172 THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



Government and virtues.'] It is under the 



SOPEWORT, OK BRUISEWORT. j dominion of Venus. Sorrel is prevalent in 



| all hot diseases, to cool any inflammation 



Descript.'] THE roots creep underhand heat of blood in agues pestilential or 

 ground far and near, with many joints | choleric, or sickness and fainting, arising 

 theiein, of a brown colour on the outside ' from heat, and to refresh the overspent 

 and yellowish within, shooting forth in spirits with the violence of furious or fiery 



divers places weak round stalks, full of 

 joints, set with two leaves a-piece at every 



fits of agues ; to quench thirst, and procure 

 anappetitein fainting ordecaying stomachs: 



one of them on a contrary side, which are \ For it resists the putrefaction of the blood, 

 ribbed somewhat like to plantain, and: kills worms, and is a cordial to the heart, 

 fashioned like the common field white cam- 5 which the seed doth more effectually, being 

 pion leaves, seldom having any branches i more drying and binding, and thereby stays 

 from the sides of the stalks, but set with 5 the hot fluxes of women's courses, or of 

 flowers at the top, standing in long husks I humours in the bloody flux, or flux of the 

 like the wild campions, made of five leaves { stomach. The root also in a decoction, or 

 a-piece, round at the ends, and dented in { in powder, is effectual for all the said pur- 

 the middle, of a rose colour, almost white, 5 poses. Both roots and seeds, as well as the 

 sometimes deeper, sometimes paler ; of a : herb, are held powerful to resist the poison 

 reasonable scent. 5 of the scorpion. The decoction of the roots 



PlaceJ] It grows wild in many low and is taken to help the jaundice, and to expel 

 wet grounds of this land, by brooks and the j the gravel and the stone in the reins or kid- 

 sides of running waters. | neys. The decoction of the flowers made 



TimeJ] It flowers usually in July, and: with wine and drank, helps the black jaun- 

 so continues all August, and part of Sep-jdice, as also the inward ulcers of the body 

 tember, before they be quite spent. ; and bowels. A syrup made with the juice 



Government and virtues.'] Venus owns it. | of Sorrel and fumitory, is a sovereign help 

 The country people in divers places do use j to kill those sharp humours that cause the 

 to bruise the leaves of Sopewort, and lay it 5 itch. The juice thereof, with a little vine- 

 to their fingers, hands or legs, when they \ gar, serves well to be used outwardly for 

 are cut, to heal them up again. Some 5 the same cause, and is also profitable for 

 make great boast thereof, that it is diureti-* tetters, ringworms, &c. It helps also to 

 cal to provoke urine, aud thereby to expel | discuss the kernels in the throat; and the 

 gravel and the stone in the reins or kidneys, I juice gargled in the mouth, helps the sores 

 and do also account it singularly good to; therein. The leaves wrapt in a colewort 

 void hydropical waters : and they no less | leaf and roasted in the embers, and applied 

 extol it to perform an absolute cure in the i to a hard imposthume, botch, boil, or plague 

 French pox, more than either sarsaparilla, \ sore, doth both ripen and break it. The 

 guiacum, or China can do ; which, how | distilled water of the herb is of much good 

 true it is, I leave others to judge. i use for all the purposes aforesaid. 



| 



SORREL. WOOD SORREL. 



i 

 \ 



O IT R ordinary Sorrel, which grows inj De&cript.'] THIS grows upon the ground, 

 gardens, and also wild in the fields, is so having a number of leaves coming from 

 well known, that it needs no description, jthe root made of three leaves, like a trefoil. 



