Bishopsweed.

Botanical name: 

Ammi.

A WILD plant in France and Italy, but kept only in our gardens; in its external figure, some what resembling parsley when in flower. The stalk is round, firm, and striated; it grows two feet high. The leaves are of the compound kind, and formed of many smaller, which are broad, short, and indented at the edges. The flowers are small and white, but they stand in such large tufts at the tops of the stalks that they make a considerable appearance. Each flower is succeeded by two seeds; these are small and striated, of a warm aromatic taste, and not disagreeable.

The seeds are the only part of the plant used in medicine; they are good against the colic, as all the other carminative seeds are; but they are also diuretic, so that they are particularly proper in those colics which arise from the stone in the kidneys and ureters; they also promote the menses.

There is another sort of bishops-weed called Cretick ammi (Sorry, I couldn't find the latin name of this. -Henriette), the seeds of which are used in medicine; they are of the same virtues with these, but are less used. They have a more spicy smell.


The Family Herbal, 1812, was written by John Hill.