MEDICINAL VIRTUES. 



to be laide upon the bitings or stingings of any venom- 

 ous beast;" and Gerarde adds, "The barke and leaves 

 of Heath may be used for and in the same causes that 

 Tamarisk is used." 



In Parkinson's "Theatrum Botanicum"(The Thea- 

 tre of Plants), published in 1640, occurs the following: 

 "Heath is somewhat drying and a little bitter withall, 

 except the berryed sorts, as Clusius hath related by 

 the taste of most of them. Galen saith it hath a digest- 

 ing quality, resolving the malignity of humors, by 

 transpiration or sweating, which a decoction of the 

 flowers being drunke, doth perform, and thereby giv- 

 eth much ease to the paines within the body, and ex- 

 pelleth the worms therein also; the leaves and flowers 

 made into a decoction is good against the stings or 

 bitings of serpents and other venomous creatures; and 

 the same being drunke warm, saith Mathiolus, for 

 thirty days together, morning and evening, doth ab- 

 solutely breake the stone and drive it forth ; the same, 

 also, or the destilled water of the whole plant, being 

 drunke easeth the chollicke; the said water or the juyce 

 of the herbe dropped into the eyes helpeth the weak- 

 nesse of the sight : Clusius saith that Rondeletius at 

 Montpelier used the oyle made of the flowers of Heath 

 with good successe against the Wolfe in the face or 

 any other foule or fretting and eating canker spread- 

 ing over the whole face; the same also doth dissolve 

 tumours : a bathe made by decoction of the herbe and 

 flowers is good for them to sit in that are troubled with 

 the stone, or with the gout, for it giveth much ease 

 to their bath: the white berryes of the Heath, saith 

 Clusius, are brought to the markets in Spaine and 



