THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



hollow, long flowers, of a blueish purple 

 colour, with small white spots upon the lips 

 that hang down. The root is small with 

 strings. 



Place.'] It is commonly found under 

 hedges, and on the sides of ditches, under 

 houses, or in shadowed lanes, and other 

 waste grounds, in almost every part of this 

 land. 



Time.~\ They flower somewhat early, and 

 abide a great while ; the leaves continue 

 green until Winter, and sometimes abide, 

 except the Winter be very sharp and cold. 



Government and virtues.^ It is an herb of 

 Venus, and therefore cures the diseases she 

 causes by sympathy, and those of Mars by 

 antipathy; you may usually find it all the 

 year long except the year be extremely 

 frosty ; it is quick, sharp, .and bitter in taste, 

 and is thereby found to be hot and dry ; a 

 singular herb for all inward wounds, exul- 

 cerated lungs, or other parts, either by itself, 

 or boiled with other the like herbs ; and 

 being drank, in a short time it eases all 

 griping pains, windy and choleric humours 

 in the stomach, spleen or belly ; helps the 

 yellow jaundice, by opening the stoppings 

 of the gall and liver, and melancholy, by 

 opening the stoppings of the spleen ; ex- 

 pels venom or poison, and also the plague; 

 it provokes urine and women's courses ; the 

 decoction of it in wine drank for some time 

 together, procures ease to them that are 

 troubled with the sciatica, or hip-gout : as 

 also the gout in hands, knees or feet ; if 

 you put to the decoction some honey and 

 a little burnt alum, it is excellently good to 

 gargle any sore mouth or throat, and to 

 wash the sores and ulcers in the privy parts 

 of man or woman ; it speedily helps green 

 wounds, being bruised and bound thereto. 

 The juice of it boiled with a little honey 

 and verdigrease, doth wonderfully cleanse 

 fistu.as, ulcers, and stays the spreading or 

 eating of cancers and ulcers ; it helps the 

 itch, scabs, wheals, and other breakings 



out in any part of the body. The juice of 

 Celandine, Field-daisies, and Ground-ivy 

 clarified, and a little fine sugar dissolved 

 therein, and dropped into the eyes, is a 

 sovereign remedy for all pains, redness, and 

 watering of them ; as also for the pin and 

 web, skins and films growing over the sight, 

 it helps beasts as well as men. The juice 

 dropped into the ears, wonderfully helps 

 the noise and singing of them, and helps the 

 hearing which is decayed. It is good to 

 tun up with new drink, for it will clarify it 

 in a night, that it will be the fitter to be 

 drank the next morning; or if any drink 

 be thick with removing, or any other acci- 

 dent, it will do the like in a few hours. 



ALEXANDER. 



IT is called Alisander, Horse-parsley, and 

 Wild-parsley, and the Black Pot-herb; the 

 seed of it is that which is usually sold in 

 apothecaries' shops for Macedonian Pars- 

 ley-seed. 



DescriptJ] It is usually sown in all the 

 gardens in Europe, and so well known, that 

 it needs no farther description. 



Time.'] It flowers in June and July ; the 

 seed is ripe in August. 



Government and virtues. ~] It is an herb of 

 Jupiter, and therefore friendly to nature, 

 for it warms a cold stomach, and opens 

 a stoppage of the liver and spleen; it is good 

 to move women's courses, to expel the after- 

 birth, to break wind, to provoke urine, and 

 helps the stranguary; and these things the 

 seeds will do likewise. If either of them 

 be boiled in wine, or being bruised and 

 taken in wine, is also effectual against the 

 biting of serpents. And you know what 

 Alexander pottage is good for, that you 

 may no longer eat it out of ignorance but 

 out of knowledge. 



THE BLACK ALDER-TREE 



Descript.] Tins tree seldom grows to 

 any great bigness, but for the most part 



