THE 



ENGLISH PHYSICIAN 



ENLARGED. 



AMARA DULCIS. 



pONSIDERING divers shires in this na- 

 *J tion give divers names to one and the 

 same herb, and that the common name 

 which it bears in one county, is not known 

 in another ; I shall take the pains to set 

 down all the names that I know of each 

 herb : pardon me for setting that name first, 

 which is most common to myself. Besides 

 Amara Dulcis, some call it Mortal, others 

 Bitter-sweet ; some Woody Night-shade, 

 and others Felon-wort. 



DescriptJ] It grows up with woody stalks 

 even to a man's height, and sometimes 

 higher. The leaves fall off at the approach 

 of winter, and spring out of the same stalk 

 at spring-time : the branch is compassed 

 about with a whitish bark, and has a pith in 

 the middle of it : the main branch branches 

 itself into many small ones with claspers, 

 laying hold on what is next to them, as 

 vines do : it bears many leaves, they grow 

 in no order at all, at least in no regular 

 order ; the leaves are longish, though some- 

 what broad, and pointed at the ends: many 

 of them have two little leaves growing at 

 the end of their foot-stalk ; some have but 

 one, and some none. The leaves are of a 



pale green colour ; the flowers are of a pur- 

 ple colour, or of a perfect blue, like to vio- 

 lets, and they stand many of them together 

 in knots : the berries are green at first, but 

 when they are ripe they are very red ; if 

 you taste them, you shall find them just as 

 the crabs which we in Sussex call Bitter- 

 sweet, viz, sweet at first and bitter after- 

 wards. 



Place. ,] They grow commonly almost 

 throughout England, especially in moist 

 and shady places. 



Time.'] The leaves shoot out about the 

 latter end of March, if the temperature of 

 the air be ordinary ; it flowers in July, and 

 the seeds are ripe soon after, usually in the 

 next month. 



Government and virtues.~\ It is under 

 the planet Mercury, and a notable herb of 

 his also, if it be rightly gathered under his 

 influence. It is excellently good to remove 

 witchcraft both in men and beasts, as also 

 all sudden diseases whatsoever. Being tied 

 round about the neck, is one of the most 

 admirable remedies for the vertigo or dizzi- 

 ness in the head; and that is the reason (as 

 Tragus saith) the people in Germany com- 

 monly hang it about their cattle's necks, 

 when they fear any such evil hath betided 



