MEDICINAL PLANTS. 105 
YELLOW Iris, [vis Pseud-acorus. 
The raw juice from the roots of this plant was 
used to cure toothache. The juice was sucked up the 
nose. 
Juncus Effusus. 
The pith was extracted from these and used in 
the old oil lamp (cruisie) as a wick. This and 
conglomeratus were also cut and neatly tied up in 
“baets” for winding in the winter evenings for 
“bands” and “fettles” for “caeseys,” and other purposes. 
Dr Wallace in 1700 says :— 
“The more common and general diseases are the Scurvy, 
Agues, Consumptions, &c. Commonly in the spring they 
(Orcadians) are troubled with an Aguish Distemper which 
they call the Axes, but for this there are Quacks amongst them 
that pretend an infallible Cure by way of Diet-Drink, infusing 
a hotch potch of several plants (I suppose what are greenest 
at the time) in an English gallon of ale; the receipt is this. 
They take of Buckhorn plantain, Water plantain, Lovage, 
wild Daisie, Rocket, roots of Elecampane, Millefoil, roots of 
Spignell, Dandelyon, Parsley roots, Wormwood, Cumfrey, 
Tansey, Sea pink, Garden Angelica, and a kind of Masterwort, 
the imperatorie afinis ; of all these they take a like quantity, 
to wit, about half a handful, and of this infusion they drink 
half a pint morning and evening. This is what they call 
Axes grass, and the old women talk wonders of it, pretending 
there are so many of the herbs good for the liver, so many for 
the head, and so many for the heart, spleen, &c. 
“In phthisical distempers they use Arby or thrift boiled 
with sweet milk.” 
Lovage — Ligusticum Scoticum ; Rocket—Cakile mari- 
tuma. Masterwort, Spignell, and Comfrey were garden plants ; 
Arby was Seathrift. 
