FAMILY HERBAL. 259 



Pen n r-ROY a l. Pult ;^iu in. 



A WILD plant, creeping about on marshy 

 places, with little leaves, and tufts of red Mowers at 

 the joints. The stalks are a foot long, round, and 

 often of a reddish colour. The leaves are small, 

 broad, and pointed at the ends, and of a pale green 

 colour. The flowers stand round the joints in thick 

 clusters : they are like those of mint, and of a 

 pale red, and the cups in which they stand are green, 

 and a little hairy. The whole plant has a strong 

 penetrating smell, and an acrid but not disagreeable 

 taste. 



The whole plant is used, fresh or dried ; but 

 that which grows wild, is much stronger than the 

 larger kind, which is cultivated in gardens. The 

 simple water is the best way of taking it, though 

 it will do very well in infusion, or by way of tea. 

 i is excellent against stoppages of the menses. 



Black Pepper. Piper nigrum. 



AN eastern plant, of a very singular kind. It 

 grows six or eight t'cct in length, but the stalks are 

 not able to support themselves upright : they are 

 round, green, jointed, and thick, and when they 

 trail upon the ground, roots are sent forth from these 

 joints. The leaves are large, of an oval figure, 

 of a firm substance, and ribbed highly: thev stand 

 on short pedicles, one at each joint. The flowers 

 are small and inconsiderable : they grow to the 

 *talk. The fruit succeeds, which is what we call 

 p pper : they hang upon a long stalk, Twenty or 

 torty together : they are green at first, but when 

 ripe they are red : they grow black and wrinkled 

 i:i drying. The largest &nd least wrinkled on the 

 coat., arc the beat grains. 



