THE 
ENGLISH PHYSICIAN 
ENLARGED. 
AMARA DULCIS. 
ONSIDERING divers shires in this 
nation give divers names to one and 
the same herb, and that the common name 
which it bears in one county, is not known 
in another; I shall take the pains to set 
down all the names that I know of each 
herb: pardon me for setting that name first, 
which is most common to myself. Besides 
Amara dulcis, some call it Mortal, others 
Bitter-sweet; some Woody Night-shade, 
and others Felon-wort. 
Descript.| It grows up with woody 
stalks even to a man’s height, and some- 
times higher. The leaves fall off at the ap- 
proach of winter, and spring out of the 
same stalk at spring-time: the branch is 
compassed about with a whitish bark, and 
hath a pith in the middle of it: the main 
branch brancheth itself into many small 
ones with claspers, laying hold on what is 
next to them, as vines do: it bears many 
leaves, they grow in no order at all, at 
least in no regular order: the leaves are 
longish, though somewhat broad, and 
pointed at the ends: many of them have 
two little leaves growing at the end of | 
| _ their foot stalk; some have but one, and 
‘Some none. The leaves are of a pale green 
colour; the flowers are of a purple colour, 
or of a perfect blue like to violets, and 
they stand many of them together in 
knots; the berries are green at first, but 
when they are ripe they are very red; if 
you taste them, you shall find them just as 
the crabs which we in Sussex call bitter - 
sweets, viz. sweet at first, and bitter after- 
wards, 
Place.| They grow commonly almost 
throughout England, especially in moist 
and shady places. 
Time.| The leaves shoot out about the 
latter end of March if the temperature of 
the air be ordinary; it flowers in July, and 
the seeds are ripe soon after, usually in the 
next month. ; 
Government and virtues.] It is under 
the planet Mercury, and a notable herb of — 
his also, if it be rightly gathered under his 
influence. It is excellent good to remove 
witchcraft both in men and beasts, as also 
all sudden diseases whatsoever. Being tied 
round about the neck, is one of the most 
admirable remedies for the vertigo or diz- 
ziness in the head; and that is the reason 
(as Tragus saith) the people in Germany | 
commonly hang it about their cattle’s 
necks, when they fear any such evil hath 
betided — aeees people —— 
