Woodruffe.
Asperula.
A common little wild plant, in our woods and thickets: it is ten inches high. The stalk is square, slender, weak, and not able to support itself perfectly upright. The leaves stand several at each joint, encompassing the stalk in the manner of a star; they are oblong, broad, and of a deep green. In their form and manner of growth they much resemble those of common cleavers, but they are larger, though the plant is so much less, and they are not rough as in that plant, but nearly smooth. The flowers stand at the tops of the stalks in little clusters; they are small and white; the seeds stand two together in a globular form. The roots are little and fibrous.
The fresh herb is used, and is best given in a strong decoction; it opens obstructions of the liver and spleen, and is a cordial, and stomachic. It is good in the jaundice.
