FAMILY herbal: 57 



fend notched about the edges/ The flowers ar^ 

 inconsiderable: the fruit is a little scaIv.£:Iobule, 

 preceding the leaves in spring 



The juice of the birch-tre^, procured by boring 

 a hole in it in springs is diuretic, and good against 

 the scurvy. The leaves, fresh gathered, and boil- 

 ed in water, aiTord a decoction, which acis in the 

 same manner, and is good in dropsies : and in all 

 cutaneous disorders, outwardly used. 



Round-rooted BiiiTiiwoRT. Aristoloclua ro- 



tunda. 



A WILD plant in Italy, and the south of 

 France ; but with us found only in the gardens of 

 the curious. It has no great beauty, 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 dusky green colour. The 

 leaves are short, broads and roundish, of a duskv 

 green ; also the flowers are long, hollow, and of 

 an odd form, not resembling the flowers of other 

 plants : they are of a dusky greenish colour on 

 the outside^ and purple within : the fruit is fleshy, 

 and as big as a small walnut. The root is large 

 and roundish. 



The root is the only part used in medicine^ 

 ^nd that we have from countries where the plant 

 is native ; it is a rough and disagreeable medicine ; 

 it often offends the stomach, but it is an excellent 

 drug for promoting the necessary evacuations after 



delivery. 



There are two other kinds of birthwort, the 

 root of which are also kept in the shops ; the one 

 4:alled the long birthwort ; the other the climbing 

 liirthwort. They possess t£e same virtues with the 



