Culpeper's complete herbal ... To which are ... annexed his English physician enlarged, and Key to [Galen's Method of] physic ... to which is also added ... receipts selected from the author's Last legacy / Nicholas Culpeper.

  • Nicholas Culpeper
Date:
1814
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Culpeper's complete herbal ... To which are ... annexed his English physician enlarged, and Key to [Galen's Method of] physic ... to which is also added ... receipts selected from the author's Last legacy / Nicholas Culpeper. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to put a little salt for this purpose, being applied with a little hog’s lard, it helps a plague sore, and other boils and pushes. The fumes of the decoction while it is warm, received by a funnel into the ears, eases the pains of them, destroys the worms and cures the running sores in them. The juice dropped into them does the same. The root of Betony is displeas- ing both to the taste and stomach, whereas the leaves and llowers, by their sweet and spicy taste, are comfortable both to meat and medicine. These are some of the many virtues Anthony Muse, an expert physician, (for it w^as not the practice of Octavius Cesar to keep fools about him) appropriates to Betony ; it is a very precious herb, that is certain, and most fitting to be kept in a man’s house, Both in syrup, conserve, oil, ointment and plaistcr. The flowers are usually conserved. TUB BEECH TREE. In treating of this tree, you must under- stand, that I mean the green mast Beech, w’hich is by way of distinction from that other small rough sort, called in Sussex the smaller Beech, l3ut in Essex Horn-bean. I suppose it is needless to describe it, being already too well known to my coun- trymen. P/ffce.] It grows in woods amongst oaks and other trees, and in parks, forests,, and chases, to feed deer; and in other places to fatten swine. Time^ It blooms in the end of April, or beginning of May, for the most part, and the fruit is ripe in September. Government and virtues!] It is a plant of Saturn, and therefore performs his qualities and proportion in these operations. The leaves of the Beech tree are cooling and binding, and therefore good to be applied to hot swelliu2;s to discuss them ; the nuts do much nourish such beasts as feed thereon. (3.) The water that is found in the hollow places of decaying Beeches will cure both man and beast of any scurf, or running tetters, if they be washed therewith; you may boil the leaves into a poultice, or make an oint- ment of them when time of year serves. BILBERRIES, CALLED BY SOME WIIORTS, AND WHORTLE-BERRIES. Descript.] Of these I shall only speak of two sorts which are common in England, viz. The black and red berries. And first of the black. The small bush creeps along upon the- ground, scarcely rising half a yard high^ with divers small green leaves set in the green branches, not always one against the other, and a little dented about the edges: At the foot of the leaves come forth small, hollow, pale, bluish coloured flow'ers, the- brims ending at five points, with a reddish thread in the middle, which pass into small round berries of the bigness and colour of juniper berries, but of a purple, sweetish sharp taste; the juice of them gives a purplish colour in their hands and lips that eat and handle them, especially if they break them. The root grows aslope under ground, shooting forth in sundry places as it creeps. This looses its leaves in Winter. The Red Bilberry, or Whortle-Bush, rises up like the former, having sundry hard leaves, like the Box-tree leaves, green and round pointed, standing on the several branches, at the top whereof only, and not from the sides, as in the former, come forth divers round, reddish, sappy berries, when they are ripe, of a sharp taste. The root runs in the ground, as in the former, but the leaves of this abide all Winter. Flace.] The first grows in forests, on the' heaths, and such like barren places: the' red grows in the north parts of this land, as Lancashire, Yorkshire, &c. Time!] They flower in March and April, H