FAMILY HERBAL. 319 



mountainous parts of Italy* and common in our 

 gardens. It is three feet high. The stalk is 

 upright round, striated, and hollow. The leaves 

 which grow from the root, are long and somewhat 

 broad ; some of these are divided deeply on each 

 side, others are entire ; all have a broad and round 

 end. Those on the stalks are smaller, and they 

 are all deeply divided. The flowers stand in large 

 tufts, in the form of umbels, at die tops of the 

 stalks and branches ; they arc small and white. 

 The root is long-, irregular, and moderately thick ; 

 it creeps under the surface of the ground, and has a 

 strong smell ; its colour is brown, and it is full of 

 fibres. 



This root is used dry ; the druggists call it phu : 

 it is good in fevers and suppressions of the menses, 

 for it is diaporetie, and good against all obstruc- 

 tions. It works also by urine, and it is warm up- 

 on the stomach, and good against disorders of the 

 nerves. 



Wild Valerian. 1 aleriana sylvestris. 



A tall and handsome plant, frequent in our 

 woods and upon heaths, not unlike the garden 

 valerian in its form and manner of growth, and 

 of greater virtues It is a yard high. The 

 stalks are round, striated, upright, hollow, and 

 of a pale green. The leaves are large end beauti- 

 ful ; they are each composed of several pairs -of 

 smaller set on a common rib, arid with an odd 

 one at the end. These are long, narrow, ddn- 

 tated at the edu'cs, of a faint "Teen colour, and 

 a little hairy. The flowers stand in large tuft? 

 like umbels at the lops of the stalks, and are 

 bmall and white with a blush of reddish. The 

 root is of a whitish colour, and is composed of 



