culprper's complete herbal. 251 



the decoction of the root, is good to wash either old, rot- 

 ten, or stinking sores or fistulas, and gangrenes, and such 

 as fretting, eating, or corroding scabs, manginess, and 

 itch, in any part of the body ; as also green wounds, by 

 washing them therewith, or applying the green herb bruis- 

 ed thereto. It eases the pains, and dries or dissolves the 

 deductions. An ointment made of the juice, oil, and a lit- 

 tle wax, is good to rub cold and benumbed members. One 

 handful of the leaves of green nettles, and another of Wall- 

 wort, or Deanwort, bruised and applied simply themselves 

 to the gout, sciatica, or joint aches in any part, hath been 

 found an admirable help thereunta 



NIGHTSHADE (COMK01^.)--(Solanum,) 



Descrip, — This has an upright, round, green, hollow 

 ■talk, about a foot high, with many branches, whereon 

 grow several green leaves, somewhat broad and pointed at 

 the ends, soft and full of juice, and unevenly dented at the 

 edges. At the tope of the stalk and branches come forth 

 three or four, or more, white flowers, consisting of five small 

 pointed leaves each, standing on a stalk together, one above 

 another, with yellow pointeis in the middle, composed of 

 four or five yellow threads set together, which afterwards 

 run into as many pendulous green berries, of the size of 

 small peas, full of green juice, and small, whitish, round 

 flat seeds. The root is white, and a little woody after the 

 4ower and fruit are past, and has many small fibres in it. 

 Hie whole plant is of a waterish, insipid taste, but the 

 juice of the berries is somewhat viscous, and of a cooling 

 and binding quality. There are two varieties of this, which 

 are found growing in England; the most common is an up- 

 right plant, with oval acute pointed smooth leaves, and 

 black Dcrries (Solanum Nigrum :) the other is a low branch- 

 ing plant, with indented leaves, and greenish yellow berries 

 {SoUnum Nigrum baccii viridii.) 



Place. — It grows wild under our walls, and in rubbish, 

 the common paths, and sides of hedges and fields ; also in 

 gardens, where it becomes a very troublesome weed. 



Time. — It dies every year, and* rises again in the latter 

 end of April ; and its berries are ripe in October. 



Oovemm^nt and Virtue*. — It is a cool Saturnine plant. 

 It is used to cool hot inflammations, either inwaroly or 

 outwardly, being in no way dangerous, as most of the 

 Nightshades are ; vet it must be used moderately. The 

 d*«*tiUed water of the whole herb ii* H^ifedt to be taken in- 



