62 | ‘THE COMPLETE HERBAL 
falls and blows; they are also used for rup- 
tures, and other inward burnings, with 
very good success. An ointment made 
thereof doth wonderfully help all wounds 
that have inflammations about them, or by 
reason of moist humours having access unto 
them, are kept long from healing, and such 
are those, for the most part, that happen to 
joints of the arms or legs. The juice of 
them dropped into the running eyes of any, 
doth much help them. 
DANDELION, VULGARLY CALLED PISS- 
A-BEDS. 
Descript.| Ir is well known to have 
many long and deep gashed leaves, lying 
on the ground round about the head of the 
roots ; the ends of each gash or jag, on both 
sides looking downwards towards the roots; 
the middle rib being white, which being 
broken, yields abundance of bitter milk, but 
the root much more ; from among the leaves, 
which always abide green, arise many 
slender, weak, naked foot-stalks, every one 
of them bearing at the top one large yellow 
flower, consisting of many rows of yellow 
leaves, broad at the points, and nicked in 
with deep spots of yellow in the middle, 
which growing ripe, the green husk where- 
in the flowers stood turns itself down to the 
Stalk, and the head of down becomes as 
round as a ball; with long seed underneath, 
bearing a part of the down on the head of 
every one, which together is blown away 
with the wind, or may be at once blown 
away with one’s mouth. The root growing 
_ downwards exceedingly deep, which being 
_ broken off within the ground, will yet shoot 
_ forth again, and will hardly be destroyed 
_ where it hath once taken deep root in the 
_ Place.| It grows frequently in all mea- | 
almost all the year long. _ | 
Jovernment and virtues.] It is under the 
__ Time.] It flowers in one place or other 
[but short beards of awns at the ends the 
dominion of Jupiter. It is of an opening 
and cleansing quality, and therefore very — 
effectual for the obstructions of the liver, | 
gall and spleen, and the diseases that arise — 
from them, as the jaundice and hypochon- — 
driac; it opens the passages of the urine 
both in young and old; powerfully cleanses i 
imposthumes and inward ulcers in the 
urinary passage, and by its drying and 
temperate quality doth afterwards heal — 
them; for which purpose the decoction of © 
the roots or leaves in white wine, or the | 
leaves chopped as pot-herbs, with a few | 
alisanders, and boiled in their broth, are ) 
very effectual. And whoever is drawing ! 
towards a consumption or an evil disposi- _ 
tion of the whole body, called Cachexia, | 
by the use hereof for some time together, 
shall find a wonderful help. It helps also | 
to procure rest and sleep to bodies distem- 
pered by the heat of ague fits, or other- 
wise: The distilled water is effectual to 
drink in pestilential fevers, and to wash the 
sores. 
You see here what virthes this common — 
herb hath, and that is the reason the French 
and Dutch so often eat them in the Spring: _ 
and now if you look a little farther, you 
may see plainly, without a pair of spec 
tacles, that foreign physicians are not sO 
selfish as ours are, but more communicative 
of the virtues of plants to people. | 
DARNEL. 
Ir is called Jam and Wray; in Sussex — 
they call it Crop, it being a pestilent enemy _ 
among corn. . 
Descript.] This has all the winter long, 
sundry long, flat, and rough leaves, which, — 
when the stalk rises, which is slender and 
jointed, are narrower, but rough still; 02 
the top grows a long spike, composed of 
many heads set one above another, con-— 
taining two or three husks, with a sharp — 
