Prunella vulgaris (Family: Lamiaceae) 

It is called All-heal, Hercules’s All-heal, and Hercules’s Wound-wort, because it is supposed that Hercules learned the herb and its virtues from Chiron, when he learned physic of him. Some call it Panay, and others Opopane-wort. 

Description.

Its root is long, thick, and exceeding full of juice, of a hot and biting; taste, the leaves are great and large, and vinged almost like ash-tree leaves, but that they are something hairy, each leaf consisting of five or six pair of such wings set one against the other upon foot-stalks, broad below, but narrow towards the end ; one of the leaves is a little deeper at the bottom than the other, of a fair yellowish fresh green colour: they are of a bitterish taste, being chewed in the mouth; from among these rises up a stalk, green in colour, round in form, great and strong in magnitude, five or six feet in altitude, with many joints, and some leaves thereat ; towards the top come forth umbels of small yellow flowers, tiller which are passed away, you may find whitish, yellow, short, flat seeds, bitter also in taste.

Place

Haring given you a description of the herb from bottom to top, give me leave to tell you, that there are other herbs called by this name; but because they are strangers in England, I give only the description or this, which is easily to be had in the gardens of divers places.

Time.

Although Gerrard saith, that they flower from the beginning of May to the end of  December, experience teaches them that keep it in their gardens, that it flowers not till the latter en of the Summer, and sheds its seed presently after.

Government and virtues.

latter en of the Summer, and sheds its seed presently after. It is under the dominion of Mars, hot, biting, and choleric; and remedies what evils Mars inflicts the body of man with, by sympathy, as vipers’ flesh attracts poison, and the load stone iron. It kills the and helps all joint-aches. lt helps all cold griefs of the head, the vertigo, falling-sickness, the lethargy, the wind cholic, obstructions of the liver and spleen, stone in the kidneys and bladder. It provokes the terms, expels the dead birth: it is excellent good for the griefs of the sinews, itch, stone, and tooth-ache, the biting of mad dogs and venomous beasts, and purges choler very gently.worms, helps the gout, cramp, and convulsions, provokes urine,  and helps all joint-aches. It helps all cold griefs of the head, the vertigo, falling-sickness, the lethargy, the wind cholic, obstructions of the liver and spleen, stone in the kidneys and bladder. It provokes the terms, expels the dead birth: it is excellent good for the griefs of the sinews, itch, stone, and tooth-ache, the biting of mad dogs and venomous beasts, and purges choler very gently.

Nicholas Culpeper

Agrimonia eupatoria  (Family: Rosaceae)

Description.

This has divers long leaves? (some greater, some smaller) set upon a stalk, all of them dented about the edges, above, and grayish underneath, and a little hairy withal. Among which arises up usually but one strong, round, hairy, brown stalk, two or three feet high, with smaller leaves set here and there upon it. At the top thereof grow many small yellow flowers, one above another, in after which come rough heads of seed, hanging downwards, which will cleave to and stick upon garments, or any thing that shall rub against them. The knot is black, long, and somewhat woody, abiding many .years, and shooting afresh every Spring ; which , though small, hath a reasonable good scent.

Place.

It grows upon banks, near the sides of hedges.

Time.

It flowers in July and August, the seed being ripe shortly alter.

Government and virtues.

It is an herb under Jupiter, and the sign Cancer; and strengthens those parts under the planet and sign, and removes diseases in them by sympathy, and those under Saturn, Mercury by antipathy, if they happen in any part of the body governed by Jupiter, or under the signs Cancer, Sagilarius or Pisces, and therefore must needs be good for the gout, either used outwardly in oil or ointment, or inwardly in an electuary, or syrup, or concerted juice: for which see the latter and of this book.

It is of a cleansing and cutting faculty without any manifest heat, moderately drying and binding. It opens and cleanses the liver, helps the jaundice, and is very beneficial to the bowels, healing all inward wounds, bruises, hurts, and other distempers. The decoction of the herb made with wine, and drank, is good against the biting and stinging of serpents, and helps them that make foul, troubled or bloody water.

This herb also helps the cholic, cleanses the breast, and rids away the cough. A draught of the decoction taken warm before the fit, first removes, and in time rids away the tertain or quartan agues. The leaves and seeds taken in wine, strays the bloody flux; outwardly applied, being stamped with old swines’ grease, it helps old sores, cancers, and inveterate ulcers, and draws forth thorns and splinters of wood, nails, or any other such things gotten in the flesh. It helps to strengthen the members that be out at joint: and being bruised and applied, or the juice dropped in it, helps foul and imposthumed ears.

The distiller] water of the herb is good to all the said purposes, either inward or outward, but a great deal weaker.

It is a most admirable remedy for such whose livers are annoyed either by heat or cold. The liver is tlie former of blood, and blood the nourisher of the body, and Agrimony a strengthener of the liver.

I cannot stand to give you a reason in every herb why it cures such diseases; but if you please to pursue my judgment in the herb Wormwood, you shall find them there, and it will be well worth your while to consider it in every herb, you shall find them true throughout the hook.

Nicholas Culpeper