212 The Ufeful Family Herbal. 
: The WaTeER Lity. 
NYMPHAEA ALBA. 
Ale and elegant Plant, the broad Leaves of 
~~ which we fee 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 ex- 
tremely thick, and lies buried in the Md. The 
Leaves rife fingly one on each Stalk, the Stalks 
are round, thick, and of a fpungy Subftanee, 
_ havinga white Pith in them; and the Leaves alfo 
are thick and fomewhat fpungy; they are ofa 
roundifh Figure, and they lie flat upon the Surface 
of the Water. The Flowers ftand upon fingle 
Foot Stalks, arifing like thofe of the Leaves {e- 
parately from the Root, and being like them, light, 
round, gloffy, and full of a white Pith ; the Flow- 
ers are large and white, and have fome yellow 
Threads in the Middle; the Seed-Veffel is large 
and roundifh, and the Seeds are numerous. 
_ The Root is the Part ufed, and it is beft freth, A 
na given in a ftrong Decottion. It is a power-. 
al Remedy in the Whites, and in thofe Weaknet- 
fes left after venereal Complaints: It is alfo good 
againit violent Purgings, efpecially where there 
are bloody Stools. There are other Kinds of 
Water Lily in our Ditches, particularly a large 
_ yellow flowered one, whofe Roots poffefs the 
fame Virtues with the others but in a lefs De- 
A a 
Se Stalag . 
