62 COMMON ADDER'S TONGUE. 



This fern should be sought for not later than the 

 middle of June, at which time it is fully developed. It 

 is generally distributed all over England, and is very 

 abundant where it does exist ; so much so as to be 

 injurious to other crops in many places. It is less 

 frequent in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, but is found 

 on the continent of Europe, Africa, and North 

 America. 



The virtues of this plant have been highly extolled 

 by the older writers, and even now large quantities of 

 it are gathered in the villages of Kent, Sussex, and 

 Surrey, and prepared according to the old prescrip- 

 tions. A preparation, called " Green Oil of Charity," 

 is made made from it, and applied to wounds ; and 

 Gerarde says : " The leaves of Adder's Tongue stamped 

 in a stone mortar and boiled in oyle of olive, and then 

 strained, will yield a most excellent green oyle, or 

 rather a balsam, for greene wounds, comparable to 

 oyle of St. John's Wort, if it doth not far surpasse 

 it." We incline to think that the only efficacious 

 part of this ointment was the oil of which it was 

 composed. Dr. Lindley, in his " Vegetable Kingdom," 

 says : " The herbage of these plants is mucilaginous ; 

 whence the species have been employed in broths. 

 Ophioglossum vulgatum has been used in medicine as 

 a vulnerary, but it seems to possess that quality as 

 little as the magical virtues once ascribed to it." 

 Mr. Newman quotes a poet who says : 



" For them that are with newts, or snakes, or adders stung, 

 The seeking out an herb that's called Adder's Tongue, 

 As Nature it ordain'd, its own like hurt to cure, 

 And sportive did herself to niceties inure." 



