Culpeper.] These be the roots the college hath named, and but only named, and in this order I have set them down. It seems the college holds a strange opinion, viz. That it would do an Englishman a mischief to know what the herbs in his garden are good for.

But my opinion is, that those herbs, roots, plants, &c. which grow near a man, are far better and more congruous to his nature than any outlandish rubbish whatsoever, and this I am able to give a reason of to any that shall demand it of me, therefore I am so copious in handling of them, you shall observe them ranked in this order.

1. The temperature of the roots, herbs, flowers, &c. viz. Hot, cold, dry, moist, together with the degree of each quality.

2. What part of the body each root, herb, flower, is appropriated to, viz. head, throat, breast, heart, stomach, liver, spleen, bowels, reins, bladder, womb, joints, and in those which heat those places, and which cool them.

3. The property of each simple, as they bind, open, mollify, harden, extenuate, discuss, draw out, suppure, cleanse, glutinate, break wind, breed seed, provoke or stop the menses, resist poison, abate swellings, ease pain.

This I intend shall be my general method throughout the simples, which, having finished I shall give you a paraphrase explaining these terms, which rightly considered, will be the key of Galen’s way of administering physic.

Temperature of the Roots.

Roots hot in the first degree. Marsh-mallows, Bazil, Valerian, Spattling, Poppy, Burdocks, Borrage, Bugloss, Calamus Aromaticus, Avens, Pilewort, China, Self-heal, Liquorice, Dog-grass, white Lilies, Peony, male and female, wild Parsnips, Parsley, Valerian, great and small, Knee-holly, Satyrion, Scorzonera, Skirrets.

Hot in the second degree. Water-flag, Reeds, Swallow-wort, Asphodel, male, Carline Thistle, Cypress, long and round, Fennel, Lovage, Spignel, Mercury, Devil’s bit, Butter Bur, Hog’s Fennel, Sarsaparilla, Squils, Zedoary.

Hot in the third degree. Angelica, Aron, Birthwort long and round, Sowbread, Asarabacca, Briony, white and black, Sallendine, Virgianian snakeroot, Hemeric, White Dittany, Doronicum, Hellebore, white and black, Elicampane, Fillipendula, Galanga greater and lesser, Masterwort, Orris English and Florentine, Restharrow, stinking Gladen, Turbith, Ginger.

Hot in the fourth degree. Garlick, Onions, Leeks, Pellitory of Spain.

Roots temperate in respect of heat, are Bear’s breech, Sparagus, our Lady’s Thistle, Eringo, Jallap, Mallows, Mechoacan, garden Parsnips, Cinquefoil, Tormentil.

Roots cold in the first degree. Sorrel, Beets, white and red, Comfrey the greater, Plantain, Rose Root, Madder.

Cold in the second degree. Alcanet, Daisies, Succory, Hound’s tongue, Endive, Jacinth.

Cold in the third degree. Bistort and Mandrakes are cold in the third degree, and Henbane in the fourth.

Roots dry in the first degree. Bears-breech, Burdocks, Redbeets, Calamus Aromaticus, Pilewort, Self-heal, Endive, Eringo, Jacinth, Madder, Kneeholly.

Dry in the second degree. Waterflag, Marshmallows, Alkanet, Smallage, Reeds, Sorrel, Swallow-wort, Asphodel male, Bazil, Valerian and Spatling Poppy, according to the opinion of the Greeks. Our Lady’s Thistles, Avens, Succory, Hound’s tongue, Cypress long and round, Fennel, Lovage, Spignel, Mercury, Devil’s bit, Butter-bur, Parsley, Plantain, Zedoary.

Dry in the third degree. Angelica, Aron, Birthwort, long and round, Sowbread, Bistort, Asarabacca, Briony white and black, Carline Thistle, China, Sallendine, Virginian Snake-root, white Dittany, Doronicum, Hellebore white and black, Elicampane, Fillipendula, Galanga greater and lesser, Masterwort, Orris, English and Florentine, Restharrow, Peony male and female, Cinquefoil, Hog’s Fennel, Sarsaparilla, stinking Gladen, Tormentil, Ginger.

Dry in the fourth degree. Garlick, Onions, Costus, Leeks, Pellitory of Spain.

Roots moist are, Bazil, Valerian, and Spatling-poppy, according to the Arabian Physicians, Daisies, white Beets, Borrage, Bugloss, Liquorice, Dog grass, Mallows, Satyrion, Scorzonera, Parsnips, Skirrets.

Roots appropriated to several parts of the body.

Heat the head. Doronicum, Fennel, Jallap, Mechoacan, Spikenard, Celtic and Indian. Peony male and female.

Neck and throat. Pilewort, Devil’s bit.

Breast and lungs. Birthwort long and round, Elicampane, Liquorice, Orris English and Florentine, Calamus Aromaticus, Cinquefoil, Squills.

Heart. Angelica, Borrage, Bugloss, Carline Thistle, Doronicum, Butter bur, Scorzonera, Tormentil, Zedoary, Bazil, Valerian white and red.

Stomach. Elicampane, Galanga greater and lesser, Spikenard, Celtic and Indian, Ginger, Fennel, Avens, Raddishes.

Bowels. Valerian great and small, Zedoary, Ginger.

Liver. Smallage, Carline Thistle, Sullendine, China, Turmerick, Fennel, Gentian, Dog-grass, Cinquefoil, Parsley, Smallage, Asparagus, Rhubarb, Rhapontic, Kneeholly.

Spleen. Smallage, Carline Thistle, Fern male and female, Parsley, Water-flag, Asparagus, round Birthwort, Fennel, Capers, Ash, Gentian.

Reins and Bladder. Marshmallows, Smallage, Asparagus, Burdock, Bazil, Valerian, Spatling Poppy, Carline Thistle, China, Cyprus long and round, Fillipendula, Dog grass, Spikenard, Celtic and Indian, Parsly, Knee-holly, white Saxifrage.

Womb. Birthwort long and round, Galanga greater and lesser, Peony male and female, Hog’s Fennel.

Fundament. Pilewort.

Joints. Bear’s-breech, Hermodactils, Jallap, Mecoacan, Ginger, Costus.

Roots cool the head. Rose root.

Stomach. Sow Thistles, Endive, Succory, Bistort.

Liver. Madder, Endive, Chicory.

Properties of the Roots.

Although I confess the properties of the simples may be found out by the ensuing explanation of the terms, and I suppose by that means they were found out at first; and although I hate a lazy student from my heart, yet to encourage young students in the art, I shall quote the chief of them: I desire all lovers of physic to compare them with the explanation of these rules, so shall they see how they agree, so may they be enabled to find out the properties of all simples to their own benefit in physic.

Roots, bind. Cypress, Bistort, Tormentil, Cinquefoil, Bear’s breech, Water-flag, Alkanet, Toothwort, &c.

Discuss. Birthwort, Asphodel, Briony, Capers, &c.

Cleanse. Birthwort, Aron, Sparagus, Grass, Asphodel, Celandine, &c.

Open. Asarabacca, Garlic, Leeks, Onions, Rhapontick, Turmerick, Carline Thistle, Succory, Endive, Fillipendula, Fennel, Parsly, Bruscus, Sparagus, Smallage, Gentian, &c.

Extenuate. Orris English and Florentine, Capers, &c.

Burn. Garlick, Onions, Pellitory of Spain, &c.

Mollify. Mallows, Marshmallows, &c.

Suppur. Marshmallows, Briony, white Lillies, &c.

Glutinate. Comfrey, Solomon’s Seal, Gentian, Birthwort, Daisies, &c.

Expel Wind. Smallage, Parsly, Fennel, Water-flag, Garlick, Costus, Galanga, Hog’s Fennel, Zedoary, Spikenard Indian, and Celtic, &c.

Breed Seed. Waterflag, Eringo, Satyrian, Galanga, &c.

Provoke the menses. Birthwort, Asarabacca, Aron, Waterflag, white Dittany, Asphodel, Garlick, Centaury the less, Cyperus long and round, Costus, Capers, Calamus Aromaticus, Dittany of Crete, Carrots, Eringo, Fennel, Parsly, Smallage, Grass, Elicampane, Peony, Valerian, Knee-holly, &c.

Stop the menses. Comfrey, Tormentil, Bistort, &c.

Provoke sweat. Carolina Thistle, China, Sarsaparilla, &c.

Resist poison. Angelica, Garlick, long Birthwort, Smallage, Doronicum, Costus, Zedoary, Cyprus, Gentian, Carolina Thistle, Bistort, Tormentil, Swallow-wort, Viper’s Bugloss, Elicampane, &c.

Help burnings. Asphodel, Jacinth, white Lilies, &c.

Ease pains. Waterflag, Eringo, Orris, Restharrow, &c.

Purge choler. Asarabacca, Rhubarb, Rhapontick, Fern, &c.

Relieve melancholy. Hellebore, white and black, Polipodium.

Purge flegm and watery humours. Squills, Turbith, Hermodactils, Jallap, Mecoacan, wild Cucumbers, Sowbread, male Asphodel, Briony white and black, Elder, Spurge great and small.

I quoted some of these properties to teach you the way how to find the rest, which the explanation of these terms will give you ample instructions in: I quoted not all because I would fain have you studious: be diligent gentle reader.

How to use your bodies in, and after taking purges, you shall be taught by and by.

Barks mentioned by the College are these.

College.] Hazel Nuts, Oranges, Barberries, Birch-tree, Caper roots, Cassia Lignea, Chestnuts, Cinnamon, Citron Pills, Dwarf-Elder, Spurge roots, Alder, Ash, Pomegranates, Guajacum, Walnut tree, green Walnuts, Laurel, Bay, Lemon, Mace, Pomegranates, Mandrake roots, Mezereon, Mulberry tree roots, Sloe tree roots, Pinenuts, Fistick-nuts, Poplar tree, Oak, Elder, Sassafras, Cork, Tamerisk, Lime tree, Frankincense, Elm, Capt. Winter’s Cinnamon.

Culpeper.] Of these, Captain Winter’s Cinnamon, being taken as ordinary spice, or half a dram taken in the morning in any convenient liquor, is an excellent remedy for the scurvy; the powder of it being snuffed up in the nose, cleanses the head of rheum gallantly.

The bark of the black Alder tree purges choler and flegm if you make a decoction with it. Agrimony, Wormwood, Dodder, Hops, Endive and Succory roots: Parsly and Smallage roots, or you may bruise a handful of each of them, and put them in a gallon of ale, and let them work together: put the simples into a boulter-bag, and a draught, (half a pint, more or less, according to the age of him that drinks it,) being drunk every morning, helps the dropsy, jaundice, evil disposition of the body; also helps the rickets, strengthens the liver and spleen; makes the digestion good, troubles not the stomach at all, causes appetite, and helps such as are scabby and itchy.

The rest of the barks that are worth the noting, and the virtues of them, are to be found in the former part of the book.

Barks are hot in the first degree. Guajacum, Tamarisk, Oranges, Lemons, Citrons.

In the second. Cinnamon, Cassia, Lignea, Captain Winter’s Cinnamon, Frankincense, Capers.

In the third. Mace.

Cold in the first. Oak, Pomegranates.

In the third. Mandrakes.

Appropriated to parts of the body.

Heat the head. Captain Winter’s Cinnamon.

The heart. Cinnamon, Cassia, Lignea, Citron Pills, Walnuts, Lemon pills, Mace.

The stomach. Orange pills, Cassia Lignea, Cinnamon, Citron pills, Lemon pills, Mace, Sassafras.

The lungs. Cassia Lignea, Cinnamon, Walnuts.

The liver. Barberry-tree, Bay-tree, Captain Winter’s Cinnamon.

The spleen. Caper bark, Ash tree bark, Bay tree.

The reins and bladder. Bay-tree, Sassafras.

The womb. Cassia Lignea, Cinnamon.

Cool the stomach. Pomegranate pills.

Purge choler. The bark of Barberry tree.

Purge flegm and water. Elder, Dwarf-Elder, Spurge, Laurel.