This is a page to be proofread from Salmon's Botanologia, 1710.
most like to those of dead Nettles or something re-fembling the Homers of Orchis, but larger, and of a deadijh yellow color, as the Stalks and Leaves also are, after which grow forth long, thick and round husks, in which are contained very many Seeds, yet good for nothing but Parkinson jays, it penjhes without Seed.
IV. The Places. Gerard says, that Broom-Rape is not to be found any where but where Broom grows. It may be found in a Broom-field at the foot of Shooters-hill next London ·, upon Hampftead-Heath, and in several other places. But Parkinson lays, it grows more often where no Broom grows, viz. by Fields and Hedge sides, and upon Heaths and other Authors say, in Corn-fields and Hemp-lands.
V. The Times. It rises up, and appears, and is in its chief perfection in the Month of June.
VI. The Qualities. It is Temperate in refpect to Heat or Cold, Dryness or Moisture, Aperitive, Ab-lterfive, Diuretick, and Vulnerary Hepatick, Ne-phritick, and Alterative.
VII. 'The Specification. Its peculiar property is to provoke Urine, and help the Strangury.
V1IL The Preparations. You may make therefrom, 1. A liquid Juice. 2. An Essence. 3. A Decoction. 4. An Inflated Oil. 5. A Balsam. 6. A Cataplasm.
The Virtues.
IX. The liquid juice. It is an extraordinary thing to cure not only green Wounds, but also running Sores, old, filthy, running Ulcers, and malignant breakings out whatsoever.
X. The Essence. It is thought to be as effectual in opening Obstructions of the Reins, Ureters and Bladder, provoking Urine, and expelling Sand, Gravel, Stones, or any Viscous, Tartarous or Slimy Matter out of the Urinary palTages, as Broom it self. Dole three or four ounces at a time, Morning and Evening, in a glass of White Wine.
XI. The Decoction. It has the Virtues of the Essence, but not all out so powerful.
XII. The Infolated Oil. It ought to be made of four or five repeated Infusions of the top Stalks with the Flowers, strained forth and cleared. It is laid to cleanse the Skin of all manner of Spots, Freckles, Lentils, Sun-burning, Tanning, and other like deformities which rise through heat of the Sun, or superabundancy of malign Humors.
XIII. The Balsam. It is cleansing, incarnative,and healing, and therefore beneficial against all sorts of old, putrid, malign, and running Sores and Ulcers: It heals Wounds admirably, and conglutinates their Lips in a very short time.
XIV. The Cataplasm. It is good against Burnings and Scaldtngs, eases Pain, difculTes Swellings and Contusions, where the Skin is not broken, and fof-tens hard Tumors.
CHAP. LXXXVII. Britanny.
1./τΛ HE Names. It is called by Ρ liny, lib. 20.
L cap. 21. in Greek *tjv*»0cr, Hydrolapathum : in Latin, Lapathum Sylvejlre longifolium nigrum, Hydrolapathum, Hydrolapathum nigrum, and Britannica: in Englifi, rhe Wild Black long-leav'd Water-Dock, or Black Water-Dock, and Britanny, which last is its most Common Appellation.
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II. The Kinds. The Arabian, Greek and Roman Authors affirm it to be a Species of Lapathum, or Dock, which that laborious Botanist Abraham Wanting in his famous Herbal, publiihed in Holland, in folio, Anno τ 696. has fufficiently demonftrated. And of this Plant there are two special kinds, 1. The European, simply called Britannica, and Britannica Antiquorum vera, or Britanny. 2. The A-mencan, called by the aforenamed Author, Britannica Americana ; and from some of the places where it grows, Britannica Virgin!ana, American, or Virginian Britanny.
III. This Plant has layen in the Dark for many Ages, ever fince the Times of the Ancient Romans, to whom it was well known, and by whom it was much used, as' Avicen, Dioscorides, Pliny, Galen, JEgineta, Mtivs, Orobafius, and others, teftifie^ whereby it is manifeft, that in Ancient times it was famous for its cures, which it performed in the Roman Armies, which in Britanny and the Low Countries, they laboured under, being chiefly the Scurvy, or Scorbutick Distempers, as Diarrhea's, or Fluxes of the Bowels, Pains or Aches, Loofeness of Teeth, &c. for which reason Claudius Gefar carried it along with him to Rome, ordering it to be fpread upon the Pageants of his Triumph, and to be hung up in the Capitol : And Nero himfelf took care of it afterwards for its Culture, by causing it to he nurst up in the Gardens of Rome. But it feerris when the Goths, and other Barbarous Nations overrun the Roman Empire, and the greatelt part of Chrilfendom, destroying and rooting up every tfxijig they came near, rhat this Plant was buried or loft, in that Universal Deftruction of almost ail things,
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