The English physitian, or An astrologo-physical discourse of the vulgar herbs of this nation being a compleat method of physick, whereby a man may preserve his body in health, or cure himself being sick for three pence charge, with such things only as grow in England ... / by Nich. Culpeper.

SECT. 1. The way of gathering, drying, and preserving Simples and their Juyces.

Chap. 1. Of Leaves of Herbs or Trees.

• 1. OF Leaves, chuse only such as are green and full of Juyce, pick ••hem carefully, and cast away such as are any way declining, for they will putrifie the rest, so shall one handful be worth ten of those you buy in Cheap side.
• 2. Note in what place they most delight to grow in, and gather them there, for Bettony that grows in the shadow is far better than that which grows in the Sun, because it de∣lights in the shadow; so also such Herbs as delight to grow neer the Water, let such be ga∣thered as grow neer the Water, though happi∣ly you may find some of them upon dry ground, the Treatise will inform you where every Herb delights to grow.
• 3. The Leaves of such Herbs as run up to Seed, are not so good when they are in flower as before (some few excepted, the Leaves of which are seldom or never used) in such cases, if through ignorance they were not known, or through negligence forgotten, you had better take the top and the Flower•• than the Leaf.
• 4. Dry them well in the Sun, and not in the shadow as the swinge of Physitians is, for if the Sun draw away the Vertues of Herbs, it must needs do the like by Hay•• by the same Rule, which the experience of every Country Farmer will explode for a notable piece of non-sense.
• 5. Such as are Artists in Astrology (and indeed none else are fit to make Physitians) such I advi••e, let the Planet that governs the Herb be Angular, and ••he stronger the better, if they can in Herbs of Saturn, let Saturn be in the Ascendent, in the Herbs of Mars, let Mars be in the Mid-heaven, for in those Hou∣ses they delight, let the Moon apply to them by good A••pect•• and let her not be in the Houses of their Enemies: If you cannot well stay till she apply to them, let her apply to a Planet of the same Triplicity, if you cannot wait that time neither, let her be with a fixed Star of their Nature.
• 6. Having well dryed them put them up in brown Papers, sewing the Paper up like a Sack, and press them not too hard together, and keep them in a dry place neer the fire.
• 7. As for the duration of dryed Herbs, a just time cannot ••e given, let Authors p••ate their pleasures: For,

  First, Such as grow upon dry grounds will keep better than such as grow on moist.

  Secondly, Such Herbs as are full of Juyce will not keep so long as such as are dryer.

  Thirdly, Such Herbs as are well dryed will keep longer than such as are ill dried.

  Yet this I say, by this you may know when they are corrupted, viz. By their loss of co∣lour, or smell, or both, and it they be corrup∣ted, reason will tell you that they must needs corrupt the Bodies of those people that take them.

• 8. Gather all Leaves in the hour of that Planet that governs them.

Chap. 2. Of Flowers.

• 1. THe Flower which is the beauty of the Plant, and of none of the least use in Physick, groweth yeerly, and is to be ga∣thered when it is in its prime.
• 2. As for the time of gathering them, let the Planetary hour, and the Planet that rules the Plant they come of, be observed, as we shewed you in the foregoing Chapter; as for the time of the day let it be when the Sun shines upon them that so they may be dry, for if you gather either Herbs or Flowers when they are wet or dewy, they will not keep, and this I forgot before.
• 3. Dry them well in the Sun, and keep them in Papers neer the fire, as I shewed you in the foregoing Chapter.
• 4. So long as they retain their colour and smel they are good, either of them being gone so is the Vertue also.

Chap. 3. Of Seeds.

• 1. THe Seed is that part of the Plant which is endewed with a vitall facul∣ty to bring forth its like, and it contains po∣tentially the whol Plant in it.
• 2. As for place let them be gathered from the plants where they delight to grow.
• 3. Let them be full ripe when they are ga∣thered, and forget not the Coelestial Harmo∣ny before mentioned, for I have found by ex∣perience that their Vertues are twice as great at such times than at others: There is an ap∣pointed time for every thing under the Sun.
• 4. When you have gathered them dry them a little, and but a little in the Sun before you lay them up.
• 5. You need not be so careful of keeping them so neer the fire as the other before men∣tioned, because they are fuller of Spirit, and therefore not so subject to corrupt.
• 6. As for the time of their duration 'tis pal∣pable they will keep good many yeers, yet this I say, they are best the first yeer, and this I make appear by a good argument, They will grow soonest the first yeer they be set, therefore then are they in their prime, and 'tis an easie matter to renew them yeerly.

Chap. 4. Of Roots.

• 1. OF Roots chuse such as are neither rot∣ten nor wormeaten, but proper in their rast, colour, and smell, such as exceed neither in softness nor hardness.
• 2. Give me leave to be a little critical a∣gainst the Vulgar received Opinion, which is, That the Sap falls down into the Root in Autumn, and rises again in Spring, as men go to Bed at night and rise in the morning; and this idle tale of untruth is so grounded in the Heads not only of the Vulgar but also of the Learned, that a man cannot drive it out by Reason: I pray let such Sap-mongers answer me to this Argument, If the Sap fall into the Root in the fall of the Leaf, and lie there all the Winter, then must the Root grow only in the Winter, as experience witnesseth, but the Root grows not at all in the Winter, as the sa••c experience teacheth, but only in the Summer. Ergo,

  If you set an Apple Kernel in the Spring, you shall find the Root to grow to a pretty bigness in that Summer, and be not a whit bigger next Spring: What doth the Sap do in the Root all that while? pick straws? For God's sake build not your faith upon Traditi∣on, 'tis as rotten as a rotten Post.

  The truth is, when the Sun declines from the Tropick of Cancer, the Sap begins to congeal both in Root and Branch, when he toucheth the Tropick of Capricorn and ascends to us ward, it begins to wax thin again, and by de∣grees as it congealed: But to proceed:

• 3. The dryer time you gather your Roots in the better they are•• for they have the less ex∣crementitious moisture in then.
• 4. Such Roots as are soft, your best way is to dry in the Sun, or else hang them up in the Chimney corner upon a string; as for such as are hard you may dry them any where.
• 5. Such Roots as are great will keep longer than such as are small, yet most of them will keep a yeer.
• 6. Such Roots as are soft it is your best way to keep them alwaies neer the fire, and take this general Rule, If in Winter time you find any of your Roots, Herbs or Flowers begin to grow moist, as many times you shall, especial∣ly in the Winter time (for 'tis your best way to look to them once a month) dry them by a very gentle fire, or if you can with conveni∣ence keep them neer the fire, you may save your self the labor.
• 7. It is in vain to dry such Roots as may commonly be had, as Parsly, Fennel, Plan∣tane &c. but gather them only for present need.

Chap. 5. Of Barks.

• 1. BArks which Physitians use in Medif cines are these sorts, of Fruits, o Roots, of Boughs.
• 2. The Barks of Fruits is to be taken when the Fruit is full ripe, as Orrenges, Lemmons. &c. but because I have nothing to do with Exoticks here, I shall pass them without any more words.
• 3. The Barks of Trees are best gathered in the Spring, if it be of great Trees, as Oaks or the like, because then they come easiest off, and so you may dry them if you please, but indeed your best way is to gather all Barks only for present use.
• 4. As for the Bark of Roots, 'tis this, and thus to be gotten, Take the Roots of such Herbs as have a pith in them, as Parsly, Fen∣nel, &c. slit them in the middle, and when you have taken out the pith (which you may easily and quickly do) that which remains is called (though somthing improperly) the Bark and indeed is only to be used.

Chap. 6. Of Juyces.

• 1. Juyces are to be pressed out of Herbs when they are yong and tender, and al∣so out of some Stalks, and tender tops of Herbs and Plants, and also out of some Flowers.
• 2. Having gathered your Herb you would preserve the Juyce of, when it is very dry (for otherwise your Juyce will not be worth a But∣ton) bruise it very well in a stone Mortar with a wooden Pestle, then having put it into a Canvas Bag (the Herb I mean, not the Mor∣tar for that will yield but little Juyce) press it hard in a press, then take the Juyce and clari∣fie it.
• 3. The manner of clarifying of it is this, put it into a Pipkin or Skillet, or some such thing and set it over the fire, and when the Scum riseth, take it off, let it stand over the fire till no more Scum rise, then have you your Juyce clarified, cast away the Scum as a thing of no use.
• 4. When you have thus clarified it, you have two waies to preserve it all the yeer.

First, When it is cold put it into a Glass, and put so much Oyl on it as will cover it the thickness of two fingers, the Oyl will swim at top, and so keep the Air from coming to it to purrifie it; when you in••end to use it, do no more but so, powr out into a Porrenger, a lit∣tle more than you intend to use, and if any Oyl come out with it (as if the Glass be not full 'tis a hundred to one it there do) you may easily scum it off with a Spoon, and put the Juyce you use not, into the Glass again it will quickly sink under the Oyl: This is the first way.

Secondly, The second way is a little more difficult, and the Juyce of Fruits is usually preserved this way, when you have clarified the Juyce as before, boyl it over the fire, till (being cold) it be of the thickness of Honey, this is most commonly used for Diseases of the mouth, and is called R••b and Sapa.

And thus much for the first Section, the Se∣cond follows.