Herbal Simples Approved For Modern Uses Of Cure - free ebook by William Thomas Fernie

Read as playlist

Herbal Simples Approved For Modern Uses Of Cure

William Thomas Fernie

145 chapters

15 hour read

Read as playlist

Selected Chapters

145 chapters

HERBAL SIMPLES APPROVED FOR MODERN USES OF CURE

HERBAL SIMPLES APPROVED FOR MODERN USES OF CURE

by W. T. FERNIE, M.D. Author of "Botanical Outlines," etc_ Second Edition. "Medicine is mine; what herbs and Simples grow In fields and forests, all their powers I know." DRYDEN. Philadelphia: Boericke &amp; Tafel. 1897. "Jamque aderat Phoebo ante alios dilectus lapis Iasides: acri quondam cui captus amore Ipse suas artes, sua munera, laetus Apollo Augurium, citharamque dabat, celeresque sagittas Ille ut depositi proferret fata clientis,

25 minute read

Read Chapter

[1] INTRODUCTION.

[1] INTRODUCTION.

The art of _Simpling _is as old with us as our British hills. It aims at curing common ailments with simple remedies culled from the soil, or got from home resources near at hand. Since the days of the Anglo-Saxons such remedies have been chiefly herbal; insomuch that the word "drug" came originally from their verb drigan , to dry, as applied to medicinal plants. These primitive Simplers were guided in their choice of herbs partly by watching animals who sought them out for self-cure, and partly

17 minute read

Read Chapter

[15] ACORN.

[15] ACORN.

This is the well-known fruit of our British Oak, to Which tree it gives the name— Aik , or Eik , Oak. The Acorn was esteemed by Dioscorides, and other old authors, for its supposed medicinal virtues. As an article of food it is not known to have been habitually used at any time by the inhabitants of Britain, though acorns furnished the chief support of the large herds of swine on which our forefathers subsisted. The right of maintaining these swine in the woods was called "panage," and formed a

4 minute read

Read Chapter

AGRIMONY.

AGRIMONY.

The Agrimony is a Simple well known to all country folk, and abundant throughout England in the fields and woods, as a popular domestic medicinal herb. It belongs to the Rose order of plants, and blossoms from June to September with small yellow flowers, which sit close along slender spikes a foot high, smelling like apricots, and called by the rustics "Church Steeples." Botanically it bears the names Agrimonia Eupatoria , of which the first is derived from the Greek, and means "shining," becaus

9 minute read

Read Chapter

ANISEED.

ANISEED.

The Anise ( Pimpinella ), from "bipenella," because of its secondary, feather-like leaflets, belongs to the umbelliferous plants, and is cultivated in our gardens; but its aromatic seeds chiefly come from Germany. The careful housewife will do well always to have a [25] supply of this most useful Simple closely bottled in her store cupboard. The herb is a variety of the Burnet Saxifrage, and yields an essential oil of a fine blue colour. To make the essence of Aniseed one part of the oil should

2 minute read

Read Chapter

APPLE.

APPLE.

The term "Apple" was applied by the ancients indiscriminately to almost every kind of round fleshy fruit, [27] such as the thornapple, the pineapple, and the loveapple. Paris gave to Venus a golden apple; Atalanta lost her classic race by staying to pick up an apple; the fruit of the Hesperides, guarded by a sleepless dragon, were golden apples; and through the same fruit befell "man's first disobedience," bringing "death into the world and all our woe" (concerning which the old Hebrew myth runs

9 minute read

Read Chapter

ARUM—THE COMMON.

ARUM—THE COMMON.

The "lords and ladies" ( arum maculatum ) so well known to every rustic as common throughout Spring in almost every hedge row, has acquired its name from the colour of its erect pointed spike enclosed within the curled hood of an upright arrow-shaped leaf. This is purple or cream hued, according to the accredited sex of the plant. It bears further the titles of Cuckoo Pint, Wake Robin, Parson in the Pulpit, Rampe, Starchwort, Arrowroot, Gethsemane, Bloody Fingers, Snake's Meat, Adam and Eve, Cal

3 minute read

Read Chapter

ASPARAGUS.

ASPARAGUS.

The Asparagus, belonging to the Lily order of plants, occurs wild on the coasts of Essex, Suffolk, and Cornwall. It is there a more prickly plant than the cultivated vegetable which we grow for the sake of the tender, [36] edible shoots. The Greeks and Romans valued it for their tables, and boiled it so quickly that velocius quam asparagi coquuntur —"faster than asparagus is cooked"—was a proverb with them, to which our "done in a jiffy" closely corresponds. The shoots, whether wild or cultivate

5 minute read

Read Chapter

BALM.

BALM.

The herb Balm, or Melissa , which is cultivated quite commonly in our cottage gardens, has its origin in the wild, or bastard Balm, growing in our woods, especially in the South of England, and bearing the name of "Mellitis." Each is a labiate plant, and "Bawme," say the Arabians, "makes the heart merry and joyful." The title, "Balm," is an abbreviation of Balsam, which signifies "the chief of sweet-smelling oils;" Hebrew, Bal smin , "chief of oils"; and the botanical suffix, Melissa , bears ref

3 minute read

Read Chapter

BARBERRY.

BARBERRY.

The Common Barberry ( Berberis ), which gives its name to a special order of plants, grows wild as a shrub in our English copses and hedges, particularly about Essex, being so called from Berberin, a pearl oyster, because the leaves are glossy like the inside of an oyster shell. It is remarkable for the light colour of its bark, which is yellow inside, and for its three-forked spines. Provincially it is also termed Pipperidge-bush, from "pepin," a pip, and "rouge," red, as descriptive of its sma

3 minute read

Read Chapter

BARLEY.

BARLEY.

Hordeum Vulgare—common Barley—is chiefly used in Great Britain for brewing and distilling; but, it has dietetic and medicinal virtues which entitle it to be considered among serviceable simples. Roman gladiators who depended for their strength and prowess chiefly on Barley, were called Hordearii. Nevertheless, this cereal is less nourishing than wheat, and when prepared as food is apt to purge; therefore it is not made into bread, except when wheat is scarce and dear, though in Scotland poor peo

1 minute read

Read Chapter

BASIL.

BASIL.

The herb Sweet Basil ( Ocymum Basilicum ) is so called because "the smell thereof is fit for a king's house." It grows commonly in our kitchen gardens, but in England it dies down every year, and the seeds have to be sown annually. Botanically, it is named "basilicon," or royal, probably because used of old in some regal unguent, or bath, or medicine. This, and the wild Basil, belong to the Labiate order of plants. The leaves of the Sweet Basil, when slightly bruised, exhale a delightful odour;

4 minute read

Read Chapter

BETONY.

BETONY.

Few, if any, herbal plants have been more praised for their supposed curative virtues than the Wood Betony ( Stachys Betonica ), belonging to the order of Labiates. By the common people it is often called Bitny. The name Betonica is from the Celtic "ben," head, and "tonic," good, in allusion to the usefulness of the herb against infirmities of the head. It is of frequent growth in shady woods and meadows, having aromatic leaves, and spikes (stakoi) of light purple flowers. Formerly it was held i

7 minute read

Read Chapter

BLACKBERRY.

BLACKBERRY.

This is the well-known fruit of the Common Bramble ( Rubus fructicosus ), which grows in every English hedgerow, and which belongs to the Rose order of plants. It has long been esteemed for its bark and leaves as a [54] capital astringent, these containing much tannin; also for its fruit, which is supplied with malic and citric acids, pectin, and albumen. Blackberries go often by the name of "bumblekites," from "bumble," the cry of the bittern, and kyte, a Scotch word for belly; the name bumblek

8 minute read

Read Chapter

[60] BORAGE.

[60] BORAGE.

The Borage, with its gallant blue flower, is cultivated in our gardens as a pot herb, and is associated in our minds with bees and claret cup. It grows wild in abundance on open plains where the soil is favourable, and it has a long-established reputation for cheering the spirits. Botanically, it is the Borago officinalis , this title being a corruption of cor-ago , i.e., cor , the heart, ago , I stimulate— quia cordis affectibus medetur , because it cures weak conditions of the heart. An old La

3 minute read

Read Chapter

BROOM.

BROOM.

The Broom, or Link ( Cytisus scoparius ) is a leguminous shrub which is well known as growing abundantly on open places in our rural districts. The prefix "cytisus" is derived from the name of a Greek island where Broom abounded. It formerly bore the name of Planta Genista , and gave rise to the historic title, "Plantagenet." A sprig of its golden blossom was borne by Geoffrey of Anjou in his bonnet when going into battle, making him conspicuous throughout the strife. In the Ingoldsby Legends it

4 minute read

Read Chapter

BRYONY.

BRYONY.

English hedgerows exhibit Bryony of two distinct sorts—the white and the black—which differ much, the one from the other, as to medicinal properties, and which belong to separate orders of plants. The White Bryony is botanically a cucumber, being of common growth at our roadsides, and often called the White Vine; it also bears the name of Tetterberry, from curing a disease of the skin known as tetters. It climbs about with long straggling stalks, which attach themselves by spiral tendrils, and w

4 minute read

Read Chapter

BUCKTHORN.

BUCKTHORN.

The common Buckthorn grows in our woods and thickets, and used to be popularly known because of the purgative syrup made from its juice and berries. It bears dense branches of small green flowers, followed by the black berries, which purge violently. If gathered before they are ripe they furnish a yellow dye. When ripe, if mixed with gum arabic and lime water, they form the pigment called "Bladder Green." Until late in the present century— O dura ilia messorum! —English rustics, when requiring a

3 minute read

Read Chapter

BUTTERCUP.

BUTTERCUP.

The most common Buttercup of our fields ( Ranunculus bulbosis ) needs no detailed description. It belongs to the order termed Ranunculaceoe , so-called from the Latin rana , a frog, because the several varieties of this genus grow in moist places where frogs abound. Under the general name of Buttercups are included the creeping Ranunculus, of moist meadows; the Ranunculus acris , Hunger Weed, or Meadow Crowfoot, so named from the shape of the leaf (each of these two being also called King Cup),

3 minute read

Read Chapter

CABBAGE.

CABBAGE.

"The time has come," as the walrus said in Alice and the Looking Glass , "to talk of many things"— "Of shoes, and ships, and sealing-wax; of Cabbages , and kings." The Cabbage, which is fabled to have sprung from the tears of the Spartan lawgiver, Lycurgus, began as the Colewort, and was for six hundred years, according to Pliny and Cato, the only internal remedy used by the Romans. The Ionians had such a veneration for Cabbages that they swore by them, just as the Egyptians did by the o

6 minute read

Read Chapter

CAPSICUM (CAYENNE).

CAPSICUM (CAYENNE).

The Capsicum , or Bird Pepper, or Guinea Pepper, is a native of tropical countries; but it has been cultivated throughout Great Britain as a stove plant for so many years (since the time of Gerard, 1636) as to have become practically indigenous. Moreover, its fruit-pods are so highly useful, whether as a condiment, or as a medicine, [79] no apology is needed for including it among serviceable Herbal Simples. The Cayenne pepper of our tables is the powdered fruit of Bird Pepper, a variety of the

3 minute read

Read Chapter

CARAWAY.

CARAWAY.

The common Caraway is a herb of the umbelliferous order found growing on many waste places in England, though not a true native of Great Britain. Its well-known aromatic seeds should be always at hand in the cupboard of every British housewife. The plant got its name from inhabiting Caria, a province of Asia Minor. It is now cultivated for commerce in Kent and Essex; and the essential oil distilled from the home grown fruit is preferred in this country. The medicinal properties of the Caraway ar

3 minute read

Read Chapter

CHAMOMILE.

CHAMOMILE.

No Simple in the whole catalogue of herbal medicines is possessed of a quality more friendly and beneficial to the intestines than "Chamomile flowers." This herb was well known to the Greeks, who thought it had an odour like that of apples, and therefore they named it "Earth Apple," from two of their words, kamai —on the ground, and melon —an apple. The Spaniards call it Manzanilla , from a little apple, and they give the same name to one of their lightest sherries flavoured with this plant. The

5 minute read

Read Chapter

CARROT.

CARROT.

Our garden Carrot, or Dauke, is a cultivated variety of the Dalucus sylvestris , or wild carrot, an umbelliferous plant, which groweth of itself in untoiled places, and is called philtron , because it serveth for love matters. This wild Carrot may be found abundantly in our fields and on the sea shore; the term Carrot being Celtic, and signifying "red of colour," or perhaps derived from caro, flesh, because this is a fleshy vegetable. Daucus is from the Greek daio , to burn, on account of the pu

8 minute read

Read Chapter

CELERY.

CELERY.

The Parsleys are botanically named Selinon , and by some verbal accident, through the middle letter "n" in this word being changed into "r," making it Seliron , or, in the Italian, Celeri, our Celery (which is a Parsley) obtained its title. It is a cultivated variety of the common Smallage ( Small ache ) or wild Celery ( Apium graveolens ), which grows abundantly in moist English ditches, or in water. This is an umbelliferous herb, unwholesome as a food, and having a coarse root, with [95] a fet

2 minute read

Read Chapter

CENTAURY.

CENTAURY.

Of all the bitter appetising herbs which grow in our fields and hedgerows, and which serve as excellent simple tonics, the Centaury, particularly its white flowered variety, belonging to the Gentian order of [97] plants, is the most efficacious. It shares in an abundant measure the restorative antiseptic virtues of the Field Gentian and the Buckbean. There are four wild varieties of the Centaury, square stemmed, and each bearing flat tufts of flowers which are more or less rose coloured. The anc

1 minute read

Read Chapter

[98] CHERRY.

[98] CHERRY.

The wild Cherry ( Cerasus ), which occurs of two distinct kinds, has by budding and grafting begotten most of our finest garden fruits of its genus. The name _Cerasus _was derived from Kerasous, a city of Cappadocia, where the fruit was plentiful. According to Pliny, Cherries were first brought to Rome by Lucullus after his great victory over Mithridates, 89 B.C. The cultivated Cherry disappeared in this country during the Saxon period, and was not re-introduced until the reign of Henry VIII. Th

10 minute read

Read Chapter

CHICKWEED.

CHICKWEED.

Chickweed—called Alsine or Stellaria media , a floral star of middle magnitude—belongs to the Clove-pink order of plants, and, despite the most severe weather, grows with us all the year round, in waste places by the roadsides, and as a garden weed. It is easily known by its fresh-looking, juicy, verdant little leaves, and by its tiny white star-like flowers; also by a line of small stiff hairs, which runs up one side of the stalk like a vegetable hog-mane, and when it reaches a pair of leaves i

2 minute read

Read Chapter

CHRISTMAS ROSE—BLACK HELLEBORE.

CHRISTMAS ROSE—BLACK HELLEBORE.

This well-known plant, a native of Southern Europe, and belonging to the Ranunculus order, is grown commonly in our gardens for the sake of its showy white flowers, conspicuous in winter, from December to February. The root has been famous since time immemorial as a remedy for insanity. From its abundant growth in the Grecian island of Anticyra arose the proverb: Naviget Anticyram —"Take a voyage to Anticyra," as applied by way of advice to a man who has lost his reason. When fresh the root is v

4 minute read

Read Chapter

CLOVER.

CLOVER.

In this country we possess about twenty species of the trefoil, or Clover, which is a plant so well known in its general features by its abundance in every field and on every grass plot, as not to need any detailed description. The special variety endowed with medicinal and curative virtues, is the Meadow Clover ( Trifolium pratense ), or red clover, called by some, Cocksheads, and familiar to children as Suckles, or Honey-suckles, because of the abundant nectar in the long tubes of its corollae

4 minute read

Read Chapter

CLUB MOSS.

CLUB MOSS.

Though not generally thought worth more than a passing notice, or to possess any claims of a medicinal sort, yet the Club Moss, which is of common growth in Great Britain on heaths and hilly pastures, exerts by its spores very remarkable curative effects, and [114] therefore it should be favourably regarded as a Herbal Simple. It is exclusively due to homoeopathic provings and practice, that the Lycopodium clavatum (Club Moss) takes an important position amongst the most curative vegetable remed

3 minute read

Read Chapter

COLTSFOOT.

COLTSFOOT.

The Coltsfoot, which grows abundantly throughout England in places of moist, heavy soil, especially along the sides of our raised railway banks, has been justly termed "nature's best herb for the lungs, and her most eminent thoracic." Its seeds are supposed to have lain [117] dormant from primitive times, where our railway cuttings now upturn them and set them growing anew; and the rotting foliage of the primeval herb by retaining its juices, is thought to have promoted the development and growt

4 minute read

Read Chapter

COMFREY.

COMFREY.

The Comfrey of our river banks, and moist watery places, is the Consound , or Knit-back, or Bone-set, and Blackwort of country folk; and the old Symphytum of Dioscorides. It has derived these names from the consolidating and vulnerary qualities attributed to the plant, from confirmo , to strengthen together, or the French, comfrie . This herb is of the Borage tribe, and is conspicuous by its height of from one to two feet, its large rough leaves, which provoke itching when handled, and its droop

3 minute read

Read Chapter

CORIANDER.

CORIANDER.

Coriander comfits, sold by the confectioner as admirably warming to the stomach, and corrective of flatulence, consist of small aromatic seeds coated with white sugar. These are produced by the Coriander, an umbelliferous herb cultivated in England from early times for medicinal and culinary uses, though introduced at first from the Mediterranean. It has now [123] become wild as an escape, growing freely in our fields and waste places. Farmers produce it, especially about Essex, under the name o

1 minute read

Read Chapter

[124] COWSLIP.

[124] COWSLIP.

Our English pastures and meadows, especially where the soil is of blue lias clay, become brilliantly gay, "with gaudy cowslips drest," quite early in the spring. But it is a mistake to suppose that these flowers are a favourite food with cows, who, in fact, never eat them if they can help it. The name Cowslip is really derived, says Dr. Prior, from the Flemish words, kous loppe , meaning "hose flap," a humble part of woollen nether garments. But Skeat thinks it arose from the fact that the plant

3 minute read

Read Chapter

[127] CRESSES.

[127] CRESSES.

The Cress of the herbalist is a noun of multitude: it comprises several sorts, differing in kind but possessing the common properties of wholesomeness and pungency. Here "order in variety we see"; and here, "though all things differ, all agree." The name is thought by some to be derived from the Latin verb crescere , to grow fast. Each kind of Cress belongs to the Cruciferous genus of plants; whence comes, perhaps, the common name The several varieties of Cress are stimulating and anti-scorbutic

11 minute read

Read Chapter

CUMIN.

CUMIN.

Cumin ( Cuminum cyminum ) is not half sufficiently known, or esteemed as a domestic condiment of medicinal value, and culinary uses; whilst withal of ready access as one of our commonest importations from Malta and Sicily for flavouring purposes, and veterinary preparations. It is an umbelliferous plant, and large quantities of its seeds are brought every year to England. The herb has been cultivated in the East from early days, being called "Cuminum" by the Greeks in classic times. The seeds po

2 minute read

Read Chapter

CURRANTS.

CURRANTS.

The original Currants in times past were small grapes, grown in Greece at Zante, near Corinth, and termed Corinthians; then they became Corantes, and eventually Currants. But, as an old Roman proverb pertinently said: Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum , "It was not for everyone to visit fashionable Corinth." And therefore the name of Currants became transferred in the Epirus to certain small fruit of the Gooseberry order which closely resembled the grapes of Zante, but were identical r

5 minute read

Read Chapter

DAFFODIL.

DAFFODIL.

The yellow Daffodil, which is such a favourite flower of our early Spring because of its large size, and showy yellow color, grows commonly in English woods, fields, and orchards. Its popular names, Daffodowndilly, Daffodily, and Affodily, bear reference to the Asphodel, with which blossom of the ancient Greeks this is identical. It further owns the botanical name of Narcissus (pseudo-narcissus)—not after the classical youth who met with his death through vainly trying to embrace his image refle

3 minute read

Read Chapter

DAISY.

DAISY.

Our English Daisy is a composite flower which is called in the glossaries "gowan," or Yellow flower. Botanically [144] it is named Bellis perennis , probably from bellis , "in fields of battle," because of its fame in healing the wounds of soldiers; and perennis as implying that though "the rose has but a summer reign, the daisy never dies," The flower is likewise known as "Bainwort," "beloved by children," and "the lesser Consound." The whole plant has been carefully and exhaustively proved for

5 minute read

Read Chapter

DANDELION.

DANDELION.

Owing to long years of particular evolutionary sagacity in developing winged seeds to be wafted from the silky pappus of its ripe flowerheads over wide areas of land, [148] the Dandelion exhibits its handsome golden flowers in every field and on every ground plot throughout the whole of our country. They are to be distinguished from the numerous hawkweeds, by having the outermost leaves of their exterior cup bent downwards whilst the stalk is coloured and shining. The plant-leaves have jagged ed

6 minute read

Read Chapter

DATE.

DATE.

Dates are the most wholesome and nourishing of all our imported fruits. Children especially appreciate their luscious sweetness, as afforded by an abundant sugar which is easily digested, and which quickly repairs waste of heat and fat. With such a view, likewise, doctors now advise dates for consumptive patients; also because they soothe an irritable chest, and promote expectoration; whilst, furthermore, they prevent costiveness. Dates are the fruit of the Date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera ), or,

4 minute read

Read Chapter

[156] DILL.

[156] DILL.

Cordial waters distilled from the fragrant herb called Dill are, as every mother and monthly nurse well know, a sovereign remedy for wind in the infant; whilst they serve equally well to correct flatulence in the grown up "gourmet." This highly scented plant ( Anethum graveolens ) is of Asiatic origin, growing wild also in some parts of England, and commonly cultivated in our gardens for kitchen or medicinal uses. It "hath a little stalk of a cubit high, round, and joyned, whereupon do grow leav

2 minute read

Read Chapter

DOCK.

DOCK.

The term Dock is botanically a noun of multitude, meaning originally a bundle of hemp, and corresponding to a similar word signifying a flock. It became in early times applied to a wide-spread tribe of broad-leaved wayside weeds. They all belong to the botanical order of Polygonaceoe , or "many kneed" plants, because, like the wife of Yankee Doodle, famous in song, they are "double-jointed;" though he, poor man! expecting to find Mistress Doodle doubly active in her household [158] duties, was,

9 minute read

Read Chapter

ELDER.

ELDER.

"'Arn,' or the common Elder," says Gerard, "groweth everywhere; and it is planted about cony burrows, for the shadow of the conies." Formerly it was much [165] cultivated near our English cottages, because supposed to afford protection against witches. Hence it is that the Elder tree may be so often seen immediately near old village houses. It acquired its name from the Saxon word eller or kindler , because its hollow branches were made into tubes to blow through for brightening up a dull fire.

10 minute read

Read Chapter

ELECAMPANE.

ELECAMPANE.

"Elecampane," writes William Coles, "is one of the plants whereof England may boast as much as any, for there grows none better in the world than in England, let apothecaries and druggists say what they will." It is a tall, stout, downy plant, from three to five feet high, of the Composite order, with broad leaves, and bright, yellow flowers. Campania is the original source of the plant ( Enula campana ), which is called also Elf-wort, and Elf-dock. Its botanical title is Helenium inula , to com

4 minute read

Read Chapter

EYEBRIGHT.

EYEBRIGHT.

Found in abundance in summer time on our heaths, and on mountains near the sea, this delicate little plant, the Euphrasia officinalis , has been famous from earliest times for restoring and preserving the eyesight. The Greeks named the herb originally from the linnet, which first made use of the leaf for clearing its vision, and which passed on the knowledge to mankind. The Greek word, euphrosunee , signifies joy and gladness. The elegant little herb grows from two to six inches high, with deepl

4 minute read

Read Chapter

FENNEL.

FENNEL.

We all know the pleasant taste of Fennel sauce when eaten with boiled mackerel. This culinary condiment is made with Sweet Fennel, cultivated in our kitchen gardens, and which is a variety of the wild Fennel growing commonly in England as the Finkel, especially in Cornwall and Devon, on chalky cliffs near the sea. It is then an aromatic plant of the umbelliferous order, but differing from the rest of its tribe in producing bright yellow flowers. Botanically, it is the Anethum foeniculum , or "sm

4 minute read

Read Chapter

FERNS.

FERNS.

Only some few of our native Ferns are known to possess medicinal virtues, though they may all be happily pronounced devoid of poisonous or deleterious properties. As curative simples, a brief consideration will be given here to the common male and female Ferns, the Royal Fern, the Hart's Tongue, the Maidenhair, the common Polypody, the Spleenwort, and the Wall Rue. Generically, the term "fern" has been referred to the word "feather," because of the pinnate leaves, or to farr , a bullock, from th

14 minute read

Read Chapter

FEVERFEW.

FEVERFEW.

The Feverfew is one of the wild Chamomiles ( Pyrethrum Parthenium ), or Matricaria , so called because especially useful for motherhood. Its botanical names come from the Latin febrifugus , putting fever to flight, and parthenos , a virgin. The herb is a Composite plant, and grows in every hedgerow, with numerous small heads of yellow flowers, having outermost white rays, but with an upright stem; whereas that of the true garden Chamomile is procumbent. The whole plant has a pungent odour, and i

2 minute read

Read Chapter

FIGS.

FIGS.

"In the name of the Prophet 'Figs'" was the pompous utterance ascribed to Dr. Johnson, whose solemn magniloquent style was simulated as Eastern cant applied to common business in Rejected Addresses , by the clever humorists, Horace and James Smith, 1812. The tree which produces this fruit belongs to the history of mankind. In Paradise Adam partook of figs, and covered his nakedness with the leaves. Though indigenous to Western Asia, Figs have been cultivated in most countries from a remote perio

11 minute read

Read Chapter

FLAX (LINSEED).

FLAX (LINSEED).

The common Flax plant, from which we get our Linseed, is of great antiquity, dating from the twenty-third century before Christ, and having been cultivated in all countries down to the present time. But it is exhausting to the soil in England, and therefore not favoured in home growth for commercial uses. The seeds come to us chiefly from the Baltic. Nevertheless, the plant ( Linum usitatissimum ) is by no means uncommon in our cornfields, flowering in June, and ripening its seed in September. P

3 minute read

Read Chapter

FOXGLOVE.

FOXGLOVE.

The purple Foxglove ( Digitalis purpurea ) which every one knows and admires for its long graceful spikes of elegant bell-shaped brilliant blossoms seen in our woods and hedges, is also called the Thimble Flower, or the Finger Flower, from the resemblance of these blossoms to a thimble or to the fingers of a glove. The word digitalis refers likewise to the digits, or fingers of a gauntlet. In France the title is Gants de Notre Dame , the gloves of our Lady the Virgin. Some writers give Folks' Gl

2 minute read

Read Chapter

[207] FUMITORY.

[207] FUMITORY.

The common Fumitory ( Fumaria officinalis ) is a small grey-green plant, bearing well known little flowers, rose coloured, and tipped with purple, whilst standing erect in every cornfield, vineyard, or such-like manured place throughout Great Britain. It is so named from the Latin fumus terroe , earth smoke, which refers either to the appearance of its pretty glaucous foliage on a dewy summer morning, or to the belief that it was produced not from seed but from vapours rising out of the earth. T

23 minute read

Read Chapter

GOOSEBERRY.

GOOSEBERRY.

The Gooseberry ( Ribes grossularia ) gets its name from krüsbar , which signifies a cross, in allusion to the triple spine of the fruit or berry, which is commonly cruciform. This is a relic of its first floral days, preserved like the apron of the blacksmith at Persia, when he came to the throne. The term grossularia implies a resemblance of the fruit to grossuli , small unripe figs. [224] Frequently the shrub, which belongs to the same natural order as the Currant ( Ribes ), grows wild in the

4 minute read

Read Chapter

GOOSEFOOT.

GOOSEFOOT.

Among Curative Simples, the Goosefoot, or Chenopod order of British plants, contributes two useful herbs, the Chenopodium bonus Henricus (Good King Henry), and the Chenopodium vulvaria (Stinking Goosefoot). This tribe derives its distinctive title from the Greek words, cheen , a goose, and pous , a foot, in allusion to the resemblance borne by its leaves to the webbed members of that waddling bird which raw recruits are wont to bless for their irksome drill of the goose-step. Incidentally, it ma

4 minute read

Read Chapter

GOOSEGRASS.

GOOSEGRASS.

"Goosey, goosey, gander, whither do ye wander?" says an old nursery rhyme by way of warning to the silly waddling birds not to venture into hedgerows, else will they become helplessly fettered by the tough, straggling coils of the Clivers, Goosegrass, or, Hedgeheriff, growing so freely there, and a sad despoiler of feathers. The medicinal Goosegrass ( Galium aparine ), which is a highly useful curative Simple, springs up luxuriantly about fields and waste places in most English districts. It bel

6 minute read

Read Chapter

GOUTWEED.

GOUTWEED.

A passing word should certainly be given to the Goutweed, or, Goatweed, among Herbal Simples. It is, though but little regarded, nevertheless, a common and troublesome garden weed, of the Umbelliferous tribe, and thought to possess certain curative virtues. Botanically it is the OEgopodium podagraria , signifying, by the first of these names, Goatsfoot, and by the second, a specific power against gout. The plant is also known as Herb Gerard, because dedicated to St. Gerard, who was formerly invo

7 minute read

Read Chapter

GRASSES.

GRASSES.

Our abundant English grasses furnish nutritious herbage and farinaceous seeds, whilst their stems and leaves prove useful for textile purposes. Furthermore, some few of them possess distinctive medicinal virtues, with mucilaginous roots, and may be properly classed among Herbal Simples. The Sweet-scented Vernal Grass (Anthoxanthum, with Yellow Anthers) gives its delightfully characteristic odour to newly mown meadow hay, and has a pleasant aroma of Woodruff. But it is specially provocative of ha

3 minute read

Read Chapter

GROUNDSEL.

GROUNDSEL.

Common Groundsel is so well known throughout Great Britain, that it needs scarcely any description. It is very prolific, and found in every sort of cultivated ground, being a small plant of the Daisy tribe, but without any [244] outer white rays to its yellow flower-heads. These are compact little bundles, at first of a dull yellow colour, until presently the florets fall off and leave the white woolly pappus of the seeds collected together, somewhat resembling the hoary hairs of age. They have

16 minute read

Read Chapter

[256] HONEY.

[256] HONEY.

Being essentially of floral origin, and a vegetable product endowed with curative properties, Honey may be fairly ranked among Herbal Simples. Indeed, it is the nectar of flowers, partaking closely of their flavours and odours, whilst varying in taste, colour, scent, and medicinal attributes, according to the species of the plant from which it is produced. The name Honey has been derived from a Hebrew word ghoneg , which means literally "delight." Historically, this substance dates from the olde

8 minute read

Read Chapter

HOP.

HOP.

The Hop ( Humulus lupulus ) belongs to the Nettle tribe ( Cannabineoe ) of plants, and grows wild in our English hedges and copses; but then it bears only male flowers. When cultivated it produces the female catkins, or strobiles which are so well known as Hops, and are so largely used for brewing purposes. The plant gets its first name Humulus from humus , the rich moist ground in which it chooses to grow, and its affix lupulus from the Latin lupus a wolf, because (as Pliny explained), when pro

20 minute read

Read Chapter

HYSSOP.

HYSSOP.

The cultivated Hyssop, now of frequent occurrence in the herb-bed, and a favourite plant there because of its fragrance, belongs to the labiate order, and possesses cordial qualities which give it rank as a Simple. It has pleasantly odorous striped leaves which vary in colour, and possess a camphoraceous odour, with a warm aromatic bitter taste. This is of comparatively recent introduction into our gardens, not having been [278] cultivated until Gerard's time, about 1568, and not being a native

12 minute read

Read Chapter

[287] JOHN'S WORT.

[287] JOHN'S WORT.

The wild Saint John's Wort ( Hypericum peiforatum ) is a frequent plant in our woods and hedgebanks, having leaves studded with minute translucent vesicles, which seem to perforate their structure, and which contain a terebinthinate oil of fragrant medicinal virtues. The name Hypericum is derived from the two Greek words, huper eikon , "over an apparition," because of its supposed power to exorcise evil spirits, or influences; whence it was also formerly called Fuga doemoniorum , "the Devil's Sc

5 minute read

Read Chapter

JUNIPER.

JUNIPER.

The Juniper shrub (Arkenthos of the ancients), which is widely distributed about the world, grows not uncommonly in England as a stiff evergreen conifer on heathy ground, and bears bluish purple berries. These have a sweet, juicy, and, presently, bitter, brown pulp, containing three seeds, and they do not ripen until the second year. The flowers blossom in May and June. Probably the shrub gets its name from the Celtic jeneprus , "rude or rough." Gerard notes that "it grows most commonly very low

7 minute read

Read Chapter

LAVENDER.

LAVENDER.

The Lavender of our gardens, called also Lavender Spike, is a well-known sweet-smelling shrub, of the Labiate order. It grows wild in Spain, Piedmont, and [297] the south of France, on waysides, mountains, and in barren places. The plant was propagated by slips, or cuttings, and has been cultivated in England since about 1568. It is produced largely for commercial purposes in Surrey, Hertfordshire, and Lincoln. The shrub is set in long rows occupying fields, and yields a profitable fragrant esse

5 minute read

Read Chapter

LEMON.

LEMON.

The Lemon ( Citrus Limonum ) is so common of use in admixing refreshing drinks, and for its fragrancy of peel, whether for culinary flavour, or as a delightful perfume, that it may well find a place among the Simples of a sagacious housewife. Moreover, the imported fruit, which abounds in our markets, as if to the manner born, is endowed with valuable medicinal properties which additionally qualify it for the domestic Herbarium . The Lemons brought to England come chiefly from Sicily, [301] thro

5 minute read

Read Chapter

[305] LENTIL.

[305] LENTIL.

Among the leguminous plants which supply food for the invalid, and are endowed with certain qualifications for correcting the health, may be justly placed the Lentil, though we have to import it because our moist, cold climate is not favourable for its growth. Nevertheless, it closely resembles the small purple vetch of our summer hedgerows at home. In France its pulse is much eaten during Lent—which season takes its name, as some authors suppose, from this penitential plant. Men become under it

2 minute read

Read Chapter

[307] LETTUCE.

[307] LETTUCE.

Our garden Lettuce is a cultivated variety of the wild, or strong-scented Lettuce ( Lactuca virosa ), which grows, with prickly leaves, on banks and waysides in chalky districts throughout England and Wales. It belongs to the Composite order of plants, and contains the medicinal properties of the plant more actively than does the Lettuce produced for the kitchen. An older form of the name is Lettouce , which is still retained in Scotland. Chemically the wild Lettuce contains lactucin, lactucopri

8 minute read

Read Chapter

LILY OF THE VALLEY.

LILY OF THE VALLEY.

The Lily of the Valley grows wild in many of our English woods, and possesses special curative virtues, which give it, according to modern knowledge, a just place among Herbal Simples of repute. This is the parent flower of our graceful, sweet-scented scape of pendent, milk-white little floral bells, enshrined within two broad leafy blades of dark green, and finding general favour for the jardinière , or the button-hole. Its name Convallaria majalis is derived from convallis , "a valley," and ma

11 minute read

Read Chapter

MALLOWS.

MALLOWS.

All the Mallows ( Malvaceoe ) to the number of a thousand, agree in containing mucilage freely, and in possessing no unwholesome properties. Their family name "Mallow" is derived from the Greek malassein , "to soften," as alluding to the demulcent qualities of these mucilaginous plants. The Common Mallow is a well-known roadside plant, with large downy leaves, and streaked trumpet-shaped purple flowers, which later on furnish round button-like seeds, known to the rustics as "pickcheeses" in Norf

5 minute read

Read Chapter

[326] MARIGOLD.

[326] MARIGOLD.

In the Grete Herball this plant was called Mary Gowles. Three varieties of the Marigold exercise medicinal virtues which constitute them Herbal Simples of a useful nature—the Corn Marigold ( Chrysanthemum segetum ), found in our cornfields; the cultivated garden Marigold ( Calendula officinalis ); and the Marsh Marigold ( Caltha palustris ), growing in moist grass lands, and popularly known as "Mareblobs." The Corn Marigold, a Composite flower, called also Bigold, and the Yellow Oxeye, grows fre

7 minute read

Read Chapter

MARJORAM.

MARJORAM.

The common Marjoram ( Origanum ) grows frequently as a wild labiate plant on dry, bushy places, especially in chalky districts throughout Britain, the whole herb being fragrantly aromatic, and bearing flowers of a deep red colour. When cultivated in our kitchen gardens it becomes a favourite pot herb, as "Sweet Marjoram," with thin compact spikes, and more elliptical leaves than the wild Marjoram. Its generic title, Origanum , means in Greek, the joy of the mountains ( oros-ganos ) on which it g

19 minute read

Read Chapter

MISTLETOE.

MISTLETOE.

The Mistletoe, which we all associate so happily with the festivities of Christmas, is an evergreen parasite, growing on the branches of deciduous trees, and penetrating with simple roots through the bark into the wood. It belongs to the Loranthaceoe , and has the botanical name of Viscum , or "sticky," because of its glutinous juices. The Mistletoe contains mucilage, sugar, a fixed oil, resin, an odorous principle, some tannin, and various salts. Its most interesting constituent is the "viscin,

6 minute read

Read Chapter

[350] MOUNTAIN ASH.

[350] MOUNTAIN ASH.

A somewhat common, and handsomely conspicuous tree in many parts of England, especially about high lands, is the Rowan, or Mountain Ash. In May and June it attracts attention by its bright green feathery foliage set off by cream-coloured bloom, whilst in September it bears a brilliant fruitage of berries, richly orange in colour at first, but presently of a clear ripe vermilion. Popularly this abundant fruit is supposed to be poisonous, but such is far from being the case. A most excellent and w

8 minute read

Read Chapter

MULBERRY.

MULBERRY.

The Mulberry tree ( Morus nigra ) has been cultivated in England since the middle of the sixteenth century, being first planted at Sion house in 1548. It is now grown commonly in the garden, orchard, or paddock, where its well-known rich syrupy fruit ripens in September. This fruit, abounding with a luscious juice of regal hue, is used in some districts, particularly in Devonshire, for mixing with cider during [357] fermentation, giving to the beverage a pleasant taste, and a deep red colour. Th

3 minute read

Read Chapter

MULLEIN.

MULLEIN.

The great Mullein ( Verbascum thapsus ) grows freely in England on dry banks and waste places, but somewhat sparingly in Scotland. It belongs to the scrofula-curing order of plants, having a thick stalk, from eighteen inches to four feet high, with large woolly mucilaginous leaves, and with a long flower-spike bearing plain yellow flowers, which are nearly sessile on the stem. The name "Molayne" is derived from the Latin, mollis , soft. In most parts of Ireland, besides growing wild, it is caref

5 minute read

Read Chapter

MUSHROOMS.

MUSHROOMS.

Without giving descriptive attention to those Mushrooms ( Agarics , Boleti , and others) which are edible, and [363] of which over a hundred may be enumerated, as beyond our purpose when treating of curative Herbal Simples, notice will be bestowed here on two productions of the Mushroom nature—the Puff Ball and the Fly Agaric,—because of their medicinal qualities. It may be first briefly stated that the Agaricus campestris , or field Mushroom, is the kind most commonly eaten in England, being hi

17 minute read

Read Chapter

MUSTARD.

MUSTARD.

The wild Mustard ( Brassica Sinapistrum ), a Cruciferous herb commonly called Chedlock, from leac , a weed, and kiede , to annoy, grows abundantly as a product of waste places, and in newly disturbed ground. The Field Mustard ( Arvensis ) is Charlock, or Brassock; its botanical term, Sinapis , being referable to the Celtic nap , as a general name for plants of the rape kind. Mustard was formerly known as "senvie" in English. It has been long cultivated and improved, especially in Darham. Now we

9 minute read

Read Chapter

NETTLE.

NETTLE.

No plant is more commonplace and plentiful in our fields and hedges throughout an English summer than the familiar stinging Nettle. And yet most persons unknowingly include under this single appellation several distinct herbs. Actually as Nettles are to be found: the annual Urtica dioica , or true Stinging Nettle; the perennial Urtica urens (burning); the White Dead Nettle; the Archangel, or Yellow Weasel Snout, and the Purple Hedge Nettle. This title "Urtica" comes ab urendo , "from burning." T

20 minute read

Read Chapter

OAT.

OAT.

The Oat is a native of Britain in its wild and uncultivated form, and is distinguished by the spikelets of its ears hanging on slender pedicels. This is the Avena fatua , found in our cornfields, but not indigenous in Scotland. When cultivated it is named Avena sativa . As it needs less sunshine and solar warmth to ripen the grain than wheat, it furnishes the principal grain food of cold Northern Europe. With the addition of some fat this grain is capable of supporting life for an indefinite per

3 minute read

Read Chapter

ORANGE.

ORANGE.

Though not of native British growth, except by way of a luxury in the gardens of the wealthy, yet the Orange [400] is of such common use amongst all classes of our people as a dietetic fruit, when of the sweet China sort, and for tonic medicinal purposes when of the bitter Seville kind, that some consideration may be fairly accorded to it as a Curative Simple in these pages. The Citrus aurantium , or popular Orange, came originally from India, and got its distinctive title of Aurantium , either

6 minute read

Read Chapter

ORCHIDS.

ORCHIDS.

Our common English Orchids are the "Early Purple," which is abundant in our woods and pastures; the "Meadow Orchis"; and the "Spotted Orchis" of our heaths and commons. Less frequent are the "Bee Orchis," the "Butterfly Orchis," "Lady's Tresses," and the "Tway blade." [405] Two roundish tubers form the root of an Orchid, and give its name to the plant from the Greek orchis , testicle. A nutritive starchy product named Salep, or Saloop, is prepared from the roots of the common Male Orchis, and it

3 minute read

Read Chapter

PARSLEY.

PARSLEY.

Parsely is found in this country only as a cultivated plant, having been introduced into England from Sardinia in the sixteenth century. It is an umbelliferous herb, which has been long of garden growth for kitchen uses. The name was formerly spelt "Percely," and the herb was known as March, or Merich (in Anglo-Saxon, Merici). Its adjective title, Petroselinum , signifies "growing on a rock." The Greeks held Parsley in high esteem, making therewith the victor's crown of dried and withered Parsle

9 minute read

Read Chapter

PARSNIP.

PARSNIP.

The Wild Parsnip ( Pastinaca sativa ) grows on the borders of ploughed fields and about hedgerows, being generally hairy, whilst the Garden Parsnip is smooth, [414] with taller stems, and leaves of a yellowish-green colour. This cultivated Parsnip has been produced as a vegetable since Roman times. The roots furnish a good deal of starch, and are very nutritious for warming and fattening, but when long in the ground they are called in some places "Madnip," and are said to cause insanity. Chemica

2 minute read

Read Chapter

PEA AND BEAN.

PEA AND BEAN.

Typical of leguminous plants (so called because they furnish legumin, or vegetable cheese), whilst furthermore possessing certain medicinal properties, the Bean and the Pea have a claim to be classed with Herbal Simples. The common Kidney Bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) is a native of the Indies, but widely cultivated all over Europe, and so well known as not to need any detailed description as a plant. Because of the seed's close resemblance to the kidney, as well as to the male testis, the Egyptia

3 minute read

Read Chapter

PEACH.

PEACH.

The Peach ( Amygdabus Persica ), the apple of Persia, began to be cultivated in England about 1562, or perhaps before then. Columella tells of this fatal gift conveyed treacherously to Egypt in the first century:— "Apples, which most barbarous Persia sent, With native poison armed." The Peach tree is so well known by its general characteristics as not to need any particular description. Its young branches, flowers, and seeds, after maceration in water, yield a volatile oil which is chemi

2 minute read

Read Chapter

PEAR.

PEAR.

The Pear, also called Pyrrie, belongs to the same natural order of plants (the Rosacoe ) as the Apple. It is [420] sometimes called the Pyerie, and when wild is so hard and austere as to bear the name of Choke-pear. It grows wild in Britain, and abundantly in France and Germany. The Barland Pear, which was chiefly cultivated in the seventeenth century, still retains its health and vigour, "the identical trees in Herefordshire which then supplied excellent liquor, continuing to do so in this, the

5 minute read

Read Chapter

PELLITORY.

PELLITORY.

A plant belonging to the order of Nettles, the Pellitory of the Wall, or Paritory— Parietaria , from the Latin parietes , walls—is a favourite Herbal Simple in many [424] rural districts. It grows commonly on dry walls, and is in flower all the summer. The leaves are narrow, hairy, and reddish; the stems are brittle, and the small blossoms hairy, in clusters. Their filaments are so elastic that if touched before the flower has expanded, they suddenly spring from their in curved position, and sca

3 minute read

Read Chapter

PERIWINKLE.

PERIWINKLE.

There are two British Periwinkles growing wild; the one Vinca major , or greater, a doubtful native, and found only in the neighbourhood of dwelling-houses; the other Vinca minor lesser, abounding in English woods, particularly in the Western counties, and often entirely covering the ground with its prostrate evergreen leaves. The common name of each is derived from vincio , to bind, as it were by its stems resembling cord; or because bound in olden times into festive garlands and funeral chaple

3 minute read

Read Chapter

PIMPERNEL.

PIMPERNEL.

The "Poor Man's Weather Glass" or "Shepherd's Dial," is a very well-known and favourite little flower, of brilliant scarlet hue, expanding only in bright weather, and closing its petals at two o'clock in the day. It occurs quite commonly in gardens and open fields, being the scarlet Pimpernel, or Anagallis arvensis , and belonging to the Primrose tribe of plants. Old authors called it Burnet; which is quite a distinct herb, cultivated now for kitchen use, the Pimpinella Saxifraga , of so cheery

5 minute read

Read Chapter

PINK.

PINK.

The Clove Pink, or Carnation of our gardens, though found apparently wild on old castle walls in England, is a naturalised flower in this country. It is, botanically, the Dianthus Caryophyllus , being so named as anthos , the flower, dios , of Jupiter: whilst redolent of Caryophylli , Cloves. The term Carnation has been assigned to the Pink, either because the blossom has the colour, carnis , of flesh: or, as more correctly spelt by our older writers, Coronation, from the flowers being employed

1 minute read

Read Chapter

PLANTAIN.

PLANTAIN.

The Plantains ( Plantaginacecoe ), from planta , the sole of the foot, are humble plants, well known as weeds in fields and by roadsides, having ribbed leaves and spikes of flowers conspicuous by their long stamens. As Herbal Simples, the Greater Plantain, the Ribwort Plantain, and the Water Plantain, are to be specially considered. The Greater Plantain of the waysides affords spikes of seeds which are a favourite food of Canaries, and which, in common with the seeds of other sorts, yield a tast

4 minute read

Read Chapter

POPPY.

POPPY.

The Scarlet Poppy of our cornfields ( Papaver Rhoeas ) is one of the most brilliant and familiar of English wild flowers, being strikingly conspicuous as a weed by its blossoms rich in scarlet petals, which are black at the base. The title Papaver has been derived from pap, a soft food given to young infants, in which it was at one time customary to boil Poppy seeds for the purpose of inducing sleep. Provincially this plant bears the titles of "Cop Rose" (from its rose-like flowers, and the butt

6 minute read

Read Chapter

POTATO.

POTATO.

Our invaluable Potato, which enters so largely into the dietary of all classes, belongs to the Nightshade tribe of [442] dangerous plants, though termed "solanaceous" as a natural order because of the sedative properties which its several genera exercise to lull pain. This Potato, the Solanum tuberosum , is so universally known as a plant that it needs no particular description. It is a native of Peru, and was imported in 1586 by Thomas Heriot, mathematician and colonist, being afterwards taken

8 minute read

Read Chapter

PRIMROSE.

PRIMROSE.

The Common Primrose ( Primula veris ) is the most widely known of our English wild flowers, and appears in the Spring as its earliest herald. [448] It gets its name from the Latin primus , first, being named in old books and M.S. Pryme rolles , and in the Grete Herball , Primet, as shortened from Primprint. In North Devon it is styled the Butter Rose, and in the Eastern counties it is named (in common with the Cowslip) Paigle, Peagle, Pegyll, and Palsy plant. Medicinally also it possesses simila

5 minute read

Read Chapter

QUINCE.

QUINCE.

The Quince ( Cydonia ) is cultivated sparingly in our orchards for the sake of its highly fragrant, and strong-smelling fruit, which as an adjunct to apples is much esteemed for table uses. It may well be included among remedial Herbal Simples because of the virtues possessed by the seeds within the fruit. The tree is a native of Persia and Crete; bearing a pear-shaped fruit, golden yellow when gathered, and with five cells in it, each containing twelve closely packed seeds. These are mucilagino

4 minute read

Read Chapter

RADISH.

RADISH.

The common garden Radish ( Raphanus sativus ) is a Cruciferous plant, and a cultivated variety of the Horse Radish. It came originally from China, but has been grown allover Europe from time immemorial. Radishes were celebrated by Dioscorides and Pliny as above all roots whatsoever, insomuch, that in the Delphic temple there was a Radish of solid gold, raphanus ex auro dicatus : and Moschinus wrote a whole volume in their praise; but Hippocrates condemned them as vitiosas, innatantes, acoegre co

3 minute read

Read Chapter

RAGWORT.

RAGWORT.

The Ragwort ( Senecio Jacoboea ) is a very common plant in our meadows, and moist places, closely allied to the [458] Groundsel, and well known by its daisy-like flowers, but of a golden yellow colour, with rays in a circle surrounding the central receptacle, and with a strong smell of honey. This plant goes popularly by the name of St. James's wort, or Canker wort, or (near Liverpool) Fleawort, and in Yorkshire, Seggrum; also Jacoby and Yellow Top. The term Ragwort, or Ragweed, is a corruption

2 minute read

Read Chapter

RASPBERRY.

RASPBERRY.

The Raspberry ( Rubus Idoeus ) occurs wild plentifully in the woods of Scotland, where children gather the fruit early in summer. It is also found growing freely in some parts of England—as in the Sussex woods—and bearing berries of as good a quality as that of the cultivated Raspberry, though not so large in size. Another name for the fruit is Framboise , which is [460] a French corruption of the Dutch word brambezie , or brambleberry. Again, the Respis, or Raspberry, was at one time commonly k

2 minute read

Read Chapter

RICE.

RICE.

Rice, or Ryse, the grain of Oryza sativa , a native cereal of India, is considered here scarcely as a Herbal Simple, but rather as a common article of some medicinal resource in the store cupboard of every English house-hold, and therefore always at band as a vegetable remedy. Among the Arabs Rice is considered a sacred food: [462] and their tradition runs that it first sprang from a drop of Mahomet's perspiration in Paradise. Being composed almost exclusively of starch, and poorer in nitrogen,

2 minute read

Read Chapter

ROSES.

ROSES.

Certain curative properties are possessed both by the Briar, or wild Dog Rose of our country hedges, and by the cultivated varieties of this queen of flowers in our Roseries. The word Rose means red, from the Greek [464] rodon , connected also with rota , a wheel, which resembles the outline of a Rose. The name Briar is from the Latin bruarium , the waste land on which it grows. The first Rose of a dark red colour, is held to have sprung from the blood of Adonis. The fruit of the wild Rose, whic

9 minute read

Read Chapter

ROSEMARY.

ROSEMARY.

The Rosemary is a well-known, sweet-scented shrub, cultivated in our gardens, and herb beds on account of its fragrancy and its aromatic virtues. It came originally from the South of Europe and the Levant, and was introduced into England before the Norman Conquest. The shrub ( Rosmarinus ) takes its compound name from ros , dew, marinus , belonging to the sea; in allusion to the grey, glistening appearance of the plant, and its natural locality, as well as its odour, like that of the sea. It is

6 minute read

Read Chapter

RUE.

RUE.

The wild Rue is found on the hills of Lancashire and Yorkshire, being more vehement in smell and in operation than the garden Rue. This latter, Ruta graveolens, (powerfully redolent), the common cultivated Rue of our kitchen gardens, is a shrub with a pungent aromatic odour, and a bitter, hot, penetrating taste, having leaves of a bluish-green colour, and remaining verdant all the year round. It is first mentioned as cultivated in England by Turner, in his Herbal , 1562, and has since become one

5 minute read

Read Chapter

[479] RUSHES.

[479] RUSHES.

The true Rushes ( Juncaceoe ) include the Soft Rush ( effusus ); the Hard Rush ( glaucus ); and the Common Rush ( conglomeratus ). The Bulrush (Pool Rush) is a Sedge; the Club Rush is a Typha; and the flowering Rush, a Butomus. "Rish" was the old method of spelling the name. A medicinal tincture is made (H.) from the fresh root of the juncus effusus . It will be found helpful against spinal irritability, with some crampy tightness felt in the arms and legs, together with headache and flatulent i

14 minute read

Read Chapter

SAGE.

SAGE.

Our garden Sage, a familiar occupant of the English herb bed, was formerly celebrated as a medicine of great virtue. This was the Elalisphakos of the Greeks, so called from its dry and withered looking leaves. It grows wild in the South of Europe, but is a cultivated Simple in England, France, and Germany. Like other labiate herbs [490] it is aromatic and fragrant, because containing a volatile, camphoraceous, essential oil. All parts of the plant have a strong-scented odour, and a warm, bitter,

4 minute read

Read Chapter

SAVIN.

SAVIN.

Savin, the Juniper Savin ( Sabina ), or Saffern, is a herb which grows freely in our bed of garden Simples, if properly cared for, and which possesses medicinal virtues of a potential nature. The shrub is a native of southern Europe, being a small evergreen plant, the twigs of which are densely covered with little leaves in four rows, having a strong, peculiar, unpleasant odour of turpentine, with a bitter, acrid, resinous taste. The young branchlets are collected for medicinal use. They contain

2 minute read

Read Chapter

[495] SCURVY GRASS.

[495] SCURVY GRASS.

One of the roost useful, but not best known, of the Cruciferous wild plants which are specifics against Scrofula is our English Scurvy Grass. It grows by choice near the sea shore, or in mountainous places; and even when found many miles from the sea its taste is Salt. It occurs along the muddy banks of the Avon; also in Wales, and in Cumberland, more commonly near the coast, and likewise on the mountains of Scotland; again it may be readily cultivated in the garden for medicinal uses. If eaten

18 minute read

Read Chapter

SELFHEAL.

SELFHEAL.

Several Herbal Simples go by the name of Selfheal among our wild hedge plants, more especially the Sanicle, the common Prunella, and the Bugle. The first of these is an umbelliferous herb, growing frequently in woods, having dull white flowers, in panicled heads, which are succeeded by roundish seeds covered with hooked prickles: the Wood Sanicle ( Europoea ). It gets its name Sanicle, perhaps, from the Latin verb sanare , "to heal, or make sound;" or, possibly, as a corruption of St. Nicholas,

3 minute read

Read Chapter

SHEPHERD'S PURSE.

SHEPHERD'S PURSE.

The small Shepherd's Purse ( Bursa Capsella Pastoris ) is one of the most common of wayside English weeds. The name Capsella signifies a little box, in allusion to the seed pods. It is a Cruciferous plant, made familiar by the diminutive pouches, or flattened pods at the end of its branching stems. This herb is of natural growth in most parts of the world, but varies in luxuriance according to soil and situation, whilst thickly strewn over the whole surface of the earth, facing alike the heat of

4 minute read

Read Chapter

SILVERWEED.

SILVERWEED.

Two Potentillas occur among our common native plants, and possess certain curative virtues (as popularly supposed), the Silverweed and the Cinquefoil. They belong to the Rose tribe, and grow abundantly on our roadsides, being useful as mild astringents. The Potentilla anserina (Silverweed) is found, as its adjective suggests, where geese are put to feed. Country folk often call it Cramp Weed: but it is more generally known as Goose Tansy, or Goose Gray, because it is a spurious Tansy, fit only f

3 minute read

Read Chapter

SKULLCAP.

SKULLCAP.

A useful medicinal tincture (H.) is made from the Skullcap ( Scutellaria ), which is a Labiate plant of frequent growth on the banks of our rivers and ponds, having bright blue flowers, with a tube longer than the calyx. This is the greater variety ( Galericulata ). There is a lesser variety ( Scutellaria minor ), which is [517] infrequent, and grows in bogs about the West of England, with flowers of a dull purple colour. Each kind gets its name from the Latin scutella , "a little cap," which th

1 minute read

Read Chapter

SLOE.

SLOE.

The parent tree which produces the Sloe is the Blackthorn, our hardy, thorny hedgerow shrub ( Prunus [518] spinosa ), Greek Prounee , common everywhere, and starting into blossom of a pinky white about the middle of March before a leaf appears, each branchlet ending in a long thorn projecting beyond the flowers at right angles to the stem. From the conspicuous blackness of its rind at the time of flowering, the tree is named Blackthorn, and the spell of harsh unkindly cold weather which prevails

6 minute read

Read Chapter

SOAPWORT.

SOAPWORT.

The Soapwort ( Saponaria officinalis ) grows commonly in England near villages, on roadsides, and by the margins of woods, in moist situations. It belongs to the Caryophyllaceoe , or Clove and Pink tribe of plants; and a double flowered variety of it is met with in gardens. This is Miss Mitford's "Spicer" in Our Village . It is sometimes named "Bouncing Bet," and "Fuller's herb." The root has a sweetish bitter taste, but no odour. It contains resin and mucilage, in addition to saponin, which is

2 minute read

Read Chapter

SOLOMON'S SEAL.

SOLOMON'S SEAL.

The Solomon's Seal ( Convallaria polygonatum ) is a handsome woodland plant by no means uncommon throughout England, particularly in Berkshire, Bucks, Rants, Kent, and Suffolk. It grows to the height of about two feet, bearing along its curved drooping branches handsome bells of pure white, which hang down all along the lower side of the gracefully weeping flower stalks. The oval leaves are ribbed, and grow alternately from the stem, for which reason the plant is called Ladder-to-heaven; or, "mo

2 minute read

Read Chapter

SOUTHERNWOOD.

SOUTHERNWOOD.

Southernwood, or Southern Wormwood, though it does not flower in this country, is well known as grown in every cottage garden for its aromatic fragrance. It is the Artemisia Abrotanum , a Composite plant of the Wormwood tribe, commonly known as "Old Man." Pliny explains that this title is borne because of the plant being a sexual restorative to those in advanced years, as explained by Macer:— "Hoec etiam venerem pulvino subdita tantum Incitat." Pliny says further that this herb is potent against

1 minute read

Read Chapter

SPEEDWELL.

SPEEDWELL.

This little plant, with its exquisite flowers of celestial blue, grows most familiarly in our hedgerows throughout the Spring, and early Summer. Its brilliant, gemlike blossoms show a border of pale purple, or delicate violet, marked with deeper veins or streaks. But the lovely circlet of petals is most fragile, and falls off at a touch; whence are derived the names Speedwell, Farewell, Good-bye, and Forget-me-not. Speedwell is a Veronica ( fero , "I bring," nikee , "victory"), which tribe was b

3 minute read

Read Chapter

SPINACH.

SPINACH.

Spinach ( Lapathum hortense ) is a Persian plant which has been cultivated in our gardens for about two hundred years; and considerably longer on the Continent. Some say the Spinach was originally brought [530] from Spain. It was produced by monks in France at the middle of the 14th century. This is a light vegetable, easily digested, and rather laxative, besides having some wonderful properties ascribed to its use. Its sub-order, the Saltworts ( Salsolaceoe ), are found growing in marshes by th

3 minute read

Read Chapter

SPURGE.

SPURGE.

Conspicuous in Summer by their golden green leaves, and their striking epergnes of bright emerald blossoms, the Wood Spurge, and the Petty Spurge, adorn our woodlands and gardens commonly and very remarkably. Together with many other allied plants, foreign and indigenous, they yield from their severed stems a milky juice of medicinal properties. The name _Euphorbioe _has been given to this order from Euphorbus, the favourite physician of Juba, King of Mauritania. All the Spurges possess the same

3 minute read

Read Chapter

STITCHWORT.

STITCHWORT.

The Stitchworts, greater and less ( Stellaria holostea ), grow very abundantly as herbal weeds in all our dry hedges and woods, having tough stems which run closely together, and small white star-like ( stellaria ) blossoms. These plants are of the same order (Chickweed) as the Alsine and the small Chickweed. Their second name, Holostea, signifies "all bones," because the whole plant is very brittle from the flinty elements which its structures contain. As its title declares, the great Stitchwor

2 minute read

Read Chapter

STRAWBERRY.

STRAWBERRY.

Properly, our familiar Strawberry plant is a native of cold climates, and so hardy that it bears fruit freely in Lapland. When mixed with reindeer cream, and dried in the form of a sausage, this constitutes Kappatialmas, the plum pudding of the Polar regions. "Strawberry" is from the Anglo-Saxon Strowberige , of which the first syllable refers to anything strewn. The wild woodland Strawberry ( Fragaria vesca ) is the progenitor of our highly cultivated and delicious fruit. This little hedgerow a

5 minute read

Read Chapter

SUCCORY.

SUCCORY.

The Wild Succory ( Cichorium intybus ) is a common roadside English plant, white or blue, belonging to the Composite order, and called also Turnsole, because it always turns its flowers towards the sun. It blows with a blue blossom somewhat paler than the Cornflower, but "bearing a golden heart." Its fresh root is bitter, and a milky juice flows from the rind, which is somewhat aperient and slightly sedative, so that this specially suits persons troubled with bilious torpor, and jaundice combine

2 minute read

Read Chapter

SUNDEW.

SUNDEW.

The Sundew ( Ros solis , or Drosera rotundifolia ) is a little plant always eagerly recognised in marshy and heathy grounds by ardent young botanists. In the sun its leaves seem tipped with dew ( drosos ). It grows plentifully in Hampshire and the New Forest, bearing a cluster of hairy leaves in a stellate form, at the top of a slender stem. These leaves either from lack of other sustenance in so barren a soil, or more probably as an advance in plant evolution to a higher grade of development, e

8 minute read

Read Chapter

TAMARIND.

TAMARIND.

The Tamarind pod, though of foreign growth, has been much valued by our immediate ancestors as a household medicinal Simple; and a well stocked jar of its useful curative pulp was always found in the store cupboard of a prudent housewife. But of late years this serviceable fruit has fallen into the background of remedial resources, from which it may be now brought forward again with advantage. The natives of India have a prejudice against sleeping under the Tamarind; and the acid damp from the t

2 minute read

Read Chapter

TANSY.

TANSY.

The Tansy ( Tanacetum vulgare —"buttons,"—bed of Tansy), a Composite plant very familiar in our hedgerows and waste places, being conspicuous by its heads of brilliant yellow flowers, is often naturalized in our gardens for ornamental cultivation. Its leaves smell like camphor, and possess a bitter aromatic taste; whilst young they were commonly used in times past, and are still employed, when shredded, for flavouring cakes, puddings, and omelets. The roots when preserved with honey, or sugar, a

3 minute read

Read Chapter

TARRAGON.

TARRAGON.

The kitchen herb Tarragon ( Artemisia dracunculus ) is cultivated in England, and more commonly in France, for uses in salads, and other condimentary purposes. It is the "little Dragon Mugwort: in French, Herbe au Dragon "; to which, as to other Dragon herbs, was ascribed the faculty of curing the bites and stings of venomous beasts, and of mad dogs. The plant does not fructify in France. It is of the Composite order, and closely related to [555] our common Wormwood, and Southernwood, but its le

1 minute read

Read Chapter

THISTLES.

THISTLES.

Thistles are comprised in a large mixed genus of our English weeds, and wild plants, several of them possessing attributed medicinal virtues. Some of these are Thistles proper, as the Carduus , the Cnicus , and the Carlina : others are Teasels, Eryngiums, and Globe Thistles, etc. Consideration should be given here to the Carduus marianus , or Lady's Thistle, the common [556] Carline Thistle, the Carduus benedictus (Blessed Thistle), the wild Teasel ( Dipsacus ), and the Fuller's Teasel, as Herba

6 minute read

Read Chapter

THYME.

THYME.

The Wild English thyme ( Thymus serpyllum ) belongs to the Labiate plants, and takes its second title from a Greek verb signifying "to creep," which has reference to the procumbent habit of the plant. It bears the appellation "Brotherwort." Typically the Thymus serpyllum flourishes abundantly on hills, heaths, and grassy places, having woody stems, small fringed leaves, and heads of purple flowers which diffuse a sweet perfume into the surrounding air, [561] especially in hot weather. Shakespear

6 minute read

Read Chapter

TOADFLAX.

TOADFLAX.

The Toadflax, or Flaxweed ( Linaria vulgaris ) belongs to the scrofula-curing order of plants, getting its name from linum , flax, and being termed "toad" by a [566] mistaken translation of its Latin title Bubonio , this having been wrongly read bufonio ,— belonging to a toad,—or because having a flower (as the Snapdragon) like a toad's mouth: whereas "bubonio" means "useful for the groins." It is an upright herbaceous plant most common in hedges, having leaves like grass of a dull sea green asp

9 minute read

Read Chapter

[573] TORMENTIL.

[573] TORMENTIL.

The Tormentil ( Potentilla Tormentilla ) belongs to the tribe of wild Roses, and is a common plant on our heaths, banks, and dry pastures. It is closely allied to the Potentilla , but bears only four petals on its flowers, which are of bright yellow. The woody roots are medicinally useful because of their astringent properties. Sometimes the stem is trailing, making this the Tormentilla Reptans , but more commonly it ascends. The name comes from tormina , which signifies such griping of the inte

1 minute read

Read Chapter

TURNIP.

TURNIP.

The Turnip ( Brassica Rapa ) belongs to the Cruciferous Cabbage tribe, being often found growing in waste places, though not truly wild. In this state it is worth nothing to man or beast; but, by cultivation, it becomes a most valuable food for cattle in the winter, and a good vegetable for our domestic uses. It exercises some aperient action, and the liquid in which turnips are boiled will increase the flow of urine. It is called also "bagie," and was the "gongyle" of the Greeks, so named from

3 minute read

Read Chapter

TURPENTINE.

TURPENTINE.

From our English Pines, if their stems be wounded, the oleo-resin known as Turpentine, can be procured. This is so truly a vegetable product, and so readily available for medical uses in every household, being withal so valuable for its remedial and curative virtues that no apology is needed for giving it notice as a Herbal Simple. The said oleo-resin which exudes on incising the bark furnishes our oil, or so-called spirit of Turpentine. But larger quantities, and of a richer resin, can be had f

9 minute read

Read Chapter

VALERIAN.

VALERIAN.

The great Wild Valerian, or Heal-all (from valere , to be well), grows abundantly throughout this country in moist woods, and on the banks of streams. It is a Benedicta, or blessed herb, being dedicated to the Virgin Mary, as preservative against poisons; and it bears the name of Capon's tail, from its spreading flowers. When found among bushes, in high pastures, and on dry heaths, it is smaller, with the leaves narrower, but the roots more aromatic, and less nauseous. The Valerian family of pla

3 minute read

Read Chapter

VERBENA.

VERBENA.

The Verbena, or Common Vervain, is a very familiar herb on waste ground throughout England, limited to no soil, and growing at the entrance into towns and villages, always within a quarter of a mile of a house, and hence called formerly the Simpler's joy. Of old, much credit for curative virtues attached itself to this plant, though it is without odour, and has no taste other than that of slight astringency. But a reputation clings to the vervain because it used to be held sacred, as "Holy Herb,

2 minute read

Read Chapter

VINE.

VINE.

The fruit of the Vine ( Vitis vinifera ) has already been treated of here under the heading "Grapes," as employed medicinally whether for the purgation of the bilious—being then taken crude, and scarcely ripe,—or for imparting fat and bodily warmth in wasting disease by eating the luscious and richly-saccharine berries. It should be added that the fumes exhaled from the wine-presses whilst the juice is fermenting, prove highly beneficial as a restorative for weakly and delicate young persons (an

1 minute read

Read Chapter

VIOLET.

VIOLET.

The Wild violet or Pansy ( Viola tricolor ) is found commonly throughout Great Britain on banks and in hilly pastures, from whence it has come to be cultivated in our gardens. Viola , a corruption of "Ion," is a name extended by old writers to several other different plants. But the true indigenous representative of the Violet tribe is our Wild Pansy, or Paunce, or Pance, or Heart's ease; called also "John of my Pink," "Gentleman John," "Meet her i' th' entry; kiss her i' th' buttery" (the longe

6 minute read

Read Chapter

VIPER'S BUGLOSS.

VIPER'S BUGLOSS.

The Simpler's passing consideration should be given to this tall handsome English herb which grows frequently in gravel pits, and on walls. It belongs to the Borage tribe (see page 60), and, in common with the Lungwort ( Pulmonaria ), the Comfrey, and the ordinary Bugloss, abounds in a soft mucilaginous saline juice. This is demulcent to the chest, or to the urinary passages, being also slightly laxative. Bees favour the said plants, which are rich in honey. Each herb goes by the rustic name of

1 minute read

Read Chapter

WALLFLOWER.

WALLFLOWER.

The Wallflower, or Handfiower ( Cheiranthus cheiri ), or Wall-gilliflower, has been cultivated in this country almost from time immemorial, for its fragrance and bright colouring. It is found wild in France, Switzerland, and Spain, as the Keiri or Wallstock. Formerly this flower was carried in the hand at classic festivals. Herrick, in 1647, gave a more romantic origin to the name Wallflower:— "Why this flower is now called so List, sweet maids, and you shall know: Understand this wi

2 minute read

Read Chapter

WALNUT.

WALNUT.

The Walnut tree is known of aspect to most persons throughout Great Britain as of stately handsome culture, having many spreading branches covered with a silvery grey bark, which is smooth when young, though thick and cracked when old. The flowers occur in long, hanging, inconspicuous spikes or catkins, of a brownish green colour. This tree is a native of Asia Minor, but is largely grown in England. The Greeks called it "Karuon," and the Latins "Nux." Its botanical title is Juglans regia , a cor

6 minute read

Read Chapter

WART-WORT, OR WART-WEED.

WART-WORT, OR WART-WEED.

This name has been commonly applied to the Petty Spurge, or to the Sun Spurge, a familiar little weed growing abundantly in English gardens, with umbels of a golden green colour which "turn towards the sun." Its stem and leaves yield, when wounded, an acrid milky juice which is popularly applied for destroying warts, and corns. But our Greater Celandine (see page 92) or Swallow-wort is better known abroad as the Wart-wort: and its sap is widely given in Russia for the cure, not only of [603] war

7 minute read

Read Chapter

WOODRUFF.

WOODRUFF.

Concerning the Sweet Woodruff ( Asperula odorata ), it is a favourite little plant growing commonly in our woods and gardens, with a pleasant smell which, like the good deeds of the worthiest persons, delights by its fragrance most after death. This herb is of the Rubiaceous order, and gets its botanical name from the Latin asper , rough, in allusion to the rough leaves possessed by its species. It may be readily recognised by its small white flowers set on a slender stalk, with narrow leaves gr

5 minute read

Read Chapter

WORMWOOD.

WORMWOOD.

The common Wormwood ( Artemisia absinthium ) has been partly considered here together with Mugwort, to which it is closely allied. It is a Composite herb of frequent growth on waste ground, being a bushy plant with silky stems, and collections of numerous small heads of dull yellow flowers. The name Wormwood is from wehren , to keep off— mought , a maggot or moth; and absinthium , from-a-negative— psinthos , delight, in allusion to the very bitter taste. The whole plant is of an aromatic smell a

3 minute read

Read Chapter

[615] WOUNDWORT.

[615] WOUNDWORT.

The Hedge Woundwort ( Stachys sylvatica ) is a common Labiate plant in our hedges and woods, branched and hairy, with whorls of small dull purple flowers on a spike two feet high or more. There are other varieties of the herb, such as the Marsh (March) Woundwort, the Corn Woundwort, and the Downy Woundwort. The Hedge Woundwort was named by Gerard, Clown's all heal, or the Husbandman's Woundwort, because a countryman who had cut his hand to the bone with a scythe, healed the wound in seven days w

1 minute read

Read Chapter

YARROW.

YARROW.

The Yarrow, from hiera , holy herb ( Achillea millefolium ), or Milfoil, is so called from the very numerous fine segments of its leaves. It is a Composite plant very common on waysides and in pastures throughout Britain. The name Achillea has been bestowed thereupon because the Greek warrior, Achilles, is said to have disclosed its virtues which he had been taught by Chiron, the Centaur. This herb is the _Stratiotes chiliophullos _of the Greek botanists, by whom it was valued as an excellent as

4 minute read

Read Chapter

YEW.

YEW.

Although the Yew—a Conifer—which is so thoroughly English a tree, is known to be highly poisonous as regards its leaves to the humans subject, and as concerning its loppings or half-dead branches, to oxen, horses, and asses, yet a medicinal tincture (H.) is made from the young shoots, which has distinct and curative uses. Both the Yew and the Ivy were called abiga , because [620] causing abortion. From which word when corrupted was formed iua ; and under this latter name, says Dr. Prior, the Ivy

13 minute read

Read Chapter