THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



some authors hold to be so rare : Such a 

 thing there is I know, and may be easily 

 had upon Midsummer Eve, and for ought 

 I know, two or three days after it, if not 

 more. 



Government and virtues.^ It is under the 

 dominion of Mercury, both Male and 

 Female. The roots of both these sorts of 

 Fern being bruised and boiled in Mead, 

 or honeyed water, and drank, kills both 

 the broad and long worms in the body, 

 and abates the swelling and hardness of the 

 spleen. The green leaves eaten, purge the 

 belly of choleric and waterish humours 

 that trouble the stomach. They are dan- 

 gerous for Women with child to meddle 

 with, by reason they cause abortions. The 

 roots bruised and boiled in oil, or hog's 

 grease, make a very profitable ointment to 

 heal wounds, or pricks gotten in the flesh. 

 The powder of them used in foul ulcers, 

 dries up their malignant moisture, and 

 causes their speedier healing. Fern being 

 burned, the smoke thereof drives away 

 serpents, gnats, and other noisome crea- 

 tures, which in fenny countries do in the 

 night time, trouble and molest people lying 

 in their beds with their faces uncovered ; 

 it causes barrenness. 



OSMOND ROYAL, OR WATER FERN 



Descript.~] THIS shoots forth in Spring 

 time (for in the Winter the leaves perish) 

 divers rough hard stalks, half round, and 

 yellowish, or flat on the other side, two feet 

 high, having divers branches of winged 

 yellowish green leaves on all sides, set one 

 against another, longer, narrower, and not 

 nicked on the edges as the former. From 

 the top of some of these stalks grow forth 

 a long bush of small and more yellow, 

 green, scaly aglets, set in the same manner 

 on the stalks as the leaves are, which are 

 accounted the flowers and seeds. The root 

 is rough, thick and scabby : with a white 



pith in the middle, which is called the heart 

 thereof. 



PlaccJ] It grows on moors, bogs, and 

 watery places, in many parts of this land. 



Time.'] It is green all the summer, and 

 the root only abides in winter. 



Government and virtues."] Saturn owns 

 the plant. This has all the virtues men- 

 tioned in the former Ferns, and is much 

 more effectual than they, both for inward 

 and outward griefs, and is accounted sin- 

 gularly good in wounds, bruises, or the like. 

 The decoction to be drank, or boiled into 

 an ointment of oil, as a balsam or balm, 

 and so it is singularly good against bruises, 

 and bones broken, or out of joint, and gives 

 much ease to the cholic and splenetic 

 diseases : as also for ruptures or burstings. 

 The decoction of the root in white wine, 

 provokes urine exceedingly, and cleanses 

 the bladder and passages of urine. 



FEVERFEW OR FEATHERFEW. 



DescriptJ\ COMMON Featherfew has 

 large, fresh, green leaves, much torn or cut 

 on the edges. The stalks are hard and 

 round, set with many such like leaves, but 

 smaller, and at the tops stand many single 

 flowers, upon small foot stalks, consisting 

 of many small white leaves standing round 

 about a yellow thrum in the middle. The 

 root is somewhat hard and short, with many 

 strong fibres about it. The scent of the. 

 whole plant is very strong, and the taste is 

 very bitter. 



/Vace.] This grows wild in many places 

 ot the land, but is for the most part nour- 

 ished in gardens. 



TimeJ] It flowers in the months of June 

 and July. 



Government and virtues.^ Venus com- 

 mands this herb, and has commended it to 

 succour her sisters (women) and to be a 

 general strengthener of their wombs, and 

 remedy such infirmities as a careless mid- 

 wife hath there caused if thev will but be 



