r t 



298 77je Ufeful Family HerhaL 



cine is its Merit : When fomething more powerful 

 is n'fed, it is -better to have recourfe to Opium, 

 or Laudanum. 



Red Poppy. 

 PAPAVER ERRATICUM. 



Common wild Plant in our Corn Fields, di- 

 ftinguifhcd by its great fcarlet Flowers. It 

 is a Foot high. The Stalk is round, (lender, 

 hairy, of a pale Green, and branched. The 

 Leaves are long and narrow, of a dufky Green, 

 hairy, and very deeply, but very regularly in- 

 dented. The Flowers are very large, and of 



'Ixtremely bright and fine fcarlet Colour, a little 

 blackiih toward the Bottom. The Head is fmall, 

 not larger than a Horfe Bean, and the Seeds are 

 fmall, and of a dark Colour. The whole Plant 

 is full of a bitter yellowiHi Juice, which runs out 

 when it is any where broken, and has fomething 



cf the Smell of Opium. 



The Flowers r^re ufed. A Syrup is made from 

 them by pouring as much boiling Water on them 

 as will juft wet them, and after a Night's itanding, 

 ftralning it off, and adding tv/ice its Weight of 



Sugar : This is the famous Syrup of red Poppies. 

 It gently promotes Sleep. It is a much weaker 

 Medicine than the Diacodium. Jt is greatly re- 

 commended in Pleurifies and Fevers-,^ but this 

 upon no good Foundation. It is very wrong to 

 depend upon fuch Medicines : It prevents having 

 recourfe to better. 



The 



