The herball or Generall historie of plantes. Gathered by Iohn Gerarde of London Master in Chirurgerie very much enlarged and amended by Thomas Iohnson citizen and apothecarye of London

¶ The Vertues.

Black Hellebor purgeth downwards flegme, choler, and also melancholy especially, and all me∣lancholy [ A] humors, yet not without trouble and difficultie: therfore it is not to be giuen but to robu∣stious and strong bodies, as Mesues teacheth. A purgation of Hellebor is good formad and furious men, for melancholy, dull, and heauy persons, for those that are troubled with the falling sicknes, for lepers, for them that are sicke of a quartane Ague, and briefely for all those that are troubled with blacke choler, and molested with melancholy.

The manner of giuing it (meaning the first blacke Hellebor) saith Actuarius in his first booke, is [ B] three scruples, little more or lesse.

It is giuen with wine of raisins or oxymel, but for pleasantnes sake some sweet and odoriferous [ C]

seeds must be put vnto it: but if you would haue it stronger, adde thereunto a grain or two of Sca∣monie. Thus much Actuarius.

The first of these kindes is best, then the second; the rest are of lesse force. [ D]

The roots take away the morphew and blacke spots in the skin, tetters, ring-wormes, leprosies, [ E] and 〈◊〉〈◊〉.

The root sodden in pottage with flesh, openeth the bellies of such as haue the dropsie. [ F]

The root of bastard Hellebor, called among our English women Beare-foot, steeped in wine [ G] and drunken, looseth the belly euen as the true blacke Hellebor, and is good against all the disea∣ses whereunto blacke Hellebor serueth, and killeth wormes in children.

It doth his operation with more force and might, if it be made into pouder, and a dram thereof [ H] be receiued in wine.

The same boyled in water with Rue and Agrimony, cureth the jaundice, and purgeth yellow su∣perfluities [ I] by siege.

The leaues of bastard Hellebor dried in an ouen, after the bread is drawne out, and the pouder [ K] thereof taken in a figge or raisin, or strawed vpon a piece of bread spred with honey and eaten, kil∣leth wormes in children exceedingly.