35 



assumption that its virtues were recognised. I per* 

 sonally know of only one instance in which the herb 

 was used by the unorthodox practitioner in recent 

 times. The old men and women " with the charms " 

 will always deny their use of it in internal medicine. 

 They admit its use as an ingredient in ointments for 

 scrofulous swellings. A modern clinician, referring to 

 the use of Digitalis in cardiac disease, states " Digitalis 

 deserves no reproach when it fails in many of these 

 cases, for it always will and must fail until some drug is 

 found which can develop new tissue for old ; and 

 when such a drug is found, to use a Biblical expression, 

 ' there will be no sorrow, neither will there be any 

 more pain,' and possibly, I may add, neither will there 

 be death." 

 Linaria Vulgaris. Toad Flax. tofCAn-iioti DuToe. 



Was not used medicinally. Linum catharticum, q.v., 

 also called Fairy Flax, is the herb used by the herbalists. 

 Linaria Elatine. Fluellin. SeAtnAp. CpiAt) (C^e) ; tuf Cpe. 

 (See Speedwell). 

 The first form of the Irish rendering denotes the " male," 

 the second the " female " herb. One cannot explain 

 this system of sex morphology on any other than 

 the grammatical basis. There are only two genders 

 in Irish, masculine and feminine, there being no neuter. 

 One can easily conjure up the reason -why a plant in 

 fruit would be relegated to the female sex and earlier 

 in its life history, before pollination occurs, to the 

 male sex. 

 Scrophularia Aquatica. Water Figwort ; Water Betony. 

 "Ountuf Uifce. Suj peAfnA. t>iA-ocAf> three. 

 One of the many herbs used as a cleanser of Wounds by 

 local application and internal medication. 

 Scrophularia Nodosa. Knotted Figwort. t«f ha gCnApAti ; 

 •pot^um ; t^Af-AC *Ouo ; "Ountuf . 

 While Digitalis is known as the queen of herbs, S. nodosa 

 is said to be the king. An ointment was made from 

 the knots or knobs powdered and mixed with lard. 

 This ointment was applied to relieve piles and skin 

 lesions of all kinds. A similar preparation is used by 

 farmers in the treatment of farcy in horses. 



