OF HERBS IN MEDICINE 173 



The maiden in a morn betime, 



Went forth when May was in the prime. 



To get sweet setywall, 



The honeysuckle, the harlocii, 



The lily and the ladysmock, 



To deck her summerhall." 



The summary of Dowsabel's education is so delight- 

 ful, that though it was irrelevant, I could not refrain 

 from quoting it. Aconite, Wolfsbane, or Monkshood 

 {Aconitum Napellus) was held in wholesome terror by 

 the old herbalists, who described it as being most 

 venomous and deadly. Gerarde says, " There hath 

 beene little heretofore set downe concerning the virtues 

 of the Aconite, but much might be said of the hurts 

 that have come thereby." Parkinson chiefly recommends 

 it to " hunters of wild beastes, in which to dippe the 

 heads of their arrows they shoote, or darts they throw 

 at the wild beastes which killeth them that are wounded 

 speedily"; but, he says, it may be used in outward 

 applications. Aconite was first administered internally 

 by Stoerck, who prescribed it for rheumatism, with good 

 results, and it is now known to be sedative to the heart 

 and respiratory organs, and to reduce temperature. 



Other English-grown plants in the Pharmacopoeia are : 

 Anise, Artemisia maritima (Wormwood), Uvse Ursi 

 (Bearberries), Coriander, Caraway, Dill, Fennel, Flax 

 (Linseed), Henbane, Wych-Hazel, Horse-Radish, Li- 

 quorice, Lavender, Mint, Mezereon, Musk, Mustard, 

 Arnica, Pyrethrum, Rosemary, Squills, Saffron and 

 Winter-green. In the making of Thymol, a preparation 

 in common hospital use, M.onarda punctata (Bergamot), 

 Oil of Thyme and Carum copticus are used. 



The following plants are not yet to be found in the 

 Pharmacopoeia, which includes those only that have been 

 tried by very long experience, but leading physicians have 

 prescribed these drugs with success. Coirualleria, from 

 Lily of the Valley ; Balix nigra, from the Willow ; Savin, 



