AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. 



13 



ASARABACCA. 



Descript.~\ ASARABACCA appears like 

 an evergreen, keeping its leaves all the 

 Winter, but putting forth new ones in the 

 time of Spring. It has many heads rising 

 from the roots, from whence come many 

 smooth leaves, every one upon his foot 

 stalks, which are rounder and bigger than 

 Violet leaves, thicker also, and of a dark 

 green shining colour on the upper side, and 

 of a pale yellow green underneath, little or 

 nothing dented about the edges, from among 

 which rise small, round, hollow, brown 

 green husks, upon short stalks, about an 

 inch long, divided at the brims into five 

 divisions, very like the cups or heads of 

 the Henbane seed, but that they are smaller; 

 and these be all the flower it carries, which 

 are somewhat sweet, being smelled to, 

 and wherein, when they are ripe, is con- 

 tained small cornered rough seeds, very 

 like the kernels or stones of grapes or 

 raisins. The roots are small and whitish, 

 spreading divers w r ays in the ground, in- 

 creasing into divers heads; but not running 

 or creeping under the ground, as some other 

 creeping herbs do. They are somewhat 

 sweet in smell, resembling Nardus, but 

 more when they are dry than green ; and 

 of a sharp and not unpleasant taste. 



Place!] It grows frequently in gardens. 



Time.'] They keep their leaves green all 

 Winter ; but shoot forth new in the Spring, 

 and with them come forth those heads or 

 flowers which give ripe seed about Mid- 

 summer, or somewhat after. 



Government and virtues^] It is a plant un- 

 der the dominion of Mars, and therefore ini- 

 mical to nature. This herb being drank, not 

 only provokes vomiting, but purges down- 

 wards, and by urine also, purges both cho- 

 ler and phlegm: If you add to it some spike- 

 nard, with the whey of goat's milk, or ho- 

 neyed water, it is made more strong, but it 

 purges phlegm more manifestly than eholer, 



and therefore does much help pains in 

 the hips, and other parts ; being boiled in 

 whey, it wonderfully helps the obstruc- 

 tions of the liver and spleen, and therefore 

 profitable for the dropsy and jaundice ; 

 being steeped in wine and drank, it helps 

 those continual aguesthatcome by theplenty 

 of stubborn humours; an oil made thereof 

 by setting in the sun, with some laudanum 

 added to it, provokes sweating (the ridge 

 of the back being anointed therewith), and 

 thereby drives away the shaking fits of the 

 ague. It will not abide any long boiling, 

 for it loseth its chief strength thereby ; nor 

 much beating, for the finer powder pro- 

 vokes vomits and urine, and the coarser 

 purge th downwards. 



The common use hereof is, to take the 

 juice of five or seven leaves in a little drink 

 to cause vomiting ; the roots have also the 

 same virtue, though they do not operate so 

 forcibly ; they are very effectual against the 

 biting of serpents, and therefore are put as 

 an ingredient both into Mithridite and 

 Venice treacle. The leaves and roots being 

 boiled in lye, and the head often washed 

 therewith while it is warm, comforts the 

 head and brain that is ill affected by taking 

 cold, and helps the memory. 



I shall desire ignorant people to forbear 



the use of the leaves ; the roots purge more 



gently, and may prove beneficial to such as 



have cancers, or old putrified ulcers, or 



j fistulas upon their bodies, to take a dram 



! of them in powder in a quarter of a pint of 



' white wine in the morning. The truth is, 



I fancy purging and vomiting medicines as 



little as any man breathing doth, for they 



weaken nature, nor shall ever advise them 



to be used,' unless upon urgent necessity. 



If a physician be nature's servant, it is his 



duty to strengthen his mistress as much as 



he can, and weaken her as little as may be. 



ASPARAGUS, SPARAGUS, OR SPERAGE. 



DescriptJ] IT rises up at first with divers 



