\ 
130 The 
BRITISH HERBAL 
The leaves are rough, of a pale green, and of 
a heart-fafhioned fhape, but with an obtufe point: 
they ftand alternately, and have moderately long, 
flender, pale green footftalks. 
The flowers rife fingle from the bofoms of the 
leaves, and are long, hollow, and crooked : 
each has its feparate fhort footftalk ; and is of a 
greenifh colour, and ftriated on the outfide, and 
purple and rough within. ‘ 
The feed-veflel is large and oval, and contains 
numerous feeds, with a pithy or fpungy white 
matter between them. 
It is a native of Spain and Italy ; and flowers 
in July. 
C. Bauhine calls it Ariftolochia longa vera. O- 
thers, Ariftolochia longa bifpanica; and, fimply, 
Aviftolochia longa. 
3. Clinching Birthwort. 
Ariftolochia clematitis. 
The root is long, flender, and creeping: it 
runs under the furface, and fends up a great 
number of ftalks from different parts, and a mul- 
titude of black fibres downward. 
The ftalks are of a pale green, jointed, and 
crooked, but more firm than the others, and 
three feet high. 
The leaves are large, and of a heart-fafhioned 
fhape: they ftand alternately, and have long 
footftalks. 
The flowers rife from the bofoms of the leaves, 
but not fingly, as in the two preceding kinds, 
but in confiderable tufts together: they are long 
and hollow, and of a pale greenifh white colour. 
The feed-veffel is very large: when fully 
grown it is as big as a wallnut ; and it contains 
- many feeds, with a white fpungy matter between 
‘them. 
It is a native of the fouth of France; and 
flowers in June. : 
T have feen it in woods in Effex, but imagine 
it came from. roots or pieces of the ftalks out 
of lord Petre’s garden. 
C. Bauhine calls it Ariftolochia clematitis refa. 
Others, Ariftolochia faracenica ; and, fimply, Arif: 
tolochia clematitis. 
4. Small Birthwort. 
Ariftolochia minor piftolochia diffa. 
The root is compofed of a great many tube- 
rous, long, and not very thick pieces, with ma- 
ny fibres growing to them, and among them. 
The ftalks are numerous, very weak, and 
trailing: they are a foot long, crooked from 
joint to joint, and of a pale green, 
The leaves ftand on fhort footftalks, and they 
are fmall, and heart-fafhioned, very lightly and | 
irregularly notched at the edges, and fometimes 
not at all fo, and blunt at the end. 
The flowers are large, hollow, and crooked 
as the othets; they rife fingly from the bofoms 
of the leaves. 
The feed-veffel is large, and has a white pith 
in it, together with the feeds, 
It is a native of France, and flowers in Auguft. 
C. Bauhine calls it rifolocharia piftolochia 
difia. Others, Ariftolechia parva; and Ariftolo- 
chia polyrrbizos, 
Thefe four poflefs the fame virtues, and are 
warm, drying, and aperient. The round is the 
beft,; the long has the next degree of virtue ; 
thefe others much lefs. 
It is ufed in the famous powder now in fo 
great efteem for the gout, and is one of the 
chief ingredients : fome have omitted it in mak- 
ing that powder for female patients, and the effeét 
has been greatly impaired. The reafon of omit: 
ting it on thefe occafions has been its power as 
a promoter of the menfes, not at that time re- 
quired. : 4 
Birthwort is a ftrong, but difagreeable bitter ; 
this makes it lefs ufed than it deferves. It is ex- 
cellent in diforders of the head, and in obftruc- 
tions of the vifcera. 
It is given with fuccefs againft the ftuffings 
of the lungs, and obftruétions of the menfes; and 
is excellent to promote the neceflary difcharges 
in lying-in. 
5. Snakeroot Birthwort. 
Aviftolockia ferpentaria virginiana diffa. 
The root confifts of a vaft quantity of long, 
flender, and interwoven filaments with a fmall 
head: thefe are of a pale greenifh brown colour, 
and are of a fragrant fmell. 
The ftalk is flender, jointed, weak, and un- 
able to fupport itfelf erect: it is a foot or more 
in length, and of a pale green, rarely at all 
branched. 
The leaves-are oblong, and of a fmooth fur- 
face: they are of a pale green colour, and ftand 
on flender footftalks: they approach to the heart- 
fafhioned fhape, but lefs than in the other kinds. 
The flowers have Jong footftalks : they rife 
from the bofoms of the leaves, or naked joints 
of the ftalk: they are long and hollow, like the 
others, 
The feed-veffel is large, and contains many 
feeds, with a white pith furrounding them. 
It is a native of Virginia, and of other parts 
of North America; and flowers in July. 
This is the plant whofe root is called at 
the druggifts Serpentaria Virginiana,  Plukenet 
calls it Ariftolochia piftolochia, Jeu Serpentaria Vir- 
Siniana caude nedofo. Others, Piftolochia Virgi 
niana, 
Thofe who gather the roots for exportation 
are not fo careful as they fhould be in taking only 
the right kind; for there are feveral other {pecies 
of {mall Jirthworts common wild in the fame 
places; they fancy they have all the fame vir- 
tues, and therefore gather all together: but 
experience fhews this, though countenanced by 
fome great names, to be an error; for not: one 
of the others has the fragrancy or true tafte of 
ae: they fhould therefore be feparated “cares 
ully, 
The root of this kind is 
Indians as a remed 
ferpents, 
celebrated among the 
y againft the bites of venomous 
: whence it had the name Jnakeroot ; and 
with us it is found to be an excellent cordial and 
fudorifick, 
It is good in fevers, 
in all diforders of sig 
head and nerves, 
and in obftrudtions of the vifcera, 
It may be taken in powder or infufion, but the 
ft way is in tin@ure made in brandy. 
6. Spear- 
be 
