 
 swell i nil's. 
 
 3 
 
 Hemp. Cannabis. 
 
 Hemp is a tall plant, of a coarse aspect, culti- 
 vated in fields for its stalk. It grows five feet high, 
 and is a robust plant ; the stalk is thick and rigid ; 
 the leaves are numerous, they are large, and each 
 composed of six or seven smaller ; these are disposed 
 in the manner of fingers, and are of a deep green 
 colour, rough, narrow, and serrated at the edges. 
 The flowers in hemp grow in some plants, and the
 

 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 165 
 
 seeds on others. The flowers are inconsiderable, 
 and whitish ; the seeds are large, roundish, grey, and 
 have a white pulp within. The root is fibrous. 
 The seeds are used in medicine ; an emulsion made of 
 them cures the jaundice. 
 
 Hemp Agrimony. Eupatorium cannabinum. 
 
 A tall plant growing by waters, with tufts 
 of red flowers and leaves, divided in the man- 
 ner of those of hemp. It grows five feet high ; 
 the stalk is round, thick, reddish, and very up- 
 right. The leaves are large, of a pale green^ 
 and fingered ; they stand two at each joint ; the 
 flowers grow in bunches as big as a man's fist, 
 on the tops of the branches, and are of a bright 
 red. 
 
 The root fresh gathered and boiled in ale is 
 used in some places as a purge ; it operates strong- 
 ly, but without any ill effect, and dropsies are said 
 to have been cured by it singly. 
 
 Black Henbane. Hyoscyamus niger. 
 
 A common wild plant, of a dismal aspect 
 and disagreeable smell. The farm yards and 
 ditch banks in most places are full of it. It 
 grows two feet high. The stalk is thick, round, 
 hairy, and clammy to the touch ; but not very 
 upright. The leaves are large, long, and broad, 
 deeply serrated at the edges, of a bluish green co- 
 lour, hairy, and clammy to the touch, and leav- 
 ing a disagreeable smell upon the hands. The 
 flowers are large, and stand in rows on the tops 
 of the branches, which often bend down ; they 
 are of a strange yellowish brown colour, with 
 purple veins. The seeds are numerous and brown.
 
 166 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The seeds are used ; the rest of the plant is 
 esteemed poisonous. They are given in small doses 
 against the bloody flux, and it is said with great suc- 
 cess ; 1 have not known it tried. 
 
 White Henbane. Uyoscyamus albus. 
 
 A native of Italy and Germany, kept in our 
 gardens. It is a foot high, and has something of 
 the aspect of the black henbane, but not so dismal. 
 The stalk is round, thick, and of a pale green ; the 
 leaves are large, broad, but short, and a little in- 
 dented at the edges ; they are of a yellowish green, 
 and somewhat hairy ; the flowers are small and 
 yellow, and the seeds are whitish. 
 
 The seeds of this kind are preferred to those of 
 the others, as less strong] in their effects ; but if any 
 harm would happen from the internal use of the 
 other, we should have known it, for they are gene- 
 rally sold for them. 
 
 Good King Henry. Bonus Hcnricus. 
 
 A common wild plant, called also by some 
 English mercury, by way of distinction from the 
 other, which is called French mercury, and has 
 been described already. This grows a foot high ; 
 the stalk is round and thick, but rarely stands 
 quite upright ; it is greenish and purplish, and is 
 covered with a kind of grey powder unctuous to the 
 touch. The leaves are large, broad, and of the 
 shape of an arrow-head, they stand on long stalks, 
 and are of a pale green above, and greyish under- 
 neath, being there covered with this grey powder. 
 The flowers are inconsiderable, and are of a green- 
 ish yellow, and they stand in long spikes at the tops 
 of the brancb.es ; the plant is common in farm yards
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 167 
 
 The young shoots are eaten as spinage, the juice 
 of the whole plant works gently, and well by urine ; 
 and the dried herb is used in decoctions for glisters. 
 
 Hermodactyl Plant. Hermodactylus. 
 
 A beautiful plant, having more the aspect 
 of a garden flower, but it is common wild in the 
 Ea3t. The root is roundish, but flatted, and in- 
 dented at the bottom, and smaller at top. The 
 leaves are small and broad ; they are sharp at the 
 point, and of a deep green colour. The flowers ^are 
 large and of a whitish colour, veined and striped 
 with purple ; this is the best account we have re- 
 ceived of the plant, but part of it comes with less 
 authority than one would wish to things of this kind. 
 The root is dried and sent to us. 
 
 It is a gentle purgative, but it is less used at 
 this time than many others. It has been in more 
 repute, perhaps with reason. 
 
 Holloak. Malva arborca 
 
 A common garden flower. It grows eight feet 
 high, and the stalk is round, firm, hairy, and 
 upright. The leaves are large and roundish, of a 
 deep green, hairy, and cut in at the edges ; the 
 flowers are very large, red, white, or purple, and 
 stand in a kind of long spike. The root is white, 
 long, and thick, and is of a slimy nature, and not 
 disagreeable taste. 
 
 This is the part used ; a decoction of it operates 
 by urine, and is good in the gravel ; it has the 
 same virtue with the mallow and marshmallow, but 
 m a middle degree between them ; more than the 
 mallow, and not so much as the other, nor is it so 
 pleasant.
 
 168 FAMILY HERBAL, 
 
 Honewort. Selinum siifoliis. 
 
 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 
 English name from its virtues. Painful swellings 
 are in some parts of the kingdom called hones, and 
 the herb, from its singular effect in curing them, 
 has received the name of honewort, that is, hone- 
 herb. 
 
 The root is long and white ; there rise from it, 
 early in the spring, half a dozen or more leaves, 
 which lie spread upon the ground, in an elegant 
 manner, and are all that is generally observed of 
 the plant. The stalks do not rise till the end of 
 summer, and these leaves decay by that time, so 
 that they are not known to belong to it. These 
 leaves are ei&'ht inches lonjr, and an inch and a half 
 in breadth : they are composed each of a double 
 row of smaller leaves, set on a common rib, with 
 an odd leaf at the end ; these are oblong, tolerably 
 broad, and indented in a beautiful manner. They 
 are of a fresh green colour ; they are the part of 
 the plant most seen, and the part to be used ; and 
 they are not easily confounded with those of any 
 other plant, for there is scarce any that has what 
 are nearly so handsome. The stalk is two feet high, 
 round, hollow, upright, but not very firm, and 
 branched toward the top. The leaves on it are 
 somewhat like those from the root, but they have 
 not the singularity of those beautiful and numerous 
 small ones ; the flowers arc Jittle and white, and 
 the seeds are small, flatted, striated, and two of them 
 follow every flower. 
 
 The loaves arc to be used ; they are to be fresh 
 gathered and beat in .a marble mortar into a kind of 
 paste. They are to be laid on a swelling that is
 
 FAMILY HERBAL/ 169 
 
 red, painful, and threatens to have bad consequences, 
 and they disperse it. The application must be 
 frequently renewed, and the're are those who speak 
 of its curing the evil. 
 
 Honey-Suckle. Periclymenum. \ 
 
 A beautiful wild shrub. The trunk is seldom 
 more than an inch thick ; the branches are very 
 long and slender, of a reddish colour, brittle, and all 
 of the same bigness. The leaves stand in pairs, 
 they are broad, short, blunt, of a dark dead green 
 colour. The flowers grow in little clusters ; they 
 are long, slender, tubular, and very fragrant ; the 
 berries are red. 
 
 The fresh leaves of honey -suckle given in de- 
 coction, are good against obstructions of the liver 
 and spleen ; they work by urine, and they are also 
 a good gargle for a sore throat. 
 
 Honeywort. Cerinthe. 
 
 A juicy plant frequently wild in many parts 
 of Europe, but with us kept in gardens. It has 
 its name from the sweet taste of the flowers. Al- 
 most all flowers have a drop of honey juice in their 
 bottom : this is indeed the real substance of honey, 
 for the bees only pick it out and get it together : 
 the hollow flowers in general have more of it, or 
 it is better preserved in them than others, but scarce 
 any in so great a degree as this plant named from 
 it. It is two feet high, when kept erect/ but if left 
 to itself, is very apt to lean upon the ground. The 
 stalk is round, thick, juicy, and tender ; the leaves 
 are large, oblong, broad, they surround and inclose 
 the stalk at their base ; they are of a bluish green 
 
 z
 
 170 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 colour, spotted or clouded irregularly with white, 
 and they are fall of a sort of prickles. The flow- 
 ers grow at the tops of the stalks,, several together, 
 among" the clusters of leaves ; they are hollow, 
 oblong, -and very wide open at the mouth ; their 
 colour ,is yellow, variegated with purple in the 
 middle, and they have a very pretty appearance. 
 
 JJlie fresh gathered tops of the plant are to be 
 used ; an infusion of them is cooling, and works 
 by urine. Jt is good against scorbutic complaints, 
 and in the jaundice. 
 
 Hop Plant. Lupulus. 
 
 A climbing plant, with very long stalks, common 
 in our hedges, and cultivated also in many places. 
 The stalks are roundish, rough to the touch, and 
 of a purplish colour often, sometimes only green. 
 The leaves are very large, of a roundish figure, 
 deeply indented, of a dark green colour, and very 
 rough also to the touch. The fruit is sufficiently 
 known . 
 
 A decoction of fresh gathered hops is good against 
 the jaundice ; and the powder of hops dried in an 
 oven has been often known to cure agues, but upon 
 this there is no absolute dependance. 
 
 White Horehound. Marrubiwn album. 
 
 'A white hoary plant, with little flowers in 
 tufts round the stalks, frequent in dry places in 
 many parte of the kingdom. It grows sixteen 
 inches high. The stalks are square, and very ro- 
 bust, hairy, pale coloured, and upright. The 
 leaves stand two at each joint ; they are short and 
 broad, blunt at the ends, and widely indented at
 
 ;/,/,.</ j foU//(/>'0 / 
 
 ///u'/ryJuf). e/wwd
 
 FAMILY HERBAL! 171 
 
 the edges, of a rough surface, and white colour. 
 The flowers are white, and the points of their cups 
 are prickiy. 
 
 The best part of the plant for medicinal use, is 
 the tops of the young shoot* ; a decoction of these 
 made very strong, and boiled into a thin syrup with 
 honey, is excellent against coughs, hoarsenesses 
 of long standing, and all disorders of the lungs. 
 The same decoction, if taken in large doses, and for 
 a continuance, promotes the menses, and opens all 
 obstructions. 
 
 Black Horeiiound. Ballote. 
 
 A common wild plant of a disagreeable smell, 
 thence also called by some stinking horehound. 
 The stalks are square, the leaves grow two at every 
 joint, and are broad, short, and of a blackish green 
 colour, but in shape not unlike those of the white 
 kind. The (lowers stand in clusters round the stalk 
 at the joints, as in the other, but they are red. 
 The whole plant has a dismal aspect. The root is 
 fibrous. 
 
 The plant is to be used fresh and dried, and 
 it has more virtue than most imagine. It is to be 
 given in the form of tea : it promotes the menses, 
 and is superior to most things as a remedy in hysteric 
 cases, faint ings, convulsions, and low-spiritedness, 
 and all the train of those disorders. 
 
 Horsetail. Equisctum segetale. 
 
 A common, and yet very singular wild plant, 
 frequent in our corn-fields, and composed of 
 branches only, without leaves ; there are also many 
 other kinds of horsetail. It is a foot or more in 
 height, and is extremely branched ; the stalk is
 
 172 FAMILY HERBAL, 
 
 round, blunt, ridged', and angulated, and composed 
 of joints. It is hollow, weak, and seldom sup- 
 ports itself tolerably upright. The branches are 
 of the same structure, and they are again branch- 
 ed ; they grow several from every joint of the 
 main stal-k, and have others again, though in less 
 number, growing from their joints. The whole 
 plant is of a green colour, and when bruised, not of 
 a very agreeable smell. 
 
 The whole plant is to be usea, and it is best fresh , 
 though it retains a great deal of its virtue dried. 
 Given in decoction, it stops overflowings of the 
 menses, and bloody stools ; and applied externally, 
 it immediately stops the bleeding of wounds and 
 heals them. 
 
 Hound's Tongue. Cynoglossum* 
 
 A tall and singular looking plant, frequent by 
 our way sides, and distinguished by its large whitish 
 leaves, and small purple flowers, as also by the 
 particularity of its smell, which has been supposed to 
 resemble that of a kennel of hounds. It is two feet 
 and a half high. The stalk is angulated, firm, and 
 upright : the leaves are long, considerably broad, 
 pnd of a pale whitish or bluish green colour, sharp 
 at the points, and not at all serrated at the edges. 
 The flowers are small, and of a deep purple : they 
 grow along the tops of the branches, and are followed 
 by rough seeds. 
 
 The root is the part used ; it is long, thick, and 
 brown, but whitish within ; it is balsamic and 
 astringent. Given in decoction, it is excellent against; 
 coughs arising from a thin sharp humour. Dried 
 and powdered, it is good against purging?, and 
 stops the overflowing of the menses.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 173 
 
 Great Houseleek. Sedum majus. 
 
 A plant sufficiently known as well by its particular 
 manner of growing., as for its place of growth. It 
 forms itself into clusters of a roundish figure, these 
 are composed of leaves,, which are largest toward 
 the bottom., and smallest at the end ; they are very 
 thick and juicy, broad at the base, sharp at the 
 point, flat on the upper side, a little rounded on 
 the under, and somewhat hairy at their edges. The 
 stalk grows to ten inches high ; it is very thick, 
 round, and juicy, upright, of a reddish colour, 
 and divided at the top into a few branches. The 
 leaves on it are thin and narrow. The flowers 
 are numerous ; they are red and have a green head 
 in their middle, which afterwards becomes a cluster of 
 seed-vessels. 
 
 The leaves are the part used ; they are applied 
 externally in inflammations, and are very useful, 
 when cooling things may be employed. The juice 
 is also cooling and astringent taken inwardly, but 
 it is rarely used. Some praise it greatly for the in- 
 flammations of the eyes. 
 
 There is another kind of houseleek very unlike 
 this in form, but of the same virtues, this is called 
 the lesser houseleek ; the stalks are round, small, and 
 reddish, and grow six inches high ; the leaves are 
 long and rounded, not flat as the other leaves ; and 
 the flowers are white, and stand in a kind of tufts, 
 like umbels at the tops of the stalks. This grows on 
 old walls, and the tops of houses like the other. 
 
 Least Houseleek, or Wall Pepper. Sedum 
 minimum acre. 
 
 A common plant on old walls, of kin to the
 
 174 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 at 
 
 preceding, but very different both in face j..y 
 
 virtues. The root is little ; from this grow ah, j? 
 dance of stalks ; they are round, weak, and una), t 
 to support themselves ; they spread every wa; 
 about, and are six inches in length. The greater, 
 part of every stalk is covered with leaves, so that g ,.. 
 appears a green substance, of the thickness of one.l 
 little finger ; these leaves are short and thick ; the, v 
 are of a fine green colour, and are broad at the basti 
 and sharp at the point. The flowers are little, and 01 
 a bright yellow ; they grow in great numbers, from 
 the tops of these branch.es, and are of the shape of 
 those of common houseleek, and rounded by such 
 seed-vessels. 
 
 The juice of this kind of houseleek is excel- 
 lent against the scurvy and all other diseases arising: 
 from what is called foulness of the blood. It 
 is said that a continued course of it will cure 
 the king'.i evil : but we want experience to support 
 this. 
 
 ILpocist. Hj/pocistus. 
 
 A vr.iiY singular plant, native of the Grecian 
 islands, and of some of the warmer parts of Europe. 
 It is five inches high, and of a singular figure. 
 It does not grow in the earth at large as other 
 plants, but to the root of some species of cistus ; 
 as missletoe grows to the branches of trees. The 
 stalk is thick and fleshy, and is often twice as large 
 toward the top, as at the bottom. It is whitish, or 
 yellowish, or purplish, and has a parcel of short 
 and broad skinny films, by way of leaves upon it. 
 The (lowers grow at the top, with leaves of the same 
 kind among them. They are large and beautiful, 
 and urc succeeded by fruits of a roundish figure,
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. J 75 
 
 lwh is a quantity of glutinous liquor, and with 
 e feeds, which are very small, and of a brown- 
 colour. 
 
 We use the hardened juice of the fruit ; it is 
 aporated over the tire, to a thick consistence, and 
 en is of a black colour, like the common liquorice 
 ice, called Spanish liquorice. The druggists 
 ,'ep it in this state ; it is good in, violent purgings, 
 ith bloody stools, and in overflowing of the menses : 
 is to be given in an electuary, with conserve of red 
 
 3SC3. 
 
 Hyssop. Hyssopus. 
 
 A very pretty garden plant, kept for its virtues. 
 It grows two feet high. The stalks are square, 
 robust, upright, and of a pale green colour. The 
 leaves stand two at each joint ; they are long, narrow, 
 pointed at the ends, and of a bright green colour. 
 The flowers are small, and they stand in long spikes, 
 at the tops of the branches ; they are of a beautiful 
 blue colour. The whole plant has a strong, but not 
 disagreeable smell. 
 
 Hyssop is to be gathered when just beginning to 
 flower, and dried : the infusion made in the manner 
 of tea, is not unpleasant, and is the best way of 
 taking it : it is excellent against coughs, hoarse- 
 nesses, and obstructions in the breast. A strong 
 infusion made into a syrup with honey, is excellent 
 for the same purposes, mixed with an equal quantity 
 of cil of almonds. 
 
 Hedge Hyssop. Gratiola. 
 
 A little plant kept in our gardens. It 
 grows to a foot in height ; the stalks are square, 
 slender, and not very robu=t : the leaves are long,
 
 i?6 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 narrow, and sharp-pointed : they stand tvvc at 
 every joint. The flowers are long', moderately 
 large, and yellow ; they grow from the bosoms of 
 the leaves, and are hollow, and only a little divio >d 
 at the ends : they are somewhat like fox-gio e 
 ilowers. 
 
 A decoction of the fresh plant is an excellerf 
 purge, but it works roughly ; it is good against 
 dropsies and rheumatisms ; and the jaundice ha 
 been often cured by it singly. 
 
 Jack by the Hedge. Alliaria. 
 
 A FPRrNG plant of a conspicuous figure, fre- 
 quent in our hedges. The stalk is round, thick, 
 firm, upright, and of a pale green, three feet in 
 height, and very straight. The leaves are large, 
 broad, and short, of a figure approaching to 
 roundish, but somewhat pointed at the ends, and 
 notched at the edges ; they are of a pale yellowish 
 green colour, and stand on long foot-stalks. The 
 flowers are little and white ; they stand ten or a 
 dozen together, at the tops of the branches, and are 
 followed by long pods. 
 
 The fresh leaves eaten as salad work by urine 
 powerfully, and are recommended in dropsies. The 
 juice of them boiled into a syrup with honey, is 
 good to break tough phlegm, and to cure coughs and 
 hoarsen esses 
 
 Jacinth, or Hyacinth. Hj/acinthus 
 vulgaris. 
 
 The common spring plant our children gather 
 with tin ir cowslips and May flowers, and cali blue
 
 /..,[//
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 17? 
 
 l)olls. The root is white and roundish ; the leaves 
 are narrow and long*,, like grass, but of a deep green 
 colosr, and smooth surface : the stalks are round, 
 upright, and smooth ; they have no leaves on them. 
 The flowers are large, and of a beautiiVil blue ; they 
 are hollow, oblong, and turn up at the rim. The 
 root is the part used. 
 
 It abounds in a slimy juice, but it is to be dried, 
 and this must be done carefully ; the decociion of 
 it operates well by urine ; and the powder is balsa- 
 mic, and somewhat styptic. It is not enough known. 
 There is hardly a more powerful remedy for the 
 whites 
 
 Jalap Plant. Jalapium. 
 
 A climbing plant, native of America, and not 
 yet got into our gardens. The root is long, irregu- 
 larly shaped, and tiiick. The stalks are round, 
 tough, and firm, but slender and unable to support 
 themselves. They grow to ten or twelve feet in 
 length, and wind among the bushes. The leaves 
 are oblong, broadest toward the base, of a dusky 
 green, and not dented about the edges. The flow- 
 ers are large, and of the shape of a bell, and their 
 colour is purplish or white. The seed-vessel is large 
 and oval. 
 
 The root is the part used ; and druggists sell it. 
 Given in powder with a little ginger, to prevent its 
 griping, it is an excellent purge. A strong tincture 
 of it made in brandy answers the same purpose ; it 
 is good in dropsies ; and is in general a safe and ex- 
 cellent purge. 
 
 Jessamine Jasminum. 
 
 A common shrub in our garden^, and a 
 
 a a
 
 V& FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 great ornament to them. It does not well support 
 itself, go that it is commonly nailed against walls. 
 The trunk is covered with a greyish bark : the 
 young shoots are green. The leaves stand two at 
 each joint, and they arc very beautiful ; each is 
 made up of about three pair of narrow, oblong, and 
 pointed leaves, with a very long one at the end. 
 They are of a deep green colour : the flowers are 
 long, hollow, open at the end, and white; half a 
 dozen or thereabout grow on each stalk, and they 
 are of a very delicate and fragrant smell ; these 
 are succeeded by berries, which ripen in the warmer 
 countries. 
 
 The flowers are the part used. Pour a pint of 
 boiling water upon six ounces of the fresh gathered 
 and clean picked flowers of jessamine ; let it stand 
 twelve hours, then pour it off ; add honey enough to 
 make the liquor into a thin syrup, and it is an excel- 
 lent medicine in coughs. 
 
 Rose of Jlkiciio. Rosa Hicracontea. 
 
 A little woody plant, named a rose from nothing 
 but its size, and its manner of folding itself up, 
 by bending in the tops of the branches, so that it 
 appears hollow and roundish. We are accustomed 
 to see it dry, and in that condition it is always thus 
 drawn together. It it of the bigness of a man's fist, 
 and is composed of a quantity of woody branches, 
 interwoven with one another, and all bending in- 
 ward. When it is put into warm water, it expands, 
 and become flattish, but on drying, it acquires the 
 old form again. 
 
 It i9 in reality a kind of thlaspi, or treacle mus- 
 tard, but of a peculiar woody texture. The root 
 is long, and pierces deep into the ground ; there 
 jjrow from tins eight or ten stalks, which spread
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 179 
 
 themselves upon the ground, in a circular manner, 
 as we see the stalks of our bird's foot, and many 
 other little plants. These stalks are thick and 
 woody, and about four inches in length : they lie 
 upon the ground toward the base, but lay turned 
 up a little at the tops, and each of them has a num- 
 ber of branches. The leaves are long, narrow, 
 and of a pale green ; they are very numerous, and 
 they stand irregularly. The flowers are small, 
 and white like those of our shepherd's purse. The 
 seed-vessels are small, and contain several seeds 
 like those of the common treacle mustard. 
 
 This is the appearance of the plant, as it grows 
 very frequent in the warmer climates ; and thus 
 it has nothing singular in it, while in its perfection 
 of growth, but after a time, the leaves decay and 
 fall off, and the stalks as they dry, in the heat, 
 draw up more and more, till by degrees they get 
 into this round figure, from which warm water 
 will expand them, but they recover it again as they 
 dry. 
 
 This is the real history of that little kind of trea- 
 cle mustard, which is called the rose of Jericho, 
 and concerning which so many idle, as well as 
 strange things, have been said. Our good women 
 have many ways of trying many experiments with 
 it, by way of deciding future events, but nothing 
 can be so foolish. The nature of the plant will 
 make it expand, and open its branches, when put 
 into warm water, and draw them together again, as 
 it grows dry. This will always happen, and it will 
 be more quick or more slow, according to the con- 
 dition ol* the plant. Where it is to be had fresh, 
 it does not want medicinal virtues. The youivg 
 shoots are good in infusion against sore throats, but 
 we have the plant without its leave*, and, in reality,
 
 ISO FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 liitlo more than a stick ; so that it would be idle to 
 expect any good in it. 
 
 Jesuit's Bark Thee. Arbor Peruviana. 
 
 A small tree, native of South America, which 
 has not yet got into our gardens. The trunk is 
 as thick as a man's leg, and its bark is grey. The 
 branches are numerous and irregular, and their 
 bark is of a browner colour, but with the same 
 tinge of grey. The leaves are long and large, 
 three inches in length, and half as much in breadth, 
 and of a pale green colour : they are pointed at 
 the end, but not at all indented at the edges. The 
 flowers are small, and their colour is a pale purple : 
 they stand in great clusters together ; they are long, 
 hollow, and open at the end, where they are a little 
 divided. The fruit is a dry capsule, of an oblong 
 figure. 
 
 The bark is the part used. Besides its certain 
 efficacy against agues and intermitting fevers, it is 
 an excellent stomachic and astringent ; nothing is 
 better to strengthen the appetite, and in overflow- 
 ings of the menses, and all other bleedings, it is 
 of the greatest efficacy. It is best given in powder. 
 The tincture is to be made in brandy, but it is not 
 nearly so good as the substance ; when it is given 
 for disorders of (he stomach, the best way is to pick 
 line pieces <jf the* hark and chew them. 
 
 Jews Ears. Auricula Judcr. 
 
 A kind of fungus, or, as the common phras-e 
 is, of toad's stool, growing upon old elder trees. It 
 is about an inch and a half long, and generally an 
 inch broad, and is somewhat cf the shape of an
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 181 
 
 ear. It grows by a broad base to the bark of the 
 tree, and from this it gradually spreads into a 
 flat, hollow, substance, with several ridges in it r 
 running irregularly, whence it is supposed to have 
 the resemblance of the car most perfectly. Its 
 colour is a pale grey on the outside, it is darker 
 within, and there run several ribs along it. It is 
 to be dried. Boiled in milk, it is recommended 
 greatly in sore throats and quinsies. These reme- 
 dies of the vulgar have come originally from 
 physicians, and they commonly have something to 
 support them. The Jew's ear is at this time out 
 of repute, but that seems owing to sophistication. 
 They commonly sell, under the name of it, another 
 fungus that grows to a great bigness, overspreading 
 wood, in damp places. They get it off the water 
 pipes at the New River head at Islington, to supply 
 Co vent Garden market. 
 
 St. Ignatius's Bean. Taba sartcti Ignatii, 
 
 A plant common in the West Indies, and very 
 ill called a bean, being truiv a gourd. The name 
 bean was given to the seeds of this plant before it 
 was known how they were produced, and some 
 have continued it to the plant. It grows to a 
 great height, when there is a tree to support it, for 
 it cannot support itself. It has a stalk as thick 
 as a man's arm, angulated, light, and not firm. 
 The leaves are very large, oblong, and undivided, 
 and they have the ribs very high upon them : they 
 tire broad at the base, and grow narrower to the 
 point, and are of a deep green colour. The flow- 
 ers are very large, and of a deep blood red ; at a 
 distance, they have the aspect of a red rose. The 
 fruit is large and roundish ; it has a woody shell, 
 and over that a thin skin, bright and shining.
 
 182 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Within there are twenty or thirty seeds ; they are 
 of the bigness f a small nutmeg', "when we see 
 them : they are roundish, and very rough upon 
 the surface : each is of a woody substance, and, 
 when tasted, is of the flavour of citron seeds, but 
 extremely bitter and nauseous. The colour is of 
 all grey or Brownish. 
 
 These seeds ale what we use in medicine, and 
 call the St. Ignatius's bean. It is a medicine, to be 
 given with great caution, but it has many virtues : 
 the most powerful remedies, when in ill hands, are 
 naturally the most dangerous ; the powder given 
 in a small dose occasions vomiting and purging, 
 and oftew, if the constitution be tender, convulsions ; 
 it is much better to give it in tincture, when no 
 such effects happen from it. 'Tis of an excellent 
 effect against nervous complaints : it will cure the 
 falling-sickness, given in proper doses, and con- 
 tinued for a long time : the tincture i3 best for this 
 purpose. Some have given the powder in very 
 small quantities against worms, and that with suc- 
 cess ; its extreme bitter makes it very disagree- 
 able, and the taste continues in the throat a long 
 time, whence it occasions vomiting. We neglect 
 it very much at present, because of its roughness ; 
 but it would be better we found the way of giving 
 it with safety. There are gentler medicines, but 
 none of them so efficacious : it will do service in 
 cases that the common methods do not reach. 
 
 St. John's Wort, ffj/pcricum. 
 
 A robust and pretty plant, frequent in our 
 pastures, and other dry places. The height is a 
 foot and a half. The stalk is round, thick, firm, 
 and very upright, and divided towards the top 
 into several branches The leaves are short and
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 183 
 
 blunt at the points: they are of a bright green 
 colour, and if held up against the light, they seem 
 to be full of pin holes. The Bovvers grow in 
 abundance on the tops of the branches : they are 
 large, and of a bright and beautiful yellow, full 
 of yellow threads, which, if rubbed upon the hand, 
 stain it like blood. The fruit is a dry seed- 
 vessel. 
 
 The part used is the flowery tops of the plant 
 just as they begin to ripen. A decoction of these 
 works powerfully by urine, and is excellent against 
 the gravel, and in ulcerations of the ureters. The 
 same tops fresh gathered and bruised are good for 
 wounds and bruises ; they stop bleeding, and serve 
 as a balsam for one, and take oft' blackness in the 
 other 
 
 Jujube Tree. Zizyphus. 
 
 A tree of the bigness of our plum trees, and 
 not unlike to them in shape. The bark is grey on 
 the trunk, and brown on the branches. The leaves 
 are moderately large, and each is composed of a 
 number of smaller ones, set on each side of a middle 
 rib, but not opposite to one another, and with an odd 
 one at the end : these are oblong, obtuse, and serrated 
 round the edges, and the odd leaf at the end is the 
 largest and longest. The flowers are small and 
 yellow. The fruit is oval, and of the bigness of a 
 moderate plum ; it has a soft substance on the outside, 
 and a stone within, which is large and long, and 
 pointed at both ends. 
 
 The fruit is used. It was at one time brought 
 over to us dried, but we see little of it now ; it was 
 esteemed balsamic, and was given to cure coughs, 
 nnd to work bv urine.
 
 184 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 White Stock July Flower. Leucoium 
 album. 
 
 A robust garden plant, kept for its flowers, which 
 art variegates and makes double. It grows two or 
 three feet high. The stalk is thick, firm, round, and 
 of a greyish colour. The leaves are long, narrow, 
 hairy, and whitish. The stalks which bear the flow- 
 ers are also of a whitish green, and tender. The 
 flowers are as broad as a shilling, white, and sweet 
 scented. 
 
 The flowers are the part used, and they are to 
 be fresh gathered, and only just blown. A tea 
 made of them is good to promote the menses, and 
 it operates also by urine. An ointment is to be 
 made, by boiling them in hog's lard, which is ex- 
 cellent for sore nipples. 
 
 Jumper Shrub. Jiinrpcrus. 
 
 A common shrub on our heaths. It grows to 
 no great height in England, but in some other 
 parts of Europe rises to a considerably large tree. 
 The bark is of a reddish brown. The branches are 
 lough. The leaves are longish, very narrow, and 
 prickly at the ends. The flowers arc of a yellow- 
 ish colour, but small and inconsiderable. The 
 berries are large, and when ripe blackish : they are 
 uf a strong; but not disagreeable smell, and of a sweet- 
 ish, but resinous taste. The leaves are of a faint 
 bluish green colour. 
 
 The berries are the part most used. We have 
 them from Germany principally. They have two 
 excellent qualities, they dispel wind, and work by 
 urine, for which reason, they are excellent in those 
 colics which arise from the gravel and stone. 
 With these is also made the true Geneva, but the
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 185 
 
 liquor our poor people drink under that name, is 
 only malt spirit* and oil of turpentine. 
 
 Ivy. Hedera. 
 
 A very common shrub, crawling about old 
 trees, or upon old walls ; it sometimes runs upon 
 the ground for want of such support, but then it 
 rarely bears any fruit. The trunk is thick, brown, 
 and covered with a peculiar roughness. The 
 branches are numerous and brittle The leaves 
 have a strange variety of shapes, oblong, angular, 
 cornered, or divided. The flowers stand in little 
 round clusters, and they are small and inconsiderable : 
 they are succeeded by large berries. The leaves 
 upon the young shoots that bear the flowers are al- 
 ways oblong ; those on the trunk are angulated. 
 They are all of a deep glossy green. 
 
 The leaves and berries are both used, but nei- 
 ther much. A decoction of the leaves destroys 
 vermin in children's heads, and heals the soreness 
 that attends them. The berries are purging ; an 
 infusion of them will often work also by vomit, 
 but there is no harm in this : they are an excellent 
 remedy in rheumatism?, and pains of all kind*, and, 
 it is said, have cured dropsies ; but this is perhaps 
 going too far. 
 
 The ivy in the warm countries sweats out a kind 
 of resin, which has been used externally at some 
 times, on various occasions * but at this time, it is 
 quite unknown in practice. 
 
 K. 
 
 Kidney Wort. Umbilicus veneris. ' 
 
 A very singular plant, which grows on old 
 
 b b
 
 186 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 walla in some parts of England It is eight inches 
 high, and is distinguished at sight by a cluster of 
 round leaves which grow about the stalk. The 
 root is roundish, and its fibres grow from the bottom. 
 The leaves stand on longish and thick foot-stalks, 
 which are, except in the lowest of all, inserted not 
 at the edges of the leaf 5 but in the middle : these 
 are round, thick, fleshy, and indented about the 
 edges. The stalk which bears the flowers is round, 
 thick, a*nd, towards the top, divided into two or three 
 branches ; on these grow the flowers, in a kind of 
 spikes : they are oblong, hollowish, and of a green- 
 ish white colour. 
 
 The leaves are the part used. Externally, they 
 are cooling, and good against pains. They are 
 applied bruised to the piles, with great success. 
 The juice of them, taken inwardly, operates Jry 
 urine, and is excellent against stranguries, and good 
 in the gravel, and inflammations of the liver and 
 spleen. 
 
 Knap-weed. Jacca. 
 
 A very common wild plant, with dark-coloured 
 longish leaves, and purple flowers, like those of 
 thistles. It is two feet high. The stalks are 
 roundish, but ribbed : they are of a pale colour, 
 very firm and strong, upright, and divided into 
 branches. The leaves are long, and of the same 
 breadth : those winch grow immediately from the 
 root, are but little jagged or cut at the edges : 
 those which stand upon the stalk, are more so. 
 The flowers are large ; they stand in scaly heads, 
 one of which is placed at the top of every branch : 
 and at a distance, they have something of the ap- 
 pearance of the flowers of thistles, but when ex- 
 lunined nearer, they are more like these of the blue
 
 FAMILY HERBAL, 187 
 
 bottle. The flowers themselves are of a bright red, 
 and large. 
 
 The young plant is used fresh : a decoction of it 
 is good against the bleeding of the piles, against 
 loosenesses with bloody stools, and all other bleed- 
 ings. A slight infusion is recommended against 
 sore throats, to be used by way of gargle. There 
 are so many of these gentle astringent plants, com- 
 mon in our fields, as yarrow and the like, that less 
 respect is to be paid to one of less power in the 
 same way. Knapweed may be very properly added 
 to decoctions of the others, but it would not be so 
 well to trust to its effects singly. 
 
 Knot-grass. Polygonum. 
 
 A most common wild plant in our fields, path- 
 ways, and hedges : there are two or three kinds of 
 it, but they pretty much resemble one another in 
 form, and in virtues : the largest is the best. The 
 stalks of this are ten inches long, round, jointed, 
 and of a dusky green. The leaves are of an oval 
 form, of a bluish green colour, and not indented 
 at the edges. The stalks lie upon the ground, and 
 one of these only grows at each joint. The Mowers 
 are small and white, but with a tinge of reddish. 
 The seed is single, black, and three-cornered. 
 
 It has been observed before, that Providence has 
 in general made the most common plants the most 
 useful. A decoction of knot-grass roots, stalks, 
 and leaves, is an excellent astringent. It stops 
 bloody stools, and is good against all bleedings, 
 but, in particular, it is a remedy against the 
 bleeding piles, and against the overflowing of the 
 menses
 
 !SS FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 L. 
 
 Gum Lac Tree. Laca arbor. 
 
 A tree of the bigness of our apple tree, fre- 
 quent in the East, but not yet known in Europe. 
 The trunk is covered with a rough reddish bark. 
 The branches are numerous and tough. They have 
 a smoother rind, of a colour inclining to purple. 
 The leaves are broad, and of a whitish green on 
 the upper side, and of a silvery white underneath. 
 The flowers are small and yellow. The fruit is of 
 the bigness of a plum, and has in it a large stone :" 
 The outer or pulpy part is of an austere, and not 
 \nvy agreeable taste. 
 
 The gum lac is found upon the branches of this 
 tree but it i , pretended by some, that a sort of flies ; 
 deposit it there, and on other substances ; and 
 that it is a kind of wax ; however, there are per- 
 sons of credit, who say they have obtained by cut- 
 ting the branches of this tree, and a like substance 
 from the branches of the several kinJs of jujubes, 
 to which this belongs, in the hot countries. Pro- 
 bably the flies get it **u tins tree, and lodge it for 
 their purposes upon sticks, and other substances, as 
 we see it. 
 
 Our druggists have three kinds of this resin, for 
 it is ill called a gum. The one they call stick lac, 
 because it is brought in round sticks ; the other 
 seed lac, in small lumps ; and the other shell lac, 
 which is thin' and transparent, and has been melted ; 
 of this resin tiie scaling wax is made with very little 
 alteration more than the colouring it, which is 
 done by means of a cinnabar or coarser materials. 
 Taken inwardly, gum lac is good against obstruc- 
 tions of the liver: it operates by urine and sweat.
 
 FAMILY HER JUT;. JS!> 
 
 and is good in most chronic cases arising" fVcai such 
 obstructions. 
 
 Ladies' Mantle. Archimilla. 
 
 A very pretty little plant, native of sonic part? of 
 England, but not very common wild. The leaves 
 are numerous and very beautiful ; they are broad, 
 and of a roundish figure, but divided deeply into eight 
 parts, and each of these elegantly indented about 
 the edges. Thev are of a yellowish green colour, 
 nearly as broad as the palm of ones hand,, and they 
 stand upon foot-stalks of an inch or two in length. 
 The stalks grow in the midst ; they are round, a 
 little hairy, eight inches long, not very upright, and 
 of a pale green colour. The flowers stand in con- 
 siderable numbers at their tops ; they are small and 
 of h greenish colour, but have a great many yellow 
 thrtads in the middle. The root is Jong, thick, and 
 dark coloured. 
 
 The root is the part most valuable ; a decoction 
 of it fresh taken up, is an excellent remedy for the 
 overflowings of the menses, for bloody fluxes, and 
 all other bleedings. Dried and powdered it an- 
 swers the same purpose, and is also good against 
 common purgings. The good women of tin 4 north 
 of England apply the leaves to their breasts, to make 
 them recover their form, after they have been swelled 
 with milk. Hence it has got the name v >f ladies' 
 mantle. 
 
 Larch Tree. Larix. 
 
 A moderately tall, and in summer a very beautiful 
 tree ; but though one of the resinous kind, and in 
 many respects approaching to the nature of the fir 
 and pine, it loses its leaves in winter : it is a native
 
 190 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 of Italy, and is frequent in our pardons. The trunk 
 is rugged, and the branches are covered with a 
 rouo-h bark, of a brownish colour, with a tinjre of 
 reddish. The leaves are an inch or more in length, 
 jextremely slender, and of a bluish green colour, and 
 they grow in little clusters, on different parts of the 
 branches. The flowers are inconsiderable, the fruit 
 is a cone, but very small. It is not bigger than a 
 little walnut. 
 
 The young leaves are boiled, and the liquor is 
 drank to promote urine, but this is an idle way of 
 getting at the virtues of the tree. Venice turpen- 
 tiue is produced from it, and this liquid resin con- 
 tains them all in perfection. They cut the trunk of 
 the tree deep, in the heat of summer, and the resin 
 flows out. This works powerfully by urine, and 
 is a noble balsam ; it is good against the whites, and 
 to stop the running that often remains, from a clap 
 after all the virulence is removed ; but in this case 
 it must be given cautiously. 
 
 Larks' Spur. Delphinium. 
 
 A common flower in our gardens ; but not with- 
 out its virtues. It grows a yard high : the stalks are 
 round, upright, firm, and of a pale green. The 
 leaves are cut into a multitude of long, narrow, and 
 very fine divisions, and are of a deep green colour, 
 and the flowers which grow in long spikes at the 
 tops of the branches, are naturally blue, but often 
 red or white. They are moderately large, and have 
 a kind of spur behind. 
 
 The leaves are used ; they must be boiled fresh 
 in water, and the decoction - is good against the 
 bleeding piles. ]{ stops the hemorrhage, and at the 
 wme time cor'; the bodv, whereas too many of the 
 astringent medicines are heating.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 191 
 
 Lavender. Lavendula. 
 
 A common plant in our gardens, native of 
 the warmer parts of Europe ; it is of a shrubby 
 nature in the stem, but the rest is herbaceous. It 
 grows a yard high. The trunk, or main stem is 
 thick, woody, firm, and covered with a whitish 
 bark. The young shoots from this, are tender and 
 greenish ; and on these stand the leaves. They are 
 long, narrow, and of a pale green colour, and stand 
 two at each joint. The stalks which bear the 
 flowers are square, green, and naked ; the flowers 
 stand in short spikes, or ears ,* they are small, blue, 
 and verv fragrant ; the cups of the flowers are 
 whitish. 
 
 These flowers are the part used ; they are good 
 against all disorders of the head and nerves. They 
 may be taken in the form of tea. The famous 
 Spirit of lavender called palsy drops, and the sweet 
 lavender water are made with them. The spirit of 
 lavender called palsy drops is thus made best. 
 
 Put into a small still a pound of lavender flowers, 
 and five ounces of the tender tops of rosemary, put 
 to them five quarts of common molasses spirit, and a 
 quart of water : distil oh' three quarts ; put to this 
 cinnamon and nutmegs, of each three quarters of 
 an ormce, red ganders wood half an ounce ; let 
 these stand together a week, and then strain off the 
 spirit. 
 
 The lavender water is thus made. Put a pound 
 of fresh lavender flowers into a still with a gallon of 
 molasses spirit, and draw oif live pints. This is 
 lavender water. 
 
 Lavender Cotton. Abrotonum fuemina. 
 
 A WTTI.E shrubby plant, frequently wild in Italy,
 
 Jv'2 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 b;rt with us kepi in gardens. It grows two feet or 
 more in height, {he stem is whitish : the stalks grow- 
 ing from it, are tough and firm, of a whitish colour 
 also, and very numerous ; the leaves are oblong, 
 lender, of a square shape, and indented; they are 
 also whitish and of a strong: smell. The stalks which 
 upport the flowers are Jong and naked ; they are 
 round, of a greenish colour, and each has at its top 
 a single flower, which is yellow and naked, and of 
 the bigness of an horse-bean. 
 
 The leaves are the part used, they are best fresli 
 gathered. They are to be given infused in water 
 against worms, they are a disagreeable medicine, 
 hut a very efficacious one. They also promote the 
 menses, and open obstructions of the liver. They 
 have been recommended greatly in the jaundice. 
 
 Spurge Laurel. Laureola. 
 
 A wild little shrub of a singular aspect and of 
 considerable virtues, it is three i'ect high, the stem 
 is half an inch thick, and divides into a great many 
 branches. The bark is of a brownish colour, and 
 they are not very strong. The leaves stand at the 
 tons of the branches, they are long, narrow, and of 
 a bright and fine green ; they are of a firm substance, 
 and are not indented at the edges. The flowers are 
 very small and inconsiderable, they are green with* 
 some yellow threads, and have a sweet smell ; the 
 berries are small, roundish, and black. 
 
 The leaves are a powerful remedy against the 
 dropsy, but they are so violent they must be given 
 .v I til caution; a small quantity of a slight infusion 
 of them in water, works by vomit and stool in a 
 poweiful manner. H is not every constitution that 
 can i;ear such a medicine.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 193 
 
 Leek. For rum. 
 
 A common plar.t in our kitchen gardens. It 
 grows three feet high; the stalk is round, green, and 
 thick ; the leaves are targe, long, and of a deep green, 
 and the flowers grow in a round cluster at the top of 
 the stalk ; they are of a purplish colour, with a tinge 
 of green ; the root is white, oblonjr, thick, and round- 
 ish, with fibres at the bottom. 
 
 An infusion of the roots of leeks made in water, 
 and boiled into a syrup with honey, is good against 
 asthmas, coughs, and obstructions in the breast and 
 lungs. It answers the same purposes with syrup 
 of garlic, but it will agree with some who cannot 
 bear that medicine. 
 
 Lemon Tree. Limonia mains. 
 
 A shrub, native of the warmer countries, and 
 frequent in our green houses, very beautiful and 
 fragrant. The trunk is moderately thick, and 
 covered with a brown bark ; the branches are nume- 
 rous, irregular, and beset with prickles. The leaves 
 are large, and very beautiful, of an oval figure, and 
 set upon a naked stalk ; they are of a beautiful 
 green, and remain on the tiee all winter. The 
 flowers are large and white ; of a thick firm sub- 
 stance, and very fragrant smell. The fruit we are 
 sufficiently acquainted with ; its shape is oblong, and 
 its rind of a pale yellow colour: it has a part like 
 a nipple at each end. Its smell is very fragrant, and 
 itsjuiee sour. 
 
 The peel and the juice of the fruit are used, 
 The peel is stomachic and warm, it is a good in- 
 gredient in bitter infusions. The juice made into 
 a syrup with twice its weight of fine sugar, is e.\- 
 
 c (l
 
 194 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 eellent for sweetening juleps and drinks in fevers, and, 
 mixed with gait of wormwood, it stops vomitings. 
 
 Lead wort. Dentillaria sive plumbago. 
 
 A little plant, native of some parts of Europe, 
 and kept in our gardens. It is two feet high ; the 
 stalks are slender, tough, and weak, hardly able to 
 support themselves upright. The leaves are of a 
 paie bluish green colour, oblong, not very broad, 
 and they surround the stalk at the base. The ilow- 
 ers are red, they are singly, very small, but they 
 stand in thick, oblong clusters, on the tops of the 
 stalks, and each is succeeded by a single seed, which 
 is very rough, and stands naked. 
 
 The dried root is to be used ; a piece of it put 
 into the mouth, fill it with a great quantity of rheum, 
 and is often an almost instantaneous cure for the 
 head-ache. It also cures the tooth-ache in the same 
 manner as pellitory of Spain does : it is more hot 
 and acrid than even that fiery root. 
 
 Indian Leaf Tree. Malabathrum. 
 
 A tall and beautiful tree of the East Indies, 
 not unlike the cinnamon tree in its manner of 
 growth. The trunk is as thick as our elms, and it 
 grows as tall, but the branches are disposed with 
 less regularity ; the wood is brittle, and the you n g 
 shoots are of a pale brown. The leaves are very 
 large, nine inches long, and seven in breadth, and 
 not at all indented. The flowers stand in clusters 
 on the tops of the brandies ; they are small and 
 greyish, and the fruit is of the bigness of our ed 
 currant. It i* common in the mountainous parts of 
 the Qii*t.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 195 
 
 These leaves are the part used, we have them 
 dried at the drnggists, but they commonly keep them 
 till they are decayed. It i*s an aromatic medicine, 
 it strengthens the stomrach, and is good in nervous 
 disorders. 
 
 Lentil. Lena. 
 
 A kind of little pulse, sown in fields in some 
 parts of England. It grows a foot and a half high, 
 but does not stand very upright. The stalk is an- 
 gulated, of a pale green, and branched ; the leaves 
 are like those of the common pea : they consist each 
 of several pairs of small ones, set on a rib, and there 
 h a tendril in place of an odd leaf at the end. These 
 small leaves are of a pale green colour, and oval 
 shape. The flowers are white and small, but in 
 shape like a pea blossom, they stand singly on long 
 stalks. The fruit is a pod of a flatfish shape, in 
 which there generally are two seeds also a little 
 flatted, and of the bigness of a small pea. 
 
 The fruit is used ; it is ground to powder to 
 make into pultices for swellings, but it is not much 
 regarded 
 
 Lettice. Lacluca* 
 
 A common plant in our kitchen gardens, which 
 we eat raw. When it rises to flower it is two feet 
 and a half high. The stalk is round, thick, very 
 upright, and of a pale green. The leaves are 
 oblong, broad, and somewhat waved at the edges : 
 the flowers stand on die tops of the stalks, and are 
 of a pale yellow ; the seed is winged with a light white 
 down. 
 
 The juice of lettice is a good medicine to pro- 
 cure sleep, or tlie thick stalk eaten will serve the
 
 196 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 same purpose. It is a good method to put those 
 into who require a gentle opiate, and will not take 
 medicines. 
 
 Wild Lettuce. Lacluca sylvestris major. 
 
 A common plant in our hedges, and having 
 some resemblance to the garden letiice in its flowers, 
 though not in its manner of growth. It is six or 
 seven feet high. The stalk is thick, round, very 
 upright, branched, and of a pale yellowish green 
 colour. The leaves at the bottom are very large, 
 a foot long and five inches broad, and of a pale 
 green colour ; those higher up the stalks are smaller, 
 they are deeply indented at the edges, and either 
 these, the stalk, or any other part of the plant being 
 wounded, there flows out a milky juice, which has 
 the smell of opium, and its hot bitter taste: the 
 branches are very numerous, and the flowers arc 
 also very numerous, but they are small and of a pale 
 yellow. 
 
 This is a plant not introduced into the common 
 practice, but very worth) of that notice. I have 
 known it used in private families, with great suc- 
 cess. A syrup made from a strong infusion of it, 
 is an excellent anodyne ; it eases the most violent 
 p;iin in colics, and other disorders, and gently dis- 
 poses the person to sleep. It has the good cfieci 
 of a gentle opiate, and none of the bad ones of thai 
 violent medicine. 
 
 White Lily. Lilt u in uHmm. 
 
 A tall, fragrant, ;\m\ beautiful garden piant. 
 Il grows four or five feet high ; the stalk is round, 
 jrrern, thick, firm, and very upright ; a u'ieat many 
 Jiaves surround it at the bottom, and a great many
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 101 
 
 grow upon it all the way : these are of the same 
 shape, long, narrow, and smooth, and of a pale green 
 upon the stalk, and deeper green at the root. The 
 flowers stand on the divisions of the top of the stalk, 
 they are large, white, and composed as it were of a 
 quantity of thick scales 
 
 The roots contain the greatest virtue ; they are 
 excellent mixed in pultices, to apply to swellings. 
 The- flowers possess the same virtue also, being emol- 
 lient and good against pain. An oil is made of the 
 flowers steeped in common oil of olives ; but the 
 fresh flowers are much better in the season ; and the 
 root may be had fresh at all times, and it possesses the 
 same virtues. 
 
 Lily of the Valley. Lilium convallium. 
 
 A very prettv plant, but so different from the 
 former, that one would wonder how it came to 
 be called by any part of the same name. It is six 
 or eight inches high. The leaves arc large, long, 
 and broad, of a deep green colour, and full of very 
 thick ribs or veins. The stalks are weak, slender, 
 angular, and green ; they bend towards the top, 
 and on each there stands, or rather hangs, a row 
 of while flowers ; they are roundish, hollow, and 
 of a delicate and pleasing smell ; these are suc- 
 ceeded by berries, which are red when they are 
 ripe. 
 
 The flowers are used. A tea made of them, and 
 drank for a constancy, is excellent against all nerv- 
 ous complaints ; it will cure nervous head-aches, and 
 tremblings of the limbs : a great deal too much 
 has been said of this plant, for p-'op!^ call it a re- 
 medy for apoplexies and the dead palsies, but though 
 all this is not true, enough is, to give the plant a 
 reputation, aud bring it again into use.
 
 198 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Water Lily. Kgnvphc&a alba. 
 
 A large and elegant plant, the broad leaves 
 of which we see floating upon the surface 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 bunco >n the mud. The leaves rise singly 
 one on each stalk ; the stalks ate round, thick, and 
 of a spungy substance, having < white pith in 
 them ; and the leaves aiso are thick and somewhat 
 spungy ; they are of a roundish figure, and they 
 lie flat upon the surface of the water. The flow- 
 ers stand upon single foot-stalks, arising like those 
 of the leaves separately from the root, and being 
 like them, light, round, glossy, and full of a white 
 pith ; the flowers are large and white, and have 
 some yellow threads in the middle ; the seed-vessel 
 is large and roundish, and the seeds are numerous. 
 
 The root is the part used, and it is best fresh, and 
 given in a strong deeoction. It is a powerful re- 
 medy in the whites, and in those weaknesses left 
 after venereal complaints : it is also good against 
 violent purgings, especially where there are bloody 
 stools. There arc other kinds of water lily in our 
 ditches, particularly a large yellow flowered one, 
 whose roots possess the same virtues with the others., 
 but in a less degree. 
 
 Lime Tree. Tilia. 
 
 A tree common enough in parks and gardens, 
 and when in flower very beautiful and fragrant ; 
 the trunk is (hick, and the branches grow with a 
 tolerable regularity. The leaves are short, broad, 
 of a figure approaching to round, but terminating 
 in a point, and serrated about the edges. The
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 199 
 
 flovYers grow on long yellowish stalks, with a 
 yellow, oblong 1 , and narrow leaf upon them. They 
 are themselves also of a yellowish white colour, 
 and extremely delicate and sweet smell. The 
 fruit is roundish and small. The flowers are the 
 only part used ; they are good against giddiness of 
 the head, tremblings of the limbs, and all other 
 lighter nervous disorders. They are best taken as 
 tea. 
 
 Liquid Amber Tree. Liquid Ambar. 
 
 A very beautiful tree of the American islands, 
 which we have brought of iate into our gardens ; 
 it grows fifty feet high, and die branches are nu- 
 merous and disposed with a tolerable regularity. 
 The leaves are large and very beautiful ; they are 
 broad, and are divided much in the manner of the 
 leaves of our maple tree, but much more beautiful- 
 ly ; they are of a glossy green, and the tips of the 
 boughs have a fragrant smell. The flowers are 
 greenish and small ; the fruit is of the bigness of a 
 small walnut, roundish and rough upon the surface, 
 with several seeds within. 
 
 We use a resin which runs from the trunk of 
 this tree in great heats. It is of a reddish colour, 
 soft, and extremely fragrant, nearly a perfume. It 
 is an excellent balsam, nothing exceeds it as a remedy 
 for the whites ; and for the weaknesses left after 
 venereal disorders. It is also good in disorders 
 of the lungs ; and it works by urine, and dislodges 
 gravel. There was a custom at one time of mixing 
 it among perfumes, but of late it has been neglected, 
 and is grown scarce.
 
 200 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Liquid Storax Tree. Sty rax liquida arbor. 
 
 A large tree, so much we hear of it, is native 
 of the East Indies, but very ill described to us. We 
 are told the leaves are large, and the flowers fra- 
 grant, but of what form they are nobody has told 
 us, or what is the fruit. All that we use is a liquid 
 resin of a very peculiar kind, which we are told is 
 obtained by boiling the bark ; and the shoots of this 
 free in water ; the resin swims at the top, and they 
 scum it off and strain it, but it will not all pass 
 through. It is from hence that we see two kinds ; 
 the one finer, thinner, and purer, the other thicker 
 and coarser ; this last kind is more common than the 
 better sort, and it is generally used. 
 
 It is a balsam of the nature of the turpentines ; 
 and is good against the whites, and the weaknesses 
 that follow venereal disorders. Some have used it 
 also in diseases of the lungs, but it has never been 
 in great repute on those occasions. It is sometimes 
 put into ointments intended for old ulcers ; and it i 
 *aid to be used this way with great success. 
 
 Liquorice. GJycyrrhiza. 
 
 A rough looking plant, cultivated in many 
 places for the sake of the root. It is a yard high 
 or more. The stalk is round, striated, and branch- 
 ed : the leaves arc long and large, each is com- 
 posed of a great many pairs of smaller, standing on 
 a middle rib, with an odd one at the end ; these are 
 of an oval figure, of a dusky green colour, and 
 they are clammy to the touch. The flowers are 
 very small and blue, they stand in long spikes, 
 ri^ini;- from the bosoms of the leaves. The seeds 
 arc contained in pods. The root is the part used ; 
 and its virtues are very srreat. It is best fresh taken
 
 FAMILY HERBAL; 201 
 
 out ot the ground, the sweetness of its taste renders 
 it agreeable, and it is excellent against coughs, 
 hoarsenesses, and shortness of breath. It also 
 works gently by urine,, and is of service in ulcera- 
 tions of the kidneys and urinary passages, acting 
 there as in lungs at once, as a detergent and balsa- 
 mic. 
 
 The best way of taking it is by sucking or chewing 
 the fresh root : but it may be taken in infusion, or in 
 the manner of tea. The b!ack substance called 
 liquorice juice, and Spanish liquorice, is made by eva- 
 porating a strong decoction of this root. But the 
 fresh root itself is better. 
 
 Noble Liverwort, or Hepatica. Hepatica, 
 7iobilis. 
 
 A commox garden flower, which makes a very 
 pretty figure in spring, and is little regarded, ex- 
 cept as an ornament in our borders ; though it is 
 not without considerable virtues. The leaves are 
 supported each on a single foot-stalk, white, slender, 
 and reddish, they are near an inch broad, and of 
 the same length, and divided each into three parts. 
 The flowers rise early in the spring, before these ap- 
 pear ; they also stand singly on long foot-stalks, and 
 are moderately large and blue, with a greenish head 
 in the middle, the root is fibrous. 
 
 An infusion of the leaves of this plant is good 
 against obstructions of the liver and spleen ; it works 
 gently by urine, and is a good medicine in the jaun- 
 dice, taking it in time. 
 
 Green liverwort. Lichen vulgaris* 
 
 A common low plant, composed wholly of 
 feaves, which spread themselves on the ground, and 
 
 d d
 
 202 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 are of a beautiful green colour ; authors refer it to 
 the kinds of moss. It grows on old walls, in wells, 
 and other damp places. The leaves are oblong, blunt, 
 and thin, they spread one over another and take 
 root wherever they touch the ground. They often 
 cover the space of a foot or more in one cluster. 
 This is all that is usually seen of the plant, but in 
 spring when the place and the weather favour, there 
 rise up among these leaves certain long and slender 
 stalks, on the tops of which stand imperfect flowers, 
 as they are called, small roundish, and resembling the 
 heads of I'ttle mushrooms. 
 
 The whole plant is used, and it is best green and 
 fresli gathered. It is to be given in a strong decoc- 
 tion. It opens obstructions of the liver, and works 
 Tbv urine. It is good against the jaundice, and 
 i- an excellent medicine in the first stages of con- 
 traptions. It is not nearly so much regarded as it 
 right to be. It is also used externally for foulness of 
 the skin. 
 
 Grey Ground Liverwort. Lichin ciiicreus ter 
 restris. 
 
 A tlant, very common by our dry wood sides, 
 and in pastures, in some degree resembling the 
 last described, but differing in colour and in its 
 fructification. This consists' also entirely of leaves ; 
 they are of a bluish grey colour, on the outside, 
 and of a whitish grey underneath. They are two 
 inches long, and an inch and a half broad ; and grow 
 in clusters together ; often they are less distinct, and 
 therefore appear larger. These do not send up any 
 stalks to bear a kind of tlowcrs in heads. The tips of 
 the leaves turn up, and are reddish, and in these parU 
 are contained the seed*. The whole plant seems dry 
 and tapless.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 203 
 
 The whole plant is used, and lias been of late very 
 famous. Its efficacy is against the bite of a mad 
 dog- ; it is mixed with pepper, and the person is 
 at the same time to bathe in the sea. There have 
 been instances of its success, when given to dogs, but 
 perhaps no cure was ever performed upon a human 
 creature, when this terrible disease had arisen to 
 any height. Bleeding and opium are the present 
 practice. 
 
 Logwood Tree. Arbor campechlana. 
 
 A tree, native of the Southern parts of America, 
 the wood of which has been used in dying, longer 
 than in medicine, but is very serviceable in the 
 latter capacity. The tree is large, and makes a 
 beautiful appearance. The branches are numer- 
 ous, and they spread with a sort of regularity. 
 The leaves are composed each of several pairs of 
 smaller, set on the two sides of a common rib ; with 
 an odd one at the end. The flowers arc of the shape 
 of pea blossoms, but they are yellow ; the pods 
 which succeed them are very large, and the boughs of 
 the tree arc very thick set, with sharp thorns of a 
 reddish colour. 
 
 We use only the heart of the wood which is of 
 a deep red colour. It is of an austere taste, but 
 with something of sweetness in it at last, in this it 
 resembles greatly what is called Japan earth, and 
 it resembles that drug also in its virtues. It is a 
 a very powerful medicine to stop fluxes of the 
 belly, and overflowing-, of the menses, The best 
 way of giving it is in form of an extract, which 
 is to be made by boiling: down a strong; decoction 
 of wood to the consistence of honey. In this 
 form it will keep a long time, and is always ready fey: 
 ase.
 
 04 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Purple Loosestrife. Lysimachia purpurea. 
 
 A wild plant, that decorates the sides of 
 ditches and rivers, and would be an ornament to 
 our gardens. It grows to three feet high, and is 
 very regular ; the stalk is square, hairy, and gene- 
 rally of a reddish colour. The leaves stand two 
 at each joint, and they are long and narrow ; of a 
 dusky green, and a little rough. The (lowers stand 
 in cry long spikes at the tops of the stalks, and 
 art large, and of a strong purple colour. The spikes 
 are often a foot or more in length The seed is very 
 little and brown. 
 
 The leaves are need. They are a fine balsam for 
 fresh wounds, and an ointment is to be made of 
 them boiled in lard, which is also cooling and detersive, 
 but it is not of a fine green colour. 
 
 Yellow Loosestrife. Lysimachia lutca. 
 
 A wild plant not uncommon in our watery 
 places, but for its beauty, very worthy a place in 
 our gardens. If it were brought from America., it 
 would be called one of the most elegant plants in 
 the world. It is four feet high, the stalks are rigid, 
 firm, upright, and very regular in their growth : a 
 little hairy ; and towards the tops divided into several 
 brandies. The leaves are as long as one3 finger, 
 and an inch and half broad in the middle, and small 
 at each end ; they are a little hairy, and of a yellow- 
 ish green. The (lowers are large and of a beautiful 
 yellow, they grow several together on the tops of 
 the branches. The seed-vessels are full of small 
 seeds. 
 
 The root dried and given in powder, is good 
 ugainst the whites, and against bloody fluxes, over- 
 flowings of the menses, and purging- ; it is astrm-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 205 
 
 ^ent arid balsamic. The young leaves bound about a 
 fresh wound, stop the bleeding", and perform a cure 
 in a short time. 
 
 Lovage. Levisticjzm. 
 
 A tall plant of the umbelliferous kind, kept 
 in our gardens for its u*e in medicine. The stalk 
 is round, thick, hollow, and deeply striated or 
 channelled. The leaves are very large, and they are 
 each composed of a number of smaller ; these are 
 set on a divided stalk, and are short, broad, and in- 
 dented at the edges. The flowers are small and 
 yellow, the seed is striated, the root is brown, thick, 
 and divided, and the fibres from it are numerous ; it 
 hi of a hot aromatic taste. 
 
 The roots fresh dug work by urine, and are good 
 against the jaundice. The seeds have the same ef- 
 fect also and they dispel wind. The dried root is a 
 sudorific, and is good in fevers. 
 
 Tree Lungwort. Muscus pulmonarius. * 
 
 A broad and large kind of moss, inform some- 
 what resembling the green and grey liverwort, but 
 bigger than either. It grows on the barks of old 
 oaks, and beech trees, but is not common. It is 
 principally found in large woods. Each leaf, or 
 separate plant, is eight or ten inches long, and near- 
 ly as much in breadth, of a yellowish colour, and 
 of a substance resembling leather : it is divided deeply 
 at the edges, and is rough, and full of high veins on 
 the surface. At the season of flowering there also 
 appear certain small red heads, which contain the seeds 
 for a new succession of plants. 
 
 This plant is not so much known as it deserves to 
 be. It is an excellent astringent, a strong decoction
 
 206 FAMILY HERBAL. * 
 
 of it c *ops the overflowings of the menses, and all other 
 bleedings ; it is remarkable against the spitting of 
 blood, and hence it is got into general use in consump- 
 tion", but that not so properly. It may be given in 
 powder, but the other way is better. 
 
 Lupine. Lupinus sativus albus 
 
 There are many lupines kept in gardens, but 
 the best kind for use is the white-flowered ; it 
 grows to a yard high, the stalk is round, thick, firm, 
 and of a pale green. The leaves stand on long foot- 
 stalks, and are each composed of seven, eight, or 
 nine long narrow ones, disposed in the manner of 
 fingers ; these are also of a whitish green colour. 
 The flowers are large and white, of the shape of a 
 pea-blossom. The pods are hairy, A decoction of 
 the seeds of lupines, drank in the manner of barley 
 water, not only works by urine, but is good to bring 
 down the menses, and open all obstructions. It is 
 excellent in the beginning of consumptions, jaun- 
 dices, and dropsies ; but when those diseases are ad- 
 vanced to a height, more powerful remedies are to 
 be employed. A decoction made very strong is 
 good to wash the heads of children that have break- 
 ings out upon them ; they cleanse and dispose them 
 to heal. 
 
 Golden Lungwort. Pulmonaria aurca. 
 
 A tale, erect, and beautiful plant of the hawk- 
 weed kind, with yellow (lowers, and very hairy leaves ; 
 it is frequent in the mountainous parts of Europe, and 
 we have it wild in some 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 ob- 
 long ; they grow half a dozen or thereabout im-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 207 
 
 mediately from the root, and have thick foot-stalks ; 
 they are oblong-, broad, of a deep and often a 
 purplish colour, and are extremely hairy, the hairs 
 being- long-, white, and set so thick, that they give 
 it an aspect of woolliness. The stalk is round, 
 slender, tolerably firm, upright, of a purplish colour, 
 and also hairy : the leaves on it fire smaller than those 
 from the root, but like them in shape, and they are 
 in the same manner very hairy. The flowers are 
 not very large, but they are of a beautiful yellow, 
 and they have the more singular aspect, as the plant 
 has so much whiteness. The seeds are winged with 
 a white down. 
 
 The young leaves rising from the root, are the 
 part used. They are of the same nature with those 
 of coltsfoot, but they possess their virtues in a much 
 greater degree. In many other parts of Europe, 
 where the plant is more common, it is a constant 
 medicine in diseases of the lungs, in coughs, asth- 
 mas, and the first stages of consumptions ; it is 
 best given in form of a strong infusion ; and I have 
 known it tried here with more success than could be 
 expected from so simple a remedy, in cases of such 
 consequence. It is scarce wild, but it is easily pro- 
 pagated in gardens. Let but one plant of it ripen 
 its seeds and leave them to the chance of the winds, 
 and the garden, the walls, and the neighbouring 
 places will never be without a sufficient supply of it, 
 for all purposes, 
 
 M 
 
 Mace. Maris. 
 
 The spice we call mace, is the covering of the 
 stone or kernel pf a fruit, within which is the nut- 
 meg. The tree will therefore more naturally be
 
 208 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 described under the article nutmeg ; but it may be 
 proper to say here, that the fruit of it is large, and 
 roundish, and has somewhat the appearance of a peach, 
 being of nearly its bigness ; the outer part is more 
 like the green rind of a walnut, than the flesh of a 
 peach : within is the nutmeg contained in a hard 
 shell, and on the outside of 'that shell, is laid the mace, 
 m a kind of thin, divided, yellowish leaves. It is of 
 a soft and unctuous nature, and very fragrant ; more- 
 so than the nutmeg itself. 
 
 Mace is a noble spice, it warms and strengthens 
 the stomach, and is good against pains in the head, 
 arising from faults there : it is also good against colics ; 
 and even outwardly applied will take effect. The 
 mace bruised may be used for this purpose, or its oil 
 by expression. 
 
 Mvddek. Ruhia tinctorum. 
 
 A hough and unhandsome plant, cultivated for 
 Che sake of its root, which is used by the dyers, 
 and also in medicine. It is a foot and a half high. 
 The stalk is- square and weak. The leaves stand 
 six or eight at every joint, disposed star-fash oned> 
 and they are of a dusky green colour, and very 
 rough, they feel almost prickly. The flowers are 
 little and yellow ; and they grow from the bosoms of 
 the leaves. The root is long, slender, and of a red 
 colour. 
 
 A decoction of the fresh roots of madder, works 
 gently by urine, but it very powerfully opens obstruc- 
 tion-, of the liver and spleen. It is very good against 
 the gravel and jaundice. 
 
 Tiwje Maidenhair. Adiantum vcrum. 
 
 A very beautiful plant of the fern kind, but
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 209 
 
 exceeding the ordinary ferns very much in delicacy. 
 The stalks are small, black, and glossy ; each divides 
 toward the top, into a great many brandies, and on 
 these stand the smaller leaves, which make up the 
 complete one, or the whole plant ; (for in this, 
 as in the fern, every leaf is an entire plant ; these 
 are short, blunt, rounded, and notched very beauti- 
 fully and regularly at the edges, and they are of a 
 pale green colour. The seeds are fixed to the edges 
 of the under side of the leaves, in form of a brown 
 powder. The whole plant is used : our druggists 
 have it from France. 
 
 A decoction, of the fresh plant, is gently diuretic, 
 and opens obstructions, especially of the lungs ; 
 but as we cannot easily have it fresh, and it loses 
 a great deal of the virtue in drying, the best ex- 
 pedient is to use the fine syrup of capellaire, which 
 is made of an infusion of the plant, when in its per- 
 fection, with fine Narbonne honey. We suppose 
 this, a trifle, but Ixirley water sweetened with it, 
 is one of the best known remedies for a violent 
 caugh. 
 
 English Maidenhair. Trichomancs. 
 
 A very pretty little plant, of kin to tbie true 
 maidenhair, and frequently used in its place ; but 
 this is very wrong, for its virtues are no greater, 
 and it is unpleasant. It grows eight inches, and 
 each leaf, as in the rest of the fern kind, is an entire 
 plant. This leaf consists of a vast number of 
 small ones, set on each side a middle rib, and they 
 are very short and obtuse, of a roundish, but some- 
 what oblong figure. The stalk is slender, black, 
 and shining, and the little leaves are of a bright 
 i\nd strong S'reen colour. The seeds are Iodffed as
 
 210 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 in the rest, in form of a brown dust, on the under part 
 of these leaves. 
 
 The plant grows frequently on the sides of old 
 wells and on damp wails, and it is used entire. A 
 syrup, made from an infusion of it, is the best shift 
 we could make for the true French capellaire ; but 
 that is so easy to be had, that no such shift is neces- 
 sary ; an infusion of the dry plant may also b# 
 used. 
 
 White Maidenhair. Adiantum album. 
 
 A very little plant of the fern kind., and of 
 the nature of the two others just described. Some 
 will be surprised at the calling it a very little plant, 
 having seen leaves a foot long, sold in Covent Gar- 
 den, under that name ; but this is an imposition : 
 they sell a kind of water fern under this name. 
 The real white maidenhair, is not above two inches 
 high. The stalks are very slender, and of a whitish 
 green, not black as in the others. The leaves 
 are divide into a great many small parts, and at 
 first sight u. have some resemblance of the leaves 
 of rue. The . <is are contaiaed in brown lumps, 
 behind the leaver :overing the greatest part of the 
 surface. 
 
 This is not uncommon in old walls : it has the 
 same virtues with the otht - against coughs, and a de- 
 coction of it is also strong! v diuretic, and good against 
 the gravel, and all stoppages of mine. 
 
 Black M udenhair. Adiantum nigrum. 
 
 Axo.m.i? of the small plant* of the fern kind, 
 and more of the shanc and form of the common, 
 fei is, than am vet described II is like the com-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 211 
 
 mtm fern of the divided kind, only very small. It 
 grows to eight or (en inches high. The stalks 
 arc thick, black, and flossy. The leaves are very 
 beautifully divided into a great many parts : these 
 are short, of a dark shining green, and deeply notch- 
 ed at the edges, and they terminate in a sharp point, 
 not blunt as some of those already mentioned. The 
 seeds lie on the edges of the under part of the leaves, 
 in form of a brown dust. It is not uncommon by 
 wood sides, and in shady lanes. 
 
 A decoction of it works powerfully by urine, and 
 U has the same virtue with the rest in the cure of 
 coughs. 
 
 Of these four, for they possess the same virtues, 
 the preference is given to the first described, or 
 true kind ; next to the English maidenhair ; and 
 in defect of both these, to the black kind. The 
 white maidenhair is preferred to any against the 
 gravel, and in suppression of urine ; but for the com- 
 mon use in coughs and hoarsenesses^ it is the least 
 esteemed of all. 
 
 There is another plant, called by the name of maid- 
 enhair, which is yet to be described, it makes one of 
 what are commonly called the five capellary herbs, 
 but it is so distinct from the others, that it is best 
 kept separate. They are all kinds of fern : this is a 
 sort of moss. 
 
 Golden Maidenhair. Adtantum aureuin, 
 
 A little upright plant, but considered as a 
 rnoss, one of the largest of the kind. It grows 
 four or five inches high, when in perfection. The 
 tower part of the stalk is covered for an inch or 
 more, with thick, short, narrow leaves, sharp at 
 the point, and of a dusky green colour : these Stand 
 in such clusters, that they quite hide the stalk ; from
 
 12 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 the top of these rise the pedicles, supporting- the 
 heads ; they are naked three or four inches high, 
 slender, and of a brownish, reddish, or blackish 
 colour : the head of the summit of these is single, 
 .square, and is covered with a woolly cap, of the 
 figure of an extinguisher, which falL oft" when the 
 head is jntirely ripe : this head is full of a tine 
 du,st. 
 
 The plant is frequent in boggy places, and is to 
 be used intire. Some talk of its being good in coughs, 
 but the more frequent use of it is externally, they boil 
 it in water, and wash the head with it, to make the 
 hair grow thick. 
 
 Common Mallow. Malva. 
 
 A wild plant, every where about our hedges, 
 fields, and gardens. It is one among many in- 
 stances, that God has made the most useful plants, 
 the most common. The mallow grows three or 
 four feet high. The stalk is round, thick and 
 strong. The leaves are roundish, but indented 
 and divided at the edges. The flowers are nu- 
 merous, large, and red. The root is long and white, 
 of a firm, tough substance, and not disagreeable 
 taste. 
 
 The whole plant is used, but the root has most 
 virtue. The leaves dried, or fresh, are put in de- 
 coctions for glisters ; and the root may be dried, 
 for it retains a great deal of virtue, but it is best 
 fresh, and should be chosen when there are only 
 leaves growing from it, not a stalk. It is to be 
 boiled in water, and the decoction may be made 
 very strong, for there is nothing disagreeable in the. 
 taste : it is to be drank in quantities, and is ex 
 celleut to promote urine, and to take olV the 
 strangury. It is good also in the same manner.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 213 
 
 against sharp humours in the bowels, and for the 
 gravel. 
 
 There is a little kind of mallow,, that has whitish 
 flowers, and lies flat upon the ground. This is of a 
 more pleasant taste than the common mallow, and has 
 the same virtues. A tea made of the roots and tops 
 of this, is very agreeable to the taste, and is excellent 
 for promoting the discharges by urine. 
 
 Marsh Mallow. Althcea. 
 
 A tall wild plant, of the mallow kind, fre- 
 quent with us about salt marshes, and the sides of 
 rivers where the tides come. It grows to four feet 
 in height. The stalk is round, upright, thick, and 
 somewhat hairy. The leaves are large, broad at the 
 base, small at the point, of a figure approaching to 
 triangular, and indented round the edges : they are 
 of a whitish green colour, and soft to the touch 
 like velvet. The flowers are large and white, with 
 sometimes a faint blush of reddish. They are of 
 the same size and shape with those of the common 
 mallow. 
 
 The root is most used. It is white, long, and 
 thick, of an insipid taste, and full of a mucilaginous 
 juice. Boiled in water, and the decoction made 
 strong, it is excellent to promote urine, and bring 
 away gravel, and small stones ; it also cures stran- 
 guries, and is good in -coughs. Its virtues are the 
 same with those of the common mallow, but in a 
 greater degree. 
 
 Vervain Mallow. Alcca. 
 
 A very beautiful plant, both in its flower and 
 manner of growth ; common in pastures, and worthy 
 to be cherished in our gardens. It grows two feet
 
 914 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 high. T^ie stalks arc round, moderately thick, a 
 little hairy, and very upright. The lower leaves are 
 rounded, and divided slightly at the edges : those on 
 the stalk are cut into very small parts, and in a very 
 beautiful manner. The flowers are of a very bright 
 red, and are three times as large as those of the com- 
 mon mallow, and very beautiful. The seeds are dis- 
 posed in the same ch ex ! tiner, as in the common 
 mallow. The root is white. 
 
 The root is the part used. It has the same virtue 
 with that of the common mallow, but in a less degree 
 The leaves also have the same virtue, and are very 
 pleasant taken in tea. 
 
 Musk Mallow. Bamia Moschata 
 
 A plant, not unlike the vervain mallow in 
 its aspect, but a native only of the hotter countries. 
 It is two feet high. The stalk is^ single, round, 
 thick, hairy, and upright. The lower leaves are 
 roundish, only indented little at the edges ; the 
 upper ones are divided in. live parts, pretty deep- 
 ly. The flowers are of the &hape of those of the 
 common mallow, and are large, but their colour is yel- 
 low. The seed is contained in ; ^s; husk, or case, 
 and is of a kidney-like shape, and e sweet perfumed 
 smell. 
 
 The seed is the only part use and that very 
 rarely. It is said to be good against ti. head-ach, but 
 we seldom meet with it fresh enough to have any 
 virtue. 
 
 Mandrake. Mandra^ora, 
 
 o 
 
 A plant, about which there have been a mul- 
 titude of errors, but in which, there is, in reality, 
 nothing so singular as pretended. There are pr$-
 
 
 ,y/l..,,...
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 215 
 
 perly speaking, 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 same, but the 
 male is generally preferred. They are natives ot 
 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 stalk. The leaves rise 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 dusky green colour, and bad smell. 
 The flowers stand upon foot stalks, of four inches 
 high, slender, and hairy, and rising immediately 
 from the root : these flowers are large, of a dingy 
 purplish colour, and of a very bad smell. The 
 fruit which follows, is of the bigness and shape 
 of a small apple, or like a small pear, according 
 to the male or female kind : this is yellow when 
 ripe, and is also of a very bad smell. The root 
 is long and thick ; it is largest at the head, and 
 smaller all the way down ; sometimes it is divided 
 into two parts, from the middle downwards, if a 
 stone have lain in the way, or any other accident 
 occasioned it ; but usually it is single. This is 
 the root which is pictured to be like the human 
 form : it is when single, no more like a man than 
 a carrot or a parsnip is, and when by some accident 
 it is divided, 'tis no more tike, than any long 
 root, which happens to have met the same acci- 
 dent. Those roots which are shewn about for 
 money and have the head, limbs, and figure, of 
 a human form, are made so by art, and they sel- 
 dom use the real mandrake root for that purpose : 
 they are often made of white briony root, some- 
 time? of angelica. The people cut them into 
 this shape, and put them into the ground again,
 
 215 FAMILY HERBAL, 
 
 where they will be sometimes in part covered with. 
 a new bark, and so look natural. All the story 
 that they shriek, when they are pulled up, and 
 they use a dog to draw them out of the ground, 
 because it is fatal to any person to do it, and 
 the like, are idle, false, and groundless ; calculated 
 only to surprise ignorant people, and g^et money 
 by the shew : there is nothing singular in the root 
 of the mandrake ; and as to the terms male and female, 
 the two kinds would be better distinguished, by call- 
 ing the one, the broader leaved mandrake, with round 
 fruit, and the other, the narrower leaved mandrake, 
 with oval fruit. There are plants which are se- 
 parately male and female, as hemp, spinach, the date 
 tree, and the like : but there is nothing of this dis- 
 tinction in the mandrakes. 
 
 The fresh root of mandrake, is a violent me- 
 dicine ; it operates both by vomit and stool, and few 
 constitutions are able to bear it. The bark of the 
 root dried works by vomit alone, but very roughly. 
 The fruit may be eaten, but it has a sleepy quality, 
 though not strong. The leaves are used in fomenta- 
 tions and pultices. to allay pains in swellings, and they 
 do very well. 
 
 Most of the idle stories concerning the man- 
 drake, have taken their origin from its being named 
 in scripture. And from the account there given 
 of it, some have imagined, it would make women 
 fruitful ; but this plant does not seem to be the 
 thing intended by the word, nor lias it any such 
 virtues. What the vegetable is, which is named in 
 the scripture, and translated mandrake, we do not 
 know. 
 
 Sweet Marjoram. Majorana. 
 
 A common garden plant, of no great beauty^
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 217 
 
 but kept for the sake of its virtues and use. It is 
 a foot high. The stalks are firm, upright, and a 
 little hairy. The leaves are broad, short, and some- 
 what hairy, of a pale green colour, and not indented 
 at the edges, and of a fine smell. At the tops of the 
 branches, stand a kind of soft scaly heads, three 
 quarters of an iuch long,' and from these grow the 
 flowers, which are small and white. The sec(k are 
 very small ; and the root is fibrous. The whole plant 
 has a fine smell. 
 
 The whole plant is to be used fresh ; and it is 
 best taken by way of infusion. It is good against the 
 head ach, and dizziness, and all the inferior order of 
 nervous complaints ; but they talk idly who call it a 
 remedy for apoplexies. It gently promotes the menses, 
 and opens all obstructions. The dried herb may be 
 given for the same purpose in powder, but it does not 
 succeed so well. 
 
 Wild Marjoram. Origanum. 
 
 A wild plant, frequent about way-sides, in 
 marry places, but superior to the other in beauty 
 and in virtues. It very well deserves a place, on 
 both accounts, in our gardens. It grows a foot 
 and a half high. The stalk is firm, very upright, 
 a little hairy, and of a purplish brown colour, ex- 
 tremely regular in its growth. The leaves are broad 
 and short, of the bigness of one's thumb-nail, and of 
 a dark green colour ; two stand at every joint, and 
 they have long foot stalks. The flowers grow on 
 the tops of the branches : there stand on these long 
 scaly heads, of a beautiful form, and purple colour ; 
 from different parts of those, arise the flowers, 
 which are little, but of a beautiful red colour. The 
 whole plant has a fragrant smell, and an aromatic taste. 
 
 The fresh tops of the herb are to be used. They
 
 2l FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 are befit taken in infusion : they strengthen the sto- 
 mach, and are good against habitual colics : they are 
 also good in head-achs, and in all nervous complaints ; 
 and they oj)en obstructions, and are good in the 
 jaumiice, and to promote the menses. Chymists sell 
 what tiiey call oil of origanum, but its commonly 
 an oil made from garden thyme., it is very acrid ; 
 a drop of it put upon lint, and laid to an aching tooth, 
 often gives ease. 
 
 iCretic Majoram. Origanum crcticum. 
 
 A beautiful plant, of the wild marjoram kind, fre- 
 quent wild in the east, and kept in our gardens. 
 It grows a foot high. The stalks are square, upright, 
 and brown. The leaves are oblong and broad : they 
 are of a whitish colour, and stand on long foot stalks : 
 there grow scaly heads at the tops of the branches, as 
 in the other kinds, and from these burst out the flowers, 
 which are little and white. 
 
 The tops are the part used : our druggists keep 
 them dry ; but they generally have lost so much 
 of their virtue, that the fresh tops of our own wild 
 majoram, or the dried ones of the last season, are 
 better. 
 
 Marigold. Calendula. 
 
 A plant too common in our kitchen gardens, to 
 need much description. It is a foot high. The stalks 
 are thick, angulated, and not very upright. The 
 leaves are long, narrow at the base, and broader to- 
 ward the end. The flowers are large and yellow, and 
 they stand at the tops of the branches. The whole 
 plant is of a pale bluish green colour, and feels 
 clammy. The root is fibrous. 
 
 A tea made of the fresh gathered flowers of
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 219 
 
 marigold, picked from the cups, is good in fevers : it 
 gently promotes perspiration, and throws out any thing 
 that ought to appear on the skin. 
 
 Mastic Tree. Lcntiseus. 
 
 A native of the warmer countries, but not un- 
 common in our gardens. It grows to the bigness 
 of our apple trees, and is as irregular in the dispo- 
 sition of its branches. They are covered with a 
 greyish bark, and are brittle. The leaves are com- 
 posed, each of about four pairs of small ones, with- 
 out any odd leaf at the end : they are affixed to a. 
 kind of rib or pedicle, which has a film running 
 clown it, on each side. They are oblong, narrow, 
 and pointed at the ends. The flowers are little, and 
 yellowish ; and they grow in tufts. The fruit is a 
 bluish berry. 
 
 We use the resin which drops from the wounded 
 branches of this tree. The tree itself is common 
 in France and Italy, but it yield? no resin there ; we 
 have that from Greece : It is whitish, hard, and in 
 little lumps. It is good for all nervous disorders, 
 and acts also as a balsam. There is scarce any 
 thing better for a spitting of blood, or in the first 
 stage of a consumption : it is also good against the 
 whites, and in the gleets after gonorrhoeas. Soma 
 have a custom of chewing it, to preserve the teeth 
 and sweeten the breath. 
 
 Herb Mastic. Alarum. 
 
 A pretty little plant, native only of the warmer 
 climates, but common in our gardens. It is a 
 foot high, and the stem and principal branches 
 are shrubby or woody in their texture : the small- 
 er shoots are whitish The leaves grow two at
 
 %&& FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 each joint : they are little,, oblong-, and pointed ; 
 of a pale colour, and fragrant smell like mastic, 
 resinous, and very Kgreeabie. At the tops of the 
 stag's, s^and a kiut of downy, or hairy spikes or 
 eao- of a peculiarly odd appearance, and from out of 
 these comt the flowers, which are little and white 
 The root is small. 
 
 The whole plan/ is used dry. It may be given 
 in infusion, or in powder : it is a good strer.gthener 
 of the stomach, and an astringent, It stops the over- 
 flowing of the menses : the powder of the tops is best 
 given for this purpose in red wine, a scruple for a 
 dose. 
 
 Syrian Mastic Thyme. Marina Si/riacum 
 
 A beaittiful little plant, native of the warm 
 countries, but not unfrccuient in our gardens. It 
 grows a foot high. The sialks are hrifde slender, 
 and whitish. The leaves stand two at each joint : 
 they are small, in shape very like those of thyme, 
 and of a pale green colour on die upper side, 
 and white and hoary uiiwUrnead 1 The flowers 
 are small and red : they .. >w in a kind of little 
 spike^, or oblong clusters at I he tops ol the stalks, 
 and have hoary white cups. The whole plant has a 
 very penetrating, out pleasant smell, and an aromatic 
 taste. Cats are fond of this plant, and will rub 
 it to pieces in their fondness. It is good for all 
 disorders of tin head and nerves : it may be given 
 in powdd but the most common way n; to take it in 
 snuff 
 
 Ma?terv,out. I ')>!]) riloria. 
 
 A plant of no b'-auty, kept in our gardens 
 for its virtue. It grows two feet high. The stalks
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 221 
 
 arc round,, striated, hollowed, upright, not very 
 strong". The leaves are each composed of three 
 smaller : they are of a dark green colour, blunt at 
 the points, and indented about the edges. The flow- 
 ers are small and white : they stand in little umbels 
 at the tops of the branches. The roots are Jong, 
 brown, divided,, of astrongsmell,and a sharp aromatic 
 taste. 
 
 The root is the part used : it is good in fevers, dis- 
 orders of the head, and of the stomach and bowels. 
 It is best taken up fresh, and given in a light infu- 
 sion : it promotes sweat, and is a better medicine for 
 that purpose, than most of the foreign roots kept by 
 druggists. 
 
 Maudlin. Ageratum. 
 
 A common plant in our gardens, not without 
 beauty, but kept more for its virtues. It ls a foot 
 high. The stalk is round, upright, firm, single, 
 and of a prJe green. The leaves are very numer- 
 ous, and thev are longish, narrow, and serrated 
 about th. c .f.es. The flowers are small and naked, 
 consisting only of a kind of thrums ; but they 
 stand in a large cluster together, at the top of the 
 stalk, in the manner of an umbel. The whole plant 
 has a pleasant smell. 
 
 The whole is used, fresh or dried ; but it is best 
 fresh gathered. An infusion of it taken for a continu- 
 ance of time, is good against obstructions of the liver : 
 it operates by urine. 
 
 Stinking Mayweed. Coiula foctida. 
 
 A common wild plant in com fields, and waste 
 grounds, with finely divided leaves and white 
 flpweis like daizies. The stalk is round and stria-
 
 2:22 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 ted. The herb grows a foot high. 
 like those of camomile, only of a blacker green, and 
 larger. The Bowers stand ten or a dozen near one 
 another, at the tops of the branches ; but they grow 
 separate, not in a cluster. The whole plant has a 
 strong smell. 
 
 The infusion of the fresh plant is good in all 
 hysteric complaints, and it promotes the menses, 
 The herb boiled soft, is an excellent pull ice for the 
 piles. 
 
 Meadow Sweet. Ulmaria. 
 
 A wild plant, frequent about the sides of rivers, 
 with divided leaves, and beautiful tufts of white 
 flowers. It is four feet high. The stalk is round, 
 striated, upright, firm, and. '.of a pale green, or some- 
 times of a purple colour. The leaves are each com- 
 posed of about three pair of smaller, set on a thick 
 rib, with an odd leaf at the end : they are cf a fine 
 green on the upper side, and whifish underneath, 
 and they are rough to die touch. The (lowers are 
 small and white, but they stand so close, that the whole 
 cluster looks like one large flower. The seeds are 
 set in a t\\ isted order. 
 
 An infusion of the fresh tops of meadow sweet, 
 is an excellent sweat, and it is a little astringent. 
 It is a good medicine in fevers, attended with purg- 
 ings. It is to be given in a bason once in two 
 hours. 
 
 Mechoacan Plan!'. Mcchoacana. 
 
 A climring plant, native of the West Indies, 
 I( is capable of running to a great height, when 
 it can be supported : it will climb to the tops 
 of all trees. The stalks are angulatcdj slender,
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 223 
 
 green, and brittle ; and when broken,, they yield a 
 vast quantity of an acrid, milky juice. The leaves 
 stand singly ; they are broad, and not very long-,, 
 and of a beautiful shape, terminating' in a point. 
 The flowers are large, and of the shape of a bell : 
 they are of a deep purple on the inside, and of a 
 pale red without ; and the seed-vessels are large, 
 as are also the seeds. The root is whitish, and very 
 thick. 
 
 The root is the part used : our druggists keep it 
 dry. It is in slices, and is whitish and brittle. 
 It is an excellent purge, but there requires a large 
 dose to work tolerably ; tins has occasioned its being" 
 much less used than worse medicines, that operate 
 more strongly, and can be taken with less disgust ; 
 but it is to be lamented, that so litt'^ use is made 
 of it. 
 
 Medlar Tree. Mcsp'tiis. 
 
 A commox tree in our gardens. It is of the big- 
 ness of an apple tree, and grows in the same 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 blossoms 
 are large and white. The fruit is roundish, and 
 open at the bottom : and till very much mellowed, is 
 of an austere taste. 
 
 A strong decoction of unripe medlars, is good 
 to stop violent purgings. The seeds work by urine, 
 and are good against the gravel ; but there are so 
 many more powerful things at hand, they are seldom 
 used. 
 
 Melilot. Melilotus. 
 
 A common wild plant, with three leaves at
 
 224 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 a joint,, and long straggling 1 spikes of yellow flow- 
 ers. It is a foot and a half high, or more. The 
 stalk is weak, slender, green, and striated. The 
 (eaves are oblong, and blunt at the ends : they 
 are serrated round the edges, and of a bright green 
 colour. The flowers are small, and of the shape 
 of the flowers of tares, but little ; and there follows 
 each a roundish pod, rough and green. The whole 
 plant has a singular, but not disagreeable smell ; and 
 the leaves are the food of so many insects, that they 
 are commonly gnawn to pieces. 
 
 The fresh plant is excellent to mix in pultices, to be 
 applied to swellings. It was once famous in a plaister, 
 used for dressing of blisters, but the apothecaries used 
 to play so many bad tricks, to imitate the green colour 
 it was expected to give, that the plaister is now made 
 without it. 
 
 Melon. Melo, 
 
 A training herb, with yellow flowers, and large 
 fruit ; weH known at our tables. The plant grows 
 to eight or tan feet long, but is not erect. The stalks 
 are angulated, thick, and of a pale green. The 
 leaves are large and broad, somewhat roundish, and 
 not deeply divdeu, as in most of the creeping plants 
 of this sort. There are tendrils on the stalk for its 
 laying hold of any thing. The flowers are very 
 large, and open a' the mouth. The fruit is oblong 
 and rough, more or less on the surface, containing 
 seeds, with ajuicy matter within. 
 
 The seeds are the part used : 1 1 up y arc cooling, and 
 vork by urine. They are be?i given in an emulsion, 
 heat up with bailey water : this is a good drink in 
 fivers ffiven warm.
 
 Family herbal. Ms 
 
 Mezereon Shrub. Mezereum. 
 
 A very pretty shrub, native of many parts of 
 Europe, and frequent in our gardens. It is four 
 feet high, and very much branched. The branches 
 stand irregularly, and they are very tough and firm. 
 The leaves are oblong' and narrow : they grow in 
 clusters from certain little swellings on the bark. 
 The (towers are small and red ; they are hollow, and 
 are succeeded by oblong berries, which are black 
 when ripe. The root is woody and creeping ; and 
 the plant is not easily destroyed, when once well 
 established. 
 
 The bark of the root, or the Inner bark of the 
 branches is to be used ; but it is a violent medicine, 
 and must be given with great caution, in small 
 doses, and only to those who have strong constitu- 
 tions. It will cause vomiting, and bloody stools 
 to people that are tender, or to any, in a large dose ; 
 but to robust people, it only acts as a brisk purge. 
 It is excellent in dropsies, and other stubborn dis- 
 orders ; and the best way of giving it, is in a light 
 infusion. 
 
 Millet. Milllum. 
 
 A plant of the grass kind, large, upright, and 
 not without its beauty. It is four feet high. The 
 stalk is round, hollow, jointed, thick, and firm. The 
 leaves are long and broad, of a pale green, and hairy. 
 The flowers and seeds glow at the top of the stalk, 
 in a vast cluster, so heavv that the head usually hangs 
 down : they are altogether of the grass kind. The 
 flowers are inconsiderable, and the seeds small, hard, 
 and white. 
 
 The seeds are used sometimes in the manner of 
 barley to make a drink, which is good in fWtr?
 
 226 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 and against heat of urine ; it is also a little astringent. 
 The grain is eaten also as barley. 
 
 5 IilkworTj Polggala. 
 
 A common little plant upon our heaths, and 
 m dry pastures, with numerous leaves and blue or 
 white ilowers, (for this is a variety and caused by 
 accidents, ) disposed in loose spikes. The root is 
 long, and divided into several parts, the stalks are 
 very numerous, and very much branched, they are 
 slender and weak, and they spread themselves upon 
 the ground, forming a little green tuft. There is 
 great variety in the appearance of the plant, beside 
 what has been already named in the colour of the 
 flower ; nor is that indeed the only variation there : 
 so that it has been divided into two or three kinds 
 by some writers, but as all these will rise from the 
 same seed, and only ate owing to the soil and 
 exposure, the plant is without doubt the same in 
 every appearance, and iis virtues are Hie same 
 in which ever state ;t is taken. When it grows 
 in barren places, the stalk* arc not more than three 
 or four inches in length, and the leaves are very 
 numerous, short, and of an ova! figure. The I low- 
 ers are in this case small and blue, sometimes 
 whitish, striated with blue, and sometimes in- 
 tirely white. When the plant grows in some- 
 what more favourable soil, the leaves are oblong, 
 and narrow, pointed at the ends, and of a beautiful 
 green, the stalks are five or six indies long, and 
 the Hovel's in this case are comnwnh blue, and 
 this is tin- most ordinary -tate of the plant. When 
 .' grou*i in very favourable plaees, as upon the 
 damp ~.:'.!e of a hill, where there are springs, and 
 among ?i)i> tall grass, then its leaves are humor, its 
 'iilkfc )> ur robust and more anr'eht, and i.!s flowers
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 22? 
 
 arc red. These are the several appearances of thi 
 little plant, and it is all one in which of them it 
 is taken. The root is often of a considerable thick- 
 ness, and single, but it is more usually divided and 
 smaller ; it is whitish, and of a disagreeable acrid 
 taste. 
 
 This plant had 'passed unregarded as to any 
 medicinal use, till Dr. Tennant brought into Eng- 
 land the senekka root, famous in America against 
 the effects of the bite of the rattle-snake, and found 
 here to be of service in pleurisies : but when it was 
 found, that this was the root of a kind of milk- 
 wort, not very different from our own, we tried 
 the roots of our own kind, and found them effectual 
 in the same cases : as to the poisonous bites of a 
 serpent, they are so uncommon here, that we need 
 not regard that part of the qualities, but we find it 
 good in the other disorder, and in all diseases in 
 which the blood is thick and sizy. The fresh root 
 is best, but it has not its full virtue except in spring, 
 when the stalks are just shooting out of the ground, 
 for this reason it is most proper to take it up at that 
 time, and dry it for the service of the year. When 
 fresh, it is best given in infusion : but when dried, it 
 is kept in powder. 
 
 Spear Mint. Mentha vulgaris. 
 
 A common plant in our gardens, and of frequent 
 
 use in the kitchen. It is two feet high, the stalks are 
 t'lire, single, upright, firm, and of a pale green. 
 1 he leaves stand two at a joint ; they are long', 
 narrow, of a blackish green, serrated at the edges, 
 >nd sharp-pointed. The flowers are small and pur- 
 pie ; they stand in long spikes, in a beautiful manner, 
 whole plant lias a fragrant smell, and a pleasant 
 aromatic taste.
 
 22S FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The whole plant is used, fresh or dried, and is 
 excellent against disorders of the stomach. It 
 will stop vomiting, and create an appetite ; it is 
 best given in the simple distilled water, well made, 
 or else in the form of tea. The fresh herb bruised, 
 and applied outwardly to the stomach, will stop 
 vomitings. 
 
 Water Mint. Mintha aquatica. 
 
 A common wild plant of the mint kind, not 
 so much regarded as it deserves. It is frequent 
 by ditch sides. It is a foot and half high. The 
 stalks are .square, upright, firm, and strong, and 
 generally of a brown colour ; the leaves are broad 
 and short ; they stand two at a joint, and are of a 
 brownish or deep green colour, somewhat hairy, 
 and serrated about the edges. The flowers are 
 larger than those of common mint, and are of a 
 pale red colour ; they stand in round thick clus- 
 ters at the tops of the stalks, and round the up- 
 per joints. The whole plant has a strong smell, 
 not disagreeable, but of a mixed kind between 
 tint of mint, and penny royal : and the taste is 
 strong and acrid, but it is not to be called disagree- 
 able. 
 
 A distilled water of this plant is excellent against 
 colics, pains in the stomach and bowels, and it will 
 bring down the menses. A single dose of it often 
 cures the colic. The use of peppermint has ex- 
 cluded this kind from the present practice, but 
 nil three ought to be used. Where a simple weak- 
 ness of the stomach is the complaint, the common 
 mint should be used ; when coliey pains alone, 
 tli" peppermint ; and where suppressions of the 
 n*<ViM\s are in the ease, this wild water mint : they 
 uv all be given in the way of tea, but a simple
 
 FAMILY IIEUBAL 229 
 
 water distilled from them, and made sufficiently strong., 
 is by much the most efficacious. 
 
 Peppermint. Mentha pipcrata. 
 
 A plant kept in our gardens, but much more 
 resembling the wild mint last described, than the 
 spear mint, both in form and qualities. It grows 
 two feet and a half high. The stalk is square and 
 firm, upright, and of a pale green ; the leaves 
 stand two at each joint : they are broad, not very 
 long, of a dark green, and serrated deeply" at the 
 edges. The flowers grow in thick spikes, but 
 not very long ones, they are large, and of a pale 
 red. The whole plant has an agreeable quick 
 smell, and a hot taste like pepper, but not dis- 
 agreeable. 
 
 The whole plant is used fresh or dried ; but the 
 best way is to give the distilled water. It cures the 
 colic, often almost instantaneously, and it is good 
 against the gravel. 
 
 Long Leaved Wild Mint. Menthrastrum. 
 
 A singular wild plant, of the mint kind, 
 but not without its beauty ; it is two feet high, 
 and grows with great regularity. The stalk is 
 square, firm, and of a pale green, very upright, 
 and at the top full of young shoots. The leaves 
 are long and narrow ; they arc of a whitish green, 
 deeply indented about the edges, i\m\ pointed at 
 the ends : the flowers stand in spikes, at the tops 
 of the young shoots ; they are pale, red, and large, 
 and very numerous. The whole plant has a strong 
 smell. 
 
 The whole plant is used fresh or dried, and is 
 to be given in the way of tea, for the distilled water
 
 230 FAMILY HERBAL, 
 
 is disagreeable. It strengthens the stomach, and 
 promotes the menses. It is in this latter respect h 
 very valuable medicine, but the use of it must be con- 
 tinued some time. 
 
 MiiiTLE, Mj/rtus 
 
 A litti.i; shrub, very beautiful in its mannei 
 of growth, a native of Italy, hut common in our 
 gardens. The trunk is covered with a rough 
 brown bark. The branches are numerous, slen- 
 der, tough, iu\i\ reddish. The leaves are very 
 beautiful ; they are small, short, of a fine green, 
 pointed al the <:i\>.U, not serrated at the edges, and 
 they stand in .great numbers, and in a beautiful 
 order upon the branches. The flowers stand on 
 short fooi stalks ; they are large, white, and full 
 of threads : the fruit is a round black berry, as 
 large as the biggest pea, and has a crown at the 
 top. The leave.-, when bruised, have an extremely 
 fragrant smell. ine shrub will bear our climate 
 better than is imagined'; there are, in some places, 
 hedges of it five or six feet high, that stand the winters 
 without (he least hurt. 
 
 The leaves and berries of the myrtle are \\?cd ; 
 they are cordial and astringent. A strong infusion 
 of the ;'; sh leaves is good against a slight purging, 
 i i i<r the stomach at the same time that it 
 remove- the complTmt. The dried leaves powdered, 
 are rvelienl a .'.ainst the whites. The berries an* 
 ood again-! bloody fluxes, overflowings of th** 
 mens.. :-. and in spitiin ; : ' I loud 
 
 M'.'-i :":or:. i Vsc.vs 
 
 A s!\;a f.\u plant, native of our own country 
 but ii'!ovi i ._>;, not on th.e earth as other herb-., bui
 
 If 
 
 A.,./.y^<f/. 
 
 /PL, J
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. %3l 
 
 upon the branches of trees ; on which it makes a 
 very conspicuous figure. It grows two feet high, 
 and its branches are so numerous, and spread in 
 such a manner, that the whole plant is as broad as 
 tail, and appears a round yellow tuft of that di- 
 ameter, quite unlike to the tree on which it grows, 
 in fruit, leaves and bark. * The main stem is half 
 an inch in diameter ; the branches divide always 
 by twos and they easily break at the joints or 
 divisions. The bark is throughout of a yellowish 
 colour, though with some mixture of green o?i 
 the yourig shoot- ; toe .eaves are also yellowish ; 
 they grow two at each joint : they are fleshy, oblong, 
 narrowest at the bottom, and broader toward the top. 
 The flowers are yellow, but they are small* and in- 
 considerable ; the fruit is a white berry, round, and 
 of the bigness of a pea, this is full of a tough, clammy 
 
 j ,lice ' 
 
 1 he leaves of misletoe dried and powdered are 
 
 a famous remedy for the tailing sickness. They 
 are good in all nervous disorders, and have been 
 known to perform great cures taken for a continaar.ee 
 of time. 
 
 I vni UmoB'iMs Thee. Nyrobalanus 
 Indira 
 
 A the:-: native oi the warmer chmates, and not 
 yet got into our gardens, k grows to twenty feet 
 . ' The branches are numerous, and very irre- 
 gularis' disposed. Thehaves are long and narrow : 
 the (lowers are white, and like the blossoms <<f our 
 plum trees ; and the fruit resembles a plum, oblong. 
 and fleshy, vithalong some or kernel ; but die fruit 
 i- goi eralK gathered before the -tone hardens, so that 
 to hove none. 
 VV Mnod U> haw.- the ft nil brought .ever and r
 
 !332 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 was given as a purge, but at present none regard 
 it. There are also four others of the same kind, 
 the names of which we see in books of medicine, 
 but the fruits are not to be met with, nor is it 
 much loss, for we have better tilings to anr.wer 
 their purposes. They were called the citrine, 
 chebule, belleric, andemblec mvrobalanus ; they are 
 all used as purges, but common senna is worth 
 them all. 
 
 Moonwort. Lunaria. 
 
 A very singular, and very pretty plant, fre- 
 quent in some parts of the kingdom, but in most 
 very scarce. It grows six inches high ; and con- 
 sists of the stalk, one leaf, and t\\o flowers. The 
 stalk is round, firm, and (.hick. It is naked to the 
 middle, and there grows the leaf, which is composed 
 as it were of several pairs of small ones, or rather 
 is a whole and single leaf divided deeply, so as 
 to resemble a number of smaller ; thes are round- 
 ed and hollowed, and thence, came its name of 
 moonwort ; from the base of this leaf, the stalk 
 is continued up an inch or two. and then rise the clua- 
 ters of flowers and seeds ; these are very small, and 
 like dust, and of a brown colour. The leaves of moon- 
 wort dried and given in powder, stop purgings, and 
 the overflowing of the menses. The fresh plant 
 bruised andjaid to a cut, slops the bleeding, and heals 
 it in a day or two. 
 
 Hairy Tree Moss. Uanea. 
 
 A. very singular plant of the moss kind, fre- 
 quent in our lai'ive forests, but rare elsewhere : 
 it grows to the branches of old oaks and bushes, 
 and hangs down from them in long strings The
 
 s
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 233 
 
 tufts of it are often a foot long 1 , and in the whole two 
 or three inches thick ; they are composed of a great 
 quantity of stalks and branches, the largest not 
 bigger than a large packthread ; these are of a grey 
 colour, and are composed of a soft bark, and a firm 
 wiiite fibre within : this bark is often cracked, and 
 the fibres appear jointed ; the small fibres of the 
 plant resemble hairs : on the larger grow, at Certain 
 seasons, little hollow brown bodies. These contain 
 the seeds, but they are too minute to be distinguished 
 singly. The whole plant is dry, and sapless as it 
 grows, and has not the least appearance of leaves up- 
 on it. 
 
 The powder of this moss is an excellent astrin- 
 gent ; it is to be dried in an oven, and beat in a mor- 
 tar : the white fibres wiii remain, when the soft 
 part has gone through the sieve ; they are of no 
 use, the other lias all the virtue. It is good against 
 the whites, against overflowing of the menses, and 
 bloody fluxes, and against spitting of blood : it de- 
 serves to be much more regarded than it is in the 
 present practice. The dose is half a dram. 
 
 Cup Moss. Muscus pyxidatus. 
 
 A common little plant on ditch banks, by 
 wood sides, and in dry barren places. It consists 
 of a thin coat of a leafy matter, spread upon the 
 surface of the ground, and of a kind of a little cups 
 rising from it. The leafy part is dry and without 
 juice, divided into several portions, and these 
 irregularly notched ; it is grey or greenish on the 
 upper side, and whitish underneath. The cups 
 are half an inch high. They have each a thick, 
 stem, and an open mouth, and rather resemble a 
 clumsy drinking glass, than a cup. They are of 
 a grey colour, often with some odd mixture of 
 
 Hh
 
 234 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 green, of a dusty surface ; sometimes they c:rofa 
 one from the edge of another, up to the third or fourth 
 stage : they have also many other accidental varieties 
 and sometimes they bear little brown lumps, which 
 are supposed to contain the seeds. 
 
 The whole plant is to be used ; it is to be taken 
 fresh from the ground, shook clean, and boiled 
 in water, till the decoction be very strong ; then 
 there is to be added as much milk as there is of 
 the liquor, and it is to be sweetened with honey. 
 It is an excellent medicine for children's coughs : 
 it is recommended particularly in that called the 
 chincough. 
 
 Common Guolnb Moss. Mmsciis tcrrestrls vul- 
 garis. 
 
 A pretty, but very small plant. It creeps on 
 the ground, or rises in tufts two or three inches 
 high, according- to the place. The stalks arc very 
 slender, but they are thick, covered with leaves, 
 and their branches are disposed in such a manner 
 that thev in some degree resemble tern. The leaves 
 are very small, of a triangular shajie, and of a bright, 
 green ; they stand loosely on the lower part of 
 the stalks, bat on the upper, they lie close and cover 
 them. It very rarely produces its seeds ; btrt 
 when it does, there rise naked and very slender pedi- 
 cles an inch long from the bosoms of the leaves, and 
 at the top of each of these stands a little oblong; head, 
 of a brownish red colour, covered with a cap like 
 an extinguisher in shape, and full of a fine green 
 dust. 
 
 The whole plant is used ; it is to be dried and 
 oovvdered, and is given with success against overflow- 
 
 ng;s of the mouses, and all bleedings ; it is also good 
 
 <rain < st the whites.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 235 
 
 Moss of an Human Skill. Musciis ex cranio 
 humano. 
 
 There is not any particular kind of moss that 
 grows upon the human skull, nor docs any moss by 
 growing upon it acquire any particular virtues, 
 whatever fanciful people may have imagined. In 
 England, we commonly use the moss just described, 
 when it happens to run over an human skull, 
 that has been laid by accident, or has been laid 
 on purpose in its way : in other places, they use 
 the sort of white moss, that grows upon our old 
 apple trees. Both these are in their own nature 
 astringents, but they are as good if taken from trees, 
 or oft' the ground, as if found upon these bones. 
 They have been supposed good against disorders of 
 the head, when gathered from the skull, but this is all 
 fancy. 
 
 MoTUETt OF A MY ME. ScTpylllWl. 
 
 A common wild little plant, but very pretty, very 
 fragrant, and of great virtues. It grow*; in little 
 tufts by way sides, and on dry hillocks ; the stalks 
 are round slender, reddish, and six or eight inches 
 long, but thc\ do not stand upright. The leaves are 
 very small, and of an oval figure ; they grow two 
 at each joint, arid they are smooth, and of a bright 
 green. The flowers are of a pale red, and stand in 
 little tufts at the tops of the stalks, the whole plant 
 has a very fragrant smell, and an aromatic and 
 agreeable taste. 
 
 It is a better medicine in nervous cases than 
 most that are used ; the fresh plant or dried, may 
 be drank as tea ; it is verv agreeable to the taste, 
 and bv a continuance, will cure the common nerv- 
 ous disorders. The night marc is a very trouble*
 
 236 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 some disease, and often puzzles the physician, but 
 it will be perfectly cured by a tea made of this 
 plant. 
 
 Motherwo&t. Cardiaca. 
 
 A tall, and not unhandsome wild plant. It 
 grows wild about farm-yards and in dry places. It 
 is a yard high ; the stalk is square, thick, upright, 
 and firm. The leaves stand O'l long foot stalks, 
 two at each joint. They are divided into three parts, 
 the middle one being the longest, and arc deeply in- 
 dented at the edges ; of a dark green colour, and bad 
 smell." The flowers are of a pale red : they grow 
 in a kind of prickly cups, from the bosoms of the 
 leaves, surrounding the stalks. The root creeps, and 
 is whitish. 
 
 The whole plant may be used dried, but the tops 
 fresh cut are best ; they are to be given in a strong 
 infusion or decoction. It is good against hysteric 
 complaints, and it promotes the menses. It is 
 famous for curing the palpitation of the heart, when 
 that a. ;scs from an hysteric cause : for there arc pal- 
 pitations, which nothing can cure. 
 
 Mouse-ear. Pilosclla. 
 
 An exceeding pretty little plant, with whitish 
 leaves, and largo bright yellow (lowers, frequent 
 on our ditch banks. The leaves grow in little 
 clusters, and are longish and broad, of a dark 
 green on the upper side, but white underneath ; 
 and so much, of the under part is usually seen, 
 that the whole looks whitish. The stalks trail 
 upon the ground, and take root at every joint : 
 tin- leaves have long hairs upon them. The stalks 
 which support the (lowers rise single. They are
 

 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 237 
 
 "hairy, they have no leaves, and each bears only one 
 flower, this stands on the top, and is large, somewhat 
 of the form of the dandelion flower, but of a beautiful 
 pale yellow. 
 
 The seeds are winged with down, and the stalks 
 when broken yield a milky juice, but in no great 
 quantity. The plant lias scarce any smell, but an 
 austere bitterish tasle. 
 
 A decoction of the fresh gathered herb is excellent 
 against the bleeding of the piles : and the leaves 
 boiled in milk, may be applied externally, it is good 
 also in the overflowing of the menses, and in all other 
 bleedings, and in the whites. 
 
 ]\i i gwort. Artemisia. 
 
 A tall, and not unhandsome plant, frequent 
 on ditch banks, having divided leaves, find flowers 
 like those of wormwood. \t is a yard high or 
 more : the stalk is round, striated, often purplish, 
 firm, upright, and branched. The leaves stand 
 irregularly upon it ; they are large, and composed 
 of a number of small parts, which are sharply in- 
 dented and pointed. They are of a dusky green 
 on the upper side and white underneath. The 
 flowers are little and brownish, they stand in small 
 tufts all along the upper parts of the branches, but 
 they stand upright, whereas those 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 used fresh or 
 dried ; they are best given in infusion, and they are 
 excellent to promote the menses, and against all the 
 common hysteric complaints.
 
 238 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Mulberry Tree. Morus. 
 
 A large and irregular growing tree, common 
 in our gardens. The branches are numerous and 
 spreading ; the leaves are very beautiful, large, 
 broad, of a bright green, pointed at the end, and 
 delicately serrated round the edges. The flowers 
 are small, and inconsiderable : the fruit is suf- 
 ficiently known ; it is large, oblong, juicy, and 
 composed of a great number of small granules : it is 
 usually black when ripe. But there is a kind with 
 white fruit. 
 
 The bark of the root of the mulberry tree fresh 
 taken off and boiled in water, makes an excellent 
 decoction against the jaundice ; it opens obstruc- 
 tions of the liver, and works by urine. A very 
 pleasant syrup is made from the juice of the ripe fruit, 
 with twice the quantity of sugar. It is cooling, and 
 is good for sore mouths, and to quench thirst in 
 levers. 
 
 White Mullen. Verb ascum album. 
 
 A tall and stately wild plant, singular for 
 its white leaves, and long spike of yellow flow- 
 ers ; and frequent on our ditch banks, and on dry 
 places. It grows six feet high ; the leaves rising 
 from the root, are a foot long, as broad as ones 
 hand,' sharp-pointed, serrated about the edges, and 
 rovored with a white downy or woolly matter. The 
 ialk is thick, firm, and very upright, and is cover- 
 ed with smaller leaves of the same kind : the flow- 
 *'fs ;ire yellow and large : they stand in spikes, of 
 i\\<> feet long", three or tour only opening at a time ; 
 tiir seeds are small and brown, the root is long and 
 fclr.<H'gV. 
 
 Tin leaves aie u c .'l. and those are best wl.ich
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 239 
 
 grow from the root, when there is no stalk. They 
 are to he given in decoction against the overflowings 
 of the menses, the bloody flux, the bleedingof the piles, 
 and spitting of blood ; boiled in milk, they are also 
 excellent by way of pultice to the piles, and other 
 painful swellings. 
 
 Mustard. SlnapL 
 
 A common rough looking plant, wild in many 
 places, but kept also in gardens, for the sake of the 
 seed. It grows a yard high. The stalk is round, 
 smooth, thick, and of a pale green ; the leaves are 
 large, and of a coarse green, deeply indented, and 
 placed irregularly ; they hang down, and have a 
 disagreeable aspect. The flowers are small and yel- 
 low ; they grow in great numbers on the tops of the 
 branches, and the pods of ihe seed follow them. The 
 whole plant is of an acrid pungent taste. The root 
 is white. 
 
 The seeds are the part used ; what we call mus- 
 tard is made of them, and it is very wholesome ; it 
 strengthens the stomach, and procures an appetite. 
 The seed bruised and taken in large quantities, works 
 by urine, and is excellent against rheumatisms, and 
 the scurvy. It also promotes the menses. Laid 
 vpon the tongue it will sometimes restore speech in 
 slsies. 
 
 Treacle Mustard. Tklaspi discordts. 
 
 .1 little wild plant with broad leaves, white 
 flowers, and flat pods, common in dry places. It 
 is eight inches high ; the stalk is round and stri- 
 ated. The leaves are oblong, and broad, of a 
 {Mile green colour, and dentated round the edge*.
 
 S40 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 They grow irregularly on the stalks, and have no 
 foot stalks. The flowers are very small, a little 
 tuft of them stands at the top of the stalk, and the 
 pods follow them ; so that the usual appearance, 
 when the plant is in flower, is a short spike of the 
 pods, with a little cluster of flowers on the top ; the 
 pods are large, flat, roundish, and edged with a leafy 
 border. The seeds are small, brown, and of a hot 
 taste. The seed is the part used ; but our druggists 
 generally sell the seeds of the garden cress, in the 
 place of it. It is not much regarded. 
 
 MiTiiHii) ate Mustard. Thlaspi incano folio. 
 
 A utile wild plant, common in corn-fields. 
 It is of a foot high ; the stalks are round, firm, 
 upright, and not much branched ; the leaves are 
 long, narrow, a little hairy, and of a dusky green. 
 The flowers are small and white, and the pods 
 which fohow them are roundish and little, not flatted 
 as in the former kind, nor surrounded with a fo- 
 jiaceous edge. The leaves grow very thick upon the 
 stalk, and each has as it. were a couple of little ones at 
 the nasc. 
 
 The seed of this is used also, at least in name, 
 for me cress seed serves for both : the matter is not 
 great, for thev seem to have the same virtues, and 
 neitht r is minded, except as ingredients in com- 
 positions. 
 
 IS hum i Tiifje. Jtfj/rrha. 
 
 A tkee concerning which we have but very 
 imperfect accounts, and those not well warranted 
 for genuine. Ml that we hear of it is, that the 
 branches are numerous, and have thorns on them ;
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. %i\ 
 
 that the leaves are oblong, broad, and of a strong 
 smell, and that the bark of the trunk is rough, and of 
 a greyish colour. 
 
 The gum resin called myrrh, is certainly pro- 
 cured from some tree in the hot countries, but 
 whether this be a true description of that tree, there 
 is no certainty. The gum itself is a very great medi- 
 cine ; it opens all obstructions of the viscera ; is 
 good in consumptions, jaundices, and dropsies ; and 
 is excellent for promoting the menses, and assisting, 
 in the natural and necessary discharges after delivery . 
 it is to be given in powder ; the tincture dissolves it 
 but imperfectly ; but this is excellent against disorders 
 of the teeth and gums. 
 
 N 
 Sweet Navey. Kcpus. 
 
 A plant kept in some gardens, and net unlike 
 the common turnip in its aspect and appearance. 
 It grows a yard high. The stalk is round, smooth, 
 and of a pale green. The leaves stand irregularly 
 on it, and they are oblong, broad at the base, where 
 they surround the stalk, and narrower all the way 
 to the point. The leaves, which grow from the 
 root, are much larger and deeply cut in at the 
 sides ; and they are all of a pale or bluish green 
 colour. The flowers are small and yellow, and 
 the pods are long. The seed is round and black. 
 The root is white and large, and has the taste, but 
 not the round shape of the turnip, for it is rather 
 like a parsnip. 
 
 The seeds are used, but not much. A decoc- 
 tion of them is said to promote sweat, and to drive 
 n.nv thinf; out to the skin ; but it does not seem to de* 
 
 sorve anv great regard. 
 
 I I
 
 <m FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Wild Navew. Bunias 
 
 The plant which produces what we call rape- 
 seed, and in some places cole-seed. Though wild 
 on our ditch hanks ; it sown in some places for 
 the sake of its seed, from which an oil is made for 
 mechanical purposes. The plant is two or three 
 feet high ; the stalk is round, upright, smooth, 
 thick, firm, and of a pale green, ihe lower leaves 
 are long and narrow, very deeply divided at the 
 edges, and of a pale or bluish green colour. Those 
 on the stalk are of the same colour, hut small, 
 narrow, and a little divided : the flowers are small, 
 and of a bright yellow. The pods are long, and 
 the seeds are round, large, and black ; they are of 
 a somewhat hot and sharp taste. The seeds are used 
 for the same purposes as the other, and are supposed 
 to have more virtue, but probably neither have 
 much. 
 
 Colic Naiid. tardus ecltica. 
 
 A little plant of Ihe valerian kind, frequent 
 in [many parts of Europe, but not a native of Eng- 
 land. It is six or eight inches in height ; the stalks 
 are'round, striated, and greenish : the leaves at the 
 bottom are oblong, narrow at the base, and rounded 
 at the end, and of a yellowish green colour. Those 
 on the stalks stand in pairs ; they are small and deeply 
 cut ; the flowers stand in a little cluster at the top of 
 the stalk ; they are small and white : the root is long, 
 slender, and creeping. 
 
 The root is the part used ; our druggists kee ; p 
 ii dry. It is best taken in infusion. It operates by 
 urine, and in some decree bv sweat, but that very 
 moderately : it is commended in fevers and in the 
 jaundice.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 243 
 
 Nettle, Urtica. 
 
 A" plant too common to nerd much descrip- 
 tion. It is three' feet high ; the stalks are angulatcd 
 and rough ; the leaves are large, and of a beautiful 
 shape, regularly from a broad base diminishing to 
 a sharp point, and nicely serrated round the edges ; 
 the colour of these and of the stalks is a dusky 
 green, and they arc both covered with a kind of 
 prickles, which easily make their way into the 
 skin, and have at their base, a hollow bag of sharp 
 juice, which gets into the wound, occasioning that 
 swelling, inflammation, and pain that follows. The 
 naked eye may distinguish these bags at the bottom 
 of the prickles on the stalk of a full grown nettle, 
 but a microscope shews them all over. The (lowers 
 of the nettle, are yellowish, little, and inconsiderable, 
 the seeds are small, and round, the root is long and 
 creeping. 
 
 The juice of the nettle is good against overflow- 
 ings of the menses. The root is to be given in infu- 
 sion, and it works powerfully by urine, and is excel- 
 lent against the jaundice. 
 
 Roman Nettle. Urtica Romana. 
 
 A wild plant of the nettle kind, but not com- 
 mon. It is two feet high, the stalks are round, 
 and of a deep green colour. The leaves are large, 
 and of a deep green also ; broad at the base, narrow 
 to the point, and deeply serrated. The flowers are 
 small and inconsiderable, the fruit is a round ball, 
 as big as a large pea, it stands on a long loot-stalk, 
 and is of a deep green colour, and full of small 
 brown seeds. All the plant is covered with the 
 same sort of prickles as the common nettle, but they 
 are shorter and finer ; they are silverv, white at th
 
 244 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 tips, and have the same bag of liquor at the base, and 
 they sting very terribly ; more a great deal than the 
 common nettle. 
 
 The seeds are the part used ; they are good 
 against coughs, shortness of breath, and hoarsenesses ; 
 the seeds of the common nettle are commended for 
 this purpose, but these are greatly preferable. The 
 best way of giving them is in the manner of tea, 
 sweetened with honey. 
 
 Common Nightshade. Solarium vulgare. 
 
 A wild plant, that over-runs gardens, and all 
 other cultivated places, if not continually weeded out. 
 It grows two fee? high ; the stalks are roundish, thick, 
 but not very erect or strong, and of a dusky green. 
 The leaves are broad and roundish, but they ter- 
 minate in a point. They are of a dark green colour, 
 and stand on foot stalks. The flowers grow in little 
 clusters, ten or a dozen in a bunch ; they are white, 
 with a yellowish centre, and they are succeeded by 
 r,ound black berries. 
 
 The leaves are used fresh, and only externally. 
 They are very cooling, and applied bruised to in- 
 flammations, scalds, burns, and troublesome erup? 
 tions on the skin. 
 
 Deadly Nightstade. Solatium Icthale 
 
 It may seem strange to mix a poison among me- 
 dicines, but a part of this herb has its uses. This 
 is a wild plant of a dulf and dismal aspect. It 
 grows five feet high. The stalks are angulated, 
 and of a deep green. The leaves are very large, 
 broad, and flat, and they also are of a dull dead 
 green. The flowers stand singly on long foot- 
 # talks, arising from the bosom of the leaves, and
 
 FAMILY HERBAL, 245 
 
 they also have the same dismal aspect ; tney nre 
 large, hollow, and hang down. On the outside 
 they are of a dusky colour, between brown and 
 green, and within they are of a very deep purple. 
 These are succeeded by berries of the bigness of 
 cherries, black and shining when ripe, and full of 
 a pulpy matter, of a sweetish and mawkish taste. 
 The root is long. The berries are fatal ; children 
 have often cat them, and perished by it. The leaves 
 externally applied are cooling and softening ; they 
 are good against the ringworm and tetters, and against, 
 hard swellings. They have very great virtue in this 
 respect, but the plant should be kept out of the way 
 of children, or never suffered to grow to fruit, as (he 
 leaves only are wanted. 
 
 Nutmeg Tree. Nuxmoschata. 
 
 A tall, spreading iree, native only of the 
 "warm climates ; the trunk is large, and the bran- 
 ches are numerous and irregular ; the bark is of 
 a greyish colour, and the wood light and soft. 
 The leaves are large, long, and somewhat broad : 
 they are not unlike those of the bay tree, but bigger, 
 and are of a beautiful green on the upper side, and 
 whitish underneath. They stand irregularly, but 
 often so nearly opposite, that they seem in pairs, 
 as we see in the leaves of some of our willows. 
 The blossom is of the shape and bigness of that 
 of our cherry tree, but its colour is yellow. The 
 fruit which succeeds this, is of the bigness of a 
 small peach, and not unlike it in the general form ; 
 when cut open there appears firs< the fleshy coat, 
 which is a finger thick, and of a reujrh taste, then 
 the mace spread over a woody shell, in which is> (he 
 nutmeg. We often have the \\\\<Ac fruit sent ever 
 preserved
 
 246 FAMILYHERBAL. 
 
 The nutmeg is an excellent spice, it strengthens 
 the stomach, and assists digestion. It will stop 
 vomitings, and is good against the colic. When 
 roasted before the fire, and mixed with a small quan- 
 tity of rhubarb, it is the best of all remedies against 
 purging*. 
 
 O. j 
 
 Oak. Quercus. 
 
 A noble and stately tree, native of our coun- 
 try, and no where growing to so great perfection. 
 It is very tall, and though irregular in the dispo- 
 sition of its branches, that very irregularity has its 
 beauty ; the trunk is very thick ; the branches are 
 also 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 shining 
 green. The flowers arc inconsiderable. The fruit 
 is the acorn, well known. Galls are produced upon 
 the oak, not as fruit, but from the wounds made by 
 an insect. 
 
 The bark of the oak is a very powerful astrin- 
 gent ; it stops purgings, and overflowings of the 
 menses, given in powder ; a decoction of it is ex- 
 cellent for the falling down of the uvula, or as it 
 is called the falling down of the palate of the mouth. 
 Whenever a very powerful astringent is required, 
 oak bark demands the preference over every thing : 
 if it were brought from the East Indies, it would be 
 held inestimable. 
 
 Scarlet Oak. Ilex. 
 
 A shrub not much regarded or its own ac- 
 count, but from the insect called kcrmes, which
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 247 
 
 is found upon it ; and has at sometimes been suppo- 
 sed a fruit of it : the shrub thence obtained its 
 name of the scarlet oak. It grows only six or 
 eight feet high. The branches are tough, and 
 covered with a smooth greyish bark. The leaves 
 are an inch long, three quarters of an inch broad, 
 of a figure approaching to oval, serrated about 
 the edges, and a little prickly. The flowers are 
 small and inconsiderable ; the fruit is an acorn, like 
 that of the common oak, but smaller, standing in 
 its cup. The kermes, or scarlet grain, is a small 
 round substance of the bigness of a pea, of a fine 
 red colour within, and of a purplish blue without, 
 covered with a fine hoary dust, like a bloom upon 
 a plum. It is an insect at that time full of young. 
 When they intend to preserve it in its own form, 
 they find ways of destroying the principle of life 
 within, else the young come forth, and it is spoiled. 
 When they express the juice, they bruise the whole 
 grains, and squeeze it through a hair cloth ; they 
 then add an equal weight of fine sugar fo it, and 
 send it over to us under the name of juice of kermes ; 
 this is used in medicine much more than the grain 
 itself. 
 
 It is a cordial, good against faintings, and to drive 
 out the small pox ; and for women in childbed. It 
 supports the spirits, and at the same time promotes 
 the necessary discharges. 
 
 Oak of Jerusalem. Botrys. 
 
 A mttt.f. plant, native, of the warmer coun- 
 tries, and kept in our gardens, with leaves which 
 have been supposed to resemble those of the oak 
 tree, whence it got its name, and small yellowish 
 flowers. The stalk is a foot and half high, round- 
 ish angulated a little, or deeply striated, and of a
 
 248 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 pale given ; the leaves are of a yellowish green, and 
 of a rough surface ; they are oblong, somewhat 
 broad pointed at the ends, and deeply cut in on the 
 sides. The (lowers stand in abundance of long 
 spikes on the tops of the branches ; they are very 
 small and inconsiderable. The whole plant has a 
 pleasant smell., particularly the young shoots, which 
 are to bear the flowers. 
 
 The fresh plant is to be used, and it is best taken 
 in the manner of tea, or in infusion. It is good in 
 asthmas, hoarseness, and coughs, and it promotes the 
 menses and discharges after delivery. 
 
 Olive Tree. Olea. 
 
 A targe tree, native of the warmer parts of 
 Europe and the East. The trunk is thick and 
 rough. The branches are numerous, and stand ir- 
 regularly ; their bark is grey and smooth. The 
 leaves are longish and broad, and of a deep green on 
 the upper side, and whitish underneath, and of a firm 
 texture ; the flowers are small and yellow ; the fruit 
 is of the bigness of a small plum, but of longer shape, 
 and lias a very large stone within, 
 i The oil is the only produce of this tree used in 
 medicine, it is pressed out of the fruit, and is excel- 
 lent in disorders of the lungs, and against colics, and 
 stoppages of urine. But in the latter cases the oil 
 of sweet almonds fresh pressed is preferable, and for 
 the first linseed oil ; so that oil of olives, or as it called 
 sallad oil is seldom used in medicine, unless these 
 others cannot be had. 
 
 Onion. Ctpa. 
 
 \ common plant in our gardens, known at 
 sight by lis hollow tubular leaves. It grows two
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 249 
 
 feet and a half high. The leaves are long', round- 
 ed, of the thickness of a man's finger, and hollow. 
 The stalk is round also, and has at the top a round 
 cluster of little flowers, these ate of a mixed purplish 
 and greenish colour ; and of a strong smell, as has 
 the whole plant. 
 
 The root is the part used ; it is roundish, and com- 
 posed of a great multitude of coats laid one over 
 another. A syrup made of the juice of onions and 
 honey, is excellent for an asthma. 
 
 Opoponax Plant. Opoponax. 
 
 A large and robust plant, of which we have 
 but imperfect descriptions : it is a native of the East, 
 and has not been brought into Europe. It is said 
 to be eleven or twelve feet high : the stalk is round, 
 thick, and hollow. The leaves very large, and each 
 composed of a vast number of smaller set upon a di- 
 vided stalk. The flowers we are informed stand in 
 very large round clusters at the tops of the stalks, 
 and that the seeds are broad, brown, and of a strong 
 smell ; striated on the surface and Cattish. The 
 root is said to be long and large, and full of an acrid 
 and milky juice. 
 
 vVe use a kind of resin, winch is said to be col- 
 lected from this root, after it has been wounded 
 to make it flow in sufficient quantity ; but the 
 whole account comes to us very imperfect, and 
 upon no very sound authority ; however it seem9 
 probable. 
 
 The resin is brownish or yellowish, and in small 
 pieces. It is an excellent medicine against nerv- 
 ous complaints ; and particularly against disorders 
 of the head. It works by urine and promote* 
 the menses ; and has a tendency to operate, though 
 very gently, by stool. It is not so much used aft 
 
 k k
 
 250 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 it deserves to be. I have experienced excellent el*-* 
 fects from it. 
 
 Orange Thee. Auranlia malus. 
 
 A reai:tiful and valuable tree, native of Spain, 
 Italy, and the East. It grows to a considerable 
 bigness, and its branches spread irregularly. The 
 bark of the trunk is brown and rough, that of 
 the brances is smooth and greyish. The leaves are 
 targe, and very beautiful ; they are oblong, and 
 moderately broad, and the foot stalk has an edge 
 of a leafy matter on each side, giving it a heart- 
 like appearance. The flowers are white, large, 
 flagrant, and very beautiful. The fruit is enough 
 known. 
 
 The sour, or Seville orange, is the kind used in 
 medicine, but the peel of this more than the juice 
 or pulpy part. A pleasant svrup is made of Seville 
 orange juice, by melting in it twice its weight 
 of the finest sugar ; and a syrup equally pleasant, 
 though of another kind, is made of an infusion of 
 the peel : but the great use of the peel is in tinc- 
 ture, or infusion as a stomachic. It is for this pur- 
 pose to be pared oil' very thin, only the yellow part 
 being useful, and to be put into brandy or wine, 
 or to have boiling water poured on it fresh or dry. 
 
 If a little centian and a few cardamon seeds be 
 
 " ..... 
 
 added to this tincture or mtusion, it is as good a 
 
 bitter as can be made : it prevents sickness of the 
 
 stomach and vomitings, and is excellent to amend the 
 
 appetite. 
 
 Orpine. Telephum. 
 
 A very beautiful wild plant, of a foot high 
 or more, with fresh green leaves, and tufts of
 
 I //.,/;,/
 
 ) Zj 
 
 7 /'/ '?# \
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 251 
 
 bright rod flowers ; common m cur hedges in 
 autumn in many parts of England. The stalk is 
 round and fleshy ; the leaves arc oblong, broad., 
 and indented round the edges,, and their colour is 
 a bluish green. The flowers arc small., but they 
 are very beautiful ; the root is white and thick. 
 The whole plant has a fleshy appearance, and it 
 will grow out of the ground, a long time, taking its 
 nourishment from the air. 
 
 The juice of orpine is good against the bloody flux : 
 the best way of giving it is made into a thin syrup, 
 with the finest sugar, and with the addition of some 
 cinnamon. 
 
 Oxeve. Bupli lhalmum. 
 
 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. 
 stalk is round, firm, and branched ; the leaves are 
 numerous ; they are divided each into a multitude 
 of fine segments, so that at a distance they somen hat 
 resemble the loaves of yarrow, but they are whitish. 
 The flowers are large and yellow ; they somen hat re- 
 semble a marigold in form, aud they stand at the tops 
 of the branches. 
 
 The fresh her!) is used ; , they boil it in ale, aud 
 give it as a remedy for the jaundice: it works by 
 urine. 
 
 P 
 
 Palma Christi. Ilk inn*. 
 
 A rouriGN plant, kept in our gardens more 
 for its beauty than use. The stem is thick, and 
 looks woody toward the bottom.. It grows si*
 
 2b2 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 feet high, and on the upper part is covered with 
 a sort of mealy powder, of a bluish colour. The 
 leaves are large, and very beautiful. They are 
 somewhat like those of the vine, but they are di- 
 vided deeply into seven or more parts, which are 
 also sharply serrated at the edges, and they stand 
 upon long foot stalks, which are not inserted at 
 the edge, but in the middle of the leaf. The flow- 
 ers are small : they grow in bunches toward the top 
 of the plant. The seeds grow upon the trunk of 
 the plant in different places : three are contained in 
 husks, and they have over them severally a hard 
 shell. 
 
 The kernels of these seeds are the part used, but 
 they are very little regarded at present. There 
 used to be three or four kinds of them kept by 
 the druggists, under different names, but nobody 
 now minds them : (hey are very violent in their 
 operation, which is both upwards and downwards, 
 and have been given in dropsies and rheumatisms. 
 
 Oily Palm Tree. Palma oleosa. 
 
 A very beautiful tree, native of Africa and 
 America. It crows moderately hmh. The trunk 
 is naked all the way to the top, where the leaves 
 grow in vast quantities : they are long and nar- 
 row, and the footstalks on which they stand are 
 prickly. The flowers are small and mossy. The 
 fruit is of the bigness of a plumb, oblong, and 
 flatfish, and is covered over with a tough and fibrous 
 coat. From this fruit the natives express what they 
 call palm oil : it is a substance of the consistence 
 of butter, and of a pleasant, though very little 
 taste. 
 
 The oil is the only produce of the tree used : 
 They eat it upon the spot, but we apply it extcr-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 253 
 
 nally against cramps, strains, pains in the limbs, 
 and weaknesses : but we seldom meet with it fresh 
 enough, to be fit for use ; and at present, it has 
 given place to the famous opodeldoc, and to several 
 other things, which have the same qualities in a 
 much greater degree. 
 
 Panic Panicum. 
 
 A very singular and pretty plant of the grass 
 kind, cultivated in some parts of Europe. The 
 stalk is very thick and firm, round, jointed, and 
 a yard high. The leaves are grassy, but they are 
 large and broad. The flowers and seeds are con- 
 tained in a long ear, which is broad and flat ; it is 
 composed of several smaller ears, arranged on the 
 two sides of the stalk ; these spikes are hairy. The 
 seed is round, and is much like millet, only 
 smaller. 
 
 The seed is the only part used. It is good 
 against sharp purgings, bloody fluxes, and spitting 
 of blood. 
 
 Pareira Brava. Pareira brava. 
 
 A climbing shrub of South America, the 
 root of which has lately been introduced into 
 medicine It grows to twelve or fourteen feet in 
 height, if there be trees or bushes to support it, else 
 it lies upon the ground, and is shorter. The stalks 
 are woody, light, and covered with a rough bark, 
 which is continually coming off in small flakes. The 
 leaves are large and broad. The flowers are small, 
 and of a greenish colour ; and the berries are round, 
 and when ripe, black. The root is large, woody, 
 and very long and creeping.
 
 254 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The root is used. It is of a brownish colour,, 
 rough on the surface,, and woody, but loose in its 
 texture. It is to be given in infusion. It is an 
 excellent medicine in the gravel, and in suppres- 
 sions of urine, as also in the quinzy, and in pleu- 
 risies, and peripneumonies. It works the most 
 powerfully, and the most suddenly, by urine of 
 any medicine : and is so excellent in forcing away 
 gravel and small stones, that some have pretended 
 it a remedy for the stone, and said it would dissolve 
 and break it. This is going too far ; no medicine 
 lias been found that has that effect, nor can it be 
 supposed that any can. Great good has been 
 done by those medicines which the parliament pur- 
 chased of Mrs. Stephens, more than perhaps, by any 
 other whatsoever, in this terrible complaint ; but they 
 never dissolved a large and hard stone. Indeed there 
 needs no more to be assured of this, than to examine. 
 one of those stones ; it will not he supposed, any 
 thing that the bladder can bear, will be able to dissolve 
 so firm and solid a substance. 
 
 Parsly. Petroselinum. 
 
 A very common plant in our gardens, useful m 
 the kitchen, and in medicine. It grows to two feet 
 in height. The leaves are composed of many small 
 parts : they are divided into three, and then into a 
 multitude of sub-divisions : they are of a bright 
 green, and indented. The stalks are round, angu- 
 lated, or deeply striated, slender, upright, and 
 branched. The flowers are small and white ; and 
 they stand in large tufts at the tops of the branches. 
 The seeds are roundish and striated. The root is 
 long and white. 
 
 The roots are the part used in medicine- A
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 25a 
 
 strong decoction of (hem is good against the jaundice. 
 It operates powerfully by urine, and opens ob- 
 structions. 
 
 Parsly Piert. Percicier. 
 
 A little wild plant, common among our corn, 
 and in other dry places, with small pale leaves, 
 and hairy drooping stalks. It does not grow to 
 more than three or four inches in length, and seldom 
 stands well upright. The stalks are round and 
 whitish. The leaves stand irregularly : they are 
 narrow at the base, and broad at the end, where 
 they are divided into three rounded parts. The 
 flowers are very small : they grow in clusters at ttye 
 joints, and are of a greenish colour. The seed is 
 small and round. The root is fibrous. 
 
 The whole plant is used ; and it is best fresh. 
 An infusion of it is very powerful against the 
 gravel. It, operates violently, but safely, by urine, 
 and it opens obstructions of the liver ; whence 
 it is good also in the jaundice. There is an opinion 
 in many places, of its having a power of dissolv- 
 ing the stone in the b'. adder, but this is idle : there 
 is, however, a great deal of c;ood to be done in 
 nephritic cases, by medicines which have not tins 
 power. 
 
 Macedonian Parsly. Peirosellnum Macedonlcum, 
 
 A plant kept in some of our gardens. It is 
 two feet high The sialk is -lender, branched, 
 and hairy. The leaves roe composed of man)' 
 parts, and those are small and rounded: those on 
 the upper part of the stalk are more finely divided. 
 The flowers are small and white, like those of com- 
 mon parsly ; and they stand like them, in clusters
 
 256 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 on the tops of the stalks. The seeds are small, some* 
 what hairy, and of a dusky colour. 
 
 The seed is used ; and it is best given in pow- 
 der. It operates powerfully by urine, and it is 
 good against stoppages of the menses, and in the 
 gravel and colics, arising from that cause. It 
 is also recommended against the dropsy and jaun- 
 dice. 
 
 Wild Parsnep. Pastinaca sylvestris. 
 
 A wild plant, common about our road sides. 
 It is three feet high. The stalk is straight, up- 
 right, round, striated, and yellowish. The leaves 
 are composed of many broad divisions, and resem- 
 ble those of the garden parsnep, but they are smaller. 
 The ilowers are little and yellow : they grow at the 
 tops of the stalks, in large, rounded tufts, and the 
 seeds are flat, and of an oval figure. The root is 
 long, white, and well tasted. 
 
 The root is to be used. A strong decoction of 
 it works by urine, and opens all obstructions. It is 
 good against the gravel and the jaundice, and will 
 bring down the menses. 
 
 Pavana Shrub. Pavana 
 
 A shrubby plant of the East Indies, of a 
 beautiful, as well as singular aspect. It is six or 
 seven feet high. The stem is woody, firm, and 
 naked almost to the top. The leaves grow upon 
 long foot stalks, and they all rise nearly together, 
 at the upper part of the stem : they are large, of 
 a rounded figure, and divided at the edges pretty 
 deeply into several parts : their colour is a deep 
 green. The Ilowers are small, and of a greenish 
 colour. The fruit is of the bin'ne^s of a hazle
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 257 
 
 nut. The wood is not very firm, and when cut, 
 yields a milkv juice, of a very disagreeable smell. 
 
 The wood and the seeds are used; and they 
 have brthtnesame violent operation by vomit and 
 stool ; but the wood given in infusion, and in a 
 moderate dose, only purges, and that, though brisk- 
 ]y, without any danger. It is good in dropsies, 
 and in other stubborn disorders ; and it is excel- 
 lent aga t rheumatic pains. Some recommend 
 it as a specific against the sciatica. The seeds are 
 what are called, graua t ; glia ; but though much 
 spoken of by some writers, they are at this time 
 very little used in the shops. 
 
 The Peach Tree. Persica mains. 
 
 A TREE very frequent against our garden walls. 
 The trunk is covered with a brown oark. The 
 branches grow irregularly. The leaves are beauti- 
 ful : thev are lonar, narrow, and elejrantlv serrated 
 at the edges. The blossoms are large, and of a 
 pale red. The fruit is too well known to need 
 much description : it consists of a soff pulpy mat- 
 ter, covered by a hairy skin, and inclosing a hard 
 stone, in which is a kernel of a pleasant bitter taste. 
 
 The flowers are to be used. A pint of water 
 is to be poured boiling hot on a pound weight of 
 peach blossoms ; when it has stood four and twenty 
 hours, it is to be poured off, through a sieve, with- 
 out squeezing, and two pounds of loaf sugar is 
 to be dissolved in it, over the fire : this makes an 
 excellent syrup for children. It purges gently, 
 and sometimes will make thorn puke a little. They 
 have so frequent occasion for this, that people 
 who haye children, have continual use for it. 
 
 l!
 
 238 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Pellitory of the Wall. Parietaria. * 
 
 A WILD plant frequent on old walls, with weak 
 branches, aud pale green leaves. It grows a foot 
 high, but seldom altogether erect. The stalk* 
 are round, tender, a little hairy, jointed, and often 
 purplish. The leaves stand irregularly on them 
 and are an iwch long, broad in the middle, and 
 smaller at each end. The flowers stand close upon 
 the stalks, and are small and inconsiderable, of 
 a whitish green colour when, open, but reddish in 
 the bud. 
 
 The whole plant is used, and it is best fresh. 
 An infusion of it works well by urine. It is very 
 serviceable in the jaundice, and is often found a 
 present remedy in fits of the gravel, the infusion 
 being taken largely. 
 
 Pellitory of Spain. Pgrethrum. 
 
 A VERY pretty little plant kept in our gardens 
 It is eight inches high. The stalk is round and 
 thick. The leaves are very finely divided, so that 
 they resemble those of the camomile, but they are 
 f a pale green, thick, and fleshy, and the stalk is 
 purpie. The flowers stand at the tops of the 
 branches, and are very pretty : they are of the shape 
 and size of the great daisy or ox-eye, white at the 
 edges, yellow in the middle, and red on the back or 
 underside. The root is long, and somewhat thick, 
 fa very hot taste. 
 
 The root is used : we have it at the druggists. 
 Its great acridncss fills the mouth with rheum on 
 chewing, and it is good against the tooth-ach. It 
 is also good to be put into the mouth in palsies, for 
 it will sometimes alone, by its stimulation, restore 
 *hc \xice t
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 259 
 
 Pen n r-ROY a l. Pult ;^iu in. 
 
 A WILD plant, creeping about on marshy 
 places, with little leaves, and tufts of red Mowers at 
 the joints. The stalks are a foot long, round, and 
 often of a reddish colour. The leaves are small, 
 broad, and pointed at the ends, and of a pale green 
 colour. The flowers stand round the joints in thick 
 clusters : they are like those of mint, and of a 
 pale red, and the cups in which they stand are green, 
 and a little hairy. The whole plant has a strong 
 penetrating smell, and an acrid but not disagreeable 
 taste. 
 
 The whole plant is used, fresh or dried ; but 
 that which grows wild, is much stronger than the 
 larger kind, which is cultivated in gardens. The 
 simple water is the best way of taking it, though 
 it will do very well in infusion, or by way of tea. 
 i is excellent against stoppages of the menses. 
 
 Black Pepper. Piper nigrum. 
 
 AN eastern plant, of a very singular kind. It 
 grows six or eight t'cct in length, but the stalks are 
 not able to support themselves upright : they are 
 round, green, jointed, and thick, and when they 
 trail upon the ground, roots are sent forth from these 
 joints. The leaves are large, of an oval figure, 
 of a firm substance, and ribbed highly: thev stand 
 on short pedicles, one at each joint. The flowers 
 are small and inconsiderable : they grow to the 
 *talk. The fruit succeeds, which is what we call 
 p pper : they hang upon a long stalk, Twenty or 
 torty together : they are green at first, but when 
 ripe they are red : they grow black and wrinkled 
 i:i drying. The largest &nd least wrinkled on the 
 coat., arc the beat grains.
 
 260 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Tlic fruit is used, and it is excellent against all 
 coldnesses and crudities upon the stomach. It 
 gives appetite in these cases, anci assists digestion. 
 It is also good against dizzinesses of the head, and 
 against obstructions of the liver and spleen, and 
 against colics. We arc; apt to neglect things as 
 medicines, that we take will food ; hut there is 
 hardly a more powerful sm pie of its kind than 
 pepper, when given singly, a&d on an empty sto- 
 mach. 
 
 White Pepper. Piper Album. 
 
 THE common white pepper we meet with, is 
 made from the black, by soking it in sea water till 
 it swells, and the dark wainkled coat falls off; 
 but this though the common, is not the true white 
 pepper : there is another kind, which is natural, and 
 has no assistance from art. The white pepper plant, 
 has round, thick, and whitish stalks: they lie upon 
 the ground, and have large joints : at each joint stands 
 a single leaf, which is long, and narrow, sharp at 
 the end. and ribbed. The flowers grow on little 
 stalks, hanging down from the joints : they are 
 small and \ellow. The fruit is round ; at first 
 green, and when ripe white, which is gathered and 
 dried for use. 
 
 This fruit is used. The common white pepper 
 is milder than the black ; that is, it is black pepper, 
 which has lost a part of its virtue : this possesses all 
 the qualities of the other, and yet it has not so sharp 
 a taste. 
 
 Tfce Long Pepper Plant. Piper longum. 
 
 AN American plant, in some degree resembling 
 the other peppers in its general growth, but not
 
 FAMILY HERBAL, 261 
 
 at all in its fruit. The stalk is round, thick, joint- 
 ed, and of a deep green colour : it is not able to 
 support itseitj but climbs upon bushes. The 
 leu\es are long and narrow : they stand one at each 
 joint, upon lovg feet stalks. The flowers grow 
 upon the outside rf the fruit : they are small and. 
 inconsiderable. The fruit, which is what we call 
 long pepper, is an inc.! and a half long, and as thick 
 as a large quill, marked with spiral lines, and di- 
 vided info cells; within, in each of which is a sin- 
 gle seed. 
 
 This lias the tame virtues with the common black 
 pepper, but in a les? degree ; it is not so hot and 
 acrid, and therefore will be borne upon the sto- 
 mach when that cannot. It is excellent to assist 
 digestion, and prevent colics, 
 
 The Jamaica Pepper Tree. Piper J am (license. 
 
 \N American tree, in all respects different from 
 the plants which produce the other kinds of pep- 
 per, as is also the fruit altogether different. It 
 should not be called pepper : the round shape of 
 it was (he only thing that led people to giveit such 
 a name. The Jamaica pepper tree is large and 
 beautiful. The trunk is covered with a smooth 
 brown bark. The branches are numerous ; and 
 they are well covered with leaves. The tree is 
 as big and high as our pear trees. The leaves 
 are oblong and broad, of a shining green colour: 
 they grow in pairs, and they stand on long pedicles. 
 The flowers grow only at the extremities of the 
 branches: they stand a great many together, and 
 are small. The fruit which succeeds is a berry, 
 green at first, and afterwards becoming of a red" 
 dish brown, and in the end, black. They are, 
 wiien ripe, full of a pulpy matter, surrounding
 
 M% FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 the seeds ; but they otre dried when unripe for 
 o*ir use. 
 
 The fruit, thus gathered and dried in the sun, 
 fs what we call Jamaica pepper, piamenta, or 
 allspice. It is an excellent spice: it strengthens 
 the stomach, and is good against the colic. The 
 best way to take it is in powder, mixed with a 
 little sugar. It will prevent vomiting, and sick- 
 ness after meals, and is one of the best known re- 
 medies for habitual colics. 
 
 Guinea Pepper. Capsicum. 
 
 A COMMON plant in our gardens, distinguish- 
 ed by its large scarlet pods. It grows a foot and 
 a half high. The stalk is angulated, thick, and 
 green, tolerably erect, and branched. The leaves 
 stand irregularly, and are longish, pretty broad, 
 and of a deep green colour. The flowers are 
 moderately large and white, with a yellow head 
 in the middle : they grow at the divisions of the 
 branches. The fruit follows, and is an inch ancj 
 a half long, an inch thick, and biggest at the base, 
 whence it grows smaller to the point: the colour 
 is a fine red, and its surface is so smooth, that it 
 looks like polished coral : it is a skin containing 
 a quantity of seeds. 
 
 The fruit is the part used. Held in the mouth* 
 it cures the tooth-ach ; for its heat and acrimony 
 are greater than in pellitory of Spain, and it fills 
 the mouth with water. Applied externally, bruis- 
 ed and mixed with honey and crumbled bread 
 it is good f^r a quinsy . 
 
 Periwinkle. Tinea pcrvinca. 
 
 A VERY pretty creeping plant, wild in som$
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 2i >3 
 
 places, but kept in gardens also. The stalks are 
 numerous, and a foot or more in length, but they 
 do not stand upright : they are round, green, 
 and tough, and generally trail upon the ground. 
 The leaves are oblong, broad of a shining green 
 colour, smooth on the surface and placed two 
 at each joint. The flowers are large and blue : 
 they are bell-fashioned, and stand on long foot 
 stalks : the fruit succeeding. Each is composed 
 of two longish pods ; each containing several 
 seeds. 
 
 The whole plant is used fresh. It is to be boil- 
 ed in water, and the decoction drank with a little 
 red wine in it. It stops the overflowing of the 
 menses, and the bleeding of the piles. 
 
 Spelt, or St. Peter's Corn. Zen. 
 
 A PLANT of the corn kind, resembling barley ; 
 sown in some parts of Europe, but not much 
 known in England. It grows a foot and a halt 
 high. The stalk is round, hollow, jointed, and 
 green ; the leaves are grassy, but broad. At the 
 tops of the stalk stands an ear like that of barley, 
 but smaller and thinner, though with long beards ; 
 the grain is not unlike barley in shape, or between 
 that and wheat, only much smaller than either. 
 
 The seed or grain is the part, used ; it is supposed 
 to be strengthening and in some degree astringent, 
 but we know very little of its qualities, nor are 
 they considerable enough to encourage us to in* 
 quire after them. 
 
 Pimpernel. Jittigallis Jlore rubro. 
 
 A PRETTY little plant common in corn fields 
 and garden borders. The stalks are square, smooth, 
 green, but not very upright : they are five or si*
 
 264 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 inches long. The leaves stand two at each joint, 
 and they are of an oblong figure, considerably 
 broad in the middle, and pointed at the end. The 
 flowers stand singly on long slender foot-stalks ; 
 they are small, hut of a most bright scarlet colour. 
 
 The whole plant is used, and the best method 
 of giving i(, is in an infusion, made by pouring boil- 
 ing water upon it fresh gathered : this is an excel- 
 lent drink in fevers ; it promotes. sweat, and throws 
 out the small pox, measles, or any oihrr eruptions: 
 the dried leaves may be given in powder or a tea 
 made of the whole dried plant, but nothing is so well 
 as the infusion of it fresh, those who have not seen 
 it tried this way do not know how valuable a me- 
 dicine it is. 
 
 There is another kind of pimpernel, perfectly 
 like this, but that the flowers are blue ; this is cal- 
 led the female, and the other the male pimpernel, 
 but the red flowered kind has most 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 North, called Scotch fir, but it is not 
 the same tree. The trunk of the true pine is cover- 
 ed with a rough brown bark, the branches with a 
 smoother, and more reddish. The leaves are long 
 and slender, and they grow always two from the 
 same base, or out of the same sheath, they are of 
 a bluish green colour, and are a little hollowed on 
 the inside : the flowers arc small and inconsiderable ; 
 they stand in a kind of tufts on the branches ; 
 the fruit are cones of a brown colour, large, long, 
 and blunt at the top. These contain between the 
 scales certain white kernels of a sweet taste, and 
 covered with a thin shell, 
 
 These kernels are tnc part used, and they are ex-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL; 263 
 
 ^elle it in consumptions, and after long illness, given 
 
 by wav of restorative. An emulsion may be made 
 by b \ating them up with barley water, and this will 
 be of the same service with common emulsions fee 
 beat of urine. 
 
 The Wild Pine Tree. Pinus syhestris. 
 
 A TREE native of many parts of Germany, 
 very much resembling what is called the manured 
 pine, or simply the pine before described. It grows 
 to be a large and tall tree ; the trunk is covered 
 with a rough brown bark, that of the branches is 
 paler and smoother. The leaves are very narrow, 
 and short ; they grow two out of a case or husk, as 
 in the other, and are of a bluish green colour. 
 They differ principally in being shorter. The 
 flowers are yellowish, and like the others very small 
 and inconsiderable, the cones arc small, brown, and 
 bard, and sharp at the tops, they contain kernels in 
 their shells, among the scales as the other ; but 
 they are smaller. 
 
 The kernels have the same virtues as those of the 
 other pines, but being little, they are not regarded. 
 The resin which flows from this tree, either natural- 
 ly, or when it is cut for that purpose, is what we 
 call common turpentine. It is a thick substance, 
 like honey, of a brownish colour, and very strong 
 and disagreeable smell. 
 
 Yl hen this turpentine has been distilled to make 
 oil of turpentine, the resin which remains, is what 
 we call common resin ; if they put out the fire- 
 in time, it is yellow resin ; if they continue \i 
 longer, it is black resin. Thcv often boil the tur- 
 pentine in water without distilling it for the com- 
 mon resin; and when they take it out half boiled 
 for this purpose ; it is what we call Burgundj 
 
 M ill
 
 UGQ FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 pitch. And the whitish resin which is called thus, 
 or frankincense, and is a thing- quite di fie rent from 
 olibanum, or the tine incense, is the natural resin 
 (lowing from the branches of this tree, and harden- 
 ing into drops upon them, it does not differ much 
 from the common turpentine in its nature, but is 
 less offensive in smell. 
 
 The several kinds of pitch, tar, and resin, are 
 principally used in plaisters and ointments. The 
 turpentine produced from this tree also, and cal- 
 led common turpentine, is principally used in the 
 same manner, the finer turpentines being given 
 inwardly. These are procured from the turpen- 
 tine tree, the larch tree, and the silver fir. The 
 yellow resin and the black are sometimes taken 
 inwardly in pills, and they are very good against 
 the whites, and the runnings after gonorrhoeas ; 
 hut for this purpose it is better to boil some bet- 
 ter sort of turpentine to the consistence and give it, 
 
 PioNr. P&onia. 
 
 A FLOWER common in our gardens, but of 
 great use as well as ornament. The common 
 double piony is not the kind used in medicine ; 
 this ie called the female piony ; the single flowered 
 one called the nude piony, is the right kind. This 
 grows two or three feet high. The stalk is round, 
 striated, and branched : the leaves are of a deep 
 Screen, and each composed of several others : 
 the flowers are very large, and of a deep purple, 
 with a green head in the middle. When they are 
 decayed, this head swells out into two or more 
 -;< d vessels, which are whitish and hairy* on the 
 outside, and red within, and full of black seeds, 
 i'lie root is composed of a number of longish or 
 ro uudidi lump-, connected by fibres to the main
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 26? 
 
 source of the stalk ; these are brown on the out- 
 side, and whitish within. 
 
 The roots are used ; an infusion of them pro- 
 motes the menses. The powder of them dried is 
 good against hysteric and nervous complaints. It 
 is particularly recommended against the falling 
 sickness. 
 
 The Pistaciiia Tree. Pistachia. 
 
 A TREE common in the East. The trunk is 
 covered with a brown rough bark., the branches 
 grow irregularly, and their bark is reddish. The 
 leaves are each composed of several pairs of small 
 ones ; these are oblong, broad, and of a beautiful 
 green colour, and firm texture. The (lowers grow 
 in tufts ; they are white and small ; the fruit which 
 succeeds is what we call the pistachia nut ; it is 
 as big as a filbert, but long and sharp-pointed, and 
 it is covered with a tough wrinkled bark. The 
 shell within this is woody and tough, but it easily 
 enough divides into two parts, and the kernel with- 
 in is of a greenish colour, but covered with a red 
 skin. It i* of a sweet taste. 
 
 The fruit is eaten, but it may be considered as 
 a medicine ; it opens obstructions of the liver, 
 and it works bv urine. It is an excellent restora- 
 live to be given to people wasted by consumptions^ 
 or other long and tedious illnesses. 
 
 Pitch Tree. Picea. 
 
 A TREE of the fir kind, and commonly called 
 the red fir. It is a tall tree of regular growth ; 
 
 the bark of the trunk is of a reddish brown, and 
 it is paler on the branches; the leaves are very 
 numerous, short, narrow, and of a strong green ;
 
 2GS FAMILY HERJRAL. 
 
 they stand very thick, and are sharp, or almost 
 prick iv at the extremities. The flowers are yel- 
 lowish and inconsiderable ; and the fruit is a long 
 and large cone, which hangs down ; whereas that 
 of the true fir tree, or the yew-leaved fir, stands 
 upright. 
 
 The tops of the branches and young shoots are 
 used : thev abound with a resin of the turpentine 
 kind. They are best given in decoction, or brew- 
 ed with beer. They are good against the rheu- 
 matism and scurvy; they work by urine, and heal 
 ulcers of the urinary parts. 
 
 Pitch and tar are produced from the wood" of 
 this tree, the tar sweats out of the wood in burn- 
 ing, and the pitch is only tar boiled to that consis- 
 tence. To obtain the tar, they pile up great heaps 
 of the wood, and set fire to them at top, and the 
 tar sweats out of the ends of the lower, and is 
 caiched as it runs from them. 
 
 Burgundy pitch is made of the resin of the wild 
 pine tree, which is common turpentine boiled in 
 water to a certain consistence, if they boil it longer, 
 it would be resin, for the common resin is only this 
 turpentine boiled to a hardness. 
 
 The Ammoniacum Plant. Ammoniac am. 
 
 A TALL plant, native of the East, and very im- 
 perfectly described to us. What we hear of it is, 
 that it grows on the sides of hills, and is five or six 
 (<vct high ; the stalk is hollow and striated, and 
 painted with various colours like that of our hem- 
 loc. The flowers, we are told, are small and white, 
 and stand in great round clusters at the tops of the 
 stalks, the leaves are very large and composed of a 
 multitude of small divisions : one circumstance wc 
 can add from our own knowledge to this description.,
 
 FAMILY HERBAL.' 269 
 
 and it gives great proof of the authenticity of the 
 rest ; this is, that the seeds are broad, Hat, striated, 
 and have a foSianous rim, as those of dili. We 
 could know by tl. .e which are found very fre- 
 quently among the gum, that it was a plant of this 
 kind which produced it : so that there is great pro- 
 bability that the rest of the description, which has 
 been given us by those who did not know we had 
 this confirmation at home, is true. These seeds 
 often appear verv fair and sound. I have caused a 
 great number of them to be sown, but they have 
 never grown. Though one of the sagapennm seeds 
 grew up a little when sown among them : it would 
 be worth while to repeat the experiment, for some 
 times it might succeed. 
 
 We use a gum or rather gum resin, for it is of 
 a mixed nature between both, which is procured 
 from this plant, but from what part of it, or in 
 what manner we are not informed ; it is whitish, of 
 an acrid taste, with some bitterness, and is an ex- 
 cellent medicine. It is superior to all other drugs 
 in an asthma, and is good to promote the menses, 
 and to 0[)?.n obstructions of all kinds. The best 
 way of giving it is dissolved in hyssop water. 
 Ic makes a milky solution. It is used externally 
 also in plaistcrs for hard swellings, and pains in 
 the joints, 
 
 Kroad Leaved Plantain. Plant ago major. 
 
 A COMMON plant by our way-sides, with 
 broad short leaves, and long slender spikes of brown 
 seeds. The leaves rise all from the root, for 
 there are none upon the stalk. They are of a some- 
 what oval figure, and irregularly indented at the 
 edges, sometimes scarce at all. They have several 
 large ribs, but these do not grow side-ways from
 
 270 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 the middle one, but all run length-ways, like that 
 from the base of the leaf toward the point. The 
 stalks grow a foot high, their lower half is naked, 
 and their upper part thick set, first with small 
 and inconsiderable flowers, of a greenish white 
 colour, and afterwards with seeds which are brown 
 and small. 
 
 This is one of those common plants, which have 
 so much virtue, that nature seems to have made 
 them common for universal benefit. The whole 
 plant is to he used, and it is best fresh. A de- 
 coction of it in water is excellent against overflow- 
 ings of the menses, violent purgings with bloody 
 stools and vomiting of blood, the bleeding of the 
 piles, ar.d all other such disorders. The seeds 
 beaten to a powder, are good against the whites. 
 
 There is a broad leaved plantain with short flow- 
 ery spikes, and hairy leaves, this has full as much 
 virtue as the kind already described: the narrow 
 leaved plantain has less, but of the same kind. 
 
 Plowman's Spikenard. Baccharis monspeliensium, 
 
 A TALL robust wild plant with broad roug T 
 leaves, and numerous small yellowish flowc 
 frequent by road-sides, and in dry pastures. T 
 plant grows three feet high. The stalks arc rou 
 thick, upright, and a little hairy. The leaves 
 large, broad from the root, and narrower on 
 vtalk ; they are blunt at the points, and a little 
 dented at the edges. The flowers grow on U. 
 tops of the branches, spreading out into a large 
 head from a single stem ; they are little and yellow : 
 } he seeds have down fixed to them. The root is 
 brown and woody ; the whole plant has a fragrant 
 and aromatic smell. 
 
 The leaves and tops given in decoction, are good
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 271 
 
 ar;n;ist inward bleedings. The root, dried and 
 powdered, is a remedy for purgings, and is good 
 against the whites. 
 
 Poleymountain. Polium montanum. 
 
 A PHETTY plant, native of the warmer parts 
 of Europe, and kept in our gardens. It is ten in- 
 ches high. The stalks are square and whitish : 
 the leaves are oblong and narrow, of a white colour, 
 and woolly surface ; they stand two at a joint, and 
 they are indented at the edges. The flowers are 
 small and white. They grow in a kind of woolly 
 tufts at the tops of the branches. 
 
 The whole plant is used ; it is best dried; given 
 in infusion, it promotes the menses, and removes 
 obstructions of the liver, hence it is recommended 
 greatly ia the jaundice. It operates by urine. 
 
 Candy Poleymountain. Folium crclicum, 
 
 A LITTLE plant of a woolly appearance, native 
 
 "the Grecian Islands, and k cot in some gardens. 
 
 "(rows but about six inches high. The stalks 
 
 square, white, weak, and seldom upright. 
 
 leaves stand two at each joint : they are nar- 
 
 oblong, and not at ail indented at the 
 
 s. They are of a white woolly aspect, and of 
 
 asant smell. The flowers are small and white, 
 
 they grow in tufts at the tops of the stalks : 
 
 r cups are very white. 
 
 The whole plant is to be used dried. It ope- 
 rates very powerfully by urine, and is good against 
 all hysteric complaints, but it is not to be given to 
 women with child, for it has so much efficacy in 
 promoting the menses, that it may occasion abortior.
 
 272 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Pol vpod y . Po ly podium. 
 
 A SMALL plant of the fern kind. It is a foot 
 high, and consists only e*f a single leaf. Several of 
 these commonly rise from the same root, but each 
 is a separate and entire plant. The stalk is naked 
 for live inches,, and from tin nee to the top stand on 
 each "side, a row of small, oblong, and narrow 
 segments, resembling' so many small leaves, with 
 an odd one at the em). The whole plant is of a 
 bright green colour, but the backs of these divisions 
 of the leaf, are at a certain season, toward autumn, 
 ornamented with a great number of round brown 
 spots, these are the seeds : those of all ferns are 
 carried in the same manner. The root is long, 
 slender, and creeps upon the surface of old stump* 
 of trees among the moss. The root is used, and it 
 is best fresh ; it is a safe and gentle purge ; the best 
 way of giving it is in decoction, in which form it 
 always operates also by urine. It is good in the 
 jaundice and dropsies, and is an excellent ingredient 
 in diet-drinks against the scurvy ; but beside these 
 considerations, it is a safe and good purge, on all 
 common occasions. 
 
 The Pomegranate Turn:. Granatus. 
 
 A COMMON wild tree in Spain and Ita \ 
 kept with us in gardens. It grows to the bigm ' 
 of our apple-trees. Tlu* brandies spread irrcgi 
 larlv;thev have a reddish brown bark, anal ha* 
 here and there a few thorns. The leaves are u 
 merous ; on the extremities of the branches tlu 
 are small, oblong, narrow, and of a fine gret". 
 The dowers are large, and of a beautiful deep red 
 the fruit is as big as a large apple, and has a brov 
 woody covering ; it contains within a great qu
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 273 
 
 tity of seeds, with a sweet and tart juice about 
 them. 
 
 The rind of the fruit is used, it is to be dried and 
 given in decoction ; it is a powerful astringent : it 
 stops purging* and bleedings of all kinds, and is good 
 against the whites. 
 
 Wild Pomegranate Tree. Balaustia.' 
 
 A smaller tree than the former, but like it 
 in its manner of growth ; except that the branches 
 are more crooked and irregular, and are more 
 thorny. The leaves are oblong, small, and of a 
 bright green, and they are set in clusters towards 
 the end of the branches. The flowers are beau- 
 tiful, they are double like a rose, and of a line 
 purple. 
 
 The flowers are the part of the wild pomegranate 
 used in medicine ; our druggists keep then] am! call 
 them balaustines. They are given in powder or de- 
 coction to stop purgings, bloody stools, and overflow- 
 ings of the menses. A strong infusion of them cures 
 ulcers in the mouth and throat, and is a good thing to 
 wash the mouth for fastening the teeth. 
 
 POMPKIN. PvpO. 
 
 A very large and straggling plant, cultivated 
 by our poor people. The stalks are very long and 
 thick, but they lie upon the ground ; they are 
 angulated and rough. The leaves are extremely 
 .arge, and of a roundish figure, but cornered and 
 angulated, and they are of a deep green colour, 
 and rough to the touch. The flowers are verv 
 large, and yellow, of a bell like shape, but an- 
 gulated at the mouth, and the fruit is of the melon 
 kind- only bigger and round ; of a deep green. 
 
 w n
 
 274 FAMILY HERBAL' 
 
 when unripe but yellow at last : in this, under the 
 fleshy part, are contained many large ilat seeds. 
 
 The poor people mix the fleshy part of the fruit 
 with apples, and bake them in pies. The seeds are 
 excellent in medicine ; they are cooling and diure- 
 tic ; the best way of taking them is in emulsions, 
 made with barley water. They make an emulsion 
 as milky as almonds, and are preferable to them, 
 and all the cold seeds, in stranguries and heat of 
 urine. 
 
 Black. Poplar. Populus nigra. 
 
 A tall tree, frequent about waters, and of a 
 very beautiful aspect. The trunk is covered with a 
 smooth pale bark ; the branches are numerous, and 
 grow with a sort of regularity. The leaves are short 
 and broad, roundish at the base, but ending in a 
 point ; they are of a glossy shining green, and stand 
 on long foot stalks. The (lowers and seeds are 
 inconsiderable ; they appear in spring, and are little 
 regarded. 
 
 The young leaves of the black poplar are excellent 
 mixed in pultices, to be applied to hard painfu. 
 swellings. 
 
 White Poppy. Papaver album. 
 
 A tall and beautiful plant, kept in our gar- 
 dens, a native of the warmer climates. It grown 
 a yard and half high : the stalk is round, smooth, 
 upright, and of a bluish green ; the leaves are 
 very long, considerably broad, and deeply and ir- 
 regularly cut in at the edges ; they are also of a 
 bluish green colour, and stand irregularly on the 
 stalk. The flowers are very large and white, one 
 stands at the ton of each division of the stalk :
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 275 
 
 when they arc fallen, the seed-vessel, or poppy head, 
 grows to the bigness of a large apple, and contains 
 within it a very great quantity of small whitish seeds, 
 with several skinny divisions. 
 
 When any part of the plant is broken, there 
 flows out a thick milky jirce, of a strong, bitter, and 
 hot taste, very like that of opium, and full as dis- 
 agreeable. 
 
 The heads are used with us, and sometimes the 
 seeds. Of the heads boiled in water, is made the 
 syrup of diacodium. The heads are to be dried 
 for this purpose, and the decoction is to be made 
 as strong as possible, and then boiled up with 
 sugar. The seeds are beaten up into emulsions 
 with barley water, and they are good against stran- 
 guries, and heat of urine : they have nothing of the 
 sleepy virtue of the syrups, nor oi the oilier pails or 
 preparations of the poppy. Syrup of diacodium, 
 puts people to deep, but gently, and is safer than 
 opium or laudanum. 
 
 Opium is nothing more than the milky juice of 
 this plant concreted ; it is obtained from the heads : 
 they cut them while upon the plant in the warmer 
 countries, and the juice which flows out of the 
 wound, hardens and becomes opium : they make 
 an inferior kind also, by bruizing and sqeezing the 
 heads. Laudanum is a tincture of this opium 
 made in wine. Either one or the other is given 
 to compose people to sleep, and to abate the sense 
 of pain ; they are also cordial and promote sweat ; 
 but they are to be given with great care and cau- 
 tion, for they are very powerful, and therefore 
 they may be very dangerous medicines. It is 
 good to stop violent purgings and vomiting , but 
 this must be effected by small doses carefully given, 
 The present practice depends upon opium and 
 bleeding for the cure of the bite t)f a mad dog ;
 
 Tt6 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 but it is not easy to say that any person ever was 
 cured, who became thoroughly distempered from 
 that bite. One of the strongest instances we have 
 known, was in a person at St. George's hospital, 
 under the cure of Dr. Hoadly, there was an appear- 
 ance of the symptoms, and the cure was effected by 
 this method. 
 
 Black Poppy, Papaver nigrum. 
 
 A tall and fine plant, but not so elegant as 
 the former. It is a yard high. The stalk is round, 
 upright, firm, and smooth, and toward the top 
 divides into some branches. The leaves are long 
 and broad, of a bluish green colour, and deeply 
 and irregularly cut in at the edges. The flowers are 
 large and single : they are of a dead purple colour, 
 with a black bottom. The heads or seed-vessels are 
 round, and of the bigness of a walnut. The seed i* 
 black. 
 
 A svrup of the heads of (his poppy is a strong- 
 er sudorific than 'the common diacodium, but it is 
 not used. The gentleness of that medicine is 
 its merit : when something more powerful is 
 used, it is better to have recourse to opium, or 
 laudanum. 
 
 Red Poppy. Papaver erraticum. 
 
 A common wild plant in our corn fields, dis- 
 tinguished by its great scarlet flowers. It is a 
 foot high. The stalk is round, slender, hairy, of 
 a pale green, and branched. r I nc leaves are long 
 and narrow, of a dusky green, hairy, and very 
 deeply, but very regularly indented. The flowers 
 are very large, and of an extremely bright and 
 fine scarlet colour, a little blackish toward the
 
 FAMILY HERBAL 277 
 
 bottom. The head is small, not larger than a horse 
 bean, and the seeds are small, and of a dark colour. 
 The whole plant is full of a bitter yellowish juice, 
 which runs out when it is any where broken, and has 
 something of the smell of opium. 
 
 The flowers are used. A syrup is made from 
 tliem by pouring as much boiling water on them 
 as will just wet them, and after a night's standing, 
 straining it olF and adding twice its weight of 
 sugar : this is the famous syrup of red poppies. 
 It gently promotes sleep. It is a much weaker 
 medicine than the diacodium. It is greatly recom- 
 mended in pleurisies and fevers ; but this upon no 
 good foundation. It is very wrong to depend upon 
 such medicines : it prevents having recourse to 
 better. 
 
 Primrose. Primula "ccris. 
 
 A very pretty, and very common spring plant 
 The leaves r.rc long, considerably broad, of a 
 pale green, and wrinkled on the surface : they grow 
 immediately from the root in considerable numbers. 
 The stalks which support the (lowers are single, 
 slender, four or five inches high, a little hairy, 
 and have no leaves on them : one flower stands 
 at the top of each, and is large, white, and beautiful, 
 with a yellow spot in the middle. The root is fibrous 
 and whitish. 
 
 The root is used. The juice of it snuffed up the 
 nose occasions sneezing, and is a good remedy against 
 the hcad-aeh. The dried root powdered, has the 
 *ame effect, but not so powerfully. 
 
 Privet. Ligustrum. 
 
 A little wild shrub in our hedges. It
 
 tfB FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 grows four feet high. The stalks are slender, 
 tough, and covered with a smooth brown bark. The 
 leaves are oblong and narrow : they arc small, 
 of a dusky green colour, broadest in the middle, 
 and placed in pairs opposite to oue another, and 
 tbey are of a somewhat firm substance, and have no 
 indenting at the edges. The flowers are white and 
 little, but they stand in tufts at the ends of the branches, 
 and by that make a good appearance. The fruit h a 
 black berry : one succeeds to t evcry flower in the 
 cluster. 
 
 The tops are used ; and they are best when the 
 flowers arejust beginning to bud. A strong infusion 
 of them in water, with the addition of a little honey 
 and red wine, is excellent to wash the mouth and 
 throat, when there are little sores in them, and when 
 the gums are apt to bleed. 
 
 Purslain. Portulaca 
 
 A common plant in our gardens, and of a very 
 singular aspect : we h&ve few so succulent. It 
 grows a foot long, but trails on the ground. The 
 :4alks arc round, thick, and fleshy, of a reddish 
 colour, and very brittle. The leaves arc short and 
 broad . they are of a good green, thick, fleshy, and 
 broad, and blunt at the end. The flowers are little 
 and yellow : they stand among the leaves toward the 
 tops < f the stalks. The root is small, fibrous, and 
 whitish. 
 
 Purslain is a pleasant herb in sallads, and so whole- 
 some, that 'tis a pity more of it is not eaten : it is ex- 
 cellent against the scurvy. The juice fresh pressed 
 out with a little white wine, works by urine, and \n 
 excellent against stranguries and violent heats, ant? 
 also against the scurvy.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 979 
 
 Q 
 
 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, straggling, and 
 spreading. The leaves are roundish, of a dusky 
 green on the upper side, and whitish underneath. 
 The flowers or blossoms are large and beautiful, 
 of a pale flesh colour. The fruit is of the shape 
 of a pear, and has a large crown : it is yellow when 
 ripe, and of a pleasant smell : its taste is austere, 
 but agreeable. The seeds are sou and mucila- 
 ginous. 
 
 The fruit and seeds are used. The juice of the 
 ripe quince made into a syrup with sugar, is ex- 
 cellent to stop vomiting, and to strengthen the 
 stomach. The seed, boiled in water, gives it a 
 softness, and mucilaginous quality ; and it is an 
 excellent medicine for sore mouths, and may be 
 used to soften and moisten the mouth and throat in 
 fevers. 
 
 rt 
 
 Radish. Eaphanus. 
 
 A common plant in our gardens, the root of 
 which is eaten abundantly in spring. In this state 
 we only see a long and slender root, of a purple or 
 scarlet colour, (for there are these varieties) min- 
 gled with white ; from which grow a quantity of 
 large rough leaves, of a deep green colour, and 
 irregularly divided : amidst these in summer rises 
 the stalk, which is a yard high, round, and very 
 much branched. The leaves on it are much smaller
 
 3BJ FAMILY PEIR-BAL. 
 
 then th?se from the root. The flowers are very nu- 
 merous., small, and white, with some spots of red. The 
 pods are thick, long, and spungy. 
 
 The juice of the radish roots fresh gathered, with 
 a little white wine, is an excellent remedy against 
 the gravel. Scarce any thing operates more 
 speedily by urine., or brings away little stones more 
 successfully. 
 
 Horse Radish. Raphanus rusticanus 
 
 A TLA.NT as well known in our gardens as the 
 other, and wild also in many places. The root is 
 very long, and of an exceedingly acrid taste, so that 
 it cannot be eaten as the other. The leaves are 
 two feet long, and half a foot broad, of a deep 
 green colour, blunt at the point, and a lit- 
 tle indented at the edires : sometimes there are 
 
 o 
 
 leaves deeply cut and divided, but that is an 
 accidental varie f y The stalks are a yard high : 
 The leaves on them are very small and narrow, and 
 at the tops stand little white flowers, in long spikes : 
 these are followed by little seed-vessels. The plant 
 seldom flowers, and when it docs, the seeds scarce 
 ever ripen. It is propagated sufficiently by the root, 
 and wherever this is the case, nature is less careful 
 about seeds. 
 
 The juice of horse radish root operates very pow- 
 erfully by urine, and is good against the jaundice and 
 dropsy. The root whole, or cut to pieces, is put into 
 diet drink, to sweeten the blood ; and the eating fre- 
 quently and in (quantities, at table, is good against the 
 Jrheumatisni. 
 
 U vcwort. Jacobcc. 
 
 A ^'tD plant., very common in our pastures,
 
 
 OxW.Avv
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 281 
 
 and distinguished by its ragged leaves, and clusters 
 of yellow flowers. It is two feet high. The stalk 
 is robust, round, striated, and often purplish. The 
 leaves are divided in an odd manner, into several 
 parts, so that they look torn or ragged ; their co- 
 lour is a dark dusky green, and they grow to the 
 stalk without any foot-stalk, and are broad and 
 rounded at the end. The (lowers arc moderately 
 large and yellow, and the tops of the branches are 
 so covered with them, that they often spread toge- 
 ther to the breadth of a plate. The whole plant has 
 a disagreeable smell. The root is fibrous, and the 
 seeds arc downy. 
 
 The fresh leaves are used : but it is best to take 
 those that rise immediately from the root, for they are 
 larger and more juicy than those on the stalk : they 
 are to be mixed in pultices, and applied outwardly 
 as a remedy against pains in the joints : they have a 
 surprising effect. It is said that, two or three times 
 applied, they will cure the sciatica, or hip gout, when 
 ever so violent. 
 
 Raspberry B^sh. Rubus idceus. 
 
 A little shrub, common in our gardens, but wild 
 also in some parts of the kingdom. The stalks are 
 round, weak, tender, of a pale brown, and prickly. 
 The leaves arc each composed of five others : they 
 are large, of a pale green, indented about the edges, 
 and hairy. The flowers are little, and of a whitish 
 colour, with a great quantity of threads in the mid- 
 dle. The fruit is the common raspberry, composed 
 like the blackberry of several grains : it is soft to the 
 touch, and of a delicate taste. The colour varies, 
 for white ones are common. 
 
 The juice of ripe raspberries, boiled up with 
 sugar, makes an excellent syrup. It is pleasant, and 
 
 o
 
 282 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 agreeable to the stomach, good against sicknesses 
 and reacliings. 
 
 Rattle-Snake Root Plant. Seneca. 
 
 A small plant, native of America, with weak 
 stalks, iittlc leaves, and white flowers. It grows a 
 foot high. Tiie stalks are numerous, weak, and 
 round, few of them stand quite upright, some gene- 
 rally lie upon the ground. The leaves stand irre- 
 gularly : they are oblong and somewhat broad, and 
 of a pale green. The flowers are little and white : 
 they stand in a kind of loose spikes, at the tops of 
 ihe stalks, and perfectly resemble those of the 
 common plant we call milkwort, of which it is' in- 
 deed a kind : the whole plant has very much the 
 aspect of the taller kind of our English milkwort. 
 The root is of a singular form : it is long, irregu- 
 lar, slender, and divided into many parts, and these 
 have on each side, a kind of membranous margin 
 hanging from them, which makes it distinct in its 
 appearance, from all the other roots used in the 
 shops. 
 
 We owe the knowledge of this medicine, orisri- 
 nally to the Indians : they give it as a remedy against 
 the poison of the rattle-snake, but it has been 
 . ^tolled, as possessing great virtues. Dr. Tcnnaut 
 brought it into England, and we received it as a 
 powerful remedy against pleurisies, quinzies, and 
 ai! other diseases where the blood was sizey : it was 
 i;aid to dissolve this dangerous texture, better than 
 all oilier known medicines ; but experience does 
 v. t seem to have warranted altogether these effects, 
 for it is at present neglected, after a great many and 
 \er\ fair trials. 
 
 \Yhen this remedy was discovered to be the 
 root of a kind of polygala, which discovery was
 
 FAMILY -HERBAL. 2S3 
 
 owing to the gentleman who brought it over, and 
 with it some of the plant, for the inspection of thf> 
 curious. The roots of the English polygala were 
 tried ; those of the common blue or white (lowered 
 milkwort, (for that variety is purely accidental,) 
 and they were found to have the same eifects : 
 they were given by some in pleurisies, with great 
 success. It was said at that time they had less 
 virtues than the seneca root, though of the same 
 kind : but it must be remembered, the virtues of 
 the seneca root were then supposed to be much 
 greater than they really were. The novelty adding 
 to the praise. 
 
 Common Reed, Arundo. 
 
 A tall water plant sufficiently known. The 
 stalks are round, hard, jointed, and six or eight 
 feet high. The leaves are long and broad, but other- 
 wise like those of grass, of a pale green colour, and 
 highly ribbed. The flowers are brown and chaffy, and 
 stand in prodigious numbers at the tops of the stalks, 
 in a kind of panicle. The roots are knotty and 
 jointed and spread vastly. 
 
 The juice of the fresh roots of reeds promotes the 
 menses powerfully, but not violent! v. It is an ex- 
 cellent medicine : it works by urine also ; and is 
 good against stranguries and the gravel. 
 
 Prickly Restiiarrow. Anonis spinosa. 
 
 A little, tough, and almost shrubby plant, 
 common in our dry fields, and by road sides. It is 
 a foot high. The stalks are round, reddish, tough, 
 and almost woody. The leaves arc numerous : 
 they stand three on every foot stalk, and groyy
 
 284 FAMILY tlERBAL. 
 
 pretty close to the stalk. There are several short, 
 and sharp prickles about the stalky principally at 
 the insertions of the leaves. The leaves are of a 
 dusky green, and serrated about the edges. The 
 flowers arc small and purple : they stand among the 
 leaves towards the tops of the stalks, and are in shape 
 like pea blossoms, but flatted : each is followed by a 
 small pod. The root is white, very long, tough, and 
 woody. 
 
 The root is to be taken up fresh for use, and the 
 bark separated for that purpose. It is to be boiled 
 in water, and the decoction given in large quantities 
 It is good against the gravel, and in all obstructions 
 by urine ; and it is also good in the dropsy and 
 jaundice. 
 
 Rhapontic. Rkaponticum sire rha. 
 
 A tall robust blant, native of Scythia, but 
 kept in many of our gardens. It grows four feet 
 high. The stalk is round, striated, an inch thick, 
 sometimes hollow, and very upright. The leaves 
 are large and broad : th(*>e from the root are 
 about a foot and a half long, and a foot broad ; of a 
 deep green colour, with large ribs, and blunt at the 
 ends. The flowers are small and white : they stand 
 in clusters at the tops of the stalks, they are succeeded 
 by triangular seeds. 
 
 The root is the part used, and this is what the 
 antients used under the name of rha. It is of the 
 nature of rhubarb, bat different in this, that it is less 
 purgative, and more astringent ; for this reason, 
 there arc many purposes which it would answer much 
 better. We have it at the druggists, but there is no 
 depending upon what they F-ell, tor they seldom keep 
 it genuine.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 2S5 
 
 Rice. On/'ja. 
 
 A very common plan* in the East,, sown iu 
 the fields for the sake of the seed or grain, it 
 rrows four feet hiirh ; the stalk is round, hollow, 
 and jointed ; the leaves are long and grassy, and 
 of a pale green colour, but they are broader than those 
 of any of our kinds of corn. The flowers are incon- 
 siderable ; the seeds or grains are contained in bushes 
 of a brown colour, each having a long beard to it, 
 usually curled at the bottom, and divided at the top 
 into two parts. 
 
 We eat rice as a food rather than medicine ; but 
 it is excellent for those who have habitual purgings or 
 loosenesses ; it is to be eaten any way for this pur- 
 pose, only it must be continued, and it will do more 
 than all the medicines in the world. The rice-milk 
 is excellent for this purpose. 
 
 Garden Rocket. Eruca saliva. 
 
 A common plant in our gardens, two (c^t high, 
 and very erect. The stalk is round and of 
 a deep green ; the leaves are oblong, considerably 
 broad, of a deep green colour, and divided at the 
 edges : the flowers are moderately large, and of ;i 
 whitish colour, veined with purple, and they stand hi 
 a long spike at the top of the stalk. The pods are 
 long and slender. 
 
 Some people are fond of rocket as a sallad herb, 
 but it is not very pleasant. It works by urine, and 
 is good against the scurvy. A strong infusion of the 
 leaves made into a syrup is good against coughs, it 
 causes expectoration, and eases the lungs.
 
 2$6 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Doc Rose, on Wild Rose. Cynoshalus, she 
 rosa sylvestris. 
 
 A common bush in our hedges. The stalks or 
 *tems are round, woody, and very prickly. The 
 leaves arc composed each of several smaller ; these 
 stand in pairs on a rib,, with an odd one at the end ; 
 and they are small, oblong, of a bright glossy green 
 colour, and regularly indented at the edges. The 
 flowers arc single, large, and very beautiful : there 
 is something simple and elegant in their aspect that 
 pleases many, more than all the double roses raised 
 by culture. They are white, but with a blush of red, 
 and very beautiful. The fruit that follows there is- 
 the common hip, red, oblong, and containing a great 
 quantity of hairy seeds. 
 
 The fruit is the only part used ; the pulp is sepa- 
 rated from the skins and seeds, and beat up into a con- 
 serve with sugar ; this is a pleasant medicine, and is 
 of some efficacy against coughs. 
 
 Though this is the only part that is used, it is not 
 the only that deserves to be. 'The (lowers, gathered 
 in the bud and dried, are an excellent astringent, 
 made more powerful than the red roses that are com- 
 monly dried for thia purpose. A tea, made strong 
 of these dried buds, and some of them given with 
 it twice H u-i-, in powder, is an excellent medicine 
 for overflowings of the menses ; it seldom fails to 
 i'Ycct a cure. The seeds separated from the fruit, 
 dried and powdered, work by urine, and are good 
 against the gravel, but they do not work very 
 po < oiihllv. 
 
 Upon the branches of this shrub, there grow a 
 kind of spungv fibrous tufts, of a green or redish 
 colour, they are called hedeguar. They are caus- 
 ed by the wounds made bv insects in the stalks, 
 a-- the galls are produced upon the oak They are.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 287 
 
 astringent, and may be given in powder against 
 fluxes. They are said to work by urine, but expe- 
 rience does not warrant this. 
 
 Damask Rose. Rosa damasccna. 
 
 A common shrub in our gardens, very much 
 resembling that in our hedges last mentioned. It 
 grows five or six feet high, but the stalks are not 
 very strong, or able to support themselves. They 
 are round, and beset with sharp prickles. The 
 leaves are each composed of two or three pairs of 
 smaller ones, with an odd one at the end : they are 
 whitish, hairy, and broad, and are indented at the 
 edges. The flowers are white and very beautiful, 
 of a pale red colour, full of leaves, and of an ex- 
 tremely sweet smell ; the fruit is like the common 
 hip. 
 
 The flowers are used. The best way of giving 
 them is in a syrup thus made. Pour boiling wa- 
 ter upon a quantity of fresh gathered damask roses, 
 just enough to cover them ; let them stand four 
 and twenty hours, then press off the liquor, and 
 add to it twice the quantity of sugar ; melt this, 
 and the syrup is completed : it is an excellent purge 
 for children and there is not a better medicine 
 for grown people, who are subject to be costive. 
 A little of it taken every night will keep the body 
 open continually ; medicines that purge strongly, 
 bind afterwards. Rose water is distilled from this 
 kind. 
 
 White Rose. Rosa alba. 
 
 A common shrub also in our gardens. li 
 grows ten or twelve feet high, but is not very able 
 to support itself upright. The stalks are round,
 
 288 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 prickly, and very much branched. The leaves are 
 of a dusky green, eacli composed of several pairs 
 of smaller, with an odd one at the end. The flow- 
 ers are somewhat smaller than those of the damask 
 rose, but of the same form : and their colour is 
 white, and they have less fragrance than the 
 damask. 
 
 The flowers are used. They are to be gathered 
 in the bud, and used fresh or dry. A strong infusion 
 of them is good against overflowings of the menses, 
 and the bleeding of the piles. 
 
 Red Rose. Rosa rubra. 
 
 Anotiieti shrub common in our gardens, and 
 the Icasi and lowest of the three kinds of roses. The 
 sialics are round, woody, weak, and prickly, but 
 they have fewer prickles than those of the damask 
 rose : the leave- arc large : they are composed each 
 of three or four pa ; r of smaller, which are oval, of a 
 dusky green, and serrated round the edges. The 
 flowers are of the shape and size of those of the 
 damask rose, but they are not so double, and they 
 have a great quantity of yellow threads in the middle. 
 They are of an exceeding line deep and red colour, 
 and they have very little smell : the fruit is like the 
 common hip. 
 
 The flowers are used. They are to be gathered 
 when in bud, and cut from the husks without the 
 white bottoms and dried. The conserve of red 
 loses is made of these buds prepared as for the 
 drying ; they are beaten up with three times their 
 weight of sugar. When dried, they have more vir- 
 tue ; they are given in infusion, and sometimes in 
 powder against overflowings of the menses, and all 
 other bleedings. Half an ounce of these dried buds 
 are to be put into an earthen pan, and a pfnt of
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 269 
 
 boding water poured upon them after they have 
 stood a few minutes, fifteen drops of oil of vitriol 
 are to be dropped in upon them, and three drachms 
 ot the finest sugar, in powder, is to be added at the 
 same time, then the whole Js to be well stirred 
 about and covered up, that it may cool leisurely : 
 when cold it is to be poured clear oil. It is called 
 tincture of roses ; it is clear, and of a fine red colour. 
 It strengthens the stomach, and prevents vomitings, 
 and is a powerful as well as a pleasant remedy 
 against all fluxes. 
 
 Rose- Wood Tees. RJiodium. 
 
 There are two kinds of wood known under 
 the name of rose-wood, the one from the East, 
 which, when fresh brought over, has a very fra- 
 grant smell, exceedingly like that of the damask 
 rose, and from the wood is distilled the oil, which 
 is sold under the name of essence of damask rose ; 
 we have no account of the tree which affords this, 
 The other rose-wood is (he produce of Jamaica, 
 and lias very much of the fragrant smell of the 
 eastern kind, but it is not the same : the tree which 
 produces this is fully described by that great natu- 
 ralist sir Hans Sloane. in his History of the Island 
 of Jamaica. The tree grows twenty feel or more 
 in height, and its trunk is very thick in proportion. 
 The leaves are each composed of three or four pairs 
 of smaller : these stand at a distance from one ano- 
 ther on the common stalk ; the flowers arc little 
 and white, and they grow in clusters, so that at a 
 distance, they look like the bunches of elder flow- 
 ers. The fruit is a round berry, often each of the 
 bigness of a tare. The wood of this tree is lighter, 
 paier coloured, and of the looser grain than the 
 eastern rose-wood. 
 
 p p
 
 290 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The wood is said to be good in nervous disorder^ 
 but we seldom make any use of it. 
 
 Rosemary. Rosemarinus. 
 
 A pretty shrub, wild in Spain and France, 
 and kept in our gardens. It is five or six feet 
 high, but weak, and not well able to support itself. 
 The trunk is covered with a rough bark. The 
 leaves stand very thick on the branches, which are 
 brittle and slender : they are narrow, an inch long 
 and thick, and they are of a deep green on tho 
 upper side, and whitish underneath. The flowers 
 stand at the tops of the branches among the leaves ; 
 they are large and very beautiful, of a greyish co- 
 lour, with a somewhat reddish tinge, and of a very 
 fragrant smell. Rosemary, when in flower, makes 
 a very beautiful appearance. 
 
 The flowery tops of rosemary, fresh gathered, 
 contain its greatest virtue. If they are used in 
 the manner of tea, for a continuance of time, they 
 are excellent against head-achs, tremblings of the 
 limbs, and all other nervous disorders. A conserve 
 is made of them also, which very well answers 
 this purpose '. but when the conserve is made only 
 of the picked flowers, it has less virtue. The con- 
 serve is best made by beating up the fresh gathered 
 tops with three times their weight of sugar. The 
 famous Hungary water is made also of these flow- 
 ery tops of rosemary. Put two pound of these into 
 a common still, with two gallons of melasses spirit, 
 and distil off one gallon and a pint. This is Hun- 
 gary water. 
 
 Rosa Sous, or Sundew. JRos solis. 
 
 A very singular and very pretty little plant,
 
 FAMILY HERBAL, 291 
 
 common in boggy places on our heaths. It grows 
 six or seven inches high. The leaves all rise im- 
 mediately from the root : they are roundish and 
 hollow, of the breadth of a silver twopence,, and 
 placed on foot-stalks of an inch long ; they are 
 covered in a very extraordinary manner with long 
 red hairs, and in the midst of the hottest days they 
 have a drop of clear liquour standing on them. 
 The stalks are slender and naked : at their tops 
 stand little white flowers, which are succeeded 
 by seed-vessels, of an oblong form, contain- 
 ing a multitude of small seeds. The root is fi- 
 brous. 
 
 The whole plant is used fresh gathered. It is 
 esteemed a great cordial^ and good against convul- 
 sions; hysteric disorders, and tremblings of the limbs ; 
 but it is not much regarded. 
 
 Rhubarb ffliabarbarum. 
 
 A tall, robust, and not unhandsome plant, a 
 native of many parts of the East, and of late got 
 into our gardens, after we had received many others 
 falsely called by its name. 
 
 It grows to three feet in height. The stalk is 
 round, thick, striated, and of a greenish colour, 
 frequently stained with purple. The leaves are 
 very large, and of a figure approaching to triangu- 
 lar : they are broad at the base, small at the point, 
 and waved all along the edges. These stand on 
 thick hollowed foot-stalks, which are frequently 
 also reddish. The flowers are whitish, small and 
 inconsiderable : they stand at the tops of the stalks 
 in the manner of dock-flowers, and make little more 
 figure ; the seed is triangulated. The root is thick, 
 long, and often divided toward the bottom ; of a 
 yellow colour veined with purple, but the purple
 
 292 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 appears much more plainly in the dry, than in the 
 fresh root. 
 
 The root is used : its virtues are sufficiently 
 known ; it is a gentle purge, and has an after as- 
 tringency. It is excellent to strengthen the sto- 
 mach and bowels, to prevent vomitings, and carry 
 otf the cause of colics ; in the jaundice also it is 
 extremely useful. Rhubarb and nutmeg toasted 
 together before the fire, make an excellent remedy 
 against purgings. There is scarce any chronic dis- 
 ease in which rhubarb is not serviceable. 
 
 The Rhapontic monks rhubarb, and false monks* 
 rhubarb, all approach to the nature of the true 
 rhubarb ; they have been described already in their 
 several places, 
 
 Rue. Ruia 
 
 A rRETTv little shrub, frequent in our gar- 
 dens. It grows three or four feet hi<rh. The stem 
 is firm, upright, and woody ; very tough, and 
 covered with a whitish bark. The branches are 
 numerous, and the young shoots are round, green, 
 and smooth ; the leaves are composed of many 
 smaller divisions ; they are of a blue green colour 
 Rnd fleshy substance ; and each division is short, 
 obtuse, and roundish. The (lowers are yellow, not 
 large, but very conspicuous ; they have a quantity 
 of threads in the center, and they are succeeded by 
 lough seed-vessels. 
 
 Hue is to be used fresh gathered, and the tops 
 of the young shoots contain its greatest virtue. 
 They are to be given in infusion : or they may be 
 beaten un into a conserve with three times their 
 weight of sugar, and taken in that form. The in- 
 fusion is an excellent medicine in fevers ; it raises 
 the spirits, and promotes sweat, drives any thing'
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 293 
 
 out, and is good against headaches, and all other 
 nervous disorders which attend certain fevers. The 
 conserve is good against weaknesses of the stomach, 
 and pains in the bowels. It is pleasant, and may be 
 taken frequently by people subject to hysteric dis- 
 orders with great advantage. 
 
 Rupture-wort. Jlcrniaria. 
 
 A little low plant, wild in some parts of the 
 kingdom, but not common, and kept in the gardens 
 of the curious. It grows three or tour inches long, 
 but the stalks lie on the ground : many grow from 
 the same root, and they spread into a kind of cir- 
 cular figure. They are slender, round, jointed, ami 
 of a pale green. The leaves are very small, and 
 nearly of an oval figure ; they stand two at each 
 joint, and are also of a pale green. The leaves 
 are very small ; the root is very long, but not thick. 
 
 The juice of the fresh gathered herb, externally 
 applied, has been much celebrated against ruptures ; 
 perhaps without any great foundation. An in- 
 fusion of it, taken inwardly, works by urine, 
 and is very good against the gravel, and in the 
 jaundice. 
 
 S 
 
 Saffron. Crocus. 
 
 A very pretty plant, of the same kind with 
 what are called crocuses in our gardens. It is 
 planted in fields, in some parts of England, and 
 yields a very profitable kind of produce. The 
 flowers of this plant appear in autumn, but the leaves 
 not till sometime after they are fallen. These flow- 
 ers have, properly speaking, no stalk ; they rise im
 
 234 FAMILY HERBAL, 
 
 mediately from the root, which is roundish., and as 
 big as a large nutmeg, and they stand a little way 
 above the surface of the ground ; they are of a pur- 
 plish blue, and very large ; the lower part is cov- 
 ered with a skinny husk. In the centre of these 
 stand three stamina, or threads, with yellow tops, 
 "which are useless, but in the midst between these 
 rises up what is called the pislil of the flower. 
 This is the rudiment of the future seed-vessel ; it is 
 oblong and whitish, and at its top separates into 
 three filaments ; these are long, and of an orange 
 scarlet colour ; these three filaments are the only 
 part of the plant that is used ; they arc what we call 
 salfron. They are carefully taken out of the flower 
 and pressed into cakes, which cakes we see under 
 the name of English saffron j and which is allowed 
 to be the best in the world. 
 
 The leaves are long and grassy, of a dark green 
 colour, and very narrow. They are of no use. 
 
 Saffron is a noble cordial. 
 
 Bastard Saffron. Carthamus. 
 
 A plant in its whole aspect as unlike to that 
 which produces the true saffron, as one herb can 
 be to another ; but called by this name, because 
 of the yellow threads which grow from the flow- 
 er. It is of the thistle kind, two feet and a 
 half high, and very upright. The stalk is round, 
 angulated, and branched, but it is not prickly. 
 The leaves are oblong, broad, round at the points, 
 and prickly about the edges. The flowers stand 
 at the tops of the branches : they consist of round- 
 ish, scaly, and prickly heads, with yellow flowers 
 growing from amongst them : these are like the 
 flowers in the heads of ear thistles, but narrower 
 and longer.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 295 
 
 These flowers are used by the dyers in some 
 parts of Europe. The seed is the part taken into 
 the shops : it is longish, covered, and white with 
 a hard covering ; it is to be given in infusion, 
 which works both by vomit and stool, but not 
 violently. It is good against rheumatisms and the 
 jaundice. 
 
 Sagapenum Plant, Sagapenum. 
 
 A large plant, native of Persia in the East 
 Indies, and described but imperfectly to us ; how- 
 ever, so that we have confirmation that the descrip- 
 tion is authentic, if not so finished in all its parts 
 as we could wish. It grows upon the mountains,, 
 and is eight feet high ; the leaves are very large, 
 and are composed of a great multitude of little 
 parts, which are fixed to a divided rib, and are 
 of a bluish green colour, and when bruised, of a 
 strong smell. The stalk is thick, striated, round, 
 hollow, and upright, purplish towards the bottom, 
 but green upwards. The leaves which stand on 
 it are like those which rise from the root, only 
 smaller. The flowers are little and yellowish ; 
 they stand in very large umbels at the tops of the 
 stalks, and each of them is succeeded by two 
 seeds ; these are flat, large, brown, and striated. 
 The root is long, thick, of a yellowish colour, and 
 of a disagreeable smell. This is the account we 
 have from those who have been of late in the 
 East : and there is a great : _ deal to confirm it. We 
 find among resin which is brought over to us, 
 pieces of the stalk and many seeds of the plant : 
 these agree with the description. I procured some 
 of the seeds picked out of some sagapenum, by 
 young Mr. Sisson, to be sowed with all proper 
 tare at the lord Petre's, whose principal gardener
 
 296 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 was an excellent person at his business,, and with 
 them some seeds of the ammoniacum- plant, pick- 
 ed also out of a large quantity of thai; gum. Those 
 of the ammoniacum plant all perished ; from the 
 sagapenum seeds, though more than an hundred were 
 sown, we had only one plant, and that perished 
 by some accident very young ; but what we saw 
 of the leaves gave credit to the account given 
 of the plant by Mr. Wiiliams, who told us he 
 had seen it in Persia. These are curious parts 
 of knowledge, and they are worth prosecuting by 
 those who have leisure : the success of this experi- 
 ment shews the possibility of raising some of those 
 plants at home, winch we never have been able 
 to gel truly and fully described to us. 
 
 We use a gum resin obtained from the roots 
 of this plant, by cutting them and catching the 
 juice ; we call tins, when concreted into lumps, 
 sagapenum. We have it either liner in small 
 pieces, or coarser in masses ; it is brownish, with 
 a cast of red, and will grow soft with the heat of 
 the hand : it is disagreeable both in smell and taste, 
 but it is an excellent medicine. It is good for all 
 disorders of the lungs arising from a tough phlegm, 
 and also in nervous cases. It has been found a 
 remedy in inveterate head-aches, after many other 
 medicines have failed. It is one of those drags, 
 too much neglected by the present practice, which 
 encourages the use of others that have not half 
 their virtue : but there are fashions in physic, as 
 there are in all other things. 
 
 Red Sage. Salvia hortcnsls. 
 
 The common sage of our gardens. It is a 
 kind of shrubby plant, a foot or two high, and 
 l-d! o! branches The stem is tough, hard, woody,
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 297 
 
 *jnd covered with a brown rough bark ; the smaller 
 branches are reddish, the leaves are oblong and 
 broad ; they stand on long foot stalks, and are of 
 a singular rough surface, and of a reddish colour. 
 The flowers grow on stalks that rise only at that 
 season of the year, and stand up a great deal above 
 the rest of the surface of the plant ; they are large 
 and blue, and arc of the figure of the dead nettle 
 flowers, only they grape vastly more. The whole 
 plant has a pleasant smell. The leaves and tops 
 are used, and they are best fresh ; the common 
 way of taking them is in infusion, or in form j of 
 what is called sage tea, is better than any other : 
 they are a cordial, and good against all diseases of 
 the nerves : they promote perspiration, and throw 
 anv thing out which ought to appear upon the skin. 
 The juice of sage works by urine, and promotes 
 the menses. 
 
 Sage of Virtue. Salvia minor. 
 
 Another shrubby plant, very like the former 
 in its manner of growth, but wanting its red colour. 
 It is a foot or two in height, and very bushy. The 
 stem is woody. The branches are numerous. The 
 leaves are oblong, narrower than in common sage, 
 :md of a whitish green colour : there is often a 
 pair of small leaves at the base of each larger. 
 The flowers grow in the same manner as in the 
 red sage, but they are smaller. The whole plant 
 has a pleasant smell. 
 
 The green tops are used ; and their virtues are 
 much the same with those of the former, but they 
 are less. It got into use from an opinion that the 
 other was too hot, but this was idle. 
 Q q
 
 298 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Wood Sage. Salvia agrcstis. 
 
 A wild plant, common in woods and hedges, 
 with leaves like sage, and spikes of small flowers. 
 It grows two feet and a half high. The stalk is 
 square, firm, slender, and upright. The leaves 
 stand two at each joint : they are somewhat shorter 
 and broader than those of sage, of a green colour, 
 and serrated about the edges. The flowers are 
 numerous, and very small : they stand in long 
 spikes, and are of a greenish yellow colour, with 
 some red threads in them. The plant has a singu- 
 lar smell, with something of the garlic flavour, but 
 that not strong. 
 
 The tops are to be used fresh. Made into an in- 
 fusion, they promote urine and the menses : the 
 juice of them drank for a continuance, is excellent 
 against rhumatic pains. 
 
 Salep plant. Orchis orientalis. 
 
 A very pretty plant, of the nature of our 
 common rVchis, native of the East, but growing to 
 a greater height and producing larger roots than 
 with lis, though it seems very nearly allied to what 
 avc 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 stalk is 
 round, jucy, and tender. The leaves are eight 
 inches long, and not an inch broad, of a dark green 
 colour, and also juicy. The flowers stand at the 
 tops of the stalk, in a spike of two inches long : 
 they are moderately large, and of a pale red colour. 
 The root is composed of two roundish bodies, of the 
 bigness of a pidgeon's egg, and of a white colour, 
 rtith some fibres 
 
 WV use the root, which we receive dry from
 
 /I'm >/ 'jS<'.-', ////'/
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 299 
 
 Turkey. They have a peculiar method of curing 
 it, ; they make it clean and then soak it four and 
 twenty hours in water ; after this, they hang a 
 quantity of it in a coarse cloth, over the steam of a 
 pot in which rice is boiling ; this softens it, but it 
 gives it a sort of transparence, and qualifies it for 
 drying ; these juicy roots, otherwise growing" moul- 
 dy. When they have thus far prepared it, they 
 string it upon a thread, and hang it in an airy place 
 to dry ; it becomes tough as horn, and transparent. 
 This is a practice common in the East with the roots 
 they dry for use, and it would be well if we would 
 practise it here ; the fine transparent kind of ginseng, 
 which we have from China, is dried in this manner. 
 It is highly probable, nay it is nearly a certainty, 
 that the roots Oi' our common orchis have all the 
 qualities and effects of this salep, but we do not 
 know how to dry them. If we tried this method, 
 it might succeed ; and in the same manner, our own 
 fields and meadows might afford us many medicines, 
 what at present we purchase at a great price, from 
 the farthest parts of the earth. 
 
 The dried root is the part used ; and it is an ex- 
 cellent restorative, to be given to persons wasted 
 with long illnesses : the best way is to put a small 
 quantity of it in powder, into a bason of warm 
 water, which it instantly turns into a jelly, and a 
 little wine and sugar are to be added. The Turks 
 use it as a provocative to vencry : they take it dis- 
 solved in water, with ginger and honey. 
 
 Sampshire. Crithmum maritimum. 
 
 A plant not uncommon about sea coasts, with 
 much of the appearance of fennel, only not so tall : 
 some have called it sea fennel. It is two feet high. 
 The leaves arc large, and divided in the manner
 
 300 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 those* of tennel, into slender end small parts, bu 
 they are thick and fleshy, ihe stalk is round, hol- 
 low, striated, and a little branched. The flowers 
 are small and yellow, and they stand at the tops of 
 the stalks in great clusters or umbels, in the manner 
 of those of fennel. The whole plant has a warm 
 and agreeable taste, and a good smell. 
 
 The leaves are used fresh ; but those which grow 
 immediately from the root, where there is no stalk, 
 are best ; they are pickled, and brought to our 
 tables ; but they are often adulterated, and other 
 things pickled in their place. The juice of the 
 fresh leaves operates very powerfully by urine, and 
 is good against the gravel and stone, against sup- 
 pressions of the menses, and the jaundice. 
 
 Sanicle. Sanicula. 
 
 A pretty wild plant common in our woods. 
 and distinguished by its regular leaves, and small 
 umbels of flowers. It grows a foot and a half 
 high. The leaves are numerous, and they all rise 
 immediately from the root : they stand on long foot- 
 stalks, and are very conspicuous : they are of a 
 roundish shape, but cut in so, as to appear five 
 cornered, serrated about the edges, and of a very 
 deep glossy green colour, and shining surface- The 
 a talk is striated, upright, naked : on its top grows a 
 little round cluster of flowers : they are small and 
 white, and each is succeeded by two little rough 
 ^eds. The root is fibrous. 
 
 The leaves are used. A strong decoction of them 
 is good against the overflowing of the menses, and 
 the bleeding of the piles. It has been vastly 
 celebrated for the cure cf ruptures, but that i> 
 idle,
 
 FAMILY HERBAL, 301 
 
 Sarsapauilla Plant. SarsapariUa. 
 
 A plant of the climing kind, native of the 
 warmer countries. The stalks run to ten or twelve 
 feet in length, but are weak, and support them- 
 selves among the bushes : they are whitish, angu- 
 lar, and striated, and are fall of small prickles. 
 The leaves are an inch long, or more, and above 
 half an inch broad, of an oval figure, of a deep 
 green on the upper side, and white underneath, 
 firm in their texture, and very glossy. The flow 
 ers are little and yellowish. The berries are black, 
 round, and of the bigness of a small pea. The 
 root is very large and slender. 
 
 The root is used. Our druggists keep it : they 
 split it in two. It is brown on the outside, and 
 white within ; and its taste is insipid. It is sup- 
 posed to have great virtues, but they are not per- 
 fectly established. They have been at times dis- 
 puted, and at times supported. Given in decoc- 
 tion, it promotes sweat and urine. It has been 
 esteemed good against the scurvy, and famous in 
 the cure of the veneral disease. It is, in general., 
 accounted a sweatener of the blood. 
 
 Sassafras Tree. Sassafras. 
 
 A beautiful tree, native of America, and 
 to be met with in some of our gardens. It grows 
 twenty five or thirty feet high. The trunk is 
 naked till it comes near the top. The branches 
 grow near together, and spread irregularly. The 
 leaves are of two kinds : those on the older parts 
 of the twigs are oblong and pointed, somewhat 
 like bay leaves ; and those on the tops of the 
 blanches are larger, broader, and divided into 
 three parts, like the leaves of maple, or they carry
 
 m FAMILY herbal: ' 
 
 %JrU'^ 
 
 some resemblance of the smaller leaves of .the iig- 
 tree. The flowers arc small and yellow. The 
 fruit are berries like bay berries. The wood is 
 f a reddish colour and perfumed smell. 
 
 The wood is used. Our druggists -receive it 'ins 
 ]oj;s, and cut it out into shavings. The wood of 
 the root is best, and its bark contains most virtue 
 of all. It is best taken in infusion, by way of tea 
 for it is very pleasant : it promotes sweat, and 
 is good against the scurvy, and all other foul- 
 nesses of the blood. It is a constant ingredient m 
 diet drinks against the venereal disease. 
 
 Savine. Sabhia. 
 
 A litte garden " shrub, green aTl the winter. 
 The trunk is covered with a reddish brown bark. 
 The branches are numerous, and stand confusedly. 
 The leaves are small, narrow, of a dark green 
 colour, and prickly. The flowers are very small, 
 and of a yellowish colour ; and the fruit is a 
 sma!! berry, of a black colour when ripe, and cover- 
 ed with a bluish dust like the bloom of a plum. 
 
 The loos of the young branches are used ; they 
 are best fresh, and given in the manner of tea, 
 They very powerfully promote the menses ; and 
 if given to women with child, will frequently cause 
 a miscarriage. The country people give the juice 
 mixed with milk to children, as a remedy against 
 worms : it generally woiks by stool, and brings 
 worms a>\ay with it. 
 
 Summer Savojty. Satureta hortensis 
 
 \ common liftlc plant in our kitchen gardens 
 It is ten inches or a foot high. The stalks are nil 
 merous, and very hard, and woody toward the hot-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 503 
 
 torn. The leaves are oblong and narrow : they 
 stand two at each joint, with a quantity of young 
 ones on their bosoms. The flowers grow on the 
 upper parts of the stalks among' the leaves : they 
 are white with a tinge of bluish or reddish. The 
 whole plant has a pleasant smell, and an agreeable 
 taste. 
 
 The whole plant is used. An infusion of it, 
 drank in the manner of tea, is good against colicy 
 pains, and it opens obstructions, and promotes the 
 menses. 
 
 There is another kind of savory, with more woody 
 stalks, called winter savory ; this has much the 
 same virtues, 
 
 Red Saunders Tree. Santalum rubrum. 
 
 A tree, native of the West Indies, but of 
 "which we have seen nothing but the wood, and 
 Lave received very imperfect descriptions. They 
 say it grows forty feet high ; that the leaves are 
 small, but many, set near together : their colour is 
 a dusky green ; and their substance thick and 
 fleshy. The flowers are like pea blcssonis, and 
 the fruit is a pod, containing three or four seeds. 
 This is all we have been informed concerning the 
 tree, and part of this by hear-say only. 
 
 The wood is used, ft is of a deep red colour 
 It is astringent, and is good against violent purgings 
 and overflowings of the menses : for the former 
 purpose, it is best given in powder, in small doses ; 
 and for the latter, it is given in decoction. But it 
 is not much used. 
 
 Yeelow and White Saunders Tree. 
 Santalum flavum ct album, 
 
 A beautiful tree, native of the East Indies
 
 304 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 It grows forty or fifty feet high, and is very much 
 branched. The leaves stand two or three pairs 
 upon a stalk, in the manner of those of the lentisk, 
 and are not unlike those of that tree in shape ; they 
 are of a dark green colour, small, oblong, and 
 fleshy. The flowers are moderately large, and of 
 a deep dusky blue ; the fruit is a berry, of the big 
 ness of a large red cherry, which is black when ripr 
 The wood is white in the outer part, and yellow 
 the heart, and these two parts are kept separat 
 and were long supposed the woods of two differei 
 trees. They have the same smell and taste, onl 
 (hat the yellow has them both in the greatest perfec 
 lion : and in the same manner, their virtues are the 
 j-anie ; but the yellow is so much superior, that tht 
 white deserves no notice. 
 
 The yellow saunders is best taken in the man* 
 rier of tea, it is this way not unpleasant, and k 
 cordial, good against disorders of the nerves, and 
 hysteric complaints, and opens obstructions, it 
 also gently promotes perspiriation, and works by 
 urine. 
 
 White Saxifrage. Saxifraga alba 
 
 A very pretty plant in our meadows, dis- 
 tinguished by the regular shape of its leaves, and 
 its white snowy flowers. It grows ten inches high ; 
 the stalk is round, thick, firm, upright, and a little 
 hairy. The leaves are of a pale green colour, and 
 flesh v substance : they are of a roundish figUTe, 
 and indented about the edges ; and they stand upon 
 long fool-stalks. The flowers arc large and white ; 
 they grow in considerable numbers on the tops of 
 the stalks. The root is composed of a parcel of 
 small white or reddish granules. 
 
 The root is used ; and these small parts of which 
 it consists have been used to be called by ignorant
 
 -/".. 
 
 . '; /,,,..., ,.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 305 
 
 apothecaries saxifrage seed. It is diuretic, and 
 good against the gravel. The roots are best fresh, 
 and the best way of giving them is in decoction. 
 
 Meadow Saxifrage. Scseli pralense 
 
 A wild plant also, but though known by the 
 same English name with the other, very different 
 in form and flower. It grows to more than two 
 feet in height. The stalks are round, deeply stri- 
 ated, of a dark green colour, and considerably 
 branched. The leaves are large, but they are di- 
 vided into a multitude of fine narrow segments. 
 The flowers stand at the tops of the stalks in little 
 umbels or round clusters, and they are small and 
 yellow. The root is brown, long, and slender, and 
 is of an aromatic and acrid taste. 
 
 The root is used : it is best fresh taken up. 
 Given in a strong infusion, it works powerfully 
 by urine, and brings away gravel. It aiso eases 
 those colics, which are owing to the same 
 cause. 
 
 Scabious. Scabiosa. 
 
 A common wild plant in our corn uVitK dis- 
 tinguished by its tall round stalks, and round blue 
 (lowers. It grows to three feet in height. The 
 leaves rise principally from the root, and they lie 
 spread upon the ground. They are oblong, and 
 irregularly divided at the edges; they are of a 
 pale green, hairy, and rough to the touch. The 
 stalks are round, upright, hairy, of the same pale 
 green, colour, and they have a (ew leaves on them, 
 placed two at a joint ; these are more deeply 
 divided than those on the ground. The flowers 
 stand at the tops of thu branches, they are of 
 
 n r
 
 ?G6 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 deep blue colour., and each is composed of a number 
 of smaller ilosucles, collected into a head. The root 
 is long and brown. 
 
 The leaves growing 1 from the root are to be gathered 
 for use before the stalks appear. They are best 
 fresh. A strong infusion of them is good against 
 asthmas, and difficulty of breathing, and the same 
 infusion made into syrup, is good against coughs. 
 The flowers are said to be cordial, and an infusion 
 of them to promote sweat, and carry off fevers, but this 
 is less authentic ; the juice externally applied is good 
 against foulnesses of the skin. 
 
 Scammoxy Plant. Scammonia 
 
 A (LiMinxG plant, native of the eastern 
 parts of the world. The stalks are numerous, 
 "Teen, slender, and angulated ; they are tive or six 
 ieet long, but unable to support themselves with- 
 out the help of bushes. The leaves stand irregular- 
 ly, and not very close to one another ; they are of 
 a triangular figure, and bright green colour, and 
 they stand upon long foot -stalks. The flowers 
 are large and bell-fashioned ; they resemble very 
 much those of our common little bind-weed being 
 whitish but they oftener have a yellowish than a red- 
 dish tinge. The root is a foot and a half long, and 
 as thick as a man's arm. full of a milky juice. They 
 wound the roots and catch the milky juice as it runs 
 out in shells ; and this when it is concreted into a 
 hard mass is the scammony we use. 
 
 it is a rough purge, but a very powerful and 
 useful one. It is good against the rhumatic 
 pains, and wHl reach the seat of many disorders that 
 a common purge docs not etlect. However, it is 
 seldom given alone : and a great misfortune \> 
 that the compositions made with it are never to be
 
 y / //..',/
 
 FAMILY HERBAL, 30? 
 
 perfectly depended upon, because there is so much 
 difference in several parcels of scammony, that they 
 seem hardly the same medicine, some are so very 
 strong 1 , and some so weak. 
 
 Garden Scurvy Grass. Cothlearia hortensis. 
 
 A common wild plant about our sea coasts, 
 but kept also in gardens for its virtues ; it is a foot 
 high : the stalks are round, weak, and green ; the 
 leaves that rise from the root make the most con- 
 siderable appearance ; they stand in a large tuft, 
 and are of a roundish figure, and a bright green 
 colour, tender, juicy, and supported on long and 
 slender foot-stalks. There are but few leaves on 
 the stalks, and they are not so round as those from 
 the root, but are a little angular and pointed. 
 The flowers stand at the tops of the stalks, in little 
 clusters ; they are white, small, and bright; they are 
 succeeded by short roundish seed-vessels. 
 
 The fresh leaves are used, and the best way of 
 all is to drink the pressed juice of them ; this is 
 excellent against the scurvy, and all other foul- 
 nesses of the blood. It may be mixed with Seville 
 orange juice to make it pleasant, and should l>e 
 token every day for six weeks or two months toge- 
 ther in spring. 
 
 Sea Scurvy Grass. Cochlcaria marina. 
 
 A common plant also about our sea coasts, 
 and by the sides of rivers, where the tide comes 
 The leaves are not so numerous as those of the other ; 
 and they are oblong, of a reddish green colour, 
 pointed at the ends, and indented at the edges in an 
 irregular manner they are considerably larger than 
 the*;. 1 of garden scurvy grass, and moi - fleshy. The
 
 308 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 stalks are eight or ten inches high ; they are ten* 
 der, round and striated ; they have few leaves 
 on them, but the flowers are small and white, and 
 stand in clusters at the tops of the stalks, as in 
 the other. The leaves are to he used fresh gather- 
 ed, or their juice is to he taken. Their virtues 
 are the same as those of the other. But it is the 
 general opinion that they are greater, though the 
 taste be not so agreeable. 
 
 Sebesten Tree. Aj/xa she sebesten. 
 
 A tree of the bigness and form of our com- 
 mon plum tree, and producing a fruit not altogether 
 unlike it. The trunk is covered with a rough 
 bark, the branches grow irregularly and crooked, 
 and are generally so slender toward the ends, and 
 so full of leaves that they bend downward ; the 
 leaves are broad and short ; the flowers are white, 
 small, and sweet scented ; they stand in tufts or 
 clusters, and the cup in which they stand remains, 
 and encloses the fruit. This is somewhat like 
 a plum, and has a kernel in the same manner : 
 its shape is oblong ; and the pulpy part of it is so 
 tough and clamy, that being beat up with water 
 it makes good bird lime. 
 
 This fruit is the part used ; it is sent over to 
 ns dried in the manner of a prune. It u<+cd to be 
 a constant ingredient in decoctions for roughs, 
 and disorders of the lungs, but it is now dis- 
 
 regarded. 
 
 Selv heal Prunndla. 
 
 A little wild plant common about way sides, 
 with dark green leaves, and short tuffs of blue 
 flowers. It grows six inches high ; the stalk is
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 309 
 
 square, and a little hairy ; the leaves stand in pairs 
 upon it, but there are seldom more than two gr 
 three pair, the great quantity of them rise imme- 
 ciiaieiy from the root ; they are oblong 1 , broad, 
 bhint at the point, ami not at all indented at the 
 ( 'dgos. The flowers are small; they stand in ft 
 kind of short spikes or heads: the cups of them 
 are often purplish. The root is small and creep- 
 ing and full of fibres. The juice of self-heal 
 is astringent : it is irood against pur<nnffs, with 
 very sharp or bloody tools, and against overflow- 
 ings of the menses. The dried herb made into 
 an infussion and sweatencd with honey, is 2;ood 
 ag-ainst a sore throat, and ulcers of the mouth. 
 
 Sena Shrub. Sena. 
 
 A little shrub, three or four feet high, 
 native of the East. The trunk is covered with a 
 whitish and rough bark ; the leaves are composed 
 each of three pair of smaller, disposed on a com- 
 mon rib, with an odd one at the end : they are 
 oblong", narrow, and sharp pointed, of a smooth 
 surface, a thick substance, of a pale green colour, 
 and not indented at the edges. The (lowers are 
 like a pea blossom in shape, but they are veliow, 
 marked with purple veins. The pods are short 
 and flat, and the seeds are small and brown. 
 
 We have the dried leaves from the East, the 
 druggists keep them. T'ey are given in infusion, 
 and are an excellent pur::", but as they are apt to 
 gripe in the working', the common method is to 
 throw in a few cardamom seeds, or some other 
 warm medicine into the water.
 
 310 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Bastard Sena. Colutea 
 
 A common shrub kept for ornament in our 
 gardens. The trunk is not very robust, but it 
 keeps upright, and is covered with a whitish rough 
 bark. The leaves are composed each of several 
 pairs of smaller, set on a common rib, with an 
 odd loaf at the end ; but they are rounder and 
 broader in proportion to their length than those 
 of the true sena. The flowers are yellow : they 
 are but small, but they hang- in long branches, 
 and are succeeded by pods, which look like blad- 
 ders of a greenish colour. 
 
 The leaves are used : some give an infusion of 
 them as a purge, but they are very rough : they 
 work both upwards and downwards, and are only 
 fit for very robust constitutions. For such as can 
 bear them, they are good against rheumatic pains 
 
 Senega Tree. Scnica. 
 
 A tree frequent in the East, and named from 
 a gum which it affords, and which is brought in 
 great quantities into Europe. The tree is large 
 and spreading ; its trunk is covered with a rough 
 bark, its branches with a smoother, of a pale brown, 
 and they are very full of thorns. 
 
 The leaves are large, and they are composed of 
 many smaller, set in pairs, very beautifully and 
 evenly about a common rib, with an odd one at the 
 end of each rib : they are oblong, and of a beauti- 
 ful green. The flowers arc white, and of the 
 shape of a pea blossom ; the fruit is a large and 
 flat pod, jointed or divided into several parts, 
 with seeds in them ; the tree is of (he acacia kind, 
 in many things very like that winch produces the
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 31 1 
 
 gum arable, and the gum which is obtained from 
 it is in the same manner very like that. 
 
 This gum is the only product of the tree heard 
 of in medicine, and this is not much. It is brought 
 over, however, in great quantities, for the dyers 
 ose a great deal of it. It is in large lumps, of the 
 bigness ot an vgg ; rough on the surface, but 
 glossy and smooth when broken, and of a pale 
 brown colour. It is as easily and entirely dissolv- 
 ed in water as gum arabic, and has the same vir- 
 tues. It is very seldom called for by name in 
 medicine, but it is nevertheless often used, for 
 the druggists have a way of breaking the lumps 
 to pieces, and putting them among the gum 
 arabic ; they may be distinguished by their brown 
 colour, the true gum arabic being white, or yel- 
 lowish, if coloured at all, and never having any 
 brown in it : some pick these brown pieces out ; 
 but, upon a separate trial, they are found to be 
 so perfectly of the same nature, that it is a needless 
 trouble. 
 
 Right Service Tree. Sorbus legitima. 
 
 A tree wild in some parts of this kingdom, 
 but not known in others, nor even in many of our 
 gardens. It grows twenty feet high or more, and 
 the branches stand very irregularly. The leaves 
 are each composed of several pairs of smaller, 
 set on a common rib, with an odd one at the end 
 these are long, narrow, and serrated, so that they 
 have some resemblance of the ash tree. The 
 flowers are not large ; they are white, and stand 
 in clusters. Each is succeeded by a fruit of the 
 shape of a pear, and of the bigness of some pears 
 of the smaller kind ; these are green, except where
 
 312 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 they have been exposed to the sun, where they art 
 sometimes reddish ; the taste is \nvy pleasant when 
 they are ripe. 
 
 The unripe fruit is used; they press the juice, 
 and give it against purgings, but is little known. 
 
 Common Servk l Thee. Sorbus vulgaris. 
 
 A large tree, aiui very beautiful, its growth 
 being regular, and the leaves of an elegant shape ; 
 the bark of the trunk is greyish, and tolerably 
 smooth ; on the branches it is brown : the leaves are 
 single, large, and of a rounded figure, but divided 
 into five, six, or seven parts, pretty deeply, and 
 serrated round the edges ; they are of a bright green 
 on the upper part and whitish underneath. The 
 flowers are little and yellowish, and they grow in 
 clusters ; the fruit is small and brown when ripe. 
 It grows in bunches. 
 
 The unripe fruit of this service is excellent 
 against purgings, but it can only be had recourse to 
 when in season, for there is no way of preserving 
 the virtue in them all the year. 
 
 Shepherd's Purse. Bursa Pasloris. 
 
 The most common almost of all wild plants, 
 over-running our garden-beds, and court-yards. 
 The leaves spread upon the ground, and are long 
 somewhat broad, and more or less indented at the 
 edges, for in this there is great variation : the stalks 
 are round, upright, and eight or ten inches high, 
 they have few leaves on them. The flowers stand 
 at the tops in little clusters, and they are small and 
 white: below there is commonly a kind of spike 
 f the seed-vessels : these are short, broad, and of
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 313 
 
 he figure of a bag;, or pouch, and are divided a 
 little at the end. Tke seeds are small and yellow- 
 ish, and the roots white. 
 
 The juice of Shepherd's purse is cooling and 
 astringent ; it is good against purging!*, with sharp 
 and bloody stools ; against the bleeding of the piles, 
 and the overflowing of the menses. 
 
 Skirret. Siscirum. 
 
 A plant kept in our kitchen gardens. It 
 grows three or four feet high. The stalk is round, 
 hollow, striated, and somewhat branched : the leaves 
 are each composed of three or five smaller, two or 
 four set opposite and one at the end ; they are ob- 
 long, serrated at the edges, and sharp pointed ; the 
 end leaf is longer than the others. The {lowers are 
 little : they stand in round Clusters on the tops of 
 the branches. The root is of a singular form ; it; 
 is composed of several long parts like carrots, i hey 
 are of a good taste, and some people eat them at 
 their tables. 
 
 A decoction of thorn works by urine, and is good 
 against the gravel. The roots boiled in milk, are 
 an excellent restorative to people who have suffered 
 long illnesses. 
 
 Sloe Tree. Primus sylvestris. 
 
 The common low shrub in our hedges, which 
 we call the blackthorn. It is a plum-tree in 
 miniature. It grows five or six feet high ; the trunk 
 and branches are all covered with a dark purplish or 
 blackish bark. The leaves are roundish, and of a 
 good green, elegantly dentated about the edges. 
 The (lowers arc small and white. The fruit is a 
 
 8 S
 
 31* FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 little plum, of a very austere taste when unripe, but 
 pleasant when mellow. 
 
 The juire expressed from unripe sloes, is a very 
 good remedy for fluxes of the belly. It may be 
 boiled down to a firm consistence, and will so keep 
 the whole year. We used to find this dried juice 
 kept by druggists under the name of German acacia, 
 but they neglect it. 
 
 Smallage. Apium. 
 
 A common wild plant, about ditch sides, 
 with the appearance of celery. These are very 
 numerous and large. The stalk rises two feet and 
 a half in height, and is round, smooth, striated, and 
 branched. The leaves on it are like those from the 
 root, composed of many small parts, which are 
 broad and indented, but they are smaller. The 
 fiowers stand in little umbels at the divisions of the 
 branches : they are small and of a yellowish white. 
 The seeds are small and striated. The roots are 
 long, not very thick, white, and of a strong, but not 
 disagreeable taste. 
 
 The roots are most. used; a strong infusion of 
 them fresh gathered, works briskly by urine. It is 
 good against the gravel, and in 'aundic.es ad other 
 diseases arising from obstructions in the liver and 
 spleen. The seeds dried are good against the colic, 
 and strengthen the stomach. 
 
 Colirine woon. or Snake-wood Tr k. 
 
 1. ign i i ;. i cola, h tin urn. 
 
 A tall *rc of the Mast, irregular in its growth, 
 but not without beauty. The bark i< rough and 
 brown; the leave? ear large, broad in the middle,
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 315 
 
 oblong and sharp at the point. They are of a deep 
 green colour, and firm substance : the flowers are 
 small, they grow in clusters upon the branches, not 
 at their extremities, but in different parts of them. 
 The fruit is large, and much of the shape of a 
 walnut. It is yellow when ripe, and contains a 
 great many round fiat seeds. These are exactly of 
 the shape and form of what we call nux vomica, 
 but they are not half so big. Some have, for this 
 reason, supposed the real nux vomica to be the 
 fruit of this tree ; but it is produced by another of 
 the same genus. The wood of the smaller branches 
 is used : this is what we called litlnum colubrinum, 
 adder- wood, and snake-wood. It is famous in the 
 East for curing fevers and destroying worms ; 
 they also say it is a remedy against the bites of 
 serpents, and hence comes its name. We have been 
 tempted to give it in some cases ; but it seems better 
 suited to the constitutions of the people among 
 whom it grows than to ours : it brings on con- 
 vulsions, if given in too large a dose, or if too fresh. 
 It loses its strength by degrees in keeping ; but 
 I don't know how it can be possible to determine 
 what dose to give of such a medicine. 
 
 Sneezewokt. Ptarmica , 
 
 A very pretty wild plant with daisy-like 
 flowers, and a norrovv dentated leaves. It grows 
 two feet high. The stalk is round, firm, upright, 
 and but little branched. The leaves are very 
 numerous, and they stand irregularly ; they are 
 an inch or more in length, and very narrow, rough 
 to the touch, and of a bright green. The flowers 
 stand at the tops of the stalks, so that they form 
 a kind of round head ; they are less than daises 
 and their leaves broader.
 
 316 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The leaves of sneezewort, dried and powdered, 
 taken by way of snuff, are excellent against the 
 head-ach. The roots dried are almost as fiery 
 as pillitorv of Spain, and they cure the tooth-aeh 
 in the same manner. A piece held in the mouth, 
 fills it with rheum in a minute. 
 
 Solomon's Seal. Polj/gonatum. 
 
 A pretty plant, wild in some places, and 
 frequent in gardens. It grows a foot and half 
 high. Tiie stalk is round, striated, and of a pale 
 green ; naked half way up, and from thence to 
 the top ornamented with large oval leaves of a 
 pale green, blunt, smooth, ribbed, and not at all 
 indented at the edges. The flowers hang from 
 die under part of the stalk ; they are small and 
 white ; the fruit is a berry as big as a pea, and 
 black when ripe. The root, is white, oblong, 
 irregular, and creeps under tiie surface of the 
 ground. 
 
 The root is the part used ; it is commended 
 extremely for an outward application against 
 bruises. The root dried and powdered is good 
 e.:;;iii>! purgings with bloody stools ; and the fresh 
 root beat up into a conserve with sugar, again.- 1 
 the w lutes. 
 
 Sopewort. Saponaria. 
 
 A wild plant, bat not very common. It is 
 two feet high. The stalk is round, thick, jointed, 
 and of a pale green ; the knots are large Th'- 
 leaves stand two at each joint ; they are o( <,-. 
 oval fiii'im . and dark green colour, smooth, not 
 dentated a! tin- edges, and full of large ribs The 
 flowers ;. . j in a kind of clusters at the tops;
 
 " V
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 317 
 
 they are Avhite or reddish, and not very large ; 
 the root is knobbed and Has great many fibres 
 running from it : it is of a disagreeable mawkish 
 taste. 
 
 The root is used ; and it should be fresh taken 
 up ; a decoction of it opens obstructions, and pro- 
 motes urine and perspiration. It is an excellent 
 sweetener of the blood. 
 
 Sorrel. Acslosa. 
 
 A common plant in our meadows, with 
 broad and oblong leaves, striated stalks, and red- 
 dish tufts of flowers. It is a foot and half high. 
 The stalk is round, not very firm, upright and a 
 little branched. The leaves are of a deep green, 
 angulated at the base, blunt at the point, and not 
 at a!! indented about the edges. The (lowers stand 
 on (he tops of the stalks, in the manner of those of 
 (locks, of which sorrel is indeed a small kind. 
 They are reddish and husky ; the root is small 
 and fibrous ; the whole plant has a sour taste. 
 
 The leaves eaten as a sallad, or the juice taken, 
 are excellent against the scurvy. The seeds are 
 astringent, and may be given in powder for fluxes. 
 The root dried and powdered, is also good against 
 purgings, the overflowing of the menses, and 
 bleedings. 
 
 There are two other kinds of sorrel, nearly of 
 km to this, and of the same virtue : one small, 
 called sheep's sorrel, common on dry banks ; the 
 other large, with broad leaves, called garden 
 sorrel, or round-leaved sorrel ; this is rather pre- 
 ferable to the common kind. Besides these, there 
 is a plant called in English a sorrel, so different 
 from them ail, that it must be described sepa- 
 rately.
 
 318 FAMILY HERBAL, 
 
 Wood Soijbel. Luiula. 
 
 A very pretty little plant, common about our 
 wood sides, and distinguished by its bright green 
 elegant leaves, and pretty flowers. The leaves rise 
 in considerable number from the same root ; they 
 stand three together upon separate, long, and very 
 slender foot-stalks, of a reddish colour ; each is of a 
 heart-like shape, the broad and indented part hang- 
 ing downwards, and the three smaller ends meeting 
 on the summit of the stalk. The flowers are 
 whitish, tinged with purple, very bright and de- 
 licate ; they stand also on single stalks, and rise im- 
 mediately on the root. The seed-vessels are large, 
 and when ripe, they burst asunder with the least 
 touch, and the seeds fly about. The root is small 
 and irregular. 
 
 The leaves are used ; they are to be fresh gather- 
 ed ; their roots are very agreeably acid, and the juice 
 of them makes a pretty syrup. The leaves also beat 
 up with three times their weight of sugar, make an 
 excellent conserve. They are good to quench thirsts 
 in fevers, and they have the same virtue with the 
 other against the scurvy and in sweetening the 
 Mood. 
 
 Southernwood. Abrotamun mas. 
 
 A siiKrniiY plant, native of many parts of 
 Europe, but kept in our gardens. The stem is 
 woody, and tough, and is covered with a brown 
 bark. The leaves are divided into tine slender 
 parts, and are of a pale green, whitish colour, and 
 strong smell. The flowers are small and yellowish ; 
 they grow in great numbers on the top of the stalk, 
 and are naked and of a rough appearance. The 
 feeds are longislv, and o\ a pale brown.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 319 
 
 The tops of the young branches are used ; a 
 decoction of them is good against worms, but it is 
 a very disagreeable medicine. Beaten into a con- 
 serve with three times their weight of sugar, they 
 are not very unpleasant, and they are in this form 
 good against nervous disorders, and in all hysteric 
 complaints. 
 
 Sowthistle. So?ichus asper. 
 
 A common weed in our gardens, and about 
 our houses. It is three feet high ; the stalk is 
 round, thick, green, and upright. The leaves are 
 long, and not very broad ; they are indented at the 
 edges, and prickly between the indentings. When 
 any part of the plant is broken, there runs out a 
 milky juice. The flowers are large, and yellow : 
 they are somewhat like those of dandelion, and 
 stand in a kind of scaly cup. The seeds have 
 down affixed to them. The root is long and 
 white. 
 
 The leaves are to be used fresh gathered ; a strong 
 infusion of them works by urine, and opens obstruc- 
 tions. Some eat them in sallads, but the infusion 
 has more power. There arc three or four other 
 kinds of sowthistle, common in some places with this, 
 and they have all the same virtues, but this has them 
 most in perfection. 
 
 Speedwell. I eromca ??ias 
 
 A common little plant in our dry pastures, 
 and on heaths. The stalks are six or eight inches 
 long ; the leaves are short, and of an oval figure, 
 The stalks are not upright : they trail along the 
 ground, only rising at thin upper parts. The 
 Jm\cs are of a pale green colour, a little hairy,
 
 320 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 and dentated at the edges : the flowers are small 
 and blue ; they grow in slender spikes, arising 
 from the bosoms of the leaves ; the root is small 
 and fibrous. 
 
 The whole herb is used,- and it is best fresh, An 
 infusion of it drank in quantities, works by urine, 
 and opens all obstructions : it promotes the menses. 
 There was an opinion lately that this plant would 
 cure the gout. The dried leaves picked from the 
 stalks, were sold in our markets, and people made a 
 tea of them. The opinion was so prevalent, that 
 the plant was in a manner destroyed .for many 
 miles ab&it London, but like all other things, 
 that want the truth for then' foundation, it came to 
 nothing. 
 
 Sprignel. jSIcum. 
 
 A wild plant not altogether unlike fennel. 
 It grows two or three feet high. The stalks are 
 round, striated, and branched. The leaves are 
 large, and divided like those of fennel, but into 
 narrower and finer parts, and they arc of a very 
 dark green colour. The (lowers are little and 
 white, but they stand in dusters at the tops of the 
 stalks, and are conspicuous by their number. The 
 root is long and brown, and there are always a 
 quantity of filaments at the head of it like hairs: 
 these are the fibres of (he stalks of former leaves. 
 
 The root is used, and it is best fresh taken up. 
 An infusion of it is excellent medicine in the gravel ; 
 it also opens obstructions, and promotes the menses. 
 The root dried and given in powder strengthens the 
 stomach, creates an appetite, and is good against 
 the colic.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 321 
 
 Spin ag e . Sp in a ch ia . 
 
 A common herb in our kitchen gardens. It grows 
 iwo feet high ; the stalk is round, thick, and juicy ; 
 the leaves are broad and cleft at the bases, so that 
 they resemble a broad arrow head : the flowers are 
 inconsiderable ; the seeds grow on other plants of 
 the same kind, and are rough and prickly : the root 
 is white and oblong. 
 
 The leaves are eaten at our tables ; but their 
 juice may very well be recommended as a medi- 
 cine. It works by urine, and is good against the 
 gravel. The leaves eaten frequently, keep the body 
 open. 
 
 Spleenwort. Aaplen nun . 
 
 A singular plant, of the nature of the ferns, 
 but not unlike any of them in form. The root 
 is fibrous. From this the leaves rise in great num- 
 bers together, each being a distinct and separate 
 plant ; they are narrow, and five inches long, deeply 
 indented on each side, but very irregularly, and 
 covered on the under part with small seeds. When 
 they first grow from the root, they are folded in- 
 ward, so that only the under part appears ; and they 
 have a very peculiar aspect, more like some insect 
 than the leaf of a plant. It grows on old walls, 
 and is green all the winter, but it has most virtue in 
 spring. 
 
 The whole plant is used. It is best given in in- 
 fusion, and must be continued for some time ; it 
 opens all obstructions of the liver and spleen, and is 
 excellent in disorders arising from that cause. They 
 say the powder of the dried leaves cures the ricket, 
 hut this wants proof. 
 
 T t
 
 322 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Indian Spikenard. Nardus Indlea. 
 
 An East Indian plant, of the grass kind, with 
 triangular stalks, and yellowish flowers. It re- 
 sembles not a little that common yellow tufted grass, 
 which is frequent in our meadows in spring. It is 
 six or eight inches high. The leaves are long, 
 narrow, and of a pale green ; they are very numer- 
 ous, and stand in a thick tuft almost growing together 
 at the bases. The stalks rise among these ; they are 
 naked, triangular, and of a pale, green colour ; the 
 flowers stand in tufts, of the bigness of an horse- 
 bean, on the tops of the stalks ; they are blackish, 
 but ornamented with yellow threads, which give the 
 whole a yellowish appearance. This is the plant, 
 some samples of which have been of late brought 
 over as the Indian spikenard, and there is reason 
 and authority for supposing they are so. The tops 
 of the roots have that sort of tuft of hairy matter, 
 which we call Indian spikenard, growing to them ; 
 and it is of the nature of the hairy top of the spignel 
 root, owing to the fibres of decayed leaves. Breynius 
 also calls the plant which affords the Indian spikenard, 
 a kind of cyperus grass. 
 
 The tuft of fibres at the tops of the root of thisr 
 plant, is what we call Indian spikenard ; they are 
 brown, flattish, matted together, and of a pleasant 
 smell : they are good in disorders of (he nerves, and 
 hysteric cases ; but so many better medicines are at 
 hand, that it is rarely used. 
 
 Sponge. Spongia. 
 
 A sea plant of a very singular kind and form. 
 It has neither leaves, stalks, nor branches, nor has 
 it the colour or aspect of our ordinary plants. 
 It more approaches to the nature of the mushrooms,
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 323 
 
 than of any other of the vegetable kinds. It grows 
 to the rocks, and swells out to an irregularly shaped 
 mass of matter, full of holes., of a yellowish colour, 
 and retaining a great deal of water, which is easily 
 pressed out, and is received again on dipping 
 it again in the wet. It is of a roundish figure, 
 and sometimes hollow. Sponge in the shape of 
 a funnel is frequently seen, and has been described 
 as a particular species ; but this is only an accident 
 in the growth. 
 
 It would be very imprudent to swallow sponge 
 in its natural form ; but calcined, it is of excellent 
 service to sweeten the blood, and is <rood against the 
 scurvy, and the evil : great care is to be taken in 
 the burning it. It must be made brittle and fit for 
 powdering, but if it be calcined too long, all the 
 volatile parts will be driven off, and it will be worth 
 nothing. 
 
 'in' 
 
 Great Spurge. Esula major 
 
 We have many kinds of spurge wild in England, 
 and some of them large enough ; but this used in 
 medicine is a different species. It is native of 
 Germany, and is kept in our gardens. It grows a 
 yard high ; the stalk is round, thick, reddish, and 
 divided into branches. The leaves are numerous, 
 and stand irregularly ; they are narrow and of a 
 pale green, and are broadest at the end. The flowers 
 are little, and of a pale yellow, but the seed-vessels 
 are large, and make a conspicuous figure on the 
 tops of the branches. The root is very thick and 
 long ; it consists of a firm heart covered with a thick 
 rind. The whole plant, when broken, affords a 
 milky acrid juice. 
 
 The bark of the root is used dry ; and even in 
 that state is very rough in its operation. It worku
 
 324 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 by stool and vomit, and is good in the rheumatism 
 and dropsy ; but it is not every constitution that can 
 bear the use of such remedies. 
 
 Lesser Spurge. Esula minor. 
 
 A lesser plant than the former, but sufficiently 
 robust ; it is a native of the same part of the world, 
 but is common in our gardens. It is a foot high. 
 The leaves are longish and very narrow, but 
 rounded at the end : the stalks are thick, round, and 
 red ; the flowers are small and yellow ; and the seed- 
 vessels large and three cornered. The whole plant 
 is full of a sharp milky juice, but most of all the 
 root. 
 
 The bark of the root is used. It works by vomit 
 and stool as the former ; but though with less violence, 
 yet too rough for most constitutions. It is good iu 
 the rheumatism. 
 
 Squill. Scilla. 
 
 A very common plant by the sea side in Italy 
 and other parts of Europe, but not native of 
 this country. It grows a yard high, and when 
 in flower, is very beautiful ; the stalk is thick, 
 round, fleshy, and green, or else reddish. The 
 flowers are white ; they are small but they have 
 their beauty. They stand in a long spike down 
 a third part of the stalk ; the leaves are very large 
 and long ; they arc of a deep green colour, and 
 grow immediately from the root ; the root is 
 round, and of a pound weight ; it is' composed 
 like an onion of many coats one over another, 
 and is full of an acrid slimy juice. The colour 
 is white or red, and they call it the white or ret', 
 squill.
 
 '--' /-sw^im* 
 
 .' ^/,V:f ; /
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 325 
 
 The root is used dried, or infused in vinegar or 
 wine, and that afterwards made into a syrup with 
 honey. These three preparations are called the 
 wine of squills, vinegar of squills, and oxymel 
 of squills; they are all good against asthmas, 
 and difficulty of breathing. The oxymel is most 
 given for this purpose ; the vinegar causes vomit- 
 ing, and cleanses the stomach ; the wine of squills 
 works by urine, and is good against the jaundice and 
 dropsy. 
 
 Starwort. Aster aliens 
 
 A common wild plant, in many parts of Europe 
 and in the Grecian islands, but not here : we 
 have it in gardens. It is a foot and half high. 
 The stalk is round, hairy, and branched ; the 
 leaves are oblong, moderately broad, and rounded 
 at the ends, and of a dusky green. The flowers 
 arc yellow and large ; they resemble the marigold ; 
 it is singular that there stand some leaves under 
 this flower disposed into rays like a star ; the root is 
 long. 
 
 The fresh- leaves are used ; and that only exter- 
 nally. Bruised, and laid on as a pultice, they are a 
 cure for buboes, and other hard swellings. The plant 
 is called also ingunialis, from its peculiar effect in dis- 
 sipating buboes of the groin. 
 
 Star Thistle. Calcitrapa. 
 
 A wild plant on our heaths, but not very 
 common. It is two feet high, and extremely 
 branched ; the stalks are round, hard, and whitish. 
 The principal leaves rise from the root, and are 
 disposed in a circular manner on the ground. 
 They are oblong, and divided along the sides
 
 326 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 quite to the middle rib : there are some smaller 
 on the stalk, but few. The flowers are numerous : 
 they are red, and of the form of the flowers of thistles. 
 They grow out of a scaly and thorny head. The 
 seeds are winged with down. The root is 
 oblong. 
 
 The root is used ; a strong infusion of it is ex- 
 cellent against the gravel, and is good also in the 
 jaundice. It opens obstructions, and works by 
 mine. 
 
 Starry Headed Anise Tree. Anisum sld- 
 latum. 
 
 A tall and very beautiful tree, native of the 
 East, and much esteemed there. The trunk is 
 covered with a thick bark : the branches arc 
 irregular and spreading. The leaves are very 
 large and beautiful ; they are composed each of 
 ten or twelve pair of others set on a common rib, 
 with an odd one at the end ; they are longish, 
 broad, serrated at the edges, and pointed at the 
 ends, and are of a beautiful pale green colour, 
 and of a fragrant smell when bruised, such as that 
 we perceive in the young leaves of the walnut 
 tree, but with a mixture of somewhat aromatic. 
 The flowers stand at the tops of the branches, on 
 divided pedicles ; they are white and very fra- 
 grant. The fruit is of a singular figure, of the 
 shape of a star, and of a woody substance ; it is 
 composed of five or more rays, and in each is a 
 single, smooth, brown seed. They have the smell 
 of aniseed, and thence have been called by the 
 name, for there is not the least resemblance be- 
 tween the plants which produce the two ; one 
 being a small herb, and the other a large and fine 
 tree.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 321 
 
 The fruit is only used, and we sometimes see it at 
 the druggists ; if the present practice encouraged 
 it we might have it common enough : and it is one 
 of those drugs which we neglect, while we are 
 fond of such as do not deserve the distinction. It is 
 an excellent medicine against coldness of the stomach, 
 colics, and those head-achs which arise from indi- 
 gestion. It also works powerfully by urine ; and with 
 it possesses all the virtues of aniseed and many 
 others ; and even in a very superior degree : it has 
 not its disagreeable flavour. An oil drawn 
 from it by distillation, is sweet and excellent ; it has 
 all the virtues of our oil of aniseed, but not its dis- 
 agreeable taste, and it does not congeal like it in cold 
 weather. 
 
 Staves-Acre. Staphis agria. 
 
 A very pretty plant, native of Italy, and kept 
 in our gardens. It is two feet and a half high. 
 The stalk is round, thick, firm, and upright, and 
 a little hairy. The leaves are of a roundish figure 
 but divided deeply into seven parts, and these serrated 
 at the edges ; they are large, and of a deep green, 
 and stand on long foot-stalks. The flowers are of a 
 deep blue, large^ and very like the flowers of 
 lark -spur : they grow in a spike at the tops of the 
 stalks ; the seed-vessels are notched, and the seeds 
 rough. 
 
 The seeds are used. Some venture te give them 
 inwardly in small doses against the rheumatism, and 
 the venereal disease. They operate by vomit and 
 stool, and bring a great quantity of water from the 
 mouth. The powder of them is most used to kill 
 vermin, by sprinkling it on children's heads that have 
 been kept uncleanly.
 
 328 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Ggldln Stoechas. Stcechas citrina. 
 
 A pretty plant, native in the warmer parts of 
 Europe, and kept in our gardens. It is a shrubby 
 herb, two i'cet high, and keeps its leaves all the year. 
 The stein is woody ; the leaves stand thick on the 
 lower branches, and they are longish, narrow, and 
 whitish, especially on the under side. The ilowers 
 are yellow, and stand at the tops of the stalks ; they 
 are dry and chahy, and may be kept for a long time. 
 The whole plant has an agreeable smell, when rubbed 
 between the fingers. 
 
 The leafy stalks are used ; their tops are best, and 
 those fresh gathered : an infusion of them works by 
 urine, and opens obstructions. It is good in jaun- 
 dices, and obstructions of the menses. 
 
 There is another plant called Arabian stoechas, or 
 French lavender. It has been described already under 
 the head of lavender, to which it belongs, for it is 
 altogether different from this plant. 
 
 Stokax Trek. Stj/rax arbor. 
 
 A small tree, native of the East, and some 
 parts of Europe ; but in Europe it yields none of 
 the resin we call storax. We have it in some 
 gardens. It is twenty feet high ; the trunk is 
 covered with a brown bark : that on the branches 
 is greyish ; the leaves are of a brownish or a dusky 
 green on the upper side, and whitish underneath : (he 
 Ilowers are white and large ; the fruit is like a nut, 
 roundish and little, and is covered with a wooliy coat ; 
 three of the flowers grow together usually, and are 
 succeeded by three of these. 
 
 We us'- no part of the dee, but a resinous sub- 
 stance, which is produced from it. This is kept 
 at tin.' druggist';, and is reddish arid of a fragrant
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 329 
 
 smell but very foul. It is good in all diseases of the 
 breast and lungs, being an excellent balsam. It is 
 also good in all nervous and hysteric ^complaints, and 
 it promotes the menses. 
 
 Straw j? jni\ Plant. Fragaria. 
 
 A very common little plant, both in our woods 
 and gardens. The leaves stand three upon each 
 stalk, and they are large, broad, sharp at the point, 
 and serrated about the edges ; the stalks trail upon 
 the ground, and take root at the joints : the (lowers 
 are white ; they stand four or five together upon a 
 long stalk rising from the root and without any 
 veins : they are white, and moderately large ; the 
 fruit is well known. When ripe it is red, and of an 
 agreeable taste. 
 
 The fresh leaves are used ; an infusion of them is 
 good liquor to wash a sore mouth or throat ; taken 
 in large quantities, it works by urine, and is good 
 against the jaundice. 
 
 S uccory . Ch ich o ? eum . 
 
 A common plant in our gardens. It is near 
 a yard high, but of no great beauty. Tiie stalk 
 is round, striated, thick, green and strong. The 
 principal leaves grow from the root ; they are long, 
 narrow, and deeply indented, and are of a bluish 
 green, and hairy ; those on the stalks are smaller, 
 and have no foot-stalks. The flowers are of the 
 shape of those of dandelion, but they are blue : 
 the seed is winged with down. The flowers grow 
 to the sides of the stalks, not at the tops, as in 
 dandelion. The root is long and brown on the 
 surface ; it is full of a milky juice, and white 
 within. 
 
 v n
 
 23Q FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 The. root is used ; an infusion of it opens ob- 
 structions ; it is good against the jaundice. A de- 
 coction of the whole plant, fresh gathered, works 
 powerfully by urine, and is good against the gravel. 
 It also gently promotes the menses. 
 
 Sugar Came A r undo saccharifera. 
 
 A kind of reed, native of the East and West 
 Indies, of the Canary islands, and of some other 
 places ; and cultivated in all our plantations. It 
 is eight or ten feet high. The stalk is round, 
 hollow, hard, jointed, and upright ; it is very like 
 thiit of a common reed, only so much thicker. 
 The leaves are like those of the reed, but vastly 
 larger ; and the flowers arc in the same manner, dry, 
 brown, and chaffy, but the cluster of them is a 
 yard long ; the roots are long, creeping, and jointed 
 in the manner of the stalk. In very hot countries 
 the sugar will sweat out at the cracks of the stalks, 
 and stand in form of a bright powder ; this is native 
 sugar, and is what the antients meant when they 
 talked of honey growing upon reeds. We press out 
 the juice, and boil it fo the consistence of brown 
 sugar, which is afterwards refined, and becomes the 
 white powder or loaf-sugar. 
 
 It were idle to talk of the virtues of sugar, its 
 uses are sufficiently known, and are very great. 
 
 Sumach Rhus. 
 
 A shrub, native of warmer countries, but 
 common in our gardens. It is of a singular ap- 
 pearance. It doses not grow more than ten or 
 twelve feet high ; the wood is brittle, and the bark 
 is brown. The leaves are long and very beautiful, 
 each consists of a great many pairs of smaller
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 331 
 
 leaves, Willi an odd one at the end ; these are singly, 
 blong, and of a dark green, and serrated at the 
 edges. The flowers are white ; they grow in very 
 large, thick, and long clusters, and are succeeded 
 hy flat seeds, hairy and roundish and of an austere 
 astringent taste. There are several other kinds of 
 sumach in the gardens of curious people, some of 
 them much more beautiful, hut this is the kind that 
 is to he preferred for its medicinal virtues. 
 
 The seeds, dried and powdered, stop purgings, 
 and the overflowings of ihe menses. The fresh 
 tops have also great effect in strengthening the sto- 
 mach and bowels ; they are best taken in infusion. 
 The hark of the root has the same virtue ; but the 
 seeds have it in the greatest degree. 
 
 S wallow-wort. Asclepias. 
 
 A common plant in gardens, but native of 
 the warmer climates. It is two feet high. The 
 stalks are round, slender, of a dark colour, and 
 jointed ; the leaves are large and longish, and of 
 a deep green; they stand two at each joint, The 
 flowers are small and white, and each is succeeded 
 by two pods growing together ; the root is fibrous 
 and spreading. 
 
 The root is used ; an infusion of it fresh is good 
 against the jaundice ; it works by urine and opens 
 obstructions. Dried and given in powder, it ope- 
 rate; } sweat, and is good in fevers . 
 
 'iAC.VM.niie Tree. Tacamahdca 
 
 A large a,w! beautiful tree, native of the 
 East, and of America. It is fifty or sixty fee*
 
 S32 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 high. The hark is brown on the trunk, and grey- 
 ish on the branches. The leaves are large and 
 longish, sharp-pointed, and dentated at the edges ; 
 they are of a dusky green on the upper side, and 
 brownish underneath. The flowers are incon- 
 siderable and yellowish. The fruit is small and 
 round. The buds of the tree are very fragrant ; 
 a brown kind of resin issue* from them, winch 
 sticks to the fingers, and this has that pleasant 
 smell. 
 
 We use no part of the tree, but a resin which is 
 produced from it. The druggists keep this. It is 
 brown ; some of it is in grains, and some in a 
 mass. It is used only externally : a plaister made 
 of it, spread on leather, is applied to the fore- 
 head against the head-ach ; and to the navel in 
 
 hvsfc.i'ic cases, but it does not seem to have much 
 
 .a' 
 
 emcat v 
 
 Tamarl v t> Tkee. TamcrniJus 
 
 A very pretty tree, native both of the East 
 and West indies, and kept in many of our gardens. 
 The trunk is covered with a pale coloured rough 
 bark ; the blanches with a smoother. The leaves 
 are each composed of a great many pairs of smaller, 
 disposed on a common rib, with no odd one at the 
 end. They are small, oval, and of a pale or 
 whitish green. The flowers are large, and very 
 pretty ; they are part yellow, and part white ; the 
 white leaves of them stained often with red. They 
 stand in clusters, half a dozen together. The fruit 
 is a flat pod, broad, brown, and hard ; these contain 
 a pulpy substance, and the seeds a stringy mallei 
 with them. The pulp, strings, and seeds are 
 brought over to us, vied the pulp i c separated for 
 u<e : it is of a plea -ant acid taste, and is a gentle
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 333 
 
 and excellent purge ; it works also by urine. It is 
 good in the jaundice. The pulp is useful also to cool 
 the mouth, and quench thirst in fevers. It is not 
 much used singly as a purge. 
 
 Tamarisk. Tamariscus. 
 
 A little tree, frequent wild in France, and kept 
 in our gardens : it grows, however, much larger in 
 its native climate thou here. The bark is brown on 
 the trunk, and paler on the branches, and the young 
 shoots are red and very slender. The leaves are 
 very beautiful ; they are of a fine bright green, 
 delicately divided into small parts, and regular. 
 The flowers are very small and red ; but they stand 
 in spikes, and very close together ; and as four or five 
 of these spikes also often stand together, they are very 
 conspicuous ; the seeds are small, and lodged in a 
 downy substance. 
 
 The bark is used dried, and the lops of the 
 branches fresh ; both have the same virtue ; the 
 one is best in decoction, the other in a light in- 
 fusion, made in the manner of tea. Either is good 
 to open obstructions. They promote the menses, 
 are vjhki in the jaundice, and it is said against the 
 jickets. 
 
 Tansy. Tanccvtum. 
 
 A common plant in our gardens. It is a 
 yard high : the stalks are round, firm, upright, 
 and of a pale green ; the leaves are large, oblong, 
 broad, and very beautifully formed ; they are each 
 composed of several pairs of smaller, set on each 
 side of a common rib, with an odd leaf at the end. 
 These are narrow, long, pointed, and serrated at 
 the edges. The ilowers stand in large cluster-: at
 
 334 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 the tops of the stalks, and they are roundish, 
 yellow, and naked. The root is a cluster of large 
 creeping- fibres. The whole plant has a strong 
 smcl!. 
 
 The leaves are to he used fresh gathered ; a strong 
 infusion of them opens obstructions ; it works pow- 
 erfully by urine, and gently promotes the menses. 
 The flowers dried, powdered, and mixed with treacle, 
 are a common medicine lor worms, and they visibly 
 destroy them. 
 
 Wild Tansy. Argentina. 
 
 A common wild plant about our way sides, 
 and a great ornament to them. It rises to no 
 height. The stalks creep upon the ground, and 
 take root at the joints ; but it is easily distinguish- 
 ed by its silvery leaves and yellow flowers. The 
 stalks are round and reddish. The leaves rise 
 from these ; they are very large, and each com- 
 posed of a ^vent many pair of smaller set on both 
 sides of a common rib, with an odd one at the 
 end. They are of the shape, and much of the 
 s.ize of the leaves of tansy ; and the smaller leaves of 
 which they are composed, arc oblong, narrow, and 
 serrated ; but they are of a most beautiful colour ; 
 a fine silvery green on the. upper side, and a 
 perfect silvery white on the under. The flowers 
 stand on short foot stalks, and are. large and yellow, 
 somewhat like the flowers of the crow-foots, but 
 more beautiful. 
 
 The leaves are used ; a strong infusion of them 
 is given with success against the bleeding of the 
 piles, and bloody stools : and made less strong and 
 sweetened a little with honey, it is excellent for a sore 
 throat. The women use it. also to take away freckle*, 
 but this seems idle.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 335 
 
 Tarragon. Dracunculus. 
 
 A common plant in our gardens. It is two 
 feet high. The stalk is round, upright, firm, and 
 green ; the leaves are very numerous, and stand 
 irregularly. They are longish and very narrow, 
 and of a deep green colour ; the flowers are 
 little and greenish, in form like those of wormwood : 
 they stand in spikes at the tops of the stalks. The 
 whole plant has a strong smell, somewhat like 
 fennel. 
 
 An infusion of the fresh tops works by urine, and 
 gently promotes the menses. 
 
 Tea. Thea. 
 
 A ssirub, native of the East, and cherished there 
 with great care. It is six or seven feet high ; the 
 branches are slender ; the leaves are numerous, 
 oblong, serrated round the edges, and sharp pointed. 
 The flowers are as big as orange flowers, and white ; 
 they stand in a very small cup : the fruit is dry, and 
 of the bigness of a nut, containing one, two, or three 
 cells. 
 
 All the kinds of tea -are the leaves of this shrub ; 
 they only differ as they are gathered in ditferent 
 states : thebohea tea is gathered when the leaves are 
 in the bud, and more heat is used in drying it. 
 The several soils of green are got from the young 
 shoots or older branches, in spring, in summer, or in 
 autumn, and dried with different degrees of care, ac- 
 cording to their value. 
 
 Good green tea, drank moderately, strengthens 
 the stomach, and assists digestion ; it is good 
 against sicknesses, and will prevent the coiic : but 
 when bad tea is drank, and a great deal of it, 
 nothing is more pernicious. Bohea tea is more
 
 336 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 astringent, and it is restorative and strengthening" ; 
 this should be drank with cream, hut with only a 
 moderate quantity of sugar. 
 
 Teazle. Dtpsacus sylveslris. 
 
 A tall and stately plant, common bv road 
 sides, with large bur-like heads, and little red 
 flowers growing out of them. It is six feet high : 
 the stalk is single, thick, white, and very strong. 
 The le;ncs grow two together, encompassing the 
 stalk at their base, and make a hollow there winch 
 will hold water : they arc prickly on the under part 
 along the rib. The heads are as big as an apple, 
 and somewhat oblong : they are of a pale colour. 
 The root is long. 
 
 The root is used ; it is bitter, and given in infu- 
 sion, strengthens the stomach and creates an appetite. 
 It is also good against obstructions of the liver, and 
 the jaundice ; people have an opinion of the water 
 that stands in the hollow of the leaves being good to 
 take away freckles 
 
 There is another kind of teazle, called the ma- 
 nured teazle. The heads are used in dressing of 
 cloth ; the virtues are <he same, and they differ very 
 little in their general form. 
 
 Blessed T:.;..ti 5;. Carduus bencdictus. 
 
 A plant once in great esteem, and at present 
 not altogether neglected. it is a native of the 
 warmer counlnrs, and is raised with us in gardens. 
 It is two feet high ; the stalk is reddish, slender, 
 and weak ; v. rv much branched, and scarce able 
 to keep upright under the weight of leaves and 
 heads. The leaves are long, narrow, cut in on 
 both sides, and of an obscure green. The How-
 
 . .//
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 337 
 
 crs are yellow ; they stand in a kind of green leafy 
 heads : the little leaves composing these heads 
 are prickly ; and each of the cups cS the flowers 
 ends in a long brown spine, dented on both sides. 
 
 It is bitter and stomachic. An infusion of it 
 taken in large quantities, will excite vomiting : 
 in smaller draughts, it is good to create an appe< 
 tile, and prevents sicknesses and Teachings. The 
 leaves, dried and powdered, are good against worm9. 
 Jt was at one time suppossed to possess very great 
 virtues against fevers of all kinds : but that is 
 now disregarded. 
 
 Milk Thistle. Carduus ?nariai 
 
 A very beautiful plant, common by road- 
 sides, but wanting only to have been a native of 
 Greece, or the Indies, to be esteemed one of the 
 most elegant vegetables in the world. The leaves 
 rising from the root are two feet long, and more 
 than a foot broad, of a beautiful deep green, varie- 
 gated ail over with irregular lines of a milk white, 
 dentated deeply at the edges, and prickly. They 
 spread themselves into a round of more than a yard 
 diameter, and when they grow out of the way of* 
 dust, make a most charming appearance. A single 
 stalk rises in the midst of these. It is five feet 
 high, round, thick, very firm, upright, and divided 
 at the top into a few branches. The leaves on it 
 are like those from the root, and variegated with 
 white in the same manner. At the tops stand the 
 (lowers, which are of the nature of those of other 
 thistles, but twice as big, and vastly more beau- 
 tiful. The flowery part is of a deep and fine pur- 
 ple ; the head itself is composed of beautiful scales 
 arranged with great regularity, and each termi- 
 
 x %
 
 338 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 nating in a single and very strong prickle ; the root 
 is Ion?; and thick ; the seeds are winged with down. 
 
 The root and seeds are used. An infusion of 
 the fresh root removes obstructions, and works by 
 urine ; it is good against the jaundice. The seeds 
 beaten up into an emulsion with barley-water are 
 good in pleurisies. The young leaves with the 
 prickles cut off, are excellent boiled in the way of 
 cabbage ; they are very wholesome, and exceed all 
 other greens in taste. 
 
 Thorn Affix. Stramonium. 
 
 A very - beautiful plant, native of warmer 
 climates, but frequent m oar gardens ; we some- 
 times meet with it, as it is called, wild ; but it is no 
 native of our country. Seeds have been scattered 
 from gardens. 
 
 It is three feet high ; the stalk is round, thick, 
 and divided into many branches. The leaves arc 
 very large, oblong, broad, and of a bright green ; 
 divided at the edges, and of a pretty appearance, 
 but a very ill smell. The flowers are very large, 
 and white ; they are hollow, and long ; open, and 
 r.ngulatcd at 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 
 smell. 
 
 The leaves are used externally ; the countrv 
 people lay them upon burns and inflammations ; but 
 this is not always saf?. The root and seeds are 
 "f a sleepy quality ; but they arc not thought safe 
 to be given inwardly. Opium is a less dangeroue 
 medicine, so they are not used.
 
 FAMLIY HERBAL. $39 
 
 Goat's Thorn, Tragacantha. 
 
 A little white looking prickly shrub, native 
 of the East, but kept in our gardens. It is not 
 above two or three feet high, very spreading and 
 full of branches. The stem is of a tough and very 
 firm substance, covered with a whitish rough bark, 
 the branches are as tough, and the bark is pale 
 but smoother. The leaves are long and narrow ; 
 they are each composed of a great many pairs of 
 smaller set on a middle rib, which is continued 
 into a thorn, and when these leaves fall off, remains 
 a white thorn of that length. The flowers are 
 white and small ; they are of the shape of a pea 
 blossom, but flatter ; the pods which follow are 
 short and flat. 
 
 No part of the shrub itself is used, but we have 
 a gum produced by it, and called by its name in 
 the shops ; this is what they also call gum dragant, 
 it is white and tough and is in long twisted pieces ; 
 it sweats out of the bottom of the trunk in the heat 
 of summer. It is good in coughs arising f rom a 
 sharp humour : and in sharpness of urine, and 
 sharp stools, but it is a disagreeable medicine ; it 
 is very difficultly powdered, and the solution is not 
 pleasant. 
 
 Thorough wax. Perfoliate, 
 
 A very beautiful wild plant among our corn, 
 distinguished by the stalk growing through the 
 leaves. It is three feet high. The stalk is 
 round, firm, upright, whitish, and toward the top 
 divided into some branches. The leaves are broaa 
 n ad eval ; the stern runs through them toward the
 
 340 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 bottom, for tliey have no foot stalks, and they sur- 
 round it in their largest part, ending in a blunt 
 point. They are of a bluish green colour, and 
 not dented at the edges. The flowers are little and 
 yellow, they stand in cluster.-*, or a kind of umbels 
 af the tops of the branches, with a parcel of small 
 leaves placed under them. The root is white, oblong, 
 and slender. 
 
 The leaves are ued by the country people 
 against wounds and bruises externally, the seeds are 
 given inwardly, to prevent the ill effects of internal 
 hurts. 
 
 Thyme. Thymus. 
 
 A common plant in our kitchen gardens, 
 with hard and woody stalks, small leaves, and pale 
 red flowers. The height is eight or ten inches ; 
 the blanches are numerous. The leaves stand two 
 at each joint, and are of a dusky green ; the flow- 
 ers are disposed in a kind of shoyrt spikes at the tops 
 of the stalks ; the whole plant has a strong smell, 
 and an aromatic taste. 
 
 A tea made of the fresh tops of thyme, is good 
 in asthmas, and stuffings of the lungs ; it is recom- 
 mended against nervous complaints ; but for this 
 purpose the wild thyme, called mother of thyme, is 
 preferable. There is an oil made from thyme that 
 cures the tooth-ach, a drop or two of it being put 
 noon lint and applied to the tooth : this is com- 
 monly Called oil of origanum. 
 
 Toad Flax. Linaria. 
 
 A common wild plant, with narro.v bluish 
 leaves, and thick spikes of yellow flowers It grows
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 34) 
 
 on dry banks, and is a foot and half high. The stalk 
 is round and thick, firm, upright, and single. The 
 leaves stand irregularly ; they are oblong*, narrow, 
 smooth, not dented at the edges, and pointed at 
 the ends : the flowers stand in a short and thick spike ; 
 they ape large, and many of them are generally open 
 together ; they have a spur behind, and their forepart 
 is of two yellows, a darker in the middle, and a paler 
 on each side. 
 
 The tops are used fresh gathered, or the whole 
 herb dried. An infusion of them is excellent 
 against the jaundice, and all inward obstructions ; 
 it gently promotes the menses, and works by urine. 
 A fine cooling ointment is made by boiling the fresh 
 plant chopped to pieces in lard, till it be crisp ; the 
 lard is then to be strained off, and is of a fine green 
 colour. 
 
 Tobacco. Nicotlana, 
 
 A tall and beautiful plant, native of the West 
 Indies, but kept in our gardens. It is five feet 
 high ; the stalk is round, thick, upright, single, and 
 a little hairy. It has a clammy dampness about it, 
 by which it sticks to the hands in touching. The 
 leaves are very large, oblong, and pointed at the 
 ends. They are of a dusky green colour, and feel 
 also clammy like the stalk. The flowers are red 
 and large ; they are long, hollow, and open at the 
 mouth. The seed-vessel is oval, and the seeds arc 
 small. 
 
 The leaves are good fresh or dried. A slight 
 infusion of them fre^h gathered is a powerful 
 vomit ; it is apt to work too roughly, but for con- 
 stitutions that will bear it, is a good medicine 
 against rheumatic pains. An ointment made of the 
 fresh ones with lard, is good against the inflam-
 
 342 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 station of the piles, the distilled oil is sometimes 
 dropped on cotton to cure the tooth-ach, applying 
 it to the tooth ; the powder kills all kinds of vermin. 
 As to the custom of chewing 1 and taking it as snuff, 
 little can be said for them, from practice, and nothing 
 from reason : nor much for smoking". If these cus- 
 toms had any good tendency, it would be taken off by 
 the constant practice. 
 
 There is a lesser, greener kind of tobacco, called 
 English tobacco. It has the same virtues with the 
 other, but in a more remiss degree. The leaves are 
 often sold for those of the other. 
 
 Tormentil. Tormenlilla. 
 
 A very common wild plant, but very prettv. 
 and of great virtue. The stalks are eight inches 
 long, but they don't stand upright. They are verv 
 slender, round, and of a brownish colour. The 
 leaves stand seven or thereabout together at a joint, 
 ail rising from one base ; they are narrow, longish, 
 pointed at the ends, and serrated at the edges, and 
 of a dtep green. The iiowers are small, but of a 
 beautiful shining yellow : they grow on slender 
 foot stalks, and are of the shape and colour of the 
 crow-foot flowers, only more beautiful ; and much 
 less. The roots are large, thick, and crooked, brown 
 en the outside, and reddish within, and of an austere 
 taste. 
 
 The root is the part used, and it is best dried ; it 
 may be given in powder, or decoction. The pow- 
 der is excellent against the bleeding of the piles, 
 bloody stools, and the overflowings of the menses. 
 Two ounces of the root added to a quart of hartf- 
 liorn drink in the boiling, gives it a pretty colour, 
 ar.d .ulds to its virtue ; the root is cordial as well as 
 astringent, and operates a little by sweat : this de-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 343 
 
 coction is therefore very serviceable in fevers, attended 
 with purgings. It checks this moderately, and is 
 good against the fever at the same time. 
 
 Tree of Life. Arbor vilce 
 
 A small tree of irregular growth., a native of 
 America, but common in our gardens. The 
 trunk is covered with a rough brown bark : the 
 branches are numerous, and irregular ; the young 
 twigs are flatted and the leaves of them are very 
 flat, and of a scaly texture ; they are of a bright 
 green, narrow, and somewhat like the leaves of 
 Cyprus, only not prickly ; the flowers are whitish, 
 small, and inconsiderable : they stand towards the 
 tops of the branches. The whole tree has a strong 
 and not agreeable smell, it brings into one's mind 
 old bad cheese. 
 
 The young shoots and tops of the branches, are 
 used fresh. An infusion of them is good against ob- 
 structions of the lungs, but it must be slight, and the 
 use continued. 
 
 Gum Anime Trie. Anlme arlor. 
 
 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 not un- 
 like those of the common bay-tree in form, and 
 they always grow two at a joint, one opposite to 
 the other. They are very numerous ; and the 
 branches of the tree spread a great way ; they are 
 not all naked, but the head seems at a distance a 
 solid mass : the leaves are of a firm texture, but 
 when held up to the light, innumerable holes are 
 seen in therm, as they are in the leaves of St. John's- 
 wort, The flowers are shaped like pea blossoms ;
 
 34* FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 they are of a purple colour, and stand at the Ups of 
 the branches. The fruit is a large pod. 
 
 The only substance we owe to this tree, is what 
 we commonly call gum anime, but that is a very ill 
 name, it is properly a resin. It is whitish, brittle, 
 and very fragrant. We sometimes also see at the 
 druggists a greenish, brownish, or reddish resin, 
 called gum anime ; this comes from the East, and 
 is what was originally known by that name ; but 
 at present the other only is used. It is a fine bal- 
 sam, good in consumptions, and against the whites : 
 and it is put into some ointments, for old ulcers, with 
 great advantage. 
 
 Trefoil. Trifollum Purpurcum. 
 
 A common wild plant in our meadows. It i* 
 eight inches high ; the stalk is round, and not very 
 upright ; the principal leaves rise immediately from 
 the root ; thev stand three together upon long foot- 
 stalks, and arc of an oval figure, but pointed ; of 
 a pale green colour, a little hairy, and have gene- 
 rally a white spot in the centre of each. The leaves 
 on the stulks, are of the same form, but little : the 
 ilowers stand at the tops, in a kind of short, thick, 
 spikes ; they are small and red, and are followed by 
 little ilat pods. 
 
 The Ilowers are used ; they are best fresh 
 leathered, and given in infusion. They are good 
 against the bleeding of the piles ; and while they 
 ate balsamic and astringent in the bowels, they work 
 by urine. 
 
 Turmeric. Curcuma. 
 
 A native of the East Indies, and a very sin 
 gular plant. The leaves rise immediately from
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 345 
 
 the rout, and arc long, broad, pointed at the 
 ends, not dented at the edges, and of a very deep 
 green colour. On other pa its of the root stand 
 the stalks, which bear the (lowers ; these are a 
 foot high, and of the thickness of a goose quill. 
 They have only a kind of films instead of leaves ; 
 the flowers stand in short thick spikes, and are 
 of a red colour, longish and slender ; they look 
 very pretty in the spike, but do not Jast long ; 
 the root is oblong, thick, and of an irregular 
 figure, whitish on the outside, and of a deep 
 yellow within ; it creeps under the surface of the 
 ground. 
 
 Our druggists keep these roots dry. They are 
 good against the jaundice ; they open all obstruc- 
 tions, and promote the menses, and work by 
 urine. 
 
 TuRPf,TH. Turp.thum 
 
 A, plant of the bind-weed kind, native of the 
 East Indies. It grows to twelve feet in length, but 
 the stalk is slender and weak, and cannot support 
 itself upright. The leaves are oblong, broad, and 
 obtusely pointed. The flowers are white, and 
 large ; they very much resemble those of the com- 
 mon great bind-weed, and the seed-vessel i ; large 
 and full of little seeds; the loot is very long and 
 slender. 
 
 The b-Mik of the root is sent us dry. It is 
 Jproperlv indeed the whole root, wi'.h the hard 
 woody part taken out of its centre. Tt is kept 
 by our druggists ; it is a brisk purge given in a 
 proper dose, but it is very rarely used at this 
 time. 
 
 Y V
 
 346 FAMILY HERBAL 
 
 Turnip. JRapum. 
 
 A plant too common in our gardens to require 
 a curious description. The root is round and 
 white, or purplish. 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 stalks are a yard high, round, smooth, firm, 
 upright, and branched ; the leaves on them are 
 small and smooth ; the flowers are little and yellow, 
 and they stand in a kind of long spikes ; they are 
 followed by long pods. 
 
 The roots are so frequently eaten, that few 
 would think of their possessing any medicinal 
 virtues, out being cut into slices, and stewed with 
 sugar, till their juice with the sugar, becomes a 
 syrup ; this is a very irood medicine against a 
 comrh 
 
 vs. 
 
 Turpen tin:; Tri e. Terebinth us. 
 
 A tall tvcQ in the East, where it is native .- 
 we have it in gardens, but it never arises to any 
 great height here. The bark is brown and rough : 
 the branches are numerous and stand irregularly ; 
 I he leaves are each composed of a double row 
 of smaller set on a common rib, with an odd 
 one at the end. These are oval, and of a deep 
 shining green. The flowers are small and pur- 
 ple ; they appear in form of clusters of threads 
 before the leaves ; the fruit is long, but with a kernel 
 of a resinous taste. T.u i wh ;le shrub lias also a 
 resinous smell. 
 
 We use no part of the tree but the fine Chio tur- 
 pentine, the most esteemed of all those balsams, is 
 obtained from it ; in the island whence it ha* 
 its name. It is a pleasant and an excellent mcdi-
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 347 
 
 cine ; it works by urine, and is an universal balsam. 
 It is good in coughs and ail other disorders of the 
 lungs ; and it stops the whites, and the weaknesses 
 after venereal complaints. 
 
 There are several oilier kinds of turpentine in 
 use in the shops produced from the diflerent trees ; 
 the Venice turpentine is from the larch tree ; the 
 Strasburg turpentine from the yew-leaved fir ; 
 and the common turpentine from the wild pine. 
 They all have been mentioned already, under 
 the names of the several trees which produce them ; 
 but tins is the finest kind. What is called Cyprus 
 turpentine is obtained from the same tree with 
 the Chio turpentine, the right turpentine tree, but it 
 is coarser and browner, otherwise the same with the 
 Chio. 
 
 T ltsan. dndroscem it m . 
 
 A very singular and beautiful plant, and of 
 great virtues. It grow-; in cur wood*?, and under 
 hedges, but not very common : if, is kept in many 
 gardens. It grows two feci in height. The 
 stalks are firm and smooth, of a reddish colour 
 tolerably upright, and not at all branched, ex- 
 cept for some young shoots near the top. The 
 leaves stand two at each joint, opposite to one 
 another, and at no great distance ; they are very 
 large, and of a shape approaching to oval. Their 
 colour is a brownish green ; they are smooth and 
 not serrated at the edges. The flowers are not 
 very large, but of a beautiful yellow- ; they re- 
 semble those of St. John's wort, and are like them 
 full of yellow threads, \vhien, when rubbed, stain 
 the hands red 1 he fruit is a kind of berry, 
 black when ripe, and containing a great quan- 
 tity of small seeds, The whole plant in autvuna
 
 348 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 frequently appears of a blood red colour, very singular 
 and beautiful. The root is small, reddish, and ir- 
 regular ; it creeps under the surface. 
 
 The leaves are an excellent cure for fresh wounds. 
 Scarce any thing is equal to them. The young 
 and tender ones at the tops of the branches arc to 
 be chosen ; they are to be bound upon the wound, 
 and they stop the bleeding and perform a very 
 speedy cure. I have had very iate and very singular 
 instances of the effects of this herb. Many of the 
 common plants are celebrated for this virtue, but the 
 effect of this is surprising. 
 
 Twv Blade. Bifolium. 
 
 A very singular and pretty plant, common in 
 our meadows in *!k beginning of summer. It 
 is a foot high ; the stalk is round, green, tender, 
 and upright ; it has only two leaves on it, and they 
 grow from the root. They av very large, broad, 
 of an oval figure, 'and stand opposite to one another, 
 about the middle of the stalk or somewhat lower. 
 The flowers are small ami green ; they are of 
 an uncommon figure, somewhat like that of the 
 orchis, and they si and in a long spike ; the seeds 
 are very small, and the root is small, slender, and 
 white. 
 
 The fresh gathered plant is used ; an infusion of 
 if made strong, is good against the bleeding of the 
 piles, and the juice is recommended to be applied to 
 them externally. 
 
 V. 
 
 (iauoen Yaixiuan. Valeriana hortmsii?.. 
 
 A TALL and beautiful plan!, native of the
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 319 
 
 mountainous parts of Italy* and common in our 
 gardens. It is three feet high. The stalk is 
 upright round, striated, and hollow. The leaves 
 which grow from the root, are long and somewhat 
 broad ; some of these are divided deeply on each 
 side, others are entire ; all have a broad and round 
 end. Those on the stalks are smaller, and they 
 are all deeply divided. The flowers stand in large 
 tufts, in the form of umbels, at die tops of the 
 stalks and branches ; they arc small and white. 
 The root is long-, irregular, and moderately thick ; 
 it creeps under the surface of the ground, and has a 
 strong smell ; its colour is brown, and it is full of 
 fibres. 
 
 This root is used dry ; the druggists call it phu : 
 it is good in fevers and suppressions of the menses, 
 for it is diaporetie, and good against all obstruc- 
 tions. It works also by urine, and it is warm up- 
 on the stomach, and good against disorders of the 
 nerves. 
 
 Wild Valerian. 1 aleriana sylvestris. 
 
 A tall and handsome plant, frequent in our 
 woods and upon heaths, not unlike the garden 
 valerian in its form and manner of growth, and 
 of greater virtues It is a yard high. The 
 stalks are round, striated, upright, hollow, and 
 of a pale green. The leaves are large end beauti- 
 ful ; they are each composed of several pairs -of 
 smaller set on a common rib, arid with an odd 
 one at the end. These are long, narrow, ddn- 
 tated at the edu'cs, of a faint "Teen colour, and 
 a little hairy. The flowers stand in large tuft? 
 like umbels at the lops of the stalks, and are 
 bmall and white with a blush of reddish. The 
 root is of a whitish colour, and is composed of
 
 390 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 a great many thick fibres. It is of a very strong and 
 disagreeable smell. 
 
 The root is used ; it is best dried and given in 
 powder, or in infusion .1 It is an excellent medicine 
 in nervous disorders. It is said that it will cure the 
 falling sickness, but its good effects against head- 
 achs, low-spiritedness, and tremblings of the limbs, 
 are well known. 
 
 Vanilla Plant. Vanilla. 
 
 A climbing plant, native of America. If 
 grows to thirty f^eet or more in length, but the 
 stalk is slender and weak, and climbs upon trees to 
 support it. It is round, striated, green, and tough 
 The leaves are numerous and placed irregular! v ; 
 they are a foot long, considerably broad, and like 
 those of the common plantain, of a dusky green, 
 and have high ribs. The flowers are small in shape 
 like a pea blossom, but of a greenish white colour 
 The pods are long and flatted, of a brown colour, of 
 a very fragrant smell, and full of exceedingly small 
 seeds. 
 
 This pod is the part used ; it is a cordial and 
 restorative ,- it opens obstructions, and promotes the 
 menses ; it operates by urine, and by sweat, but it is 
 not much used. Some put them into chocolate, 
 to give it a flavour, a'nd to make it more cordial and 
 restorative ; this is done in the grinding up the nuts 
 to the cake, and we bey it by the name of Vanilla 
 chocolate. 
 
 Vervain. Verbena 
 
 A common wild plant, about onr path-ways, 
 with slender spikes, and a few little flowers. It is 
 two feet high ; the stalks are numerous, square, very
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 351 
 
 E:rong, a little hairy, and often purplish. The 
 leaves grow two at each joint ; they are oblong, nar- 
 row, notched at the edg-es, of a dusky green, and of 
 a wrinkled and rough surface. The flowers are white, 
 with a tinge of purplish : there is a long spike of 
 their buds, and of the remaining cups, but only two 
 or three flowers are open at a time. 
 
 The fresh gathered tops are used ; an infusion 
 of them is good against obstructions of the liver and 
 spleen : it is warm upon the stomach, and a 
 continued use of it will remove nervous com- 
 plaints. 
 
 Vine. Vttis. 
 
 A weak shrub, too familiar in our gardens to 
 need much description. The trunk is covered with 
 a rough bark ; the branches arc locg\ weak, and 
 straggling ; the leaves are roundish in the whole 
 figure, but indented deeply into five or seven di- 
 visions, the lower arc inconsiderable : the fruit 
 is round, or oblong, juicy, and produced in great 
 bunches. 
 
 We use no part of the common vine, as it grows 
 with us ; but not to mention the several kinds of 
 wine that arc useful on different occasions, the 
 dried fruit in the form of what we call raisins and 
 currants, is in constant repute. Raisins of the sun, 
 Malaga raisins, and currants all have the same virtue ; 
 they are good in coughs, and soreness of the lungs, 
 and in consumptions. 
 
 Vinegar is also a product of the grape : it is 
 wine become sour, and spirit of wine and brandy 
 of the very best kinds, are made from wine also by 
 distillation. The substance called tartar, of which 
 the cream of tartar is made, is only a salt of the 
 grape, which sticks to the wine casks. So that we
 
 352 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 owe to the grape, more medicines than to any one 
 simple whatsoever. 
 
 Viollt. Viola 
 
 A common wild plant in our woods and hedges, 
 but of a fragrance superior to all that we re- 
 ceived from the rich East. It is a little., low, 
 creeping plant, obscure even when in flower ; the 
 stalks are round, green, and creeping ; they do 
 not rise up, but spread themselves along the ground, 
 taking root at the joints ; the leaves rise from 
 these rooted par's ; they are large and stand each 
 on a long foot stalk. They arc of a heart-like 
 shape, and dented round the edges, and of a deep 
 green. The (lowers are small and of a deep and 
 beautiful purple ; they stand singly on short foot 
 stalks arising amonc: the leaves, and covered bv 
 them. 
 
 The flowers are the part used ; boiling Mater 
 is to be poured upon them just enough to cover 
 them, and it is to stand all night ; when it is 
 strained clear oft', the sugar is to be added to it, 
 at the rate of two pounds to each pint, and it is to 
 be melted over the fire ; this makes syrup of 
 violets, an excellent gentle purge for children. 
 The leaves are dried also, and are used in the de- 
 coctions for clysters. An infusion of them works by 
 urine. 
 
 Viper's Grass. Scorzoncra 
 
 A t\i.l and handsome plant, native of the 
 warmer parts of Europe, but kept in our gardens. 
 It is three feet high ; the stalk is round, thick, 
 upright, and firm ; the leaves are numerous and 
 stand irregularly : they are long, narrow, of a
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 353 
 
 p;tlc green, sharp pointed, and not dentatcd at the 
 edges. Those from the root are long and narrow 
 also, but they are considerably larger. The flow^ 
 ers grow at the top of the branches ; they are 
 large like dandelion flowers in shape, and of a 
 most beautiful pale yellow ; the seed has a white 
 down annexed to it. The root is long, thick, 
 and brown. 
 
 The root is the part used, and it is best fresh 
 taken up. It is given in infusion, and it is cor- 
 dial, and operates by sweat ; it is good in fevers, 
 but little used. 
 
 Viper's Busloss. Ecliium. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant, about our path ways, 
 and on ditch-banks, known by its spotted stalks* 
 and fine blue flowers. It is a foot and half high; 
 the stalk is round, thick, firm, hairy, and upright; 
 it is of a whitish, colour stained with spots and 
 lines of blue, red, and purple. The leaves are 
 longish and narrow ; they arc rough, and of a 
 deep dusky green, broad and blunt at the point, 
 and have no foot stalks. The flowers arc large, 
 and of a beautiful blue, with a red stamina in 
 the middle. 
 
 The leaves are used ; those growing from the 
 root are best ; an infusion of them is cordial, 
 and operates by sweat ; it is good in fevers, and 
 against head-achs, and all nervous complaints 
 
 The Virginia?! Snakeroot Plant. Serpenta- 
 ria Virginiana. 
 
 A LITTLE plant of the birthwort kind, but 
 different from the several sorts of that plant, des- 
 cribed already in their places, in its roots, and 
 
 i z
 
 354 FAMILY HERBAL.' 
 
 in its manner of growing. It is two feet high, 
 when it grows in a favourable soil, and has 
 bushes or any thing else to support it. The stalks 
 are weak and green ; the leaves stand irregularly 
 on them, and they are oblong, narrow, and auri- 
 culated at the bottom. The flowers are small, 
 hollow, and of a deep dusky purplish colour. 
 The root is composed of a vast quantity of strings, 
 which are of a dusky olive colour, and of a 
 strong smell and aromatic taste. The roots of 
 this plant were the first that came into use, under 
 the name of Virginian snakeroot, but there arc 
 upon the spot two other plants of the same kind, 
 though different specie^, which have thready roots 
 of the same form, and they are indifferently taken 
 up for use; they all seem to have the same vir- 
 tue, so that there is no harm in the mixture. 
 There i3 sometimes another root mixed among 
 them ; but that is easily distinguished, for it is 
 black, and these are all of the same dusky olive 
 colour. This last adulteration should be avoided. 
 The Virginian sn.ikeroot is an excellent medi- 
 cine in fevers ; it operates by urine and by sweat, 
 and will often take off inveterate head-achs. 
 It is also given by some as a remedy against 
 worms ; and it was originally famous against the 
 poison of the rattle-snake, and was a remedy we 
 icarnt from the Indians. It is good against 
 worms in children, and may be given in small 
 doses for a continuance of time. Scarce any 
 thing is more effectual. 
 
 The Vomic Nut Tre*. Nux vomica^ 
 
 A TALL and spreading tree of the East, very 
 like that which affords the wood called snake- 
 wood in the shops, and by some supposed th
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 3:>5 
 
 tame with it, but that is an error : the kernels of 
 the fruit of that tree, are indeed of the shape 
 of the vomic nil's, but they are not half so big. 
 The tree is large and spreading : the branches 
 are numerous, and the leaves are large : they stand 
 in pairs opposite to one another ; and are oblong, 
 jbi-oadest in the middle, and rounded or blunt at 
 the end, and of a very bitter taste ; the flowers 
 are small, and stand iu clusters at certain parts 
 of the young branches : the fruit is of the big- 
 ness of an apple, and is yellow when ripe. The 
 kernels in this are what we call mix vomica ; 
 there arc fifteen of them in each fruit, and they 
 are lodged in three divisions. 
 
 These kernels arc the only part used ; our drug- 
 gists keep them ; they are round, flat, and of a 
 whitish colour, very firm, and tough. They 
 have been used as poison to dogs, cats, and other 
 animals ; but there are those who give them to 
 the human species, in small doses, without mischief, 
 and with very good effect. Quartan agues that 
 have stood it against the bark, have been cured 
 by them ; but if the dose be too large, they 
 bring on convulsions, and there is great reason to be- 
 lieve, that in very large ones they would kill. 
 At present we have choice of so many medicines 
 for every disorder, that it is almost unpardonable 
 to give such as are suspicious. Some people 
 have ventured to give even ratsbane, as a medi- 
 cine, mixed with other things, and in the twenti- 
 eth part of a grain for a dose ; but reason con- 
 demns this rash way of practice, and doubly, as 
 there is no necessity to authorize it.
 
 356 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 W. 
 
 The Walnut Tree. Juglans. 
 
 A COMMON tree m our gardens'; it grows 
 to a great bigness, and is very much branched. 
 The leaves are very large and long ; each is com- 
 posed of a double row of smaller, and has an odd 
 one at the end. These are each of an oval figure 
 and yellowish green colour, and of a pleasant 
 smell. The flowers are little; they are yellow- 
 ish, and arranged in loose catkins. The fruit is 
 covered with a green thick coat, and has with- 
 in a kernel divided into parts, and of an uneven 
 surface. 
 
 The bark of the walnut tree is a good emetic ; 
 it may be given in infusion, or dried and powder- 
 ed ; it vomits easily and plentifully. The skin 
 that covers the kernel is good against fluxes. 
 
 Wall- F lower . Leucoium. 
 
 A COMMON wild plant, but. not without 
 beauty ; it is frequent on old walls, and has yel- 
 low and sweet-scented flowers. The stalks arc 
 woody, and a foot and half high ; the leaves are 
 very numerous, longish, narrow, and of a dead 
 green. The flowers stand in a kind of spikes, at 
 the tops of the stalks, and are yellow and mode- 
 rately large. The seeds are contained in long 
 pods. 
 
 The flowers are used ; and an infusion of them 
 fresh is good against the head-ach, and in all nerv- 
 ous disorders. They are also good to steep in oil, 
 to which tliev give a cordial warmth, and make 
 it good against pains in tlie limbs. But they are 
 pot either way much used at present.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 1 35? 
 
 Water Arrow Head. Sagitta aquatica. 
 
 A VERY pretty plant, common in our ditches, 
 with leaves like the bearded heads of arrows, 
 and with prettj white flowers. It is two feet 
 and a half high, but generally the greatest part 
 of the stalk is buried in water, very little appear- 
 ing above, except the spike of flowers. The 
 leaves stand each upon a pedicle, which is round, 
 thick, and very long ; they are of a beautiful 
 green, and are broad, and bearded at the base, 
 and sharp at the point ; the flowers are white, to- 
 lerably large, and very bright ; and the stalk, 
 on which they are supported, is also round and 
 thick. 
 
 The common people in many places have a cus- 
 tom of applying these leaves bruised to inflamma- 
 tions ; they cool and give ease, but it is not al- 
 ways right. 
 
 Water Plantain. Plantago aquatica. 
 
 A VERY common tall plant in ditches, and 
 having not the least resemblance of any kind of 
 plantain, except in the leaves ; from which, how- 
 ever, it has received its name. The root is com- 
 posed of a great quantity of fibres. From this, 
 there rise in spring a number of leaves, oblong, 
 broad, smooth, and of a beautiful green colour, 
 and having in shape, though not at all in colour 
 or consistence, some slight resemblance of plan- 
 tain: they are perfectly smooth, of a glossy sur- 
 face, and brittle. These stand for many months 
 without tlie stalk ; and doubtless in this state it 
 got the name. The stalk is two feet or more 
 in height ; round, firm, and upright ; and at 
 the top it srnds out a vast number of branches,
 
 358 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 vrhich send out other smaller ; and even these last 
 are again divided. On the tops of the last di- 
 visions stand the flowers with their buds, and 
 the seed-vessels ; so that the whole has the ap- 
 pearance of a cone. The flowers are little and 
 white, and consist of three leaves each ; thejr 
 stand but a little time, and only a few are seen 
 together. 
 
 The seed is the part used : the plant is to be 
 suffered to stand, till this is thoroughly ripe, and 
 then cut up gently, and laid to dry two or 
 three days upon a tabic : a smart stroke or two, 
 will dislodge a great quantity of the seeds ; they 
 are very good against the overflowing of the 
 menses, find all other bleedings ; and are giv- 
 en in powder, in electuaries, small doses be- 
 ing to be taken at a time, and often repeated. 
 
 Rue-leaved Whitlow-Grass . Paronychia 
 rutacco folio. 
 
 A COMMON little plant, early in spring, on 
 our walls and houses, and of a very singular as- 
 pect ; it is red, and has pretty white flowers. 
 It is not more than four inches high ; the stalks 
 are round, upright, and a little hairy ; and they 
 are covered with an unctuous clamminess, which 
 makes them stick to the fingers in handling. The 
 leaves are little, and also red ; they arc each 
 divided into three parts at the extremity, in the 
 way of ringers : they stand irregularly on the 
 stalks, and they are thick, fleshy, and clammy 
 in handling. The flowers stand at the tops of 
 the branches ; they arc lit tie, but of a very bright 
 white, and look very conspicuous. The whole 
 plant dies away as soon as it' has ripened the seed, 
 and is not to be seen again till the next spring.
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 359 
 
 The fresh gathered plant is to he used entire : 
 a strong infirsion of it is a very great sweetener 
 of the blood. It is excellent against the scurvy 
 in whatever form ; and there arc accounts of its 
 curing" the king's evil., that seem very well attested. 
 A syrup may be made of its juice, or of a very strong 
 infusion of it ; or a conserve of the leaves : for 
 the dried plant has very little virtue, and it i* 
 to be had frosh only a very small part of the 
 year. 
 
 The White Wjilow. Salix vulgaris alba. 
 
 A VERY common tree in wet places, and this 
 which is used in medicine is the most common of 
 ali the several kinds of it. It is also the largest. 
 It grows to be a tall tree : the bark is whitish, and 
 rough upon the trunk, and grey upon the branches ; 
 the leaves are oblong, narrow, and whitish, es- 
 pecially on the under side : they stand irregularly 
 on the branches, and are a little serrated at the 
 edges, and pointed at the ends. The tlowers are 
 very inconsiderable, but they are arranged several 
 together, in what are called catkins or palms. 
 The seeds are small ; they stand in the same calking, 
 mixed with fine white down. 
 
 The bark of the branches is used, and it is beat 
 dried , ii is good against purgings, and the over- 
 flow in j-s of the menses, and is most conveniently 
 given in powder, half a dram for a dose. 
 
 Winter Green. Pyrola. 
 
 AN EXTREMELY pretty plant, wild in some 
 parts of England, but not common. The stalk is 
 round, thick, upright, and en inches high. The 
 leaves &U grow from the root, for the stalk h naked,
 
 350 FAMILY HERBAL, 
 
 they are broad, roundish, and of a deepgreen colour ; 
 they are of a fleshy substance, and stand each on 
 a separate foot-stalk cf three or four inches long. 
 The flowers are small, and of a very bright white; 
 they stand in a kind of loose spike on the tops of 
 the stalks. The root is composed of a quantity of 
 thick whitish fibres. 
 
 The leaves are used. A decoction of them with 
 a piece of cinnamon, and a little red wine, is giver 
 against the overflowings of the menses, bloody 3too!s, 
 and all haemorrhages, and against ulcers in the 
 urinary passages, and bloody urine. 
 
 Woad. Giastum. 
 
 A PLANT cultivated in fields, in many parts 
 of England, for the use of the dyer3, and com- 
 monly met with in places near those where it wat 
 sown, as if a wild plant ; but it is not properly a 
 native of our country. It is a tall, erect, and hand- 
 some plant ; the stalk is round, thick, firm, upright, 
 and four feet high ; but it is usually so covered 
 with the leaves, that scarce any part of it is to be 
 ieen naked. The leaves arc long and of a consider- 
 able breadth. They arc large at the base, where 
 they grow to the stalk, without any foot-stalks ; 
 and narrower all the way to the point. They are 
 of a bluish green colour, and the whole plant is 
 covered with them, so the top has a pretty aspect. 
 The flowers arc little and yellow ; they stand in 
 great numbers about the tops of the stalks, which 
 are divided into a multitude of small branches; 
 and they are succeeded by small seed vessels. The 
 root is long and thick. 
 
 Although the dyers arc the people who pay 
 most regard to woad, and for whose use it is cul- 
 tivated, it has virtues that demand for it a great
 
 FAMILY HERBAL, 3GI 
 
 deal of respect in medicine. The top of the stalks, 
 before the flowers appear, contam the greatest vir- 
 tue, and they are best fresh. They arc to be given in 
 infusion, 3iid they are excellent against obstructions 
 of the liver and spleen ; they work by urine, and 
 so take effect; the use of this infusion must be 
 continued a considerable time : these are disorders 
 that come on slowly, and are to be slowly re- 
 moved. 
 
 Woodruffe. Asperula. 
 
 A COMMON little wild plant, in our woods 
 and thickets : it is ten inches h'gh. The stalk 
 is square, slender, weak, and not able to support 
 itself perfectly upright. The leaves stand several 
 at each joint, encon. passing the stalk in the man- 
 ner of a star ; they are oblong, broad, and of a 
 deep green, In their form and manner of growth 
 they much resemble those of common cleavers, 
 but thev are larger, though the plant is so mucli 
 less, and they are not rough as in that plant, but 
 nearly smooth. The flowers stand at the top* 
 of the stalks in little clusters ; they are small and 
 white ; the seeds stand two together in a gloUular 
 form. The roots are little and fibrous. 
 
 The fresh herb is used, and is best given in a 
 strong decoction ; it opens obstructions of the 
 liver and spleen, and is a cordial, and stomachic. 
 It is good in the jaundice. 
 
 The Wormseed Plant. Absinthium satitonicum. 
 
 A KTND of wormwood, native of the East, 
 and not known so much as in our gardens. The 
 plant is two feet high. The leaves are very finc- 
 3 A
 
 362 FAMILY HERBAL, 
 
 ly divided, like those of the true Roman worm 
 wood, and of a pale green on the upper side, and 
 a silvery white below. The stalks are stiff, linn, 
 woody, and branched; they are of a whitish 
 colour, and have a loose downy skin upon them : 
 the flowers are small and brownish ; they resem- 
 ble those of wormwood, and stand in a kind of 
 loose spikes at the tops of the stalks. 
 
 The seeds are used : our druggists keep them ; 
 and very often the unripe buds of the flowers in 
 their place, arc mixed with them. They arc good 
 against worms in children ; the good women give 
 them mixed with treacle : and few medicines 
 for this purpose have better effect. For people 
 of nicer palates, they may be powdered, and made 
 into boluses 
 
 Treacle Wormseed. Camelina. 
 
 TITO is not the plant^ which produces what 
 the druggists sell under the name of wormseed ; 
 that is the produce of an Egyptian kind of 
 wormwood, just described. This is an English 
 herb of the podded kind, and very distinct in its 
 whole appearance from that, and all of its sort. 
 It is two i'cet high. The stalks are round, up- 
 right, firm, and toward the top divided into 
 branches ; the leaves are very numerous, and 
 stand irregularly. They are longish, narrow, 
 pointed at the cuds, not at all dented at the edge.*, 
 and of a dusky green colour. The flowers are 
 little and yellow ; they stand in small clusters at 
 the tops of the branches, and under them is a kind 
 of spike of pods ; these are long and slender, 
 green at first, but of a kind of brown colour when 
 i *pe ; and m each is a great number of seeds ;
 
 FAMILY HERBAL, 363 
 
 these are round, small, and of an extremely bit- 
 ter taste, much more bitter than the common 
 worm. seed. 
 
 This seed i^ ihc part used. The good women 
 bruise if. and mixing it with treacle, give it to 
 the children of robust, constitutions against worms. 
 It operates powerfully, by stool, and, if given in 
 too large a quantity by vomit. It is therefore 
 to be used with discretion ; but it will answer the 
 purpose, and is preferable, for many reasons, to 
 those mercurial medicines, which it is the fashion 
 of the times to give to people for those disorders ; 
 especially in the country, where there seldom is 
 skill enough in the practitioner to manage, as he 
 ought, medicines, which may be the occasion of 
 so much mischief. 
 
 Common Wormwood, Ahsyntliium vulgar e. 
 
 A WILD plant frequent by way sides, and on 
 ditch-banks. It is a yard high. The stalks are 
 round, striated, white, tirm, and branched. The 
 leaves are large, but they are divided into a great 
 number of small parts. They are of a pale whit- 
 ish green, and stand irregularly on the stalks ; 
 many larger, but of the same kind, rise from the 
 root. The Mowers stand in a kind of loose spikes 
 at the tops of the stalks ; they are small and 
 bjown. The whole plant is of a very bitter 
 taste. 
 
 The tops of the plant are to be uzed fresh gather- 
 ed ; a very slight infusion of them is excellent for 
 all disorders of the stomach, and will prevent 
 sickness after meals, and create an appetite ; but 
 if it be made strong, it will not only be disagree- 
 able to the taste, but will disgust the stomach 
 
 The tops with the flowers on them dried and
 
 35* FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 powdered, are good against agues, and have th 
 same virtue with wormseed in killing worms ; 
 indeed thej are much better than the wormseed 
 that is commonly to be met with, which is gene-' 
 rally too much decayed. The juice of the large 
 leaves of wormwood, which grow from the root 
 before the stalk appears, is good against the dropsy 
 and jaundice, for it opens obstructions, and works 
 fay urine powerfully. 
 
 Sea 'Wormwood. Absinthium seriphium. 
 
 A PLANT common in our salt-marshes, and 
 about ditches, where salt water comes. It has 
 somewhat the aspect of wormwood, but the leaves 
 are much narrower in the divisions, and the whole 
 plant is smaller. The stalks are woody, firm, up- 
 right, very much branched, and afoot and a half 
 high. The leaves arc whitish and small. The flow- 
 ers stand in loose spikes at the tops of the stalks ; 
 they are little and brown ; and they very much, 
 resemble those of the common wormwood, except 
 for the size. The whole plant has a bitter taste 
 but not disagreeable, and it has a pleasant aroma- 
 tic smell. 
 
 The tops fresh gathered, and the whole plant 
 dry, are used. They call it Roman wormwood 
 at the markets and in the shops ; and it is used 
 for the other : it has the same general virtues. 
 Ail the three kinds indeed possess them in com- 
 mon ; but the common wormwood is the most dis- 
 agreeable to the taste, and sits worst upon the 
 stomach : this is better than that, but it is much 
 more disagreeable than ihc true Roman worm- 
 wood. It is very strengthening to the stomach; 
 it assists digestion, and prevents wind. It is com- 
 monly an ingredient in the bitter infusions, and
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 365 
 
 tinctures of the shops, but it docs very well alone ; 
 boiling water poured upon it, and suffered to 
 stand till it is cold then strained off, is an excel- 
 lent medicine to cause an appetite. Put into white 
 wine, it also gives a pleasant bitter flavour, with 
 the same virtues. 
 
 Roman Wormwood. Absyntlxium Romanum. , 
 
 A VERY delicate plant of the wormwood kind, 
 native of the warmer parts of Europe, but kept 
 in our gardens. It is two fttct and a half high ; 
 the stalk is round, smooth, hard, upright, of 
 a browish colour, and somewhat woody. The 
 leaves stand irregularly on it, and they are small 
 and divided into very fine segments : they are 
 more like the leaves of the common southern- 
 wood in figure, than those of either of the other 
 wormwoods. The flowers are little and brown, 
 like those of common wormwood, but vastly 
 smaller ; they are very numerous, and stand at 
 the tops of the stalks in a kind of long and thick 
 spikes. The root is creeping and spreading, and 
 composed of fibres. The whole plant has a bitter 
 taste, but not at all like that of wormwood, ex- 
 tremely aromatic and pleasing. The flowers are 
 very bitter, and have little of this aromatic fla- 
 vour. 
 
 The fresh tops are used, and the whole plant 
 dried. It is excellent to strengthen the stomach; 
 hut that is not ail its virtue. The juice of the fresh 
 tops is good against obstructions of the liver 
 and spleen, and has been known singly to cure the 
 jaundice.
 
 5/55 FAMILY HERBAL. 
 
 Y. 
 
 Y 4 n u o w , JMillefoll um . 
 
 A COMMON plant in our pastures, and by 
 waj sides. It is two or three feet high ; the stalk 
 is round, upright, firm and striated : the leave? 
 are long-, and not very broad, and they are the 
 most beautifully divided of those of any known 
 plant. 
 
 Their colour is a deep green, and the parts 
 into which they are divided are exceedingly fine, 
 slender, and regularly arranged : the flowers stand 
 at the fops of the branches, in the manner of 
 umbels, in round and large tufts ; they are white, 
 but they often have a blush of red. The root 
 is white and creeping, and the seeds are white, 
 broad, and flat. 
 
 The "whole plant is used fresh gathered, but 
 the best part is the tops of the shoots ; these are 
 to be boiled in water, and the decoction sweeten^ 
 cd with fine sugar ; it is excellent against the 
 bleedings of the piles, and bloody fluxes, and 
 the overflowing of the menses. It is also heal- 
 ing and good in ulcerations of the ureters : and 
 it operates gently by urine, 
 
 Z. 
 
 The Zedoarv Plant. Zccloaria, 
 
 AN Eastern plant, very singular, and very 
 beautiful. The root creeps under flic surface, 
 and lias many tuberous lumps, some long, and 
 some round ; but the long are preferred. The 
 round have by many been called zerurnbclh ; 
 though the zerunibeth is properly another root..
 
 '/ , ..
 
 FAMILY HERBAL. 367 
 
 to be described in its place. The leaves of the 
 zedoary plant are large, very broad, and not 
 vastly long ; they stand in clusters, encircling 
 one another at the bases : the flowers stand on 
 separate stalks : these are only eight or ten inches 
 high. They are small, of an irregular shape, 
 and purplish. 
 
 The root is the only part used ; our drug- 
 gists keep it dry ; it is a warm cordial, and 
 stomachic medicine : it strengthens the stomach, 
 assists digestion, and expels wind. It is good 
 also in all nervous complaints, such as lowness of 
 spirits, faintings, tremblings of the limbs, and 
 restlessness. An ounce of zedoary, sliced thin, 
 and put into a quart of wine, makes an excellent 
 tincture for these purposes, and is very good 
 taken in the quantity of a small glass, on going 
 into a damp, or what i* suspected to ba a taint- 
 ed air. 
 
 The Zerumbeth Plant. Zcrmnl-eiha. 
 
 THE zemmbeth plant in same respects re- 
 sembles that which affords the zedoary, but it 
 is larger. It is a native of t'he East, and baa 
 not been yet got into our gardens. The leaves grow 
 together in such a maimer as to farm a kind" of 
 stalk ; this is six feet high or more ; but it is 
 only formed of their lower parts wrapped round 
 one another, m t'ie manner of the leaves of our 
 flags. The loose part of each leaf is long, nar- 
 row, and of a bluish green. The flowers stand 
 upon separate stalks ; these rise about a foot 
 high, and arc of a brownish colour : they have 
 only a ort of films upon them in the place of 
 leaves. The flowers stand in a short and thick 
 ipike, at the tops of these, they are oblong,
 
 j^o I' A ivll L i HiL K ij ilL. 
 
 hollow, moderately lar^e, ^nd of a beautiful 
 scarlet. The root is long and irregular. 
 
 The root is used ; our druggists keep it : it is 
 warm and good in all nervous cases. Its virtues 
 are very nearly the same with those of zedoary ; 
 and in general the round roots of zedoary are sold 
 under its name, though in reality it is a much 
 longer, as well as larger root, than the zedoary 
 itself.
 
 XDIX. 
 
 Concerning the virtues of plants which have not yet 
 bcc*i tried. 
 
 AS the intent of this work is truly to be of use to 
 mankind, the author who is desirous of making- 
 that utility as extensive as possible, cannot close it 
 without observing, that, notwithstanding' the great 
 deal that is known of the virtues of English plants, 
 there is certainly a great deal more unknown ; and 
 there is room for great discoveries. 
 
 The plants mentioned in this work are only four 
 or five hundred, and not all these of English 
 growth ; if they were, they would yet be but a 
 very small number in proportion to the whole. 
 The catalogue of those native of our own country, 
 as published by Mr. Kay, amounting to many 
 thousands ; great numbers therefore remain yet 
 untried. 
 
 To what purpose can a man devote the hours 
 of his leisure better, than to the discovering among 
 the number to the unregarded, virtues which may 
 farther supply the catalogue of our own remedies, 
 and make the roots and seeds brought from re- 
 mote countries less necessary ? What encourage- 
 ment to the attempt, that there are such mul- 
 titude of objects for the trial ! and that the dis- 
 covering but one remedy among them all for 
 3 it
 
 370 APPENDIX. 
 
 a disease we knew not bow so well to cure before, 
 is a source of more true honour, than can be de- 
 rived from all the useless knowledge in the 
 world. 
 
 If any suppose the trial dangerous, they mis- 
 load themselves ; and to encourage so laudible an 
 undertaking, I shall observe how little is the 
 hazard, and how considerable the advantages, 
 from what we know already. 
 
 If a man were to be turned loose upon an island 
 where no person had set foot before, he might 
 dread to taste of any plant he saw, because he 
 might not know, but every one he saw was fatal : 
 and supposing him to have got over this fear, 
 the ignorance of the virtues of all would keep 
 him backward : but this is not at all the case with 
 him, who shall at this time set about inquiring 
 into the virtues of plants in England. The 
 poisonous plants, native of our soil, are hardly a 
 dozen and these are charactered even to the eye, 
 by something singular or dismal in the aspect. 
 They are well known ; and he has nothing to do 
 but to avoid them. For the rest, he has so many, 
 whose uses and qualities are already perfectly 
 known, that he lias a great foundation to go upon 
 in the search, because he can compare those he 
 docs not know with them. Their taste will go 
 a great way toward informing him ; but this is 
 not all, their very outward figures will direct him : 
 for in general those plants which agree in the 
 external aspect, agree likewise in their virtues. 
 
 To give an instance in the marshmallow. It h 
 iiiown to work by urine, and to be good against 
 t.c ;iavel. We will suppose no more known 
 i . erning this kind. A person desirous of ex- 
 
 :: ing this useful knowledge, finds that by the 
 .itaic of the root, which is insipid, and its mu-
 
 APPENDIX. 371 
 
 cilaginous quality, he might have guessed this to 
 be its virtue, from what he before knew of medi- 
 cine. The next plant he meets, we will suppose 
 is the common mallow, and afterwards the > little 
 white flowered mallow, which lies upon the. 
 ground ; he tastes the root of these, and he finds 
 they are like the other ; he will therefore guess, 
 that they have the same virtues and upon trial, 
 he will find it is so. 
 
 Hut this is not all : if he had examined the 
 flower of the marshmallow, in what manner it 
 Avas constructed, and how the little threads grew 
 within it, he would have found that the flowers 
 of these other two mallows were, in all respects, 
 like those of the other ; and farther, he would 
 have found, that the seeds of these two kinds 
 were in the same manner disposed in circular bo- 
 dies : from this he might, without tasting their 
 roots, have been led to guess that their virtues 
 were the same ; or having guessed so much from 
 this., he might have been thence led to taste them, 
 and by that have been confirmed in it : but he 
 might he carried farther ; he would find the same 
 sort of round clusters of seeds in the hollyoak 
 in his garden ; and upon examining the single 
 flowers, he would see they were also alike : and 
 hence he would discover that it was of (his kind ; 
 and he would rightly judge that the hollyoak, also 
 possessed the same virtues. 
 
 This is a method by which many of the plants 
 mentioned in this book, have been found to have 
 virtues which others neglected ; for there are 
 many named in the preceding pages, and named 
 with great praise, of which others have made 
 little account : these are the means by which the 
 first guesses have been made about their virtues ; 
 and experiments have always confirmed them.
 
 372 APPENDIX 
 
 It has not always happened that the virtues of a 
 plant thus tried, have been in a degree worth 
 setting in a light of consequence ; they have been 
 sometimes slight, and the plant has been disregard- 
 ed ; but they have scarce ever missed to be found 
 of the same nature. 
 
 These experiments, I have always thought ho- 
 nesty required me to make upon myself, and I 
 never found harm from the trials. 1 had no right 
 to bring into the least possible danger, the health 
 of others ; as to my own there was no probability 
 of harm : but if it had happened, (lie intent would 
 have sanctified the accident, and I should have 
 been contented. 
 
 There is this great use in examining other plants 
 -which have the same sort of (lowers and fruits 
 with those which we know to have virtues, that 
 we may in this way discover plants at home, to 
 supply the place of those we have from other 
 countries. It is certain the sun in warmer climates 
 does ripen the juices of vegetables farther than 
 in ours, but yet we find the plants of the same 
 kind from whatever part of the world they come, 
 to possess nearly t!ie same kind of virtues ; gene- 
 rally indeed they are the same, only differing in 
 degree. Thus all the mallows of Spain and Italy, 
 to bring the trial to the before-named instance, 
 possess the same virtues with the marsh-mallow, 
 mallow, and holly oak of England ; and the case 
 is the same with those which are truly mallows 
 of the East and West Indies ; though this does 
 not hold good with respect to some of the 
 plants of those countries which have been brought 
 hither under that name. 
 
 Thus also, that root which was at one time 
 about to be brought very much into use, under 
 the name of the Senegal rattle-snake root, hut
 
 APPENDIX. 373 
 
 of which little mention has been made here, be- 
 cause the attention has not been turned upon novel- 
 ty, but use, being found to belong' to a kind of milk- 
 wort, or polygala. The roots of the common 
 milkwort of our pastures being tried, have been 
 found to possess the same virtues, though in a 
 less degree. This plant would not have been re- 
 garded, if the other had not been found to be of 
 the same kind ; but to that we owe the knowledge of 
 its virtues. 
 
 There is a great reason for seeking in our own 
 climate, plants of the same nature, and form, and 
 kind, with those which in other countries afford 
 us remedies ; that they are generally of the same 
 kind, and may be litter for our constitutions. This 
 is certain, that as the sun ripens the juices of plants in 
 hotter countries to mere virtue than with us, so it 
 make men's constitutions more able to bear their 
 effects. 
 
 The Chinese will swallow such doses as are 
 poison to one of us. This we know in many in- 
 stances, and it ought to encourage us in the pre- 
 sent research ; because, it the same doses which 
 agree with them, are too much for us ; we may 
 also find, that other medicines, of the same kind 
 of virtues, though in a less degree, may also 
 be found to agree better with our constitutions. 
 I would not carry so far as some have done, that 
 opinion of nature's having provided in every 
 country the remedies for the diseases of that coun- 
 try : God is the author of nature, and he know- 
 ing there would be commerce among mankind, 
 knew that would not be necessary. But not- 
 withstanding that it may be necessary in some 
 casts, and convenient in manv, for us to have drugs 
 from abroad, yet in general it will be better for us 
 to be cured by those herbs we may find at home ;
 
 SU APPENDIX. 
 
 and they will be found upon trial inure sufficient 
 for that purpose, than we at present imagine. The 
 means ate at hand, but we have made very little use 
 of them, proportioned to their number and their, 
 value. 
 
 The observation already made, that the exter- 
 nal form of plants may very well give the hint 
 for a conjecture about their virtues, is much more 
 general than might be imagined. Almost all 
 the plants of the same kinds are of the same vir- 
 tues. But that is not all : for in general, those 
 of the same class possess the same qualities ; though 
 different in degree : and this is a prodigious help 
 to him, who shall set out upon the generous and 
 useful plan of adding to the number of the useful 
 plants. It is also singular, that what might appear 
 objections in this case, being brought to the trial, 
 will often be found confirmations of the truth there is 
 in the observation. 
 
 Thus suppose a man, observing that lettuce :s 
 eatable, should inquire into all the plants like 
 lettuce, which are those that have flowers com 
 posed of many parts, and have the seeds winged 
 with a white downy matter, to find whether they 
 were eatable ; let us examine how he would suc- 
 ceed. The plants of this class native of England, 
 are the sowthistle. the hawkweeds, the dandelions, 
 goats beards, succory, and endive, all eatables. 
 The hawkweeds are less agreeable in the taste. 
 but wholesome ; and as to the wild lettuces, those 
 who would bring the opiate quality of the prin- 
 cipal of them as an objection, strengthen the ob- 
 servation ; for the garden lettuce also has an opi- 
 ate quality. This wild one possesses it in a great- 
 er degree, but still in such degree, that it is an 
 excellent medicine, not at all dangerous. Its 
 bitter taste would prevent people's eating it, for
 
 APPENDIX. 375 
 
 it is disassemble ; but its virtues are the same 
 with those of lettuce, ouly greater. There are 
 soiye kinds of hawkweed also, which have a bitter 
 milky juice, altogether like that of this lettuce ; 
 a iui they, also, have this opiate quality. I have 
 tried many of them, but as they are none of them, 
 equal to the great wild lettuce in this respect,- it 
 would have been idle to have spent many words 
 about them. 
 
 This general observation may be carried a great 
 tlcal farther ; but it were the business of a volume, 
 not of a short appendix, to explain it at large. In 
 general, the seeds of umbelliferous plants, that is, 
 those which have little {lowers in rounded clusters, 
 c;ich succeeded by two seeds, are good against 
 colics ; those of caraway, anise, cummin, corian- 
 der, and all of that kind, arc 'produced by plants 
 of this figure. In the same manner, the verticil- 
 late plants, as they are called, that is, those which 
 have the flowers surrounding the strdks, as in mint 
 and thyme, are of a warm nature ; and however 
 they differ in degree and circumstance, they have 
 the same general virtues. Farther, such plants 
 as are insipid to the taste and smell, have generally 
 little virtues; and, on the contra rv, those which 
 have the most fragrant smell, and sharpest taste, have 
 the greatest virtues, of whatever kind. 
 
 Iu general also, those plants which have a strong 
 but an agreeable taste, are most worthy to be 
 examined with respect to their virtues ; for they 
 are generally the most valuable ; and on the con- 
 trary, when a very strong taste is also a very dis- 
 agreeable one ; or, in the same manner, when \'y 
 strong smell of a plant has also something heavv. 
 disagreeable, and overpowering in it, there i- 
 mischief iu the herb, rather than any useful quality. 
 The poisonous plant- of this country are Very few;
 
 3/6 APPENDIX. 
 
 but they arc for the most part characterized after this 
 manner : so that they are known as it were at sight, 
 or by the first offer of a trial. 
 
 Thus we see how very little can be the danger of 
 inquiring farther into the virtues of our own plants, 
 by experiments ; and how useful such an inquiry 
 may be to mankind is sufficiently proved by the matter 
 of the preceding volume. 
 
 What I have written, is with intent to encourage 
 some who have opportunities to make the trial ; and 
 for my own part, I shall not be wanting. What I 
 have already discovered in this way, I am pleased to 
 see makes no inconsiderable addition to the present 
 publication ; what I shall discover farther, or learn 
 from (lie experience of others, shall have its place in 
 the succeeding editions. 
 
 FLYIS. 
 
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