375 
Chap. 277. “EngUJb ‘Herhs. 
IX. The Specification. It is good againlt burning 
Fevers, Inflammations, Hcarfenels, Pleurify, ' He- 
morrhoids or Piles ^ caufes Expe&oration , and 
quenches the moil vehement Thirft. 
X. T he Preparations. You may have therefrom, 
i. A Mucilage of the Seed. 2. An Ointment. 3. 
The Seed fryed. 4. A Cataplafm of the Seed. 5. A 
liquid juice of the Herb. 
The Virtues. 
XI. The Mucilage of the Seed. It is made with 
Barley Water, or Damask Rofe Water , or with pure 
Spring Water , by a bare Infufion of the Seed in the 
Water , without bruifing of it , juft as you make a 
Mucilage of Clary Seed. If it is made with Barley 
Water , and is dulcified with Syrup of Damask Rofes 
or Violets , and fo drank to four, fix or eight Ounces, 
it opens the Stomach and Bowels , and evacuates 
downwards grofs Flegm and Melancholy, with 0- 
ther vifcous Humors : but withal it heals the Cor- 
rofion of the Bowels caufed by hot, (harp and cho- 
lerick Humors, or from the over-working of violent 
Medicines, fuch as Scammony , Rofin of fallal >, Colo- 
quintida , Efula, &c. If it is made with Spring Wa- 
ter , and dulcified with Syrup of Violets , or Syrup of 
Corn Poppies , it is good againft all hot, burning and 
malign Fevers and Inflammations of the Vifcera : it 
cools the Heat, quenches Thirlt, and lenifies the 
Drinefs of the Mouth, Tongue and Throat. It helps 
alfo the Hoarfenefs of the Voice, and other Difeafes 
of the Breft and Lungs, caufed by Heat or fait fharp 
Humors * and the Pleurify or Peripneumony , if gi- 
ven in time. If it is made with Damask Rofe Water, 
and lweetned with Syrup of Red Rofes , it is good 
againft Heat, Pain and Fluxes of the Bowels ^ and 
is a lingular Remedy in a Tenafmus. 
XII. The Ointment. Take the Yolk of one Egg , 
Unguentum Populeon one Ounce , Mucilage of Plea- 
wort Seed a fujficient quantity •, mix and make all 
into an Ointment. It is an extraordinary thing if it 
is applied to the Hemorrhoids or Piles, laying it on 
a Cloth, and binding it on them. It helps alfo all 
Inflammations in any part of the Body, and eafes 
the Pains which are caufed thereby. Applied to the 
Head and Forehead, it is good againft the Head-ach 
and Megrim * and it is good againft all hot Tumors 
or Breakings out in the Skin, as Blains, Wheals, 
Pimples, red Puftles in the Face, Pufhes, and the 
like. 
XIII. The fryed or parched Seed. If it is either 
eaten, or otherwife reduced to pouder, and fo taken, 
it is of excellent life to ftop all forts of Fluxes of 
the Belly, and heals the Corrofions of the Bowels, 
caufed by acrid or fharp and malign Humors, or the 
Corrofivenefs of violent and fharp Purgers. 
XIV. The Cataplafm. Made of the Mucilage with 
the bruifed Seed , Oil of Rofes and Vinegar , with a 
fujficient quantity of Rice or Bean Flower , it is good 
againft Pains of the Joints, and Weaknefs of the 
fame caufed by the Gout, Sciatica, Ef c. which Pains 
it eafes, as alfo Ruptures in young Children, and 
the Swelling out of the Navel, being applied : it 
heals alfo fore Nipples and fore Breafts of Women 
giving Suck. 
XV. The juice of the Herb. If it is mixt with 
a little Honey, and put into the Ears, it helps the 
Running of them, and kills Worms breeding there- 
in. The fame mixt with Hogs Lard, and applied 
to corrupt and filthy Ulcers, cools them, removes 
their Inflammation, eafes the Pain, cleanfes and 
heals them, by reprefling the fharp Humors flowing 
to them. 
CHAP. CCLXXVII. 
Of FLIXWEED. 
I. T"' H E Names. It is called in Latin. , Sophia , 
I- and Sophia Chirurgorum , by Gerard ■, alfo 
Pfeudonajiurtium fylveftre, and by fome Thalietruni 
or T balictrum, ( tho’ thefe two lalt are Names which 
more properly belong to Meadow Rue : ) fome will 
have it to be Sophia Parace/Ji , by which, it is faid, 
he did fuch W onders : alfo Seriphium Germanicum 
Tragi , Arcipitrina Ccefalpini , Nafiurtium fylveftrc 
tcnui folium dwifitm Bautin i , Eruca Gelatina Italo- 
rum Lobehi : in Englifh , Flixweed. 
II. The Kinds. Authors make two forts here- 
of, viz. 1. Sophia anguftifc/i a, N arrow-lea v’d Eli x- 
weed. 2. Sophia laiifolia , Broad-lea vd Flixweed ^ 
which y evJSerard thinks may be both but one kind, 
the Leaf thereof growing fairer and larger according 
to the Richnefs or Goodnefs of the Soil. Their 
Defer ip tions follow. 
III. The Defcriptions. The Hrft , or Narrow- 
leav’d Flixweed, has a Root which is long and woody, 
perifhing every Year ■, yet if it be fuffered to feed , 
and Jhed its Seed , it will be wonderfully encreafed 
the next Year. From this Root it rifes up with a 
round, fmooth, hard, upright Stalk, half a yard or 
two feet high, feldom more, and fpreads it felf into 
feveral Branches, by which it becomes a beautiful 
(confidering the Plant) or pleafant kind of Bufh j 
on which Stalk and Branches do grow many Leaves, 
of an over-worn greyifh green color, finely cut and 
divided into a number of fine Jaggs, like unto thole 
of Roman Wormwood , or fmalleft Leaves of Corian- 
der. The Flowers grow upon the Stalk and 
Branches, Spike fafhion, which are very fmall, and 
of a dark yellow color •, which being pafs’d away, 
fmall, long Pods fucceed, containing much Seed, 
which when ripe, is of a yellow color. 
IV. The 
