1214? MULBERRY-TREE. 
forms there a blister, and excites a burning and painful 
inflammation. If the nettle be suddenly and strongly 
grasped, the stings are bent or broken, and, in this case, 
occasion no pain. 
In consequence of their stinging quality, nettles have 
been employed, with advantage, in restoring sensation 
to paralytic limbs, by whipping them with these plants. 
They were formerly much used as a styptic ; and are 
said to have been found useful in jaundice, scurvy, 
gout, and other complaints; but most of the accounts 
that have been given of their great medicinal virtues 
have now little credit. Thsjloivers and seeds are said 
to have been tried in Italy, and found an efficacious 
substitute for Peruvian bark (62) in agues and other 
complaints. A leaf of the nettle put upon the tongue, 
and then pressed against the roof of the mouth, is stated 
to be a remedy for bleeding at the nose. 
231. The MULBERRY-TREE (Morus nigra, Fig. 72) 
is a native of Italy, and is known by its heart-shaped and 
rough leaves, and its large juicy berries, each consisting of' 
several smaller ones. 
The flowers of the mulberry appear in June, and the 
fruit becomes ripe in September, the berries continu- 
ing to ripen in succession for about two months. These, 
if eaten before they are ripe, are astringent ; but, when 
ripe, are pleasantly acid, though of very peculiar fla- 
vour. An agreeable syrup, made from the juice of the 
ripe fruit, is kept in apothecaries' shops for medicinal 
uses. The juice itself is employed to impart a dark 
tinge to liquors and confections; and, when properly 
fermented, it becomes a pleasant wine. In cider 
counties it is not unusual to mix mulberries with the 
apples destined for cider, by which is made a delicious 
beverage called mulberry cider. Mulberries stain the 
fingers, as well as linen, cotton, or woollen, of a red 
colour, which is difficult to be extracted ; but which 
may be removed by verjuice, or the acid of lemons. 
In Italy, and other countries where silkworms are 
