The British herbal and family physician. : To which is added, a dispensatory for the use of private families / by Nicholas Culpepper.
- Culpeper, Nicholas, 1616-1654. English physitian
- Date:
- 1834
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The British herbal and family physician. : To which is added, a dispensatory for the use of private families / by Nicholas Culpepper. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.
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![which we in Sussex call bitter-sweets, viz. sweet at first, and bitter afterwards. Place.] They grow commonly almost throughout England, especially in moist and shady places. Time.] The leaves shoot out about the latter end of March if the temperature of the air be ordinary; it flowereth in July, and the seeds are ripe soon after, usually in the next month. Government and Virtues.] It is under the planet Mercury, and a notable herb of his also, if it be rightly gathered under his influence. It is excellent to remove witchcraft both in men and beasts, as also all sudden diseases whatsoever. Being tied round about the neck, is one of the most admirable remedies for the vertigo or dizziness in the head that is; and that is the reason (as Tragus saith) the people in Germany commonly hang it about their cattle’s necks, when they fear any such evil hath betided them: Country people commonly use to take the berries of it, and having bruised them, they apply them to fe- lons, and thereby soon rid their fingers of such troublesome guests. We have now shewed you the external use of the herb; we shall speak a word or two of the internal, and so conclude. Take notice, it is ft mercurial herb, and therefore of very sub- tle parts, as indee 1 all mercurial plants are; therefore take a pound of the wood and leaves together, bruise the wood (which you may easily do, for it is not so hard as oak) then put it into a pot, and put to it three pints of white wine, put on the pot-lid and shut it close; and let it infuse hot over a gentle fire twelve hours, then strain it out, so have you a most excellent drink to open obstructions of the liver and spleen, to help difficulty of breath, bruises and falls, and congealed blood in any part of the body, it helps the yellow jaundice, the dropsy and black jaundice, and to cleanse women newly brought to bed. You may drink a qnarter of a pint of the infusion every morning. It purgelh the body very gently, and not churlishly, as some hold. And when you find good by this, remember me. Those who think what I have said concerning the use of these](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24930775_0008.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
