62 



THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



falls and blows ; they are also used for rup- 

 tures, and other inward burnings, with 

 very good success. An ointment made 

 thereof doth wonderfully help all wounds 

 that have inflammations about them, or by 

 reason of moist humours having access unto 

 them, are kept long from healing, and such 

 are those, for the most part, that happen to 

 joints of the arms or legs. The juice of 

 them dropped into the running eyes of any, 

 doth much help them. 



DANDELION, VULGARLY CALLED P1SS- 

 A-BEDS. 



DescriptJ] IT is well known to have 

 many long and deep gashed leaves, lying 

 on the ground round about the head of the 

 roots ; the ends of each gash or jag, on 

 both sides looking downwards towards the 

 roots ; the middle rib being white, which 

 being broken, yields abundance of bitter 

 milk, but the root much more ; from among 

 the leaves, which always abide green, arise 

 many slender, weak, naked foot-stalks, 

 every one of them bearing at the top one 

 large yellow flower, consisting of many 

 rows of yellow leaves, broad at the points, 

 and nicked in with deep spots of yellow in 

 the middle, which growing ripe, the green 

 husk wherein the flowers stood turns itself 

 down to the stalk, and the head of down 

 becomes as round as a ball : with long 

 seed underneath, bearing a part of the 

 down on the head of every one, which 

 together is blown away with the wind, or 

 may be at once blown away with one's 

 mouth. The root growing downwards 

 exceedingly deep, which being broken off 

 within the ground, will yet shoot forth again, 

 and will hardly be destroyed where it hath 

 once taken deep root in the ground. 



Place.'] It grows frequently in all 

 meadows and pasture-grounds. 



Time.'] It flowers in one place or other 

 almost all the year long. 



Government and virtues.] It is under the 



dominion of Jupiter. It is of an opening 

 and cleansing quality, and therefore very 

 effectual for the obstructions of the liver 

 gall and spleen, and the diseases that arise 

 from them, as the jaundice and hypocon- 

 driac ; it opens the passages of the urine 

 both in young and old ; powerfully cleanses 

 imposthumes and inward ulcers in the 

 urinary passage, and by its drying and 

 temperate quality doth afterwards heal 

 them ; for which purpose the decoction of 

 the roots or leaves in white wine, or the 

 leaves chopped as pot-herbs, with a few 

 Alisanders, and boiled in their broth, are 

 very effectual. And whoever is drawing 

 towards a consumption or an evil disposi- 

 tion of the whole body, called Cachexia, 

 by the use hereof for some time together, 

 shall find a wonderful help, It helps also 

 to procure rest and sleep to bodies dis- 

 tempered by the heat of ague fits, or othe 

 wise : The distilled water is effectual to 

 drink in pestilential fevers, and to wash the 

 sores. 



You see here what virtues this common 

 herb hath, and that is the reason the French 

 and Dutch so often eat them in the Spring ; 

 and now if you look a little farther, you 

 may see plainly without a pair of spec- 

 tacles, that foreign physicians are not so 

 selfish as ours are, but more communicative 

 of the virtues of plants to people. 



DARNEL. 



IT is called Jam and Wray : in Sussex 

 they call it Crop, it being a pestilent enemy 

 among corn. 



DescriptJ] This has all the winter long 

 sundry long, flat, and rough leaves, which, 

 when the stalk rises, which is slender and 

 jointed, are norrower, but rough still ; on 

 the top grows a long spike, composed of 

 many heads set one above another, con- 

 taining two or three husks, with a sharp 

 but short beard of awns at the end ; the 



