66 
THE COMPLETE HERBAL 
Place.| It grows commonly through this 
land in divers ploughed grounds to the no 
small trouble of the husbandmen, as also 
of the gardeners, in gardens, to weed it out, 
if they can; for it is a constant customer to 
the place it gets footing in. 
Government and virtues.| ’Tis under the 
dominion of Jupiter, and is the most medi- 
cinal of all the Quick-grasses. Being 
_ boiled and drank, it opens obstructions of 
the liver and gall, and the stopping of 
urine, and eases the griping pains of the 
belly and inflammations; wastes the mat- 
ter of the stone in the bladder, and the 
ulcers thereof also. The roots bruised and 
applied, do consolidate wounds. The seed 
doth more powerfully expel urine, and 
stays the lask and vomiting. The dis- 
tilled water alone, or with a little wormseed, 
kills the worms in children. 
The way of use is to bruise the roots, and 
having well boiled them in white wine, 
drink the decoction: ’Tis opening but not 
purging, very safe: "Tis a remedy against 
all diseases coming of stopping, and such 
are half those that are incident to the body 
of man; and although a gardener be of 
another opinion, yet a physician holds half 
an acre of them to be worth five acres of 
Carrots twice told over. 
DOVES-FOOT, OR CRANES-BILL. 
Descript.| Tuis has divers small, round, 
pale-green leaves, cut in about the edges, 
much like mallow, standing upon long, 
reddish, hairy stalks, lying in a round com- 
‘pass upon the ground; among which rise 
up two or three, or more, reddish, jointed, 
slender, weak, hairy stalks, with some like 
ie _ leaves thereon, but smaller, and more cut in 
- up to the tops, where grow many very 
small bright red flowers of five leaves a- 
oe : Piece; after which follow small heads, with 
by the path-sides in many places, and will 
also be in gardens. 
Time.| It flowers in June, July, and 
August, some earlier and some later; and 
the seed is ripe quickly after. 
Government and virtues.| It is a very 
gentle, though martial plant. It is found 
by experience to be singular good for wind 
cholic, as also to expel the stone and gravel 
in the kidneys. The decoction thereof in 
wine, is an excellent good cure for those 
that have inward wounds, hurts, or bruises, 
both to stay the bleeding, to dissolve and 
expel the congealed blood, and to heal the 
parts, as also to cleanse and heal outward 
sores, ulcers, and fistulas; and for green 
wounds, many do only bruise the herb, and 
apply it to the places, and it heals them 
quickly. The same decoction in wine 
fomented to any place pained with the 
gout, or to joint-aches, or pains of the — 
sinews, gives much ease. The powder or 
decoction of the herb taken for some time 
together, is found by experience to be sin- 
gularly good for ruptures and burstings in 
people, either young or old. 
1 
DUCK’S MEAT. 
Tuts is so well known to swim on the 
tops of standing waters, as ponds, pools, 
and ditches, that it is needless further to 
describe it. 
Government and virtues.] Cancer claims 
the herb, and the Moon will be Lady of it; 
a word is enough to a wise man. It is 
effectual to help inflammations, and St. 
Anthony’s Fire, as also the gout, either 
applied by itself, or in a poultice with bar- 
ley meal. The distilled water by some is 
highly esteemed against all inward inflam-- 
mations and pestilent fevers; as also to 
help the redness of the eyes, and swellings 
of the cods, and of the breasts before they 
be grown too much. The fresh herb ap- 
aes plied to the forchead, Sunshine carenat 
$, ar the headache coming of heat. 
