78 



THE COMPLETE HERBAL 



like. The mucilage of the seed made with 

 Rose-water, and a little sugar-candy put 

 thereto, is very good in all hot agues and 

 burning fevers, and other inflammations, to 

 cool the thirst, and lenify the dryness and 

 roughness of the tongue and throat. It 

 helps also hoarseness of the voice, and dis- 

 eases of the breast and lungs, caused by 

 heat, or sharp salt humours, and the pleu- 

 risy also. The mucilage of the seed made 

 with Plantain water, whereunto the yoke of 

 an egg or two, and a little Populeon are 

 put, is a most safe and sure remedy to ease 

 the sharpness, pricking, and pains of the 

 haemorrhoids or piles, if it be laid on a 

 cloth, and bound thereto. It helps all in- 

 dammations in any part of the body, and 

 the pains that come thei'eby, as the head- 

 ache and megrims, and all hot imposthumes, 

 swellings, or breaking out of the skin, as 

 blains, wheals, pushes, purples, and the 

 like, as also the joints of those that are out 

 of joint, the pains of the gout and sciatica, 

 the burstings of young children, and the 

 swellings of the navel, applied with oil of 

 roses and vinegar. It is also good to heal 

 the nipples and sore breasts of women, 

 being often applied thereunto. The juice 

 of the herb with a little honey put into the 

 ears helps the running of them, and the 

 worms breeding in them : The same also 

 mixed with hog's grease, and applied to 

 corrupt and filthy ulcers, cleanses them 

 and heals them. 



FLUX-WEED. 



Descript.~\ IT rises up with a round 

 upright hard stalk, four or five feet high, 

 spread into sundry branches, whereon grow 

 many greyish green leaves, very finely cut 

 and severed into a number of short and 

 almost round parts. The flowers are very 

 small and yellow, growing spike fashion, i 

 after which eome small long pods, with 

 small yellowish seed in them. The root is 

 long and woody, perishing every year. 



There is another sort, differing in nothing, 

 save only it has somewhat broad leaves ; 

 they have a strong evil saviour, being 

 smelled unto, and are of a drying taste. 



Place.'] They flower wild in the fields 

 by hedge-sides and highways, and among 

 rubbish and other places. 



Time.'] They flower and seed quickly 

 after, namely in June and July. 



Government and virtues^] This herb is 

 saturnine also. Both the herb and seed ot 

 Flux- weed is of excellent use to stay the flux 

 or lask of the belly, being drank in water 

 wherein gads of steel heated have been 

 often quenched ; and is no less effectual 

 for the same purpose than Plantain or Com- 

 frey, and to restrain any other flux of blood 

 in man or woman, as also to consoladate 

 bones broken or out of joint. The juice 

 thereof drank in wine, or the decoction of 

 the herb drank, doth kill 'the worms in the 

 stomach or belly, or the worms that grow 

 in putrid and filthy ulcers, and made into 

 a salve doth quickly heal all old sore*s, how 

 foul or malignant soever they be. The 

 distilled water of the herb works the same 

 effect, although somewhat weaker, yet it 

 is a fair medicine, and more acceptable to 

 be taken. It is called Flux- weed because 

 it cures the flux, and for its uniting broken 

 bones, &c. Paracelsus extol it to the skies. 

 It is fitting that syrup, ointment, and 

 plaisters of it were kept in your house. 



FLOWER-DE-LUCE. 



IT is so well known, being nourished up 

 in most gardens, that I shall not need to 

 spent time in writing a description thereof. 



Time.~\ The flaggy kinds thereof have 

 the most physical uses ; the dwarf kinds 

 thereof flowers in April, the greater sorts 

 in May. 



Government and virtues^] The herb is 

 Luner. The juice or decoction of the green 

 root of the flaggy kind of Fower-de-luce, 

 with a little honey drank, doth purge and 



