128 THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



? mouth and throat that is inflamed : But 



NIGHTSHADE. i n ^i c- .1 i i i 



5 outwardly the juice or the herb or berries, 



Descript.] COMMON Nightshade hath: with oil of roses and a little vinegar and 

 an upright, round green, hollow stalk, about j ceruse laboured together in a leaden mortar, 

 a foot or half a yard high, bushing forth in j is very good to anoint all hot inflammations 

 many branches, whereon grow many green i in the eyes. It also doth much good for 

 leaves, somewhat broad, and pointed at the j the shingles, ringworms, and in all running, 

 ends, soft and full of juice, somewhat like > fretting and corroding ulcers, applied 

 unto Bazil, but longer and a little unevenly j thereunto. The juice dropped into the 

 dented about the edges: At the tops of the | ears, eases pains thereof that arise of heat 

 stalks and branches come forth three or>or inflammations. And Pliny saith, it is 

 four more white flowers made of five small i good for hot swellings under the throat 

 pointed leaves a-piece, standing on a stalk I Have a care you mistake not the deadly 

 together, one above another, with yellow : Nightshade for this ; if you know it not, 

 pointels in the middle, composed of four or? you may let them both alone, and take no 



harm, having other medicines sufficient in 

 the book. 



five yellow threads set together, which af- 

 terwards run into so many pendulous green 

 berries, of the bigness of small pease, full of i 



% T* TT P f} A 1*" 



green juice, and small whitish round flat] 



seed lying within it. The root is white,; IT is so well known (the timber thereor 

 and a little woody when it hath given flower ; oeing the glory and safety of this nation 

 and fruit, with many small fibres at it ;: by sea) that it needs no description. 

 The whole plant is of a waterish insipid j Government and virtues.] Jupiter owns 

 taste, but the juice within the berries is i the tree. The leaves and bark of the Oak, 

 somewhat viscous, and of a cooling and j and the acorn cups, do bind and dry very 

 binding quality. i much. The inner bark of the tree, and 



Place.] It grows wild with us under our j the thin skin that covers the acorn, are 



walls, and in rubbish, the common paths, 

 and sides of hedges and fields, as also in 



most used to stay the spitting of blood, and 

 the bloody-flux. The decoction of that 



our gardens here in England, without any bark, and the powder of the cups, do stay 

 planting. j vomitings, spitting of blood, bleeding at 



Time.] It lies down every year, and 

 rises up again of its own sowing, but springs 



the mouth, or other fluxes of blood, in 

 men or women ; lasks also, and the noctur- 



not until the latter end of April at the \ nal involuntary flux of men. The acorn in 

 soonest. s powder taken in wine, provokes urine, and 



Government and virtues] It is a cold i resists the poison of venomous creatures. 

 Saturnine plant. The common Night- : The decoction of acorns and the bark made 

 shade is wholly used to cool hot inflam- ! in milk and taken, resists the force of poi- 

 mations either inwardly or outwardly, \ sonous herbs and medicines, as also the 

 being no ways dangerous to any that use it, \ virulencyof cantharides, when one by eating 

 as most of the rest of the Nightshades are ; i them hath his bladder exulcerated, and 

 yet it must be used moderately. The dis- j voids bloody urine. Hippocrates saith, he 

 tilled water only of the whole herb is fittest j used the fumes of Oak leaves to women that 

 and safest to be taken inwardly : The juice j were troubled with the strangling of the 

 also clarified and taken, being mingled j mother ; and Galen applied them, being 

 with a little vinegar, is good to wash the j bruised, to cure green wounds. The dis- 



