FAMILY HERBAL. 243 



Nettle. Urtica. 



A PLANT too common to need mucb descrip- 

 tion. It is thre^ ftet high ; the stalks are angulated 

 and rough ; the leaves are large, and of a beautiful 

 shape^ regularly from a broad base diminishirig to 

 a'shiirp point, and nicely serrated round the edges p 

 tiie colour of these and of the stalks is a dusky 

 green, and they are both covered with a kind of 

 prickles^ which easily make their way into the 

 skin, and have at their b^se, a hollow bag of 



J 



P 



The naked eye may distinguish these bags at the 

 bottom of the prickles on the stalk of a full growQ 

 nettle^ but a microscope shew» them all over. The 

 flowers of the nettle, are yellowish, little, and 

 inconsiderable, the seeds are small^ and rounds the 

 root is long and creeping. 



The juice of the nettle is good against over- 

 flowings of the menses. The root is to be given in 

 hifusion, and it works powerfully by urine, and is 

 excellent against the jaundice. 



The Roman Nettle. Urtica Romana, 



A WILD plant of thfe nettle kind, but not 

 common. 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 flower's are 

 small and incansiderable, the fruit is a round hall, 

 as big as a large pea^ it stands on a long foot-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 thej 

 are shorter and ftner ; they are silvery white at th« 



