FAMILY HERBAI^ 159 



«knfler, firm^ and upright. The leai^es are small 

 oblong, and narrow ; and they stand irregularly, 

 ^ut in great numbers on it. Toward the top the 

 stalk divides into three or four short branches ; 

 and on these stand the flowers ; 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 the seed bruised is also good 

 io cataplasms and fomentations for swellings. The 

 oil drawn fiom it is given in pleurisies and peripneu* 

 monies with great success^ and it is also excellent 

 in the gravel and stone. 



F 



Purging Flax. Linum cutharticum . ' 



A PRETTY little herb that grows abundantly 

 ia 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 chickweed, but the seed vessel being 

 examined, it appears to be altogether of the flax 

 kind. The root is small and thready. 



This little plant is a strong but safe purge ; the 

 country people boil it in ale, and cure themselves 

 of rheumatic pains, and a great many other ob- 

 stinate disorders by it. They talk of it as a re- 

 medy for dropsies. Doubtless it is useful m all 

 cases where a strong and brisk purgative is re- 

 quired. 



