RULES FOR GATHERING AND PRESERVING HERBS. 



Concerning the various Methods of preparing Simples for 

 present Use. 



THERE is no form of medicines sent from the apothecary, 

 which may not be prepared from the herbs of our own 

 growth, in the same manner as from foreign drugs. 

 Electuaries may be made with the powders of these barks, 

 roots, and seeds, with conserves of flowers, and of the tops 

 of fresh herbs ; and syrups, made from their juices and infu- 

 sions ; the manner of making which is very simple, and shall 

 be subjoined to this chapter, that all may be understood be- 

 fore we enter on the book itself : and in the same manner 

 their boluses may be made, which are only some of these 

 powders mixed up with syrup : and their draughts and 

 juleps, which are made from the distilled waters of these 

 herbs, with spirit, or without these, syrups being added ; 

 and the tinctures of the roots and barks ; the method of 

 making which shall be also annexed in a familiar manner. 



But beside these several forms of giving them, there are 

 others much more simple, easy, and ready, and these are gene- 

 rally more efficacious. We shall arrange these under three 

 kinds; juices, infusions, and decoctions. These are the forms 

 of giving the medicines most frequently mentioned in the 

 course of the work, and there is less trouble in them than in 

 the others. They are not indeed contrived for show, nor 

 would they answer the purpose of the apothecary, for his 

 profits would be small upon them : but when the design is 

 only to do good, they are the first to be chosen. 



Juices are to be expressed from leaves or roots ; and in 

 order to this, they are to be first beaten in a mortar. There 

 is no form whatever in which herbs have so much effect, 

 and yet this is in a manner unknown in the common prac- 

 tice of physic. The juices are to be obtained in some plants 

 from the entire herb, as in Watercresses, Brooklime, and 

 others that have juicy stalks ; in others the leaves are to be 

 used, as in Nettles, and the like, where the stalk is dry, 

 and yields nothing, but is troublesome in the preparation. 

 When the juice of a root is to be had, it must be fresh taken 

 up, and thoroughly beaten. A marble mortar and wooden 

 pestle serve best for this purpose, for any thing of metal is 

 improper ; many plants would take a tincture from it, and 

 the juice would be so impregnated with it, as to become a 

 different medicine, and probably very improper in the case 

 in which it was about to be given. 



As these juices have sometimes an ill taste, and as some 

 of them are apt to be cold upon the stomach, or otherwise 

 to disagree with it, there are methods to be used to make 

 them sit better upon it j and in some cases these increase 

 their virtues. 



When the thick juice, fresh drawn, is too coarse for the 

 person's stomach, it may be suffered to settle and grow 

 clear : a little sugar may be added also in beating the herb, 

 and in many cases, as in those juices given for the scurvy, 

 the juice of a Seville orange may be added, which will great- 

 ly improve the flavour. 



To the roots it is often proper to add a little white wine 

 in the bruising, and they will operate the better for it. 

 Thus, for instance, the juice of the Flower-de-luce root will 

 not stay upon many stomachs alone ; but with a little white 

 wine added in the bruising, all becomes easy, and its effects 

 are not the less for the addition. The same addition may 

 be made to some of the colder herbs ; and if a little sugar, 

 and, upon occasion, a few grains of powdered ginger, be 

 added, there will be scarce'any fear of the medicine dis- 

 agreeing with the stomach, and its effects will be the same 

 as if it had been bruised and pressed alone. 



VOL. i. 4, 



Infusions are naturally to be mentioned after the juices, for 

 they are in many cases used to supply their place. Juices 

 can only be obtained from fresh plants, and there are times 

 of the year when the plants are not to be had in that state. 

 Recourse is then to be had to the shop, instead of the field ; 

 the plant whose juice cannot be had, is there to be found 

 dried and preserved ; and if that has been done according to 

 the preceding directions, it retains a great part of its virtues : 

 in this case it is to be cut to pieces, and hot water being 

 poured upon it, extracts so much of its qualities, as to stand 

 in the place of the other. Often, indeed, the virtues are the 

 same, in some plants they are greatest from the infusion ; 

 but then some others lose so much in drying, that an infu- 

 sion scarce has any thing. But it is not only as a help in 

 the place of the other, that this preparation is to be used, 

 for infusions are very proper from many fresh herbs ; and are 

 of great virtue from many dry ones, of which, when fresh, 

 the juice would have been worth little. 



Infusions are the fittest forms for those herbs whose quali- 

 ties are light, and whose virtue is easily extracted : in this 

 case, hot water poured upon them takes up enough of their 

 virtue, and none is lost in the operation ; others require to 

 be boiled in the water. From these are thus made what we 

 call decoctions : and as these last would not give their virtues 

 in infusion, so the others would lose it all in the boiling ; it 

 would go off with the vapour. We know very well, that 

 the distilled water of any herb is only the vapour of the 

 boiled herb caught by proper vessels, and condensed to 

 water : therefore, whether it be caught or let to fly away, 

 all that virtue must be lost in boiling. It is from this, that 

 some plants are fit for decoctions, and some for infusions. 

 There are some which, if distilled, give no virtue to the 

 water ; and those are fit for decoctions, which will re.- 

 tain all their virtue, as Bistort, and Tormentil roots, 

 and the like. On the contrary, an infusion of Mint, or 

 Pennyroyal, is of a strong taste, and excellent virtue ; 

 whereas a decoction of these herbs is disagreeable, or 

 good for nothing. 



There are herbs also, which have so little juice that it 

 would be impossible to get it out ; and others, whose virtue 

 lies in the husks and buds, and this would be lost in the 

 operation. An infusion of these is the right way of giving 

 them. Thus, Mother of Thyme is a dry little herb, from 

 winch it would be hard to get any juice, and when gotten, 

 it would possess very little of its virtues ; but an infusion 

 of Mother of Thyme possesses it entirely. 



Infusions are of two kinds. They are either prepared in 

 quantity, to be drank cold ; or they are drank as they are 

 made, in the manner of tea. This last method is the best ; 

 but people will not be prevailed upon to do it, unless tb-e 

 taste of the herb be agreeable ; for the flavour is much 

 stronger hot than it is cold. 



Infusions in the manner of tea, are to be made just as tea, 

 and drank with a little sugar ; the others are to be made in 

 this manner : A stone jar is to be fitted with a close cover ; 

 the herb, whether fresh or dried, is to be cut to pieces ; and 

 when the jar has been scalded out with hot water, it is to 

 be put in : boiling water is then to be poured upon it, and 

 the top is to be fixed on : it is thus to stand four, five, or 

 six hours, or a whole night, according to the nature of the 

 ingredient, and then to be poured off clear. 



It is impossible to direct the quantity in general for these 

 infusions, because much more of some plants is required than 

 of others : for the most part, three quarters of an ounce of a 

 dried plant, or two ounces of the fresh gathered. The best 

 rule is, to suit it to the patient's strength and palate. It is 

 M 



