Larks' Spur.
Botanical name:
Delphinium.
A common flower in our gardens; but not with out its virtues. It grows a yard high: the stalks are round, upright, firm, and of a pale green. The leaves are cut into a multitude of long, narrow, and very fine divisions, and are of a deep green colour, and the flowers which grow in long spikes at the tops of the branches, are naturally blue, but often red or white. They are moderately large, and have a kind of spur behind.
The leaves are used; they must be boiled fresh in water, and the decoction is good against the bleeding piles. It stops the hemorrhage, and at the same time cools the body, whereas too many of the astringent medicines are heating.
