The Complete Herbal To which is now added, upwards of one...

Acanths, Brancæ Ursinæ. Of bearsbreech, or brankursine, it is meanly hot and dry, helps aches and numness of the joints, and is of a binding quality, good for wounds and broken bones. Dioscorides saith, they are profitable for ruptures, or such as are bursten, or burnt with fire, a dram of the root in powder being taken in the morning fasting, in a decoction made with the same root and water.

Acori, Veri, Perigrini, vulgaris, &c. See Calamus Aromaticus. I shall not speak concerning the several sorts of it, one of which is Water-flag, or Flower-de-luce, which is hot and dry in the second degree, binds, strengthens, stops fluxes of the belly, and immoderate flowing of the menses, a dram being taken in red wine every morning.

Althææ. Of Marsh mallows, are meanly hot, of a digesting, softening nature, ease pains, help bloody fluxes, the stone, and gravel; being bruised and boiled in milk, and the milk drank, is a good remedy for gripings of the belly, and the bloody flux. If a fever accompany the disease, boil a handful of common mallow leaves with a handful of these roots.

Aristolochiæ. Of birthwort; of which are three sorts, long, round, and climing: All hot and dry in the third degree. The long, being drank in wine, brings away both birth and after-birth, and whatsoever a careless midwife hath left behind. Dioscorides, Galen. The round, being drank with wine, helps (besides the former) stuffings of the lungs, hardness of the spleen, ruptures, convulsions; both of them resist poison. I never read any use of the climing birthwort.

Artanitæ, Cyclaminis, &c. Or Sowbread; hot and dry in the third degree, a most violent purge, dangerous; outwardly applied to the place, it profits much in the bitings of venomous beasts, also being hung about women in labour, it causes speedy deliverance. See the Herb.

Arundinis, Vallanoriæ, and Saccharinæ. Of common reeds and sugar reeds. The roots of common reeds applied to the place draw out thorns, and ease sprains; the ashes of them mixed with vinegar, take scurf, or dandrif off from the head, and prevent the falling off of the hair, they are hot and dry in the second degree, according to Galen. I never read any virtue of the root of sugar cane.

Ari, &c. Of Cuckow-points, or Wake-Robin, hot and dry in the third degree, I know no great good they do inwardly taken, unless to play the rogue withal, or make sport: outwardly applied, they take off scurf, morphew, or freckles from the face, clear the skin, and ease the pains of the gout.

Asphodeli, Albuci, muris. Of male Asphodel. Hot and dry in the second degree, inwardly taken, they provoke vomit, urine, and the menses: outwardly used in ointments, they cause hair to grow, cleanse ulcers, and take away morphew and freckles from the face.

Bardanæ, &c. Of Bur, Clot-bur, or Burdock, temperately hot and dry. Helps such as spit blood and matter; bruised and mixed with salt and applied to the place, helps the bitings of mad dogs. It expels wind, eases pains of the teeth, strengthens the back, helps the running of the reins, and the whites, being taken inwardly. Dioscorides, Apuleius.

Behen. alb. rub. Of Valerian, white and red. Mesue, Serapio, and other Arabians, say they are hot and moist in the latter end of the first, or beginning of the second degree, and comfort the heart, stir up lust. The Grecians held them to be dry in the second degree, that they stop fluxes, and provoke urine.

Betæ, nigræ, albæ, rubræ. Of Beets, black, white, and red; as for black Beets I have nothing to say, I doubt they are as rare as black swans. The red Beet root boiled and preserved in vinegar, makes a fine, cool, pleasing, cleansing, digesting sauce. See the leaves.

Bistortæ, &c. Of Bistort, or snakeweed, cold and dry in the third degree, binding: half a dram at a time taken inwardly, resists pestilence and poison, helps ruptures and bruises, stays fluxes, vomiting, and immoderate flowing of the menses, helps inflammations and soreness of the mouth, and fastens loose teeth, being bruised and boiled in white wine, and the mouth washed with it.

Brionæ, &c. Of Briony both white and black: they are both hot and dry, some say in the third degree, and some say but in the first; they purge flegm and watery humours, but they trouble the stomach much, they are very good for dropsies; the white is most in use, and is good for the fits of the mother: both of them externally used, take away freckles, sunburning, and morphew from the face, and cleanse filthy ulcers: It is but a churlish purge, but being let alone, can do no harm.

Calami Aromatici. Of Aromatical Reed, or sweet garden flag: it provokes urine, strengthens the lungs, helps bruises, resists poison, &c. being taken inwardly in powder, the quantity of half a dram at a time. You may mix it with syrup of violets, if your body be feverish.

Centaurii majoris. Of Centaury the Greater. The roots help such as are bursten, such as spit blood, shrinking of sinews, shortness of wind, coughs, convulsions, cramps: half a dram in powder being taken inwardly, either in muskadel, or in a decoction of the same roots. They are either not at all, or very scarce in England, our centaury is the small centuary.

Cepœ. Of Onions. Are hot and dry (according to Galen) in the fourth degree: they cause dryness, and are extremely hurtful for choleric people, they breed but little nourishment, and that little is naught: they are bad meat, yet good physic for phlegmatic people, they are opening, and provoke urine and the menses, if cold be the cause obstructing: bruised and outwardly applied, they cure the bitings of mad dogs, roasted and applied, they help boils, and aposthumes: raw, they take the fire out of burnings, but ordinarily eaten, they cause headache, spoil the sight, dull the senses, and fill the body full of wind.

Chameleontis albi nigri, &c. Of Chameleon, white and black. Tragus calls the carline thistle by the name of white chameleon, the root whereof is hot in the second degree, and dry in the third, it provokes sweat, kills worms, resists pestilence and poison; it is given with success in pestilential fevers, helps the toothache by being chewed in the mouth, opens the stoppings of the liver and spleen, provokes urine, and the menses: give but little of it at a time, by reason of its heat. As for the black chameleon, all physicians hold it to have a kind of venomous quality, and unfit to be used inwardly, Galen, Clusius, Nicander, Dioscorides, and Ægineta. Outwardly in ointments, it is profitable for scabs, morphew, tetters, &c. and all things that need cleansing.

Chelidonij majoris, minoris. Of celandine, the greater and lesser: The greater is that which we usually call Celandine: the root is hot and dry, cleansing and scouring, proper for such as have the yellow jaundice, it opens obstructions of the liver, being boiled in white wine, and the decoctions drank; and if chewed in the mouth it helps the tooth-ache. Celandine the lesser is that which usually we call Pilewort, which with us is hot in the first degree; the juice of the root mixed with honey and snuffed up in the nose, purges the head, helps the hemorrhoids or piles being bathed with it, as also doth the root only carried about one: being made into an ointment, it helps the king’s evil or Scrophula.

China, wonderfully extenuates and dries, provokes sweat, resists putrefaction; it strengthens the liver, helps the dropsy and malignant ulcers, leprosy, itch, and venereal, and is profitable in diseases coming of fasting. It is commonly used in diet drinks for the premises.

Consolidæ, majoris, minoris. Consolida Major, is that which we ordinarily call Comfry, it is of a cold quality, yet pretty temperate, so glutinous, that, according to Dioscorides, they will join meat together that is cut in sunder, if they be boiled with it; it is excellent for all wounds, both internal and external, for spitting of blood, ruptures or burstness, pains in the back, it strengthens the reins, it stops the menses, and helps hemorrhoids. The way to use them is to boil them in water and drink the decoction. Consolida minor, is that we call Self-heal, and the latins Prunella. See the herb.