Blagrave's supplement or enlargement to Mr. Nich. Culpeppers English physitian containing a description of the form, names, place, time, coelestial government, and virtues, all such medicinal plants as grow in England, and are omitted in his book, called, The English-physitian, and supplying the additional virtues of such plants wherein he is defective : also the description, kinds, names, place, time, nature, planetary regiment, temperature, and physical virtues of all such trees, herbs, roots, flowers, fruits, excrescencies of plants, gums, ceres, and condensate juices, as are found in any part of the world, and brought to be sold in our druggist and apothecaries shops, with their dangers and corrections / by Joseph Blagrave ... ; to which is annexed, a new tract for the cure of wounds made by gun-shot or otherways, and remedies for the help of seamen troubled with the scurvy and other distempers ...

Swallow-wort.

Kinds, Names.] OF this there are three kinds. The usual latine names of Swallow-wort is Asclepias or Ʋni∣ce toxicum; their distinct names follow in their Descriptions.

Descript.] 1. Swallow-wort with white flowers Asclepias flore albo. This Swallow-wort riseth up with divers slender weak stalks, to be two or three foot long, not easie to break, scarce able to stand upright, and therefore for the most part doth lean or lie down upon the ground, if it find not any thing to sustain it, and sometimes will twine themselues about it; whereon are set two leaves at the joynts, being somewhat broad and long-pointed at the end; of a dark green colour, and smooth at the edges: At the joynts with the leavs towards the tops of the stalks, and at the tops themselves, come forth divers small white flowers, consisting of five pointed leaves a∣peece, of an heavy sweet scent, after which come small long pods, thick above and less and less to the point; wherein lie small flat brown seed, wrapped in a great deal of white silken down, which when the pod is ripe it openeth of it self, and sheddeth both seed and cotton upon the ground, if it be not carefully gathered; The roots are a great Bush, of many strings fastned together at the head, smelling somewhat strong while they are fresh and green; but more pleasant when they are dryed; both leavs and stalks pe∣rish every winter, and rise anew in the spring of the year, when the stalks at their first springing are blackish brown.

Descript.] 2. Swallow-wort with black flowers, called in Latine, Asclepias flore nigro. This groweth in the same manner that the former doth, having his long slender rough branches, rise to a greater height than the other, and twining themselves about whatsoever standeth next unto them; having such like dark green leavs set by couples, but somewhat smaller than they: the flowers likewise stand in the same fashion but some∣what smaller also, and of a dark purplish colour, that it seemeth to be black, and are scarce discerned unless one look very earnestly upon them; after which come more plentifully than the other such like Cods, with a white silver down and seeds in them as the former: the roots hereof are not so bushy as the other, neither smell so strong; neither doth it give any milky but a watry juice when it is broken.

Descript.] 3. Swallow-wort of Candy, Asclepias Cretica. This riseth up in the same fashion that the former do, with many slender flexible green branches, with leavs set at the joynts on either side as the white kind hath, and are very like unto them, but somewhat of a paler white colour; The flowers stand in the same manner three or four together upon a stalk, but are somewhat of a paler white colour; to whom succeed some∣times but one, and sometimes two pods together, which are thicker and shorter than those of the white kind; straked all along and double-forked at the ends, wherein lie silk and seeds as in the former; The roots have not so strong a smell as the last, and have, aswel as the rest of the Plant, a strong smell like Box-leaves.

Place and T me.] The two first grow in rough and untilled ground, upon divers Mountains in France, about Narbone, Marseilles, and Mom∣pelier, and in Italy also; The last in Candy. They flower in the months of June and July, and sometimes not until August; and their Cods are ripe about a moneth after; the empty husks abiding on the dry branches, when the seed and silk is fallen out.

Government and Virtues.] These are Solar Plants: the roots have a most soveraign faculty against all poysons,* 1.1 particular∣ly against the Apocynum or Dogs-bane; and is effectu∣ally given to such as are bitten by any venemous beast, or stung by any Serpent or other Creature; as also a∣gainst the biting of a mad dog, and a dram and an half thereof taken in Carduus-water for divers days toge∣ther It is taken also in wine every day against the Plague and pestilence, a dram thereof taken in Bu∣gloss-water is effectual against all passions of the heart, if the same quantity of Citron-seeds be taken there∣with, it easeth all the griping pains in the belly; the Decoction of the roots made with white-wine, taken for divers days together, a good draught at a time, and sweating thereupon cureth the dropsie; The same also cureth the Jaundice,* 1.2 provoketh Urine, and easeth the cough,

and all defects of the Chest and lungs; The powder of the roots taken with Peony-seeds is good against the Falling-Sickness,* 1.3 or with Basil-seed or the rinde of Pomcitron-seeds is good against melancholy,, and taken with the roots of Dictamnus albus, or bastard-Dittany, will kill and expell worms of the maw or belly: the roots are also used amongst other things, for baths, for women to sit in, to ease pains of the Mother, and to bring down their courses: the decocti∣on hereof with comfrey roots made in wine,* 1.4 is good for those that have a Rupture or are bursten, or have received hurts by bruises. The powder of the roots or leaves is effectual to cleanse all putrid rotten and filthy Ulcers and Sores▪ and may safely be used, in all Salves, Unguents and Lotions made for such purpo∣ses. The leaves and flowers boyled and made into a Pultis and applyed to the hard tumors or swellings of womens breasts cureth them speedily, and all sores in the matrix.* 1.5

Notes

• * 1.1

  Poysons, Vene∣mous beasts, Serpents, mad do•• Plague, P••stilence, P••ssions of the heart; Griping in the Belly.
• * 1.2

  Jaundice, Dropsie, Ʋrine,
• * 1.3

  Cough, Chest, Lungs, Fal∣ling-Sickness, Melancholy, Worms.
• * 1.4

  Pains of the Mother, Cour∣ses, Rupture, Bruises, Ʋl∣cers, Sores.
• * 1.5

  Womens breasts, Ma∣trix.