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THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



not rough or pricking : The flowers are 

 white, growing at the top of the stalks one 

 above another, which being past, follow 

 small round pods, wherein are contained 

 round seed somewhat blackish. The root 

 stringy and thready, perishes every year 

 after it hath given seed, and raises itself 

 again of its own sowing. The plant, or 

 any part thereof, being bruised, smells of 

 garlic, but more pleasantly, and tastes 

 somewhat hot and sharp, almost like unto 

 rocket. 



Placed] It grows under walls, and by 

 hedge-sides, and path-ways in fields in 

 many places. 



Time.~\ It flowers in June, July, and 

 August. 



Government and virtues. ~] It is an herb of 

 Mercury. This is eaten by many country 

 people as sauce to their salt fish, and helps 

 well to digest the crudities and other cor- 

 rupt humours engendered thereby. It 

 warms also the stomach, and causes diges- 

 tion. The juice thereof boiled with honey 

 is accounted to be as good as hedge mus- 

 tard for the cough, to cut and expectorate 

 the tough phlegm. The seed bruised and 

 boiled in wine, is a singularly good remedy 

 for the wind colic, or the stone, being drank 

 warm : It is also given to women troubled 

 with the mother, both to drink, and the 

 seed put into a cloth, and applied while it 

 is warm, is of singularly good use. The 

 leaves also, or the seed boiled, is good to be 

 used in clysters to ease the pains of the 

 stone. The green leaves are held to be 

 good to heal the ulcers in the legs. 



WINTER AND SUMMER SAVOURY. 



BOTH these are so well known (being 

 entertained as constant inhabitants in our 

 gardens) that they need no description. 



Government and virtues.'] Mercury claims 

 dominion over this herb, neither is there 

 a detter remedy against the colic and iliac 

 passion, than this herb ; keep it dry by 



you all the year, if you love yourself and 

 your ease, and it is a hundred pounds to a 

 penny if you do not ; keep it dry, make 

 conserves and syrups of it for your use, and 

 withal, take notice that the Summer kind 

 is the best. They are both of them hot 

 and dry, especially the Summer kind, 

 which is both sharp and quick in taste, 

 expelling wind in the stomach and bowels, 

 and is a present help for the rising of the 

 mother procured by wind ; provokes urine 

 and women's courses, and is much com- 

 mended for women with child to take in- 

 wardly, and to smell often unto. It cures 

 tough phlegm in the chest and lungs, and 

 helps to expectorate it the more easily ; 

 quickens the dull spirits in the lethargy, the 

 juice thereof being snuffed up into the 

 nostrils. The juice dropped into the ej r es, 

 clears a dull sight, if it proceed of thin cold 

 humours distilled from the brain. The 

 juiceheated with the oil of Roses, and dropped 

 into the ears, eases them of the noise and 

 singing in them, and of deafness also. 

 Outwardly applied with wheat flour, in 

 manner of a poultice, it gives ease to the 

 sciatica and palsied members, heating and 

 warming them, and takes away their pains. 

 It also lakes away the pain that comes by 

 stinging of bees, wasps, &c. 



SAVINE 



To describe a plant so well known is need- 

 less, it being nursed up almost in every gar- 

 den, and abides green all the Winter. 



Government and virtues.] It is under the 

 dominion of Mars, being hot and dry in 

 the third degree, and being of exceeding 

 clean parts, is of a very digesting quality. 

 If you dry the herb into powder, and mix 

 it with honey, it is an excellent remedy to 

 cleanse old filthy ulcers and fistulas ; but 

 it hinders them from healing. The same is 

 excellently good to break carbuncles and 

 plague-sores; also helps the king's evil, 

 being applied to the place. Being spread 



